Harborside Hotel Marina and Spa, Bar Harbor

Our first stay at the Harborside was in 2005 and we have raved about it ever since. In 2005, I felt like royalty!! In 2010, we went back and it was a completely different experiece. Mold in the shower and chunks of soap from the previous guest. The only breakfast options are the swanky, on site restuarant, or rip off - room service. The door man could not even muster up a response to our many thank yous for opening the door. The location is great. We only stayed one night, and used the "spa" for the hot tub, really not worth the $25 charge that was added to the $199 room charge (that they don't mention on the website or when you check in. We had not yet checked out at 8:45 in the morning and house cleaning was knocking on the door. I felt like I was being pushed out, so they could get ready to charge the next people. If you want to be looked down on, this is the place to go!

I selected this hotel based upon it's alleged luxury status, but it is anything but. And it is not cheap. The room was large, but there was a huge crack running across the ceiling. There is no minibar in the rooms and no turndown service. It is also extremely noisy. In their bar, the martinis were watered down. We had to ask for bar snacks which were stale and were never replenished. We ordered pizza from the bar menu which took over 1/2 hour, and when we asked for red pepper flakes, the waitress brought out the HUGE kitchen container. No class. And they do not give people who book online the best price. We were waiting at the front desk to have a room key reactivated, when a person walked in to ask what the room rate was for that night. It was $25 less than what we were paying. We then asked the desk clerk why we were paying more for the exact same room and she had no answer. Asked for the manager. Not available. Left a message on his voicemail. No returned call. Only when we ran into the assistant manager were we able to obtain the lower rate.

After driving most of the day we were extremely tired and decided to inquire on prices. The minute I walked in the lobby I knew it was going to be a very pricey establishment and we probably would be looking further for a place to stay. I WAS WRONG!!! Very affordable, very swanky, and the rooms were fantastic. I am not sure what happened during Michaels visit but... he must be hard to please!!! We had just stayed at a Hilton in Portland and paid $350.00 for one night. Here, we paid $179.00 and it was ten times the hotel that the Hilton was. We had a beautiful view of the Harbor and a nice little patio to enljoy the view. My husband and I wished we had know of this place sooner and we would have driven directly to it and stayed several days. I can see where the one lady who said it was loud on their patio was correct. If your room is by a pool or sauna it would be loud. My husband and I were sold on this hotel the minute we entered the lobby and even more so upon entering our room. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS HOTEL TO ANYONE WHO WANTS A FIVE STAR HOTEL AT A THREE STAR PRICE!!! I have to be honest, we stayed in our room and on our patio the whole time, so we did not have any contact with the concierge. But, the hotel staff we did have contact with were professional and polite.

from the portly, blonde, pompus assistant manager to the young brown haired hotel manager (who drives a jeep and nearly ran me over)? they and this place are a joke. the concierge shares incorrect information, the rooms are furnished with cheap, made in china furniture, you can hear someone sneeze in the next room, and the food is barely edible and what a complete mess is the whole parking situation... when paying $400+ a night one would expect a parking space and not a bunch of rude babble from the manager when this is brought to their attention. AVIOD this place at all costs.... we checked out and went to the Bar Harbor Inn just down the road on the hill near the town pier.

We loved the location of Harborside. The fact that we were able to park the car and not return to it was fantastic. We could walk everywhere. The views were great. The only negative would be that we had a first floor room above the pool and it was very noisy outside our balcony and in the hallways.

What can I say - after all the hype I expected more. I wouldn't say this is a family friendly hotel - consierge (oaky, I know I spelled it wrong) gave us bad information.

The entire 7 day experience was delightful....staff is excellent...we have been going there since the hotel opened 4 years ago...room service for breakfast was excellent and On-time...bathroom was extremely clean...bed was very comfortable and the balcony was great...Spa services were very excellent...great staff and very professional....I found the entire staff very professional....from reading some of the negative comments listed in other reviews, we did not experience any of that....Location is excellent. Glad they initiated the parking for only guests.....Security of the property was noticed on a nightly basis....Excellent Hotel

This is the NICEST place to stay in Bar Harbor. The staff was great and friendly and we could not have been treated any better. I dont know how anyone could complain about this place, it's incredible. The rooms are great and ocean front rooms are the best view on the Island. We had a room overlooking the pool and then a wide view of the harbor, could not have asked for a better sunrise view. The new spa next door is second to none along wiht the resteraunt that is a full one minute walk from the front desk. With the location right in the middle of town, it can not get any better than this place. I will be returning Next year!

We enjoyed our two days at the Harborside Hotel and Marina. Our room was lovely, beautiful tile bathroom, and nice deck. The people working at the hotel were very helpful and plesant. Wonder about the dining facilities being in another building up the street. Not exactly user friendly for older people or people with physical handicaps. Would go back, though.

The location is perfect right in town yet directly on the beautiful ocean. The rooms are decorated incredibly and the food is delicious. It is very close to the whale watching boats and the Bar Harbour Club. We had a delicious dinner there and the desert was out of this world.