You've checked into your hotel and you're ready to enjoy an amazing getaway. It may sound a little crazy but there are a few things I like to do upon entering my hotel room to start our trip on the right foot. 

After entering my hotel room I start by checking the mattress. It takes only a few seconds to lift up the sheets and mattress protector to ensure that the mattress is clean. It's not something you want to talk about but everyone does want a bug free experience. 

The second thing I do is check the cleanliness of the bathroom. The bathroom is the next area with the most germs and you definitely want it to be as clean as possible.  

A once over in the entire room isn't a bad idea either. On our most recent cruise, the room looked relatively clean until we really looked. We noticed the bathroom wasn't perfect, there were crumbs on the rug and there was red melted lollipop everywhere in the living room. 

A quick call to switch rooms or have the room cleaned again is a small task for you to be able to enjoy your time and get your money's worth.  ​

Now on to the fun! I take photographs of the entire room before unpacking. I also love finding and documenting small touches that are wonderful. It's the special things like a luxurious bathroom, terrific art, or when a welcome gift in the room that add to the experience.

The last thing I do to unwind is to take a photograph of our view. Sometimes the views are amazing, sometimes they're awful, and sometimes they're fun and quirky. During the most recent visit to Ohio we looked out our window and our view was only of a parking lot. The fun part was there was a group shooting a music video on the roof of that parking lot. 

You just never know what you'll enjoy at your hotel. ​ 

​1 Hour from Boston
Battleship Cove, Fall River MA
Crane Beach, Ipswich MA (Relax on the beach or hike the dunes)
Portsmouth, NH (Shopping, restaurants, and harbor views)

Every year my family heads up to Bar Harbor ME for a long weekend getaway. This year we booked a house through Vacation Rentals for Memorial Day. 

Each couple drove up separately and somehow Greg, myself, and Fred were the last ones to get on the road. We made our way up north and passed cop after cop after cop. Our first stop was in Kittery ME. For lunch we decided to buy some bread from When Pigs Fly Bakery. Even though they didn't have my Pineapple Jalapeno bread, we were happy with our selections of Ciabatta and the Blueberry, Raspberry with Lemonade. 

​After feeding Fred his dinner we found a great spot to park in town and walked over to the park where the rest of my family would meet us. Along the way we stopped into the information center and purchased our America the Beautiful Pass (year). 

The hilarity of all of us together started right away. As we are talking my sister's dog Beefy decided to pop himself into the basin at the bottom of the water fountain. Everyone around us was laughing and taking pictures of the big moose (part bulldog part beagle). 

At check in time we each drove to the house we rented. The first thing we noticed were the mosquitos!! They were everywhere and were plentiful! Inside the house we had a bathroom, kitchen, dining area, living room, tv room, and bedroom on the main floor. Upstairs was the master bedroom and bathroom. Downstairs there were 2 bedrooms, another living room, a bathroom, and the laundry area. 

The house was incredibly clean, spacious, and in a great location. The first downfall was the mosquitos. The second downfall was lack of toilet paper, paper towels, and pantry items. Otherwise we highly recommend a booking. 

For dinner we made plans at Mache Bistro. We enjoyed meals here in previous years however this time was definitely a let down. With a reservation for the 6 of us we were seated right away. It was 20 minutes until someone came over and greeted us. We ordered drinks, appetizers, and entrees all at once not knowing when our waiter would return.

Our drinks and the first half of our appetizers arrived. We enjoyed the House bread (anchovy), cheese plate, house bread (bone marrow), and boquerones. Next came the salads. My entree had to be returned (Duck) because it wasn't supposed to have mashed potatoes due to my dairy allergy. The highlight of the evening was hearing that they were offering a vegan cake. The cake was delicious and everyone at the table also liked it. 

We left the restaurant 2.5 hours after arriving and we're hoping that things weren't as smooth because it was early in the season. 

On Saturday morning we woke up early and made our way to Acadia Mountain Guides for a rock climbing excursion. 

Everyone in the group enjoyed the outing however it was a complete failure for me! I mentioned it in my trip to London but I had been having some foot issues. I've had lots of pain especially while working on in the ball of my foot. Trying to rock climb, hike, and just move around in climbing shoes was one of the worst ideas I've ever come up with. Thankfully our guide was wonderful, kind, and extremely helpful. 

Side note: When I got home I went to the Podiatrist. Come to find out I have a fractured Sesamoid bone (small bones on a tendon in your foot). I am currently in an air-cast walking brace for 2+ weeks. 

Back in town we met up with our parents and dined al fresco with dogs at CherrySTONES. During lunch we also received a show. Here's a tip when in Bar Harbor don't park where the sidewalks are painted yellow. They're painted that way for a reason! There was an SUV parked outside the restaurant in a yellow area and sure enough it was hit by another SUV because it was too close to the corner. 

After lunch Greg and I went for a drive through Acadia National Park. We walked along Eagle Lake and drove up Cadillac Mountain. 

At 8 pm we had a reservation at Havana. This was my favorite restaurant last year and tonight was another hit with the family!

We were seated right away, had a friendly waiter, and enjoyed pisco sours (although a bit too sour). Let the gluttony begin. To start we ordered 2 of the spring rolls, mussels borracho, mixed grill, provoleta, and a salad. The spring rolls with their truffle aioli are a big hit. The mixed grill definitely offers something for everyone.

For entrees we ordered 2 scallops, vegetarian, coulotte steak, fish of the day, and the chicken. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their entrees with the scallops being the highlight. 

For dessert we ordered the chocolate mousse with avocado which wasn't great. The quatro leches which was delicious, and the churros. 

For a wonderful experience definitely dine at Havana. 

After breakfast we picked up the dogs and decided to do some shopping in town. Greg and I found some fun sweatshirts, bbq sauce, olive wood kitchen utensils, dried blueberries, and more. 

We also enjoyed letting the dogs run around in the park a bit. The sun was shining but the air was a bit on the chilly side. My parents decided to order food to go from China Joy. They also took the dogs back to the house for us. Unfortunately, their meal was awful. This might be an omen of things to come. 

The 4 of us decided to try lunch at Geddy's. Instead of waiting for a table we snagged some seats at the bar. We ordered drinks and smoked chicken wings to start. 

For entrees we ordered a pizza, falafel salad, ahi tuna poke salad, and the crab blt. While dining we ended up watching the Point Break remake (I'm a fan of the original and actually hate when movies are remade). The food all tasted good however later in the day my stomach was upset, my sister's was upset, and Greg ended up having a stomach bug for days. I can't say for sure that it was anything to do with the restaurant but it seemed like we were all fine before lunch.

My phone barely gets a connection in Bar Harbor. While we were driving around my family was trying to get in contact with us about dinner plans. 

My parents decided to stay in for the night and make some breakfast for dinner (I think the Chinese food still wasn't sitting well). The 4 of us had a reservation at McKays Public House. We were seated right away and thankfully at a table inside. 

We ordered cocktails and spoke with our waitress about my allergy. We started with the Bacon Wrapped Scallops, Meat and Cheese Board, as well as the Pork Belly Tacos. 

For entrees we ordered the Spring Lobster Fettuccine, the Vegan Smoke Carrot Risotto, the Coq Au Vin, and the Porcini Sacchetti. My vegan risotto was amazing! The dish was creamy, flavorful, and the addition of the roasted zucchini was wonderful. Both pasta's were also done very well. The Coq Au Vin was a little to dry and the cuts were on the big size. 

This was our 2nd or 3rd visit to McKay's and we highly recommend it!