Explore Acadia Cottages — Local services in Bar Harbor

My wife and I stayed at Explore Acadia for 4 nights last week with our two kids (8 and 10). It was perfect. The cottages are small but well-built, and it's clear a lot of care went into the amenities. It has a full washer and dryer, a microwave, wifi, high quality towels, lots of kitchen staples, a cozy porch with seating, and a Weber grill.

For us, the grill and regular-sized fridge are essential. We stayed at Salt Cottages down the road last year, and while we loved the pool/hot tub, game room, and view, we really missed not having a grill and fridge so we could do breakfasts and dinners at home when we wanted to.

Our kids also preferred the bunk bed over Salt's pull-out couch.

We walked the trail to Hadley Point, but it's also really easy to get into Bar Harbor, grab a meal at C-Ray, zip over to Trenton and Ellsworth, and basically use the cottage as base camp for all your adventures (which must be why it's named Explore Acadia).

In the past, we've tended to stay more on the "quiet side" near Somesville or Southwest, but the new food options around Salsbury Cove are a great addition to the island, and we liked being closer to everything.

Our only recommendations are minor: A plug-in kettle would be nice because heating water on the electric stove takes a long time. And the primary bedroom is missing furniture or shelves to store non-hanging clothes. The host, Sara, was very responsive and it's their first season, so it wouldn't surprise me if these things were different in 2025.

We plan on coming back next year, but we would switch from #7, which is at the end of the road by the woods, to #3 or #4 which get more morning light on the back porch. Other than that, it really was perfect for us. I wish we were...

They deserve all 5 stars. Customer Service was excellent and so was the property. Freshly renovated or built.

First the good: This place was a lot of fun! The rooms were great, the spaces were clean, you had everything you could need. This was almost set up like a Timeshare. In terms of pots, pans, and spices. This was so close to everything! Not to far from Jordan Pond, Bar Harbor, etc. I would totally stay here again if I ever come back! We loved the screen in porch and the owner Sarah was awesome and very understanding! They even have a trail close by. The lights at night only some of them work, so make sure you bring a flash light. They also have local ice cream with a couple different flavors!

Now for the things to make better or keep in mind:

The only issues people should be aware of is if you are elderly and can’t do stairs or have a wheelchair. This location has 4-6 steps? There is no ADA ramp, so if you are a senior with bad knees or have a wheelchair, keep that in mind. I had no problem carrying the luggage in, but if it was just my 85yr old friend and my 74yr old Mom I don’t know how they would have managed by themselves. But, once inside, it’s easy to move around and the shower is walkin.

There is also a gravel pad for parking, so wheeling luggage is difficult. You would have to carry it.

The entrance sign is easy to miss coming back from Bar Harbor. Maybe having another sign on the other side of the entrance would be helpful that’s closer to the road.

Again, no major complaints, everything was perfect! Just keep in mind the steps if you...

We stayed in the Blueberry Cottage the first week of June 2024! We loved everything about the cottage, especially it's location! Nice quiet area with a walking path to Hadley Point Beach where we watched several sunsets! Our primary goal of the trip was to explore Acadia National Park, and it was our first time in Maine! The cottages are located 5 minutes from the park entrance so we were able to get there early & stay late. The owners of Explore Acadia Cottages, Sara & Davin, were extremely helpful before and during our trip, with great tips on places to eat, navigating the park, and shops to visit in Bar Harbor which was about 15 minutes away. Our cottage had 2 bedrooms, living room, bath, dining area & kitchen. It had all the supplies needed, towels, hair dryer, shampoo/cond, body wash, clothes washer & dryer, cookware, dishes, coffee pot, dishwasher, stove, refrigerator. There was even a 2 day supply of coffee from Crooked Porch a wonderful little coffee stop minutes from the cottage! The cottage also had a relaxing screened in porch which we enjoyed after long hiking days! We would highly recommend Explore Acadia Cottages and will definitely be going back to visit one day! Thank you for helping to make our trip one we will not forget!! PS...don't forget to get a lobster roll, slice of Blueberry pie and ice cream, and a popover at the Jordan Pond House! 🦞🐟🍦🫐 The...