Happy to see the Bluff House Inn looking much better. I’ve always liked the feel of the lodge-style inn on Maine’s Schoodic Peninsula. The peninsula is home to the only mainland section of Acadia National Park.
The last few years weren’t kind to this property. Enter Keara and Don McQuade, an energetic young couple with Maine roots (and an infant, horses and dogs). They purchased the inn in September 2018 and began breathing new life into the inn and expanding its potential.
The property, just off Route 182 in Gouldsboro, used to be well hidden with trees. While the inn itself remains hidden, some of the property has been clear cut to open the views and add a house as well as six, one-room guest cabins. And, of course, pastureland for the horses.
While the grounds looks rough now, the McQuades plan to plant lupine and blueberries. Not only will these provide ground cover and color, but they’ll also help frame the spectacular sunset views over Frenchman Bay.
The inn rooms remain much the same, with quilts topping the beds and stenciling in some. Most are spacious and have water views. All guests have access not only to the wrap-around balconies, but also to the window-walled great room downstairs. Plans to replace the carpeting will make a big difference in the overall look.
The great room, which takes up most of the downstairs, is the heart of this property. Breakfast, a self-serve, expanded continental buffet with waffles, is available each morning. Dine indoors or outside on the deck. If the weather is inclement, hunker down with a beer or glass of wine by one of the two fieldstone fireplaces, one in a cozy library nook.
Need more space? Reserve the updated, two-bedroom apartment built over a garage adjacent to the main inn. That, too, has spectacular views, especially from its deck.
The Bluff House is pet friendly: Ask about policies and possibilities.
