Bar Harbor Motel
100 Eden Street
Bar Harbor, ME
Fourteen acres adjacent to Acadia. Complimentary hot breakfast, free gear loans, and the Island Explorer shuttle stop at the property.
About Bar Harbor Motel
Bar Harbor Motel sits on 14 wooded acres at the edge of Acadia National Park, one mile from downtown Bar Harbor and directly connected to the park's trail network on foot. Ground-level rooms spread across the property rather than stacking in a conventional hotel configuration, with parking directly in front of every door. The Island Explorer, the free shuttle that circulates through Acadia and into Bar Harbor, stops at the motel. The property has been a family motel destination for decades, built around a single premise: Acadia is the reason for coming, and everything on-site should make that trip easier.
What Bar Harbor Motel Is Known For
Bar Harbor Motel is one of the highest-ranked properties in all of Bar Harbor on major review platforms, a remarkable outcome for a straightforward motel with no boutique design story. What produces it is operational consistency at scale: a complimentary hot breakfast that actually runs well every morning, a gear loan program that saves guests the rental detour, an Island Explorer stop on-site, and staff who have given restaurant and park recommendations long enough to know which ones are worth making. The motel sits on 14 wooded acres adjacent to Acadia. It does not oversell what it is.
Amenities
- Breakfast Included
- Complimentary hot breakfast daily
- Island Explorer shuttle stop on-site
- Hiking gear and beach chair loan
- Pool
- Nightly s'mores at campfire
- Bocce court
- Wiffle ball field
- Playground
- BBQ grills
- Board games
- Rock painting station
- Direct trail to Acadia National Park
- Free parking
What Guests Love
- The Island Explorer shuttle stop is at the motel, connecting directly to Acadia National Park and downtown Bar Harbor. No car required for a full day in the park.
- Complimentary hot breakfast is served each morning for all guests, a practical start to a day in Acadia.
- Gear loans are available on-site: hiking equipment, beach chairs, and related supplies handled without a rental counter.
- S'mores kits are set out in the evenings for guests to use at the fire pit area. A small ritual that appears in reviews with surprising consistency.
- The property is directly adjacent to Acadia's trail network. Guests can walk directly from the parking area onto park trails without driving.
Worth Knowing
- Bar Harbor Motel has rooms on 14 acres. The grounds absorb the scale well, but guests expecting an intimate boutique experience should know: the program, the breakfast, and the outdoor space are where the property invests, not the room design.
- Summers in Bar Harbor are busy. The area books early; Bar Harbor Motel's combination of price, location, and amenities means it fills faster than some properties downtown. Book well in advance for July and August.
- Acadia National Park requires a timed-entry vehicle reservation for entry on the Park Loop Road during peak season. The Island Explorer shuttle stops at the motel and provides an alternative to the vehicle reservation system.
- No meal is available on-site beyond breakfast. Downtown Bar Harbor, 1 mile away, has restaurants ranging from casual to fine dining. Reservations at peak-season spots can be tight.
- The motel is open seasonally. Contact the property for exact opening and closing dates; Bar Harbor's shoulder seasons, particularly May and late September through October, can be among the best weeks on the island.
The Room
Ground-level rooms spread across the property with drive-up access. Room configurations include king rooms and two-bed rooms; select rooms are designated accessible. Every room has a TV, refrigerator, and air conditioning. The property keeps the rooms clean and functional, oriented toward a guest who is here for Acadia and wants a reliable place to return to at the end of the day.
The Grounds
Fourteen acres of wooded grounds set Bar Harbor Motel apart from properties in downtown Bar Harbor that charge more for less outdoor space. The pool is at the property's center, surrounded by outdoor common areas: playground, BBQ grills, a bocce court, a wiffle ball field, a rock painting station, and a campfire area for the nightly s'mores program. The Acadia trail network connects directly from the property. The Island Explorer stops on-site, eliminating the need to drive or park inside the park for most day-use activities. Free parking throughout.
The Experience
Bar Harbor Motel operates on a model designed around a full trip: morning breakfast available to all guests, then into Acadia either on foot via the trail from the property or via the Island Explorer shuttle, back in the afternoon for the pool or bocce or s'mores prep, dinner in Bar Harbor a mile away on foot. The gear loan handles hiking equipment and beach chairs. What makes this work at rooms is operational consistency: guests describe the breakfast as reliably good, the staff as reliably helpful with park recommendations, and the activities as reliably present for guests who want them. Bar Harbor's summer crowds are real and the parking inside Acadia is limited; the shuttle stop at the motel solves for both.
Details
Bar Harbor, ME 04609
The Boutel designation is earned, not purchased. Boutels is editorially independent and has no financial relationship with any listed property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bar Harbor Motel pet friendly?
No, Bar Harbor Motel does not accept pets. You can filter the Road Trip Planner map for pet-friendly Boutels nearby.
Does Bar Harbor Motel have EV charging?
No, Bar Harbor Motel does not have on-site EV charging. The Road Trip Planner map shows public chargers near the property.
What is there to do near Bar Harbor Motel?
Acadia National Park, Park Loop Road: 0.5 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk. Downtown Bar Harbor: 1 mile, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk. Jordan Pond House, Acadia National Park: 8 miles, about a 15 minute drive.
How far is Bar Harbor Motel from Acadia National Park, Park Loop Road?
Acadia National Park, Park Loop Road is about 0.5 miles from Bar Harbor Motel, close enough to walk (roughly a 5 minute drive).
How far is Bar Harbor Motel from Downtown Bar Harbor?
Downtown Bar Harbor is about 1 mile from Bar Harbor Motel, close enough to walk (roughly a 5 minute drive).
How far is Bar Harbor Motel from Jordan Pond House, Acadia National Park?
Jordan Pond House, Acadia National Park is about 8 miles from Bar Harbor Motel, roughly a 15 minute drive.
Does Bar Harbor Motel include breakfast?
Yes. A complimentary hot breakfast is served each morning, including eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, and pastries.
Does the Island Explorer shuttle stop at Bar Harbor Motel?
Yes. The Island Explorer, the free shuttle that circulates through Acadia National Park and downtown Bar Harbor, stops directly at the motel. This gives guests access to the park and town without driving or dealing with Acadia's summer parking.
How far is Bar Harbor Motel from Acadia National Park?
The motel is adjacent to Acadia, with a trail connection from the property into the park. The Park Loop Road, Sand Beach, and the carriage road network are accessible by foot or Island Explorer from the motel.
Does Bar Harbor Motel provide hiking gear?
Yes. Hiking gear and beach chairs are available on loan to guests at no additional charge.
How far is downtown Bar Harbor from the motel?
Downtown Bar Harbor is approximately 1 mile from the motel, walkable or accessible by Island Explorer shuttle.
Does Acadia National Park require reservations?
During peak season, vehicles entering certain roads in Acadia require a timed-entry reservation through Recreation.gov. The Island Explorer shuttle, which stops at the motel, provides an alternative for guests who prefer not to manage vehicle reservations.
What outdoor activities are available at Bar Harbor Motel?
The 14-acre grounds include a pool, bocce court, wiffle ball field, playground, BBQ grills, board games, rock painting, and a nightly s'mores program at a campfire. Hiking gear and beach chairs are available on loan for use in the park.
Does Bar Harbor Motel have a pool?
Yes. Bar Harbor Motel has a pool on-site.
Is parking available at Bar Harbor Motel?
Yes. Free on-site parking is available at Bar Harbor Motel.
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Things to Do Near Mount Desert Island, Acadia
Acadia National Park
1.5 miles away
Granite peaks meet the Atlantic on Mount Desert Island, with the first sunrise in the country from the top of Cadillac Mountain.
Cadillac Mountain and Jordan Pond
2.8 miles away
This is the glacier-carved core of Acadia. Cadillac Mountain, a dome of bare pink granite, is the highest point on the entire Atlantic coast at 1,530 feet, and from fall through early spring it is among the first ground...
Sand Beach and Thunder Hole
5.1 miles away
A rare crushed-shell beach and a booming tidal sea cave sit side by side on Acadia's wild granite coast, linked by the level Ocean Path.
Schoodic Point
9.2 miles away
Here is the Acadia most visitors never reach. Schoodic Point is the park's only mainland section, out on a peninsula an hour's drive east of Bar Harbor, and that distance keeps the crowds away.
Bass Harbor Head Light
13 miles away
A short, easy lighthouse stop on the calmer side of the island. Bass Harbor Head Light is a small brick tower on granite ledges, famous enough to have landed on a U.S.
Downtown Bar Harbor
1 mile, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.
1 mile, walkable. Bar Harbor's downtown has restaurants, shops, and whale watching tours concentrated on a few blocks facing Frenchman Bay. At low tide, the gravel bar to Bar Island appears at the foot of Bridge Street, and you can walk out to the island and back before the tide returns. The Village Green and the town pier are the main gathering points.