This Waterfront Hotel on Maine's Mount Desert Island Just Added 15 New Cottages-and It's Right Near Acadia National Park

"Summertime in Maine gets all the glory, but there's something truly enchanting about Vacationland on the cusp of fall, especially Mount Desert Island. By early September, the throngs of hikers along the oft-packed trails of Acadia National Park have thinned, the lines at popular lobster joints like Abel's and Beal's are mercifully short, and the rocky beaches are blissfully crowd-free, leaving plenty of room for leisurely walks and tide pooling."

"When we realized that The Asticou Hotel, a 19th-century hotel located in the quiet village of Northeast Harbor, had recently completed a sweeping renovation, we couldn't resist squeezing in a last-minute trip before it closed for the season. The $28-million upgrade not only refreshed the 50 guest rooms inside the historic main building, but also added 17 suites with terraces and harbor views, plus 15 spacious cottages ideal for families. We snapped up a one-story, two-bedroom bungalow for a three-night stay during early September."

"Designers Krista Stokes and Mark Cotto anchored the main building in an elegant color palette that reflects Mount Desert Island's rugged landscape: deep greens and browns to channel the national park's forests and wetlands, grey tones to evoke the granite cliffs and rocky beaches, and pops of pink and burgundy to echo the local lady's slipper orchids and beach roses."

Early September on Mount Desert Island brings thinner crowds at Acadia National Park, shorter lines at lobster joints, and empty rocky beaches ideal for walks and tide pooling. A family revisited after an initial late-August 2020 trip and stayed in a one-story, two-bedroom bungalow booked during early September. The Asticou Hotel completed a $28-million renovation that refreshed 50 guest rooms, added 17 suites with terraces and harbor views, and created 15 spacious cottages suited for families. The renovation retained historic inn charm while introducing a modern sensibility through an elegant color palette and local artwork, including custom toile wallpaper by Maine-based artist David Allen.

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