Once I parked the car at the Holbrook House in Bar Harbor, exploring the town and accessing Acadia National Park was easy. This handsome, yellow clapboard B&B on Mount Desert Street puts in-town sights and restaurants and even sections of the park within easy walking distance.
A peek inside the Holbrook House in Bar Harbor
An inviting porch, furnished with wicker and iron chairs and tables and adorned with plants, runs the length of the Holbrook House. It would be so easy to relax here, perhaps with a glass of wine and a good book, after a day of exploring Acadia. If it hadn’t been threatening rain when I arrive, I might have plopped down here to set a spell before checking-in. Or, perhaps in one of the Adirondack chairs on the large side lawn, edged with mature trees and gardens.
This cottage-style Victorian dates from 1876, and current innkeepers Eric and Michelle Allvin have created a space that blends period charms with contemporary conveniences. That’s evident in the public rooms downstairs: a formal parlor with a mix of antique and comfy furnishings and a more casual library stocked with books and games. Both open to a glassed-in porch, where guests take breakfast and snacks are available. They call it down-home comfort with Down East charm, and it fits.
Choices in dreamland
No two guestrooms are alike, but all have been lightened and brightened. I stayed in Beachcomber, renovated in 2018. In this aptly named corner room, decorated in sand and seafoam shades, simple accents, such as seashells and sandpipers, echo the seaside theme. Furnishings included a king-size bed bookended with three-draw nightstands, an armoire, a minifridge, and a small sitting area with two chairs. A corner gas fireplace added coziness. I loved the bathroom’s sizeable glassed-in rain shower with body jets, a treat after a day of hiking or biking.
Other guestroom choices include queen and king rooms, a queen suite, and a king suite; some have a fireplace, a private deck or patio, or a sitting area. A separate cottage offers a living room with a minifridge and microwave, a king bedroom and a queen bedroom, and a private yard.
Feast on breakfast and snacks
Guests at the Holbrook House choose their breakfast the day before, signing up by 6 pm for either the fruit course and entrée of the day or a lighter alternative, such as a fruit parfait or hard-boiled eggs or hot oatmeal or a bagel.
I opted for the full breakfast, which began with a fruit course comprising layered kiwi and watermelon drizzled with a coconut-lime cream. Delicious! An egg roulade of manchego cheese and ham accompanied by potato wedges and a horseradish, sour cream followed.
Honestly, I’d return for both courses in a heartbeat.
Later in the day, I returned to the porch to pick up snacks — the day’s choices included molasses cookies and fudgy brownies. Yup, I took one of each to enjoy in the garden. And—shush, don’t tell—later I returned for an extra brownie for the ride home.
