We absolutely loved our stay at Birch Harbor. The views are incredible, the cathedral ceilings in the house are beautiful, it is well equipped with things to do (pool table, fooseball table, fire pit on beach). It took around 80 minutes to get to Cadillac mountain, 60 minutes to get to Acadia in general. But we actually liked this area more than Bar Harbor as it was more remote, less toursity etc, and Schoodic point (5 min away) was one of the prettiest sites we saw on the trip, and wasnt crowded with tourists like the main Acadia area was. There are also biking trails and walking trails in the local area, where we saw a deer and porcupine, again way less crowded than main Acadia area. So if you dont mind the drive to the main sites, and want a peaceful remote beautiful stay this is a great place! Of note, the beach is rocky, which older kids collecting rocks may love, but young kids would not be able to run around etc (which is pretty clear by the photos). But there is a sand beach nearby.