I recently stayed here when visiting Bar Harbour to explore Acadia National Park. White Columns Inn is a quick 5 minute drive to the park entrance and just a couple blocks from the main shopping/dining district of Bar Harbour. The location could not be better!
We stayed for two nights and our experience was good. White Columns Inn is in a charming converted church dating back to the 1930s and Bob, the innkeeper, is knowledgeable on the history of the Inn and gave some fascinating details. Check-in was a breeze and parking is located directly behind the inn. You can enter from the front door or back door and both doors remain unlocked at all times. I don't particularly like this, but Bar Harbour seems like a pretty safe little town, so it ended up being okay.
The Inn's decor is pretty outdated and there are displays of porcelain dolls in a couple locations throughout the inn which I found to be kind of weird and creepy. The guest room we stayed in was very clean and had everything we needed. One of the things that bothered me most was the lack of outlets; there weren't outlets available near the bed and needed to plug in across the room.
Breakfast was a weird experience every day. Breakfast is not cooked on-site and is delivered each morning from one of the innkeepers other establishments. While breakfast was hot, it was a strange selection. Breakfast is served in two courses: a yogurt parfait followed by the meal. Our first day was fine as we received a generous slice of quiche, two slices of bacon, and a muffin, but the second day was just weird: french toast, sausage, and another muffin. When we initially checked in, Bob asked us if we had any dietary restrictions. Taking that to mean do we have any food allergies, we said no. I wish I would have asked more about this because I don't eat sweets at all. Not even fruit or yogurt. So after receiving a yogurt parfait and a blueberry muffin at breakfast the first day, I asked Bob if there was a second breakfast option. The answer is yes. But it is only a small bowl of oatmeal. It was extremely disappointing and I was very hungry. I also want to mention that drinks are self-serve, which is fine, but nothing is available at the breakfast tables (which happen to be spread throughout the first floor of the inn) and a water carafe on the tables would have been a nice touch.
White Columns Inn has a large collection of food menus from various local restaurants and Bob was great about recommending places to check out. They also have a supply of National Park maps.
The location here cannot be beat and is truly the best park about White Columns Inn! read more