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Places for a honeymoon

mbcdefgmbcdefg member
10000 Comments 5 Love Its Combo Breaker
in Maine
Hi! I'm getting married in New Jersey in April, and my FI and I are pretty sure that we want to go to Maine for a small honeymoon afterward. I used to go to Maine often to see family, but not in recent years, so I would love some recommendations on where to go. We'll be driving up on Sunday, April 11, and probably heading back home on Tuesday or Wednesday (we don't have a lot of time to take off work).

We definitely know that there's something in the Lovell/Waterford area that we want to see, so that part is already set. Now I'm looking for a place, probably on the coast, where we can stay for a couple of nights. We like sightseeing, good food, bars/pubs, stuff with boats (maybe a boat tour or a whale-watching trip) and nature (something with nice views, etc.).
 
I'm looking into Camden and Bar Harbor, specifically. I've heard Camden is nice and it's a 3-hour drive from the Lovell area ... what is there to do in Camden? And I've been to Bar Harbor in the past and really liked it, but that's a 4-hour trip. In your opinion, which one is more worth it? I want to see Bar Harbor, and FI wants to opt for whatever will be a shorter drive for us (he doesn't want to spend our whole trip driving).

Any suggestions? Thanks so much!
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Re: Places for a honeymoon

  • jaimebeth9jaimebeth9
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    That's a pretty short trip to stay so far away from what you want to see/do in Lovell. 

    For me I would cut down on the driving as much as I could.  I personally love Camden/Rockport.  You may also want to look into Boothbay Harbor (even closer).

    I'm not sure what you'll be able to do as far as boating in April.  I know the whale watches in Bar Harbor don't run that early.  It's still real cold here then!

    Camden has a cute downtown with one of my favorite restaurants (Peter Otts) and nice downtown shopping. 

    Hope that helps and maybe some other girls will be able to offer some more insight!
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  • angelizaangeliza
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I can't believe how dead this board has been lately. I'd suggest checking the Maine Nest board for more responses. I personally adore Bar Harbor and think it's worth the extra hour drive. I'd live in Bar Harbor if I could find a good job up there. There is so much to do there, hiking, biking, possibly whale watching cruises if they're running that early, beaches, thunder hole, cadillac mountain, great restaurants and a cute downtown shopping district. I make sure to go there at least once every year, more if I can manage.

    I will say though that you can probably do all the same types of things in Camden and I really like Camden also, just not as much as Bar Harbor.
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  • kateinaterkateinater
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Yeah, definalty check into what is open.  I think a lot of places are closed down in April.  I really enjoy bar harbor, I don't know too much about camden. 
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  • MiniMin20MiniMin20
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I've never been to Bar Harbor, but I really like the Rockland/Camden area. There is a state park in Camden where you can hike or drive up to Mount Battie, which has a really cool stone tower at the top and a great view of the ocean and Camden. In Rockland, there is a lighthouse at the end of a long stone pier; it's like a mile walk, but very pretty. There is a vineyard in nearby Lincolnville that I love visiting; I would recommend checking that out too. Both Rockland and Camden have great downtowns with shops and restaurants. There is a really really good restaurant in Rockland called Primo -- it ain't cheap, but it's delicious!

    I would assume many stores and restaurants are open, but things like whale watches probably aren't. A quick Google search brought up a whale watch in Boothbay Harbor (about 20 minutes from Rockland/Camden) but it doesn't start until Memorial Day.

    I don't think you could go wrong with either place, though; even an extra hour drive would probably be really pretty and worth it.

    Good luck!
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  • MiniMin20MiniMin20
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Oh, I also wanted to say that Boothbay is smaller and seems to be more seasonal, so I don't know how much would be open in April. I'd stick with Camden or Bar Harbor.
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  • kateinaterkateinater
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    There is a hike we really like taking in lovell, ME called Sabattus Mountain.  Also, when you're in Lovell, you're only about 15-20 minutes from North Conway, NH.  There are a lot of stores and nice restaurants there. 
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  • brownbbrownb
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Bar Harbor is one of my favorite places in the world. FI and I go on a mini vacation there every year but like others have said, I'm not sure how many places will be open in April.

    Camden and Rockland are also nice. We take day trips to Rockland all the time and we almost had our wedding ceremoney in Camden. Rockland has the Breakwater Lighthouse which is sort of cool and somone else had mentioned the vineyard in Lincolnville (we also looked into getting married there but it wasn't going to work). Camden has a great park that you can go hiking and I believe you can also take the ferry from Camden to an island so that could be a cool day trip.
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