Becky M.
Yelp
I ate the best breakfast of my life at the Acacia House.
The food alone is deserving of rave reviews, but we also had the pleasure of staying at the Inn for a weekend in March.
We were hit immediately with the smell of chocolate-chip cookies baking in the oven when we arrived Friday afternoon. Is there a more welcoming or familiar smell on Earth?
We were greeted by Ralph, the owner, who gave us an over-view of what was going on in Bar Harbor at the time, showed us where to find our room, and offered us fresh hot-cider and chocolate-almond cookies. He was not over-bearing at all. Just genuinely friendly.
The room itself was small, (Room 6), but had everything we needed. We even had our own thermostat (and definitely had our own bathroom). The bed wasn't the most comfortable or luxurious, but it was fitted with extremely soft organic-cotton sheets. The towels were big and fluffy, and the shower was well-equipped with EO bath products; Lavender and grapefruit-mint. The room is cleaned daily. Room 6 is on the third floor, and was very private.
For $85 a night, it was a steal. (Price for winter only.) Couldn't believe breakfast was included in the price. I would pay $85 for breakfast alone!
Food was out of this world. Daily cookies, tea, and hot cider.
Continental breakfasts offered at hotels and other B&Bs do not compare. Even restaurants do not compare, as you are not engaged in the "come into my home and let me cook for you" vibe as you are at the Acacia House.
During the winter months, they are open to the public for breakfast, but as guests of the Inn, we were seated immediately.
Pride goes into the menu and the food. You are served by someone who cares about the food, and it is cooked by someone who cares about the food. They want you to enjoy it, and it certainly shows. The ingredients are high-quality, local, and made from scratch when possible. There is attention to detail, down to the plating.
They bake their own bagels and bread, and even house-cure the smoked salmon. Each breakfast came with a little starter. Saturday was strawberries with granola and greek yogurt. Sunday was a poached pear with jam and goat cheese.
On Saturday we also had a home-made bagel with cream cheese to start, cranberry-pommegranate juice, and hot coffee.
The main meal was an "eclipse" of french toast in honor of the eclipse happening at the time. Cut into a crescent, perfectly moist bread, had hint of orange, topped with creme anglais, chocolate-almond "moon" and an espresso gelee on the side. Surprisingly not overly sweet.
Also, the "spring plate" which was home-made rye toasts, one with honey-goat cheese topped with pea-shoot salad, one with local sausage and beet-pickled hard-boiled eggs (they were pink!) and fried parsley. Lastly, my favorite; house-made smoked salmon with horse-radish butter, radishes and a side of pickled beets. Each component was perfectly thought out.
Sunday we had fluffy blueberry pancakes with a side of bacon, veggie-hash (blue potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, onions), over-easy eggs, and homemade toast slathered in butter. It was all amazing.
Ralph told us there was no official check out time on Sunday (again, probably winter-only) and that we were welcome to spend the day in Bar Harbor and come back to shower, or whatever we needed.
The location of the Inn is also ideal for a Bar Harbor getaway. Walking distance to shops, restaurants and The Ocean, and about a 5 minute drive to Acadia National Park. There was plenty of parking for us at the Inn.
Based on our time here, two seperate couples are already planning on going based on our rave reviews. So should you!