Emery's Cottages On the Shore — Local services in Bar Harbor

My husband and I have stayed at Emery’s several times in the past, we always loved the place, location and owners. Due to both of us having health issues, we weren’t able to go for a few summers. Now that my husband has fought his way through stage IV cancer and I am healing from several spine surgeries, 9 all together, we were really excited to be able to return again this summer. Our whole experience was terrible and we left, disappointedly after one night. || I know smoking is bad, but yes, I smoke. I never smoked in the cabin but was allowed to outside, away from people, on our own steps. Which was fine with me because I’d rather sit outside with my coffee, stare at the beautiful ocean while I had my smoke. Nobody told us the rules had changed. We paid the whole price to stay there for two nights. I am disabled and can hardly walk but sitting on the step in my chair was perfect. ||On arrival, I discovered they had new steps into the cabin which had higher risers. Anyone with disabilities can tell you what a struggle that makes. After about 10 minutes, with my husbands help, I made it up to the flat part where the chairs were. I had to sit awhile to rest and to get my pain to calm down until I had to go into the cabin to use the bathroom. These cabins are no way handicap accessible. My walker couldn’t even fit into the bathroom. Once on the toilet, which was so low it felt like you were sitting on the floor, I couldn’t get up. There aren’t any grab bars in there at all. || I couldn’t hardly sleep that night because of my pain level was off the chart. Then our first morning, my husband helps me outside to sit in the lawn chair with my coffee. I lit my cigarette, only to have a lady come flying down to our cabin in a golf cart. No high or good morning, nor welcome to Emery’s, she just said in a very nasty voice that I wasn’t allowed to smoke there. I turned around and looked at the sign on the door, stating no smoking inside the cabin, it didn’t say anything about outdoors. Also there was a paper inside, stating the same thing, we must smoke outside, not in the cabin. She said yes, she knew that, they just hadn’t updated those yet. I explained to her that I was disabled so couldn’t walk way up to the road, off their property. I told her that it was always allowed before, if not we wouldn’t have paid to stay there. She argued with me and said no, it’s never been allowed there ever since the place opened up. She clearly lied because the owners used to even put ashtrays on the little table on the porches. She wasn’t even born yet when we first started staying there. She then just said no, I couldn’t smoke there, then she took off in her golf cart. ||After that upset, we got ready to go do some sight seeing. When trying to walk down the steps, I fell and really hurt my back and leg. We came back later in the day, and my husband went in the cabin to get our belongings and we left. I hope they enjoyed taking our money for the extra night that we didn’t even stay. Maybe they need it more than two disabled people who had to save up enough to treat ourselves for our 37th anniversary. Shame on them! ||I was so saddened to see how much this beautiful place had gone down hill. The new management is going to give this place a bad name. It’s really sad because the original owners were beautiful people and the view of the sunset there is breathtaking but it doesn’t do any good if your management and workers are nasty. We will never be back nor would we ever recommend...

I never leave reviews, but this place deserved one after wasting my time for nearly a year. We ended up having to cancel our stay here in September 2021 due to COVID. We canceled within 1 month of our reservation, which meant that we would only be refunded our deposit if they were able to re-book the cottage, which was fine as that was the policy. They promptly responded to my email letting them know that we were canceling and made me aware of this policy, and they told me they would update me on if I was due a refund. What followed next was the absolute worst experience I have ever had with a business in my life. Over the course of the past year, I have called and emailed them on many more than 10 occasions to ask if they were able to book the cottage. I left detailed voicemails and emails requesting a response, as their website showed that the cottage had been booked. A simple "no, we weren't able to rent your cottage" would have sufficed, but they completely blew me off for nearly a year. Finally, I got the Better Business Bureau involved and they were able to wrestle a response from the owner who claimed they were not able to rent the cottage. I provided a copy of my emails in which I detailed that their website showed it was booked and was also evidence of all the times I had reached out to them regarding the issue. At this point, I really didn't believe them. They then stopped answering again and BBB said there was nothing they can do. Do not book here. They are completely unresponsive and awful. Stay away. Literally book anywhere else or just camp outside and you'll have a better experience. This place cause nothing but frustration...

My story about Emery's:|Imagine waking up in the morning, leaving your private cabin with the "Grandma's House" spring clamp on the wooden screen door. You walk 15 yards without crossing the road to the rocky beach. Turning right at low tide, you will see the sun rising. You continue to walk along the water until you arrive at the "ovens", natural caves cut out of the rock wall of Mount Desert Island. The ovens can only be reached on foot by the owners and guests of the homes built on Frenchman's Bay. You are one of those guests. |As you look at the ocean, you see porpoises frolic, seals popping their heads up, and loons diving for breakfast. Along the edge of the water, you will always find sand dollars, snails, barnacles, washed up jellyfish, and crabs. Frequently, you will find starfish of all different sizes.|You can then hop into a kayak or onto a paddleboard, spending an hour or a whole day on the bay. Looking up, the resident eagle may give you a wave.|The freshly roasted coffee (so fresh, it is roasted onsight) is waiting for you in the coffee cottage where many of the guests gather to visit, share their experiences and recomme|ndations, and sometimes become lifelong friends. If you are a shy one, your privacy is always respected as you enjoy your coffee on the porch of your cabin.|Now your day begins. You can drive 5 minutes to Acadia National Park or 10 minutes to Bar Harbor, or you can just soak up the quiet with a book under the apple tree.|However you choose to spend your day, you can end it with one of the most beautiful sunsets on the island!|Since discovering Emery's over 20 years ago. We will never stay...