Checking In: Pilgrim’s Inn on Deer Isle

March 18, 2021

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Slip away to the Pilgrim’s Inn on Deer Isle, a two-acre waterfront property with a handsome, 12-room country inn and three dog-friendly cottages with kitchenettes. From here, gaze out over Northwest Harbor from one side or over Mill Pond from the other. Gardens, walking paths through meadows, a hammock, and Adirondack chairs invite relaxing. And since the inn is on the edge of Deer Isle village, galleries and a handful of shops are within steps.

18th-century architecture with 21st-century style and amenities

Front of the Pilgrim's Inn, three story red building dating from 1793 — Big trees shade the front of the National Historic Register-listed Pilgrim’s Inn, which dates from 1793. ©Hilary Nangle

Innkeepers Nicole Never and Scott Hall are only the sixth owners of this National Historic Register-listed inn built in 1793. Nicole and Scott see themselves as stewards of this property, but they’re also conscious of contemporary travelers’ needs and desires. So, they’re updating the property to address those by adding chargers for devices and split units that allow guests to control heat and air-conditioning and provide a clean look that includes triple sheeting with lovely white linens.

Guestrooms at the Pilgrim's Inn on Deer Isle blend contemporary simplicity and amenities with its late-18th-century architecture. — Guestrooms at the Pilgrim’s Inn on Deer Isle blend contemporary simplicity and amenities with its late-18th-century architecture. ©Hilary Nangle

They’re making those updates while preserving the inn’s wide original beams and boards and the pumpkin pine flooring that varies in width in the same room. Some floors slope, says Nicole. “So, you get a lot of character from the architecture, but we’re trying to make it less like a museum and more like a place where modern people want to stay.”

With four common rooms on the first floor, guests have plenty of room to spread out. Most of the 12 guestrooms are on the second and third floors, and all have a water view, or at least a water glimpse. All guests (including those in cottages) enjoy a multi-course breakfast in the dining room, sited in an old barn with a wall of windows overlooking Mill Pond and exposed beams adding character.

A peek inside the Ginny’s Two cottage

Sign pointing toward the deck of ginny's Cottages — Granite and wooden steps access the shared deck of Ginny’s Cottages. ©Hilary Nangle

We found the entry into Ginny’s Two off the spacious, pond-facing deck shared with Ginny’s One. A braided rug over pine floors defined the living area, with comfy seating, including a sleep sofa. This area flows into the pond-view dining area, bathed in sunshine thanks to a bank of corner windows.

The small, well-equipped kitchenette surprised me. I didn’t expect it to have an oven with a range top in addition to a small fridge and a microwave. It had everything I needed to prepare and serve meals, from utensils and pots and pans to tableware.

A collage of photos showing the deck and interior of Ginny's Two. — Ginny’s Cottage Two at the Pilgrim’s Inn is open and airy and offers gentle views over meadows and the Mill Pond. ©Hilary Nangle

Off the kitchen, a short hall accessed both the full bath and the bedroom. I slept well in the four-posted queen bed. Bedside lights and tables made it easy to read before bed, and a wall-mounted TV provided entertainment. If we were staying more than a couple of nights, I would have unpacked my suitcase into the four-drawer bureau. We opened the window for the sea breeze, but we could also control the room’s temperature with the wall-mounted air-conditioner/heat pump.

Join me for a video tour of Ginny’s Two.

Why stay at the Pilgrim’s Inn on Deer Isle?

A windjammer sails toward the Deer Isle Bridge — The Deer Isle bridges spans Eggemoggin Reach and connects Sargentville, at the tip of the Blue Hill Peninsula, to Little Deer Isle. From there, a serpentine causeway connects to Deer Isle. ©Hilary Nangle

Warm hospitality, the comfortable digs, water views and access, and expansive grounds peppered with private sitting areas drew me to the Pilgrim’s Inn. But, what sealed the deal are the property and its location. Deer Isle village’s shops and galleries are within footsteps. Stonington, with more shops, restaurants, and a few attractions, is an easy drive. And the Blue Hill area offers more.

collage showing the meadows, paths, and resting places on the shore of Mill Pond. — It’s easy to find a quiet place to relax the two-acre property which fronts on the Mill Pond. I loved the whale sculpture on the pond’s shore. ©Hilary Nangle

I wished I’d brought my sea kayak to launch in the pond or harbor or my bike for pedaling around the island. Deer Isle offers plentiful hiking at numerous preserves. For more trails, make day-trip reservations on the passenger ferry to the remote Isle au Haut section of Acadia National Park.

If you stay in one of the cottages, you can prepare your own meals, but while the area’s dining options aren’t plentiful there are some standouts. Among my favorites (some seasonal): LDI Lobster, a seafood shack with picnic tables on Eggemoggin Reach; Aragosta, a casual fine-dining restaurant on Goose Cove; Fin & Fern, specializing in seafood and pasta, by the Isle au Haut ferry terminal; Acadia House Provisions, the downtown Stonington outpost of two-star Michelin chef Ryan McCaskey’s Chicago restaurant; and el el Frijoles, Cal-Mex with a Maine accent just over the bridge in Sargentville.