Bar Harbor Inn

Character and identity

Set on the waterfront in Bar Harbor, this 153-room inn has been operating since 1887 and reads as a living piece of Maine coastal history, updated for contemporary expectations. Accommodations are spread across three buildings, with a mix of luxury suites and ocean-view rooms looking out toward Frenchman Bay. The Reading Room Restaurant, under Chef Zach Dallesandro, leans into local seafood with waterfront views. An infinity pool, a spa programme built around treatments like the Earth & Sea Scrub, and a gym round out the amenities, alongside complimentary breakfast. The register is stately and traditional rather than design-forward.

Who's it for

Bottom line

The draw here is location and lineage: a working piece of 19th-century Bar Harbor history sitting directly on the water, within striking distance of Acadia's best trails. Spend the money if heritage and a bayfront setting matter more than cutting-edge interiors. Book an ocean-view room or suite (the inland-facing options give up the entire point), and aim for shoulder-season weeks when Acadia is quieter.