Mira Monte Inn

We Offer the Best Rate on Our Website- Always!

Everywhere you look, there are a myriad of options for booking your vacation. From Expedia and Booking.com to Trivago and AirBNB, offers are everywhere. Most guests don’t realize that when they click on one of these links they are booking through an Online Travel Agency, or OTA, and not the inn they’ll be staying at. A Google survey of 1000 travelers found that 70% of travelers think they are going directly to a lodging website when they press the Book a Room button, but instead they are booking through an OTA.

OTAs such as Booking.com and Expedia charge commissions for a reservation.  Unfortunately, the OTAs often have to pass those commissions along to you in the form of rates that are higher than on our site.

At the Mira Monte we can guarantee that our best rate is the one you’ll find when you book directly with us on our website. Not only can we guarantee the best rate, but we can also help you avoid common problems that guests encounter with an OTAs since you will be working directly with us and not an intermediary.  You may also have access to special promotions and discounts not available through an OTA.

We appreciate your willingness to BOOK DIRECT and work with.  Call us or click “book now” to make your reservation today!

Monty Presents: “Talk Like a Mainah”

Monty the Beaver is our resident mascot, and he’s been after his new guests about the funny way they talk:  “Yah gotta talk like a real Mainah if yah wanna fit in” he says….  so he’s put together this little guide to help you get started:

Words
Ahwah = 60 minutes, amount of time it takes to find a parking spot in downtown Bar Harbor in the summer.
Ayuh or Yuuh = Yes, yup, yep, uh-huh, “eh?”.
Bah Habbah = Bar Harbor, best place in the world to visit, even better place to live.
Bangah = Bangor, second largest city in Maine, closest city to Bar Harbor that has a Sams Club.
Beans = sportswear and sporting goods company LL Bean, the only Maine company known outside of Maine.
Bettah = Better, should, oughtta, opposite of worsah.
Bug = Lobster, spiny shellfish that turns red when you boil it, tourist food.
Cah = Automobile, collection device for parking tickets in downtown Bar Harbor.
Californier = California, where Hollywood is.
Centah = Center, what’s inside the outside.
‘Chout = Watch Out, look out, don’t be stupid.
Chowdah = Chowder, a thick white soup with potatoes, may contain lobster or clams but mostly potatoes.
Crittah = Creature, particularly those that burrow in your yard, live under your house, or have babies in your attic.
Cunnin’ = Cute, particularly when referring to crittahs.
Deah = Deer, furry, antlered garden-eating animals that own the town, or the girlfriend that owns you.
Finest Kind = The best, how Mainers say “da kine”.
Maahden’s = Mardens, a Maine junk store where everyone shops but no one admits to going.
Mainah= Mainer, anyone from heah.
Nor’eastah = Nor’easter, large storm that blows in from the northeast and really, really pisses people off.
Pahk= Park, what you do with the cah, also place where little kids play.
Pahtlan‘ = Portland, largest city in Maine named after Portland England or Portland cement, one of the two- we’re not sure which.
Pissah = Something or someone that (who) is very unpleasant or nasty, the old lady at town hall who you need to see for everything.
Wicked = Great, very good, the opposite of wicked.
Yahd = Yard, place where your house sits.  Also 3 feet.

 

Phrases
Down Cellah = In the basement, dark scary place where junk is stored.
From away = stranger, newcomer, anyone who’s family hasn’t lived in Maine for at least 150 years.
Go Upta Camp = Visit a vacation/hunting/fishing cabin, camping, what Mainahs do on vacation.
It ain’t theyah no moah = reference to a long ago landmark that everyone (but you) knows about.
Snow Machinin’ = Snow mobiling, riding a motorcycle that has a track and skis instead of wheels.
Yah cahn’t get theyah from heah = You’re lost, budddy.  Really, really lost.
You people = your group, your kind, your ilk. Anyone from away- especially Californier.

 

Now You Try a Few:
“‘Chout when yah go down cellah, it’s dahk”
“I’m goin’ upta camp to go snow machinin'”
“It’s two ahwahs from Pahtlan’ to Bangah”
“Last night’s nor’eastah was a wicked pissah”
“The chowdah at Thurston’s is of the finest kind”
“The deah that ate my gahden was a cunin’ crittah”
“Yah cahn’t get theyah from heah. Take a right at Bob’s place (it ain’t theyah no moah), and go from theyah”.
“You people can pahk yah cah ’round back in the yahd”
“Come to Bah Habbah, ain’t nothin’ bettah- ayuh!”

 

So what do you think?  Did Monty get it right?  Are there a few other Mainerisms that you know of?

Stuck at Home? Try Our Spumoni Shortbread Cookie Recipe!

Making cookies- what better way to spend an afternoon at home! It just so happens that our innkeeper Bruce is a former chef and culinary instructor.  Over the next few weeks he’ll be sharing a few of his favorite recipes along with some goodies from the collections of the Mira Monte.  Here’s one we think you’ll really enjoy:

Spumoni Shortbread Cookies- makes about 24 cookies
Inspired by the Classic Italian Gelato Treat.  In this simplified version, all ingredients are combined so there’s no need to divide and color dough- but you can if you want!

Ingredients

  • 3/4 lb unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup shelled pistachios, finely chopped
  • 3/4 cup dried cherries or cranberries, finely chopped
  • 2 tsp lemon or orange zest (optional)

Procedure

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F. In the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until just mixed (you can mix by hand- you’ll develop great biceps!). Add vanilla and lemon zest.
  2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour and salt, add to the creamed butter and sugar mixture. Add cherries and pistachios and mix on low speed until the dough begins to form.
  3. Turn the dough out on floured work surface and shape the dough into a flat disc. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill for 30 minutes. Roll the chilled dough out to a thickness of 1/2″. Cut into 2″ squares with a sharp knife, or use cookie cutters to create any shape you’d like.
  4. Place the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. Cool to room temperature and you’re ready to serve!

Tip: To scale this or any other recipe, divide the desired yield by the yield of your original recipe. The result is a fraction or ratio that you will use to multiply the amount of each ingredient in the original recipe. To use a very simple example, let’s say your recipe will produce 100 cookies, but you need 200 cookies for your  upcoming party.  200/100 = 2. Multiply every ingredient in your original recipe by 2 to produce 200 cookies. This is a very simple and intuitive example, but the same principle applies no matter how many cookies you need or how many cookies the original recipe produces. For example, if your original recipe produces 75 cookies but you need 275, then 275/75 = 3.7.  Multiply every ingredient by 3.7. You will probably want to round this up to 4 just to make things easier and have a few cookies left over for yourself!

We’d Love to See You… but not just yet! Reservations accepted for May-Oct

Mira Monte ExteriorGiven the uncertain nature of the COVID-19 crisis, the Town of Bar Harbor has made the difficult decision to keep all hotels, inns, restaurants and shops closed through April 30.  The town debated this course of action for several hours, but in the end determined that it was a necessary step in protecting our visitors and our citizens.  We support this decision.  Our reservation system remains open for dates after April, and we have taken the step of relaxing our cancellation policy should you need to change your plans due to COVID-19.  All of us at the Mira Monte wish you continued safety and health during this extraordinary time. We are looking forward to seeing you after the crisis has lifted!  -Bruce and Cheryl

Special Winter Rates!

Bar Harbor in the winter is a wondrous sight to behold!  The advent of snow season promises to turn our seaside town into a winter wonderland; perfect for snow play and cross-country skiing in Acadia National Park.  The Mira Monte currently has a limited number of rooms and suites available at very low off-season rates!  Book your stay now through March and use promotional code WINTER2020 to receive an additional 20% off!  Reservations at this special rate are only available through the Mira Monte website.  Click “Check Availability” at the upper right corner of this page, then click the “+” next to “Special Rates” to enter the promotional code. Please note that breakfast and daily housekeeping are not offered during the winter.  A number of restaurants and shops in town are open for your dining and buying pleasure.  Check weather conditions before booking.

Valid on Monday, January 13, 2020 through Tuesday, March 31, 2020

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