- General
Release
- General
Release
Contact: Glenn M. Faria
Michael Patrick Tourism Communications, Ltd.
396 Main Street, Suite 3, Hyannis, Cape Cod
Massachusetts 02601
508-790-0566/Fax 508-790-0565
e-mail: info@mpdcltd.com
(Bar Harbor, Maine - Summer 2000) Once
the site of many lavish and opulent parties during Bar Harbor's
turn of the century heyday, The Ledgelawn Inn is a testament
to the grace and grandeur of those heady days. This magnificent
"manor," which still mirrors its earlier glory, was
built in 1904 as a summer "cottage" for wealthy shoe
manufacturer John Brigham and his family, the Inn is one
of the last remaining summer mansions - the "grande
dame" of Bar Harbor's historic corridor. Ledgelawn's
many architectural details and most of its indigenous furnishings
have happily been preserved for contemporary guests.
In 1976, a handsome companion building to the main building was
added expanding The Ledgelawn Inn to more
than 30 individually decorated and enchanting rooms and suites.
While the structure was new, it was sensitively designed and
decorated to compliment the historic shingle-style edifice, reflecting
its simple yet elegant lines. Verdant lawns and colorful flower
gardens provide a picturesque setting for the impressive main
building and its sister property. Today, even with some minor
renovations, guests find Ledgelawn essentially unchanged
from when the Brighams summered here, nearly a century ago.
From guests' arrivals in the formal greeting area, the grand
sweeping staircase, comfortable furnishings to the warmest of
welcomes, the Inn envelops guests. A charming, friendly
and helpful staff, its al fresco breakfast venue, Ledgelawn
Inn Bar, plentiful guest amenities and comely rooms - many
furnished as they were a century ago - complete the genteel ambience.
The Inn combines the essence of its historic nature with
20th century convenience and unparalleled guest service. This
AAA three-diamond property also features an outdoor pool
and an atmospheric Lounge where lazy summer afternoons all too
quickly become starry Maine evenings. From this friendly spot
- long on Gemütlichkeit - it is a short stroll to Main Street,
with its waterfront, coterie of fine shops, boutiques, galleries
and a host of outstanding restaurants proffering fresh Maine
lobster as well as a kaleidoscope of gustatory delights.
Accommodations
The Inn comprises 31 guest rooms and two suites. Each
room and suite can be honestly said to have its own unique personality
and decor. Some rooms are square, some oblong and many have decks
or porches, but each part of its patchwork quilt of rooms - each
accommodation is discrete in itself but inseparable from the
whole. Rooms and suites feature private en suite baths and telephone.
Eight rooms feature whirlpool tubs and two even feature in-room
saunas. Many rooms have working fireplaces, sitting areas, verandas
and private entrances. Most rooms feature one queen bed although
several feature two doubles or one king bed; some offer TV and
air conditioning. Rooms are carpeted for comfort and noise reduction
and are decorated with many antiques original to the building.
Carriage House rooms include private bath, cable color
TV and telephones. Some rooms offer the added convenience of
steam baths, porches and air conditioning.
Although all of the rooms have their own distinctive features,
several are of particular interest. One first-floor main inn
guest room, Room 123, has a commode that just happens to be located
in the building's unused former elevator. Another, Room 221,
has had some strange and unexplained events occur within its
walls, spawning speculation that it is always "occupied."
Another feature is the collection of very unusual and interesting
"door beds" - beds actually constructed from the inn's
original thick panelled doors which, town fire and building officials
ordained, had to be replaced with fireproof doors. These panelled
doors cum "door beds" were designed and constructed
by innkeeper and owner Michael Miles and can be fully appreciated
in Rooms 125 and 126.
Location
The Ledgelawn Inn presides over its wooded, peaceful setting and
is a mere three-minute walk to "downtown" Bar Harbor
with its village green, shops, restaurants and attendant "local
color" and less than one mile from the entrance to Acadia
National Park and less than ½ mile from Kebo Valley
Golf Course and The Bar Harbor Club. The Inn's
proximity to dozens of historic, recreational and cultural sights
and attractions makes it a perfectly located hub for both short-term
and extended Acadian holidays.
Amenities
The Ledgelawn Bar: The Inn's Ledgelawn Bar is a friendly
spot for a refreshing libation open each evening from 4PM until
midnight daily (the Bar's famous "Blueberry Daiquiris"
are favorites). The Bar extends from the end of the living room
to the rear veranda which overlooks the tree-shaded yard.
Concierge Services: The attentive staff, comprising locals quite
familiar with area sights and attractions can offer many recommendations
for dining (and there is truly a plenitude of gustatory delights
to experience). Remember, it is a very short and enjoyable stroll
to the town center and there every culinary itch can easily be
scratched. The staff can be depended upon to assist guests with
dining and whale watch reservations and recommendations, to provide
brochures, directions and maps.
Baby-sitting: Guests traveling with children and requiring
some child care should notify the staff as soon as possible to
arrange for baby-sitting services.
Afternoon Tea: Tea and coffee and a "sweet du jour"
are available afternoons from 3 to 5PM
Laundry:
Washing and drying (not dry cleaning) are available; laundry
bags are provided in closets and items to be laundered will be
picked up from your room.
Telephone & Fax: Both buildings have in-room telephones; messages
and wake-up calls. A fax machine is available for use during
business hours seven days per week.
Smoking: Cigarette smoking is permitted although, preferably, smoking is done outdoors for the comfort of other guests. Cigar smoking is permitted outside the Inn only.
Meals
The Inn offers a self-serve deluxe continental breakfast
daily. The staff and innkeepers provide menus and recommendations
for Bar Harbor's perennial favorite eateries - as well as some
new favorites.
Active Holidays Await
One couldn't imagine Madame Rockefeller in Spandex mountain biking
Acadia's gravel carriage roads or sea kayaking Frenchman's
Bay in the days when Bar Harbor and Newport shared fame as
New England's grandest - and most proper - resort destinations.
And just because Ledgelawn Inn's guests are regaled and
pampered with incomparable lodging, amenities and service, they
can still work up a sweat partaking of Bar Harbor's myriad activities
and sights and attractions.
For the active traveler, there are sea kayaking, swimming and
watersports, mountain biking, golfing, tennis, whale watches
and nature cruises, ranger-led tours, hiking, roller blading,
windjammer cruises, ocean canoeing, many scenic drives and museums,
aquariums and lobster hatcheries all vie for guests' attention.
Take a stroll along the town's inviting Main Street for great
shopping or stop in at one of its truly outstanding eateries
for a snack or a freshly-caught boiled lobster lunch.
And what trip to Bar Harbor could not include a hike (or, for
lazy bones, a drive) up to the summit of Cadillac Mountain for
its show-stopping vistas? Tired yet? Bird watching, moose trekking,
deep sea fishing or taking The Cat state-of-the-art catamaran
from Bar Harbor to Nova Scotia for day trips are all splendid
ways to avail oneself of Bar Harbor's idyllic location and many
natural gifts. All of the mentioned activities are ideal ways
to work off the calories from your fanciful afternoon tea's legendary
popovers and requisite strawberry jam at the Jordan Pond House
in Acadia National Park.
