Mira Monte Inn

Mira Monte Cares – Our COVID-19 Response

We understand that you may be anxious about the safety of traveling during these extraordinary times.  We want to assure you that your safety and well being is our greatest concern.

Here are a few of the things we offer in order to protect our guests from COVID-19:

  • Private Entrances. Many of our ground-floor guest rooms have exterior entrances, allowing you to come and go without passing through common areas (Please see room descriptions to check for the availability of this feature).
  • No Contact Check-In. Keys are sanitized and distributed in clean envelopes.  Guest receipts are delivered by email unless otherwise requested.
  • Decreased turnover.  We be scheduling additional time between guest room bookings in order to facilitate sanitation and reduce overall building density.
  • “Grab and Go” breakfast.  Consistent with the state mandate for COVID-19 prevention, we will be temporarily suspending our buffet-style breakfast in favor of individually packaged meals.
  • Increased Spacing in Dining Areas. We have removed several seats in our dining areas in order to help meet social distancing requirements.
  • Enhanced Sanitation Procedures. We’re taking even more time than usual to ensure that all our rooms are thoroughly cleaned and sanitized between guests.
  • Frequent sanitizing. High-contact points in public areas such as stair rails, door handles, reception counters, bathrooms and dining tables receive extra attention.
  • Additional Staff Training. Our staff has received special training in sanitation techniques necessary to reduce the threat of COVID-19.
  • Hand sanitizer.  We have placed hand sanitizer dispensers in common areas of the inn.

No environment can be completely sterile, but we are committed to doing everything in our power to ensure that your stay is both enjoyable and safe.  As the situation continues to evolve, we will modify our policies accordingly.

Your Hosts,

Bruce and Cheryl

 

Maine Lighthouses near Bar Harbor

Bass Harbor Head Light is the only lighthouse located on Mount Desert Island, but there’s several others nearby and within and easy drive from the Inn. All these great old lighthouses can be viewed and photographed on boat tours that tell of their incredible histories.

Bass Harbor Head Light, located within Acadia National Park in the southwest portion of Mount Desert Island, Maine, marking the entrance to Bass Harbor and Blue Hill Bay. Today, the house is a private residence for a local Coast Guard member and his family. Tourists can get close to the bell and light via a concrete path, but most of the grounds are private. There’s a short walk which takes you to wooden steps that lead down granite boulders that allow views of the harbor side.

Mount Desert Rock Light is owned by the College of the Atlantic, whose students study whales and nesting seabirds. Mount Desert Rock is a small island about 18 nautical miles south of Mount Desert Island. The light station was established in 1830; the current lighthouse was built in 1847 and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Great Duck Island Light is also owned by the College of the Atlantic and is located on Great Duck Island, a small 237 acres island in the Gulf of Maine about 9 miles south of Mount Desert Island. The light station is on 11-acres at the southern tip of the island.

Bear Island Light is a lighthouse on Bear Island near Mt. Desert Island at the entrance to Northeast Harbor. It was first established in 1839 with the present structure built in 1889. It was deactivated in 1981 and lit as a private aid to navigation by the Friends of Acadia National Park in 1989. Bear Island Light is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Egg Rock light was constructed in 1876 and was automated by the United States Coast Guard in 1976, at which time its ancillary structures except the fog station were torn down. The lantern house was removed and the light was replaced by the present aerobeacon. After public protest, a lantern house was installed in 1986. The light continues to be managed by the Coast Guard, and is not open to the public; the island and buildings are owned by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

Baker Island Light (1828), is the oldest light in the area and has been replaced with lighted offshore buoys. Established in 1828, it was the first along Maine’s coast located near Mount Desert Island. The light is an aid to navigation for reaching that island’s major ports, including Bar Harbor and Northeast Harbor. The buildings of the station are now owned and administered by Acadia National Park with the light itself being maintained by the United States Coast Guard.

Winter Harbor Light is a lighthouse in Winter Harbor, Maine on Mark Island, a small island between the Schoodic Peninsula and Turtle Island. The light was built in 1856 and was deactivated in 1933; it is no longer an aid to navigation, and is privately owned.

Acadia National Park Fee Free Days

The National Park Service is offering 4 fee free days to National Parks, including Acadia National Park Fee Free Days in 2018.

Acadia National Park Fee Free Days are:

  • Jan. 15: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
  • April 21: first day of National Park Week
  • Sept. 22: National Public Lands Day
  • Nov. 11: Veterans Day

“This is your chance to experience your national park and services in the neighboring communities and decide when you will come back in the future. Every season in Acadia has its own unique beauty and adventure” said Acadia Superintendent Kevin Schneider.

The park normally has an entrance fee of $25 per vehicle and $20 per motorcycle which is good return visits for seven days. Walkers and bicyclists can get a weekly pass for $12. An annual pass to Acadia costs $50.

For more information, visit www.nps.gov/acad or call 207-288-3338.

Bar Harbor 4th of July

The Bar Harbor 4th of July has been voted the #1 Fourth of July celebration in America by the Today Show and as one of the top ten in the U.S by National Geographic.  There’s a full day of events and so many ways to enjoy Maine’s Bar Harbor 4th of July.

Bar Harbor 4th of July Schedule of Events

6AM-10AM Blueberry Pancake Breakfast – Bar Harbor Rotary Club, Bar Harbor Athletic Field, Park Street. A  morning feast for the whole family, more info.

6AM-9AM Start Times – Around Mount Desert Island Relay, Crow Athletics – 100-kilometer relay route around Mount Desert Island, more info.

7:30AM-2:30PM Bar Harbor Nonprofit Showcase – Bar Harbor Rotary Club, Bar Harbor Athletic Field, Park Street.  A variety of Maine nonprofits sell goods, raffle items and provide info about their organizations.

9AM-3PM Craft Fair Marketplace at the YMCA, 21 Park Street, a wonderful selection of local crafted goods, for more info or call the YWCA at 207-288-5008.

10AM Independence Day Parade – The community shows off its patriotism and good humor, the parade route winds through downtown Bar Harbor from Main Street to Cottage Street to Eden Street to Mt. Desert Street to Ledgelawn Avenue. DOWNLOAD A PARADE MAP!

11AM-2PM Seafood Festival – Bar Harbor Rotary Club, Bar Harbor Athletic Field, Park Street. Lobster, mussels, corn, strawberry shortcake and more at the area’s largest seafood festival, more info.

After the Parade, MDI YMCA Annual Lobster Races – Bar Harbor Athletic Field, Park Street. Watch local businesses put their lobsters to the test. For more information contact the YMCA at 207-288-3511 click here for more info.

11:30AM-2PM MDI Seafood Festival Entertainment – Free live concert during the Seafood Fesitval. Family-friendly

3:30PM-9PM Live Music @ Harborside Concert Series – Free concert series in Agamont Park leading up to the fireworks.Performers are: Tricia Mason Band at 3:30pm, Blake Rosso Band at 5:30pm, and The Crown Vic are on at 7:30pm.

7:30PM-8:30PM Bar Harbor Town Band – Free concert on the Bar Harbor Village Green, Main & Mt. Desert Streets. For over 100 years the Town Band, comprised of amateur musicians from around the region, has entertained thousands of locals and visitors.

9:15PM (approx.) Fireworks Over Frenchman Bay – Enjoy the spectacular display on the waterfront, downtown Bar Harbor. Sponsored by Ocean Properties and the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce.

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