T+L’s First In Hotel Review of The Asticou in Maine

The Asticou Hotel

• The Asticou’s $28-million renovation has brought modern comforts to its guest rooms and has also added new spa suites and family-friendly cottages.
• Its location in the quiet village of Northeast Harbor offers a serene alternative to busier Bar Harbor, while still providing easy access to the town and Acadia National Park’s trails and rocky shoreline. 
• Experiences like private boat excursions and guided nature walks with local experts create memorable ways to connect with Mount Desert Island.
• The hotel’s new subterranean spa will debut in spring 2026 with a full slate of wellness offerings.

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.

My husband and I first visited Mount Desert Island in late August 2020 and had been eager to return with our three-year-old son, Luca.  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.

Glancing around the lobby as I checked us in, I noticed that much of the original inn’s charm has been retained or reimagined with smart design choices that add a more modern sensibility, along with a greater sense of place.

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. Walls are peppered with nautical and botanical prints, as well as paintings from Maine-based artists, including David Allen, who created the hotel’s custom toile wallpaper.

During our long weekend, it became clear that the idea of connecting guests to the island wasn’t just embedded into the decor, but sewn into the fabric of the hotel itself. One day, the hotel arranged for us to see the island from the water. The captain met us on the dock of The Asticou’s sibling hotel, The Claremont in Southwest Harbor, where the properties share a pair of vintage vessels. On our hour-long cruise aboard the Lady A, a 1959 Downeast lobster yacht restored to pristine condition, the captain took us past the evergreen-lined Cranberry Isles. As we hummed along, he pointed out cormorants drying their wings and bald eagles perched on a high tree branch, among other birds.

Read on for my full review of The Asticou Hotel.

The Rooms

In the main building, guest rooms are divided into 10 categories based on their size, the most spacious and private being the Harborview Loft, a 454-square-foot hideaway situated on its own floor. All accommodations incorporate a mix of custom furnishings and vintage finds that ground the spaces in a traditional European aesthetic, but a playful mix of patterns adds a touch of whimsy.

Cottages range from single-story one-bedroom units that sleep up to four people to two-story three-bedroom homes that sleep as many as six. Entering our bungalow, dubbed The Herbalist, felt like walking into a stylish friend’s thoughtfully furnished New England guest house. A plush couch and armchairs flanked a leather-wrapped chest to create the open-floor plan’s cozy living area, while the dining nook and compact kitchen were set off by a sleek island. While we didn’t do any cooking, I appreciated having access to a full array of prep tools and servingware, plus a dishwasher for easy clean-up.

Both bedrooms—a primary with a king bed, plus a second with two twin beds—feature en-suite bathrooms stocked with Le Labo toiletries. But the surprise MVP amenity turned out to be the Bluetooth-enabled CubieBlue alarm clock, which we used to broadcast a soothing forest soundscape from our phones overnight after our portable sound machine died.

Food and Drink

Open throughout the day, The Asticou’s restaurant, Dahlia’s, serves refined modern American fare with international touches. On our first night, we popped in for an early dinner, where highlights included tender scallops sauced with a coconut-lemongrass caramel and a summer salad that made the most of local greens, juicy blueberries, and heirloom tomatoes.

Tucked across the hall is Moss Bar. The quiet lounge’s curated menu displays a similar mix of local pride and international flair. The majority of beers are from Maine breweries, including the popular Allagash in Portland, while the small plates pop around the globe (chorizo skewers, lamb lollipops, and, of course, a lobster roll).

The hotel’s Cabana Bar keeps guests well-fed while lounging poolside.

Activities and Experiences

View of the Northeast Harbor from the outdoor pool.

Erin Little/The Asticou Hotel

The Asticou can set guests up with a private guide for nature walks or hikes through Acadia National Park. One day, the hotel arranged for a gentle hike along the Ship Harbor Trail that would lead us past a tranquil cove, mudflats, and a spruce forest. When a steady drizzle refused to let up that morning, our guide pivoted with ease, suggesting a couple of alternate routes that would let us enjoy nature without getting totally soaked. We settled on Sieur de Monts, which offers a solid introduction to Acadia with its nature center and well-marked trails.

Boat cruises and charters are also available through its sibling hotel, The Claremont in Southwest Harbor.

In spring 2026, The Asticou plans to launch additional programming, including art and yoga classes.

The Spa

As part of the hotel’s renovations, The Asticou is building a new subterranean spa that will debut with a full slate of wellness offerings in spring 2026.

Family-friendly Offerings

The guided nature walks and boat tours appeal to families with kids of all ages since they’re easily tailored to guests’ interests, skill level, and windows of patience—a key factor for parents with little ones. Additionally, the outdoor pool is heated.

The hotel’s variety of accommodations also allows families and multi-gen groups to spread out and spend time together.,

Accessibility and Sustainability

The Asticou’s main inn is equipped with an elevator, and there are two ADA-compliant suites. One of the Harborside Cottages is also ADA accessible.

Location

The hotel is located in the village of Northeast Harbor on Mount Desert Island, roughly an hour from Bangor International Airport (BGR). It’s also a three-hour drive from Portland, Maine.

Book Now

The Asticou is open seasonally from May through October. The hotel is not part of any loyalty program, so before you book your stay, check out its website for the most current discounts and packages.

Nightly rates at The Asticou start from $750.

Every T+L hotel review is written by an editor or reporter who has stayed at the property, and each hotel selected aligns with our core values.