Druid Hill Down East

Druid Hill Down East is a 2-bedroom, 1,200-square-feet guest space/apartment accommodation that sits high on a shorefront hillside overlooking the Schoodic Peninsula’s West Bay. While only a short drive to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park – or, even better, a short ferry ride across Frenchman Bay – this secluded vacation retreat allows guests to avoid the heavy seasonal traffic and congestion of Mount Desert Island. Built in 2005 as the owners’ residence, this 1,200-square-foot pine-paneled getaway home has a master bedroom and adjoining bathroom, with another bedroom opening onto the dining room and living room areas. Beneath a vaulted ceiling is a fully equipped kitchen and a unique hand-hewn breakfast bar with a tree-top Palladian window wall that is 120 feet above the shoreline of the West Bay estuary, a favorite feeding ground for bald eagles, osprey, blue heron and harrier hawks, and the occasional seal. Oriented to the northeast, guests enjoy spectacular sunrises over an undeveloped expanse of federal wildlife preserve located across West Bay. In fact, this retreat is so secluded that the only home visible from Druid Hill Down East is located a mile across the water. Both bedrooms have queen-sized beds and windows overlooking the property’s timber stand. In July and August guests comb the three acres of hillside along the shoreline, gathering wild blueberries and blackberries. Kayaks can be launched on site with the tide. This treetop retreat is heated with a conventional hot water system and also can be heated with a propane-fueled “wood stove” that provides both radiant heat and the ambiance of a wood fire, without the hassle and the mess of burning wood. The living room area is largely furnished in leather and is equipped with a Sony flat-screen television linked to a DirecTV satellite receiver and to a DVD/VHS player. The dining area is furnished with an antique oak table and chairs, with leaves available to accommodate larger gatherings. The kitchen is fully equipped with a new (2013) electric stovetop/oven, a microwave and a new (2017) full-size refrigerator/freezer. Both the bathroom and the kitchen are connected to a new (2016) hot water on demand system. The kitchen sink fronts a window that affords great sunset views. Password-free high speed internet access throughout, as well as toys, puzzles, games and books for kids of all ages. Beautifully landscaped, this property also offers guests access to a fire pit with a 200-degree vista over the shoreline below. Also available is a BBQ grill and a picnic table. Outside lobster pot equipment provided on request. There are so many places to go and things to do in Down East Maine that those who can stay only a week find themselves wishing for at least one more. The Schoodic Section of Acadia National Park is 10 minutes away, offering hiking, biking and quiet time as visitors watch often gigantic waves crash upon the rocky shoreline. Also nearby is the village of Corea, which is a working lobster harbor that time forgot. It’s also a destination for beach combers searching for shells and sea glass along sand beaches that are largely deserted. Further down the road is Winter Harbor, with its unique 5&10 general store, antique shops and art galleries, as well as a variety of culinary options ranging from made-on-site ice cream to caught-that-day lobster. Both Corea and Winter Harbor have active, wharf-side lobster co-ops, allowing visitors to buy the tasty crustaceans right off the boat at the lowest prices in New England. Down East Maine is Mecca for both amateur and professional photographers and is also a favorite destination for seascape artists. Amateur astronomers love it, too, as the 70-mile stretch of coastline between Druid Hill Downeast and the Canadian border offers the last truly dark skies on the Eastern seaboard. On a clear and moonless night, Druid Hill Downeast guests say they can read a book under the glow of the Milky Way, or just watch for shooting stars or for the every-eight-second sweep of the beam from a distant coastal lighthouse. Birders find no shortage of wildlife preserves, both along the coastline and inland, most with established trail systems. Those eager to explore what’s further Down East head to the seaside Washington County communities of Lubec and Eastport, which are the eastern-most points in the United States. Lubec is the gateway to Campobello, an island that was Franklin D. Roosevelt’s summer retreat for many years. The Roosevelt compound has been fully restored and is adjacent to a free museum operated jointly by the U.S. and Canadian governments. As Campobello is in New Brunswick, Canada, visitors from other countries (including the U.S.) need passports. Downtown Eastport has been carefully restored to its Victorian-era splendor and offers a variety of shops and dining options, from Mexican to wharf-front seafood plucked from the Bay of Fundy the same day. Bar Harbor --- 40 miles by car, 40 minutes by passenger ferry – is a gateway to exploring the lakes, mountains and carriage trails of Acadia National Park. Free public transportation throughout Mount Desert Island makes it possible to visit the nation’s second most popular national park (after Yellowstone) without having to drive. Bar Harbor is a shopper’s paradise and is top-heavy with gift shops, galleries and eateries that offer everything from lobster-flavored ice cream to crab-stuffed baked lobster and other indigenous seafood (mussels, crab, shrimp, salmon). The downtown area can be crowded, especially in summer and early fall, when Bar Harbor is a port of call for more than 100 cruise ships, including some with thousands of passengers and crew. Down East Maine has seriously embraced the “localvore” approach to eating healthy food. Many communities are blessed with please-stop-by organic farms and with weekly farmers’ markets, where everything from hand-spun yarn to wood-fired pizza is available. Most markets feature fruit pies and other baked items, farm-fresh eggs and meats and an array of seasonal vegetables.