The Claremont Hotel in Southwest Harbor, ME is like something out of a dream. What an idyllic setting. This historic hotel was restored about 4 years ago and it is absolutely gorgeous. The grounds and flowers are impeccably kept. The ambiance is welcoming and wonderful. I can't say enough good things about the Claremont. read more

We ended up going back for a dinner and it was just as wonderful as the first experience plus we had a great pre-selected menu of items! read more

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If you're looking for a relaxing vacation on the coast of Maine this is the spot. Right on the water not far from downtown Bar Harbor and close by to the entrance to Acadia National Park you couldn't ask for more! The hotel has gone through extensive renovations and the decor is superb with a fireplace every direction you look! The amenities are extensive and includes a heated pool, a dock with a lunch hangout and bar called Batson Fish Camp and a lobby bar called Harry's! The on-site restaurant, Little Fern is top notch and an amazing lobster pound called Beal's is a short walk! These amenities are open all week as opposed to just weekends which unfortunately has been the case post pandemic in New England resort towns! We checked in and were told they had overbooked the hotel due to a weekend wedding so they upgraded us to a private chalet with 2 bedrooms, a kitchenette, 2 baths and 3 fireplaces for the price of our suite! There is a onsite bakery for early coffee and pastries! The staff is exceptional and one attendant named Rinaldo was above and beyond! This is a gem, we will be back! read more

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I only hesitate to leave a review because I want to keep this wonderful place a secret! The Claremont Hotel was built in 1884 and was a diamond in-the-rough until the new owner recently restored it into an exquisite polished gem! It's easy to see why the original owners chose this site for a luxury hotel. It's located on a secluded peninsula with a Stunning view of Somes Sound, which we learned, is the only fjord in the contiguous United States. We had dinner with friends in the Little Fern dining room, which has an amazing panoramic view of the Sound and Cadillac Mountain. The dining experience was 5 stars from drinks to dessert! We all had different appetizers and entrees and they were all delightful! Their chef and sous-chef are amazing!! And the service was fantastic! Special thanks to Sienda for his warm hospitality and thoughtful suggestions. We will be coming back! read more

We had an absolutely amazing dinner at Little Fern this week. The seafood pappardelle pasta was to die for! My friends both had the lazy lobster and they absolutely loved it. We chose a Chablis to pair with the meal. We also had drinks at Harry's before dinner, and the cocktails were excellent as well. The ambiance and decor were also very nice, both in the lobby and the actual restaurant. I have to dock them one star because of the service. We were seated 20 minutes late and there was pretty much no communication from the hostess. When we approached her, she huffily told us that the table wasn't ready and then we watched her have a flustered interaction with another staff member. Since that was our first impression of the restaurant, we were a little worried but the food was delightful. Our sever also seemed a little stressed - didn't refill the water, didn't check in once during the meal. Small things, but since the food is pricey, they have to be mentioned! read more

The Claremont Hotel - Lazy lobster - Hotels Near Me - Southwest Harbor, Maine

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On our last night on MDI we finally got to this side of the island. We decided on Little Fern for our last dinner of vacation, and I'm so glad we did. We didn't have a reservation but they were able to seat us, right before it filled up. The new renovations are stunning. We had never been before, but you can clearly see how much effort went into this renovation. Everything is stunning, and they're using some kind of all facility scent that's vented in, and it smells amazing. I want that smell in my house! The food was excellent and so were the drinks. Service was excellent, views were stunning- what a place. Felt like I was in a movie it was all so gorgeous. read more

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Our family walked in here soaked from the rain and looking deeply unprepared (we only brought hiking clothes for our trip and didn't realize how nice a spot this was) The staff was absolutely incredible, and treated us like star members. They didn't blink twice, and gave us a tour of the multiple bars before leaving us to order for ourselves. Very impressed with this very classy spot. read more

We went for dinner at Little Fern. Enjoyed the ambiance of this beautiful restored Inn. Dinner was delicious. Service a bit sporadic but friendly. read more

The Claremont Hotel - Dining room - Hotels Near Me - Southwest Harbor, Maine

Great view! Incredible updated modern approach on a old classic hotel. The grounds and restaurants were amazing. Recommend drinks sitting right on the bay at Batson River fish house followed by a high end meal at Little fern read more

Perfectly located in Southwest Harbor - the blissfully quieter and less touristy part of Acadia - Claremont is recently renovated and does justice to its historic roots while feeling very much of today. Our room, an ocean view in the Phillips House, was small but cozy in a good way. Most importantly, the bed was super comfortable, and the shower was amazing. The hotel is full of comfy nooks, and the interior design is quite notable- I would describe the decor as "Maine elegant," though I'm not sure that's actually a thing. Of particular note are the eminently loungeable lobby and sitting room, the porch, and - my personal favorite - Harry's Bar, which is not only a perfectly appointed bar but also serves an excellent old-fashioned. We had a nice dinner at the bar at Little Fern and a casual lobster roll dinner outside at the Fish Camp. The ambiance of both is hard to beat, service was efficient and friendly, and the food was solid but not really memorable. I would definitely stay at the Claremont again. I loved the feel of the place, and the views are superb. read more

It's a really beautiful hotel, but a couple of really frustrating things happened. Namely they told me upon checkin that there is free breakfast from 7:30-11:30. Came down at 7:30 to be told pretty rudely that free breakfast doesn't start until 11:30. When I showed them the paper they handed me that said free breakfast from 7:30-11:30 she snapped that it must be old and the best she could offer me is one apple. (For my whole family) Kind of unpleasant when you're spending almost $1000 per night. We had been in a bakery the afternoon before where I specifically didn't get any food because I was told it was complimentary and included. read more

The Claremont Hotel - Checkin instructions, detailing the included breakfast. - Hotels Near Me - Southwest Harbor, Maine

The decor is so beautiful the setting is nothing short of amazing. The food wasn't my favorite as I actually had to have my dish heated again as my food was co. The drinks were delicious. The service amazing. read more

A beautifully decorated and comfortable hotel in a most wonderful location!!! Plus the restaurants are amazing.

NOT TO BE MISSED! An outstanding and gorgeous hotel with a restaurant whose food is top-notch, service is kind, courteous, and attentive without being overbearing. The views and decor speak for themselves and it is an experience in itself just to take in the masterful environment in the Claremont since it has been so beautifully remade. The hotel parlors are comfortable and elegant, and the restaurant has been spared no detail. The menu is carefully thought out and creative, featuring local and fresh ingredients. The cocktails are not to be missed. I took my parents here during a vacation; we tried the potato bisque and a wonderful winter squash and apple soup, the latter with a delicious potato and cheese crisp. Both were delicious and comforting without being overly filling. We ordered the seafood with miso and bok choy, the roasted organic chicken with parsnips, and pappardelle with Bolognese ragú (a nightly special recommended by our wonderful server, Gabbie, whose service, kindness, and expertise helped make the evening all the more outstanding). All were expertly prepared; the seafood was plentiful and cooked just right, and the Bolognese was served with crispy slices of toast with garlic confit to be spread along it as a take on garlic bread; simply delicious! We shared locally made maple walnut ice cream for dessert, which was also spot-on. If you are staying on MDI or in the area, get yourself a reservation here; this restaurant is a must. read more

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A lovely hotel which has had an obvious face lift. Premium prices through out the hotel. Beautiful view of the bay and water from the back facing rooms. Pleasant grounds and a nice pool area. No pool service unfortunately. A very young pleasant staff with many lacking hotel service experience. A loose gravel driveway and parking area making walking and luggage rolling to the front of the hotel a bit difficult for the elderly. Personally I do not think I will come back for a stay as the quality of service did not meet the value for the premium prices paid. Best of luck to this hotel. Hopefully they will focus more on service which to me is as important as the resent fresh coat of paint. read more

We had a family meal at 'Little Fern' on Friday night, 8 October 2021. Party of 8. The food was good, the settting nice (a little loud at times - overcrowding), the staff quite gracious, and the service good. However, a bit overpriced in comparison to other options available on that part of the island. Would I go again? Yes. Would it be my first choice? No. read more

Very strange experience last night at the Claremont. While sitting in the sitting area between The Little Fern and Harry's Bar asked a waiter to take a picture. He took a few and then came over and adjusted my clothing without asking then took a few more. Truly bizarre and borderline inappropriate behavior. He was wearing a braided gold bracelet. Manager please feel free to DM me if you'd like to discuss and get more info. read more

Stumbled upon this gem while visiting Acadia. Rolando was extremely hospitable, went over and above to show us around the charming place, and had superior customer and amazing recommendations for our short trip. The restaurant was phenomenal as well. Rolando, if you're reading this, thanks again and we miss you already! read more

***dining review***This hotel has just gone through a major renovation. There are two places to dine here. The Little Fern, which is the main restaurant in the main hotel. We were unable to secure reservations at the little fern, though we tried three times, so we were able to walk in to the Fish Camp, which is the more casual bar / bistro down on the water. Located at the entrance to the dock, which has one of the best views on MDI, looking up Somers Sound, it's really tough to beat from a location point of view. It is indoor / outdoor dining and Maine nights can get chilly after dark, so bring a sweater in case it's a foggy night or chilly. The food is casual, but very good. Both the burger and the wings rate high. You know this kind off comfort food, when you get over the mental guilt of ordering it, you want it to be worth every bite. Both of these selections are 'worth it'...the only knock on the fish camp is that the service is a only adequate and amateur. Staffed by mostly Eastern European students, on temp work visas, this is a bit a a disconnect from the location, price and expectations. We Dined there three times and confirmed this was not a one time situation. read more

Patrick at the bar is stupendous! He knows our every need from our cocktail, (Janie's Passion Fruit Cosmo), to our favorite appetizers, (Mexican Corn Fritters, Pork Bellies, Potato Soup), to our entrées, (Rib-eye, Short Rib, Chicken, or Salmon), when we park ourselves at the bar for an early dinner. You cannot find a more congenial, friendly and upbeat bartender anywhere. And Tess, his partner, adds to the already welcoming ambiance, when she serves us at our table. We will miss this duo as they head south for bigger challenges! read more

The Claremont Hotel - Enjoying a moment in the Claremont! - Hotels Near Me - Southwest Harbor, Maine

Only came for cocktails because my girlfriend loves this place and highly recommends it. This is our second consecutive year coming for the great blueberry Mohito's - she has a home in Surry so if she has picked out her favorite spots. This place never disappoints! Great cocktails and a great bartender. My only recommendation is that they help staff it a little bit better. Our bartender, a very competent female, knows how to make drinks. She was the only bartender; had to be 24 people enjoying the great view. Don't shortchange your guests. She had to deliver drinks too. Only one other server. This was a busy Saturday around 6:30 on 8/6 read more

The Claremont Hotel - Great drinks made by an amazing bartender - Hotels Near Me - Southwest Harbor, Maine

We had dinner at the Claremont Inn restaurant Little Fern based on reviews. However, the food was just okay and a bit pretentious. The menu was varied, not extensive. Three of us in our party had the Lobster bisque. It was okay, it was served warm not hot. It was presented well, but the caviar on the top was a bit pretentious and took away from the bisque. Barely any lobster in the bisque and a bit bland. The "Maine Blueberry" Salad was generous in proportion, but they forgot the feta cheese and the blueberry vinaigrette had no real flavor. I do recommend the blueberry jalapeño cornbread. It was excellent in texture, flavor and portion. The ambience was wonderful until they turned on the music and it was entirely too loud and took away from the atmosphere. The water view is beautiful and the restaurant itself is beautifully decorated and the table settings are bright and welcoming. The staff is friendly and attentive without being intrusive. If we get back to this area, we will give it another try. read more

Open to the public. We rented a large house for family vacation up the street and stumbled across this gem. You will not be disappointed. We went for cocktails only and went again the next night. Beautiful setting. read more

I had to cancel my stay the same day I made the reservation, which was 5 months in advance. They charged me $50. If they need money that badly, I'm picking another hotel when I reschedule my trip. I asked to speak with the manager, but he would not take call. read more

Outstanding and historic hotel with incredible views of the Southwest Harbor of Mount Desert Island. It's small, quaint, and offers an elegant breakfast as part of the experience. There are several well-manicured croquet fields, and you can grab any of the basic bicycles (one-speeds) off the front porch to ride around. There are only a few rooms spread amongst the main inn and a couple of cottages so book early! The gas-fired stove was a nice touch too. Unfortunately, my stay here with my honey was much too short... next time we'll have to explore more! Southwest Harbor in general is such a wonderfully quiet spot, well off the beaten path. The only thing preventing me from giving a five-star review is that our room was strangely sparse. Which didn't seem fitting for such an historic inn. Everything else though, was first-rate, and the views and scenery are quite spectacular. read more

The Claremont Hotel - View from one of the cottage rooms - Hotels Near Me - Southwest Harbor, Maine

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Wonderful hotel tucked into a quiet spot with a spectacular view. Lots of attention to detail and newly renovated. Owners didn't miss a beat. Just beautiful. Would absolutely stay here again. read more

Wanted to get a cocktail. No service or wait staff acknowledged me after 10 minutes of waiting. Total chaos in the wait staff along the shore dining restaurant. Left and complained to Manager on the way out -- he could care less! Don't waste your time. Awful experience and much better service is needed. Great spot, just managed EXTREMELY poor. read more

The Claremont Hotel - Hotels Near Me - Southwest Harbor, Maine

Disappointing for the price. The previous version had more charm. Now with the added Batson Fish structure playing loud music next to the water in the morning, the ambience is shot. We're in one of the cabins - $500 a night - and the walls are paper thin - neighbors sound like they are in our room. read more

Our dinner at Little Fern was excellent, worth every penny. I had the salmon, my mother had the lamb, and my husband and son both had the ribeye. The setting was wonderful also. My only concern was the waiter's overzealous questioning of the quality of our meals. "Are they DELICIOUS?" Approach my table and quietly ask about my satisfaction. As the customer, I am the one to judge their deliciousness. (By the way, they were delicious!) Just let me judge for myself. I found it annoying. read more

So I guess if 2.5 is average for a 5-star rating system then The Claremont was a below average experience. There are apparently many different types of rooms to stay in - from rooms inside the hotel to cottages. We stayed in cottages W2 and W3 (came out to $330/night). If I were reviewing only the cottage aspect of the hotel I would give one star. I was looking for something rustic, something charming. These cottages were extremely in need of updating. And I don't mean cosmetic updating, I mean tear them down to the studs and fix them. Our bathroom was gross, I really didn't want to get in the dirty shower, but on a four day trip eventually you're gonna have to just do it. The shower is lined with manufactured wood (wood...in a shower) that is rotting. There isn't grout that seals it to the tub so it's soaking wet and when I turned the water in bugs scurried underneath the shower walls back behind them, I don't even want to think about what is behind that wall (mold, about a million bugs, slugs, spiders, and various creepy crawlies?), I just need to forget I saw it. The decor was so confused, total mishmash. Not rustic. Not charming. Kitchen also needs to be torn down to the studs. The whole cottage does actually. Looks like something the boy scouts built on a summer project in the 60's. The big hotel itself, where the common area and restaurant are were just meh. It just seemed dirty and uncomfortable so we didn't spend any time in there. The hotel overall gets two stars because Southwest Harbor is beautiful. It's just a place anyone that loves the outdoors should visit. As an aside, Southwest Harbor is small and quiet (and lovely). If you want more action you would want to stay in Bar Harbor. read more

We thoroughly enjoyed our late afternoon picnic! The sandwiches were great! While we waited the kids played croquet on the lawn while the adults enjoyed the fabulous views of Somes sound. Very nice to be able to tie up the boat after an afternoon adventure! read more

The Claremont Hotel - Cuban panini with Local mustard....very good! - Hotels Near Me - Southwest Harbor, Maine

We stayed at the hotel for a wedding - absolutely gorgeous location. We had infants with us and stayed in the cabins, although were originally slated to stay in the main hotel. Hotel management was great and worked with us to make sure we had a room that suited our needs. Thanks for a wonderful Maine weekend! read more

Absolutely love this hotel! We've watched it get shabby over the years and then it was retired to full glory! Decided to have a drink in the afternoon at the bar Batsons Fish Camp. What a setting! Only problem is, the staffing shortage is a real problem. The server wasn't sure if they had all the ingredients for cosmopolitan, could definitely not make a Mojito, but we finally did get what we wanted. The beer was excellent, their own brew, and I did get my cosmopolitan after overhearing someone tell the kid to Google how to make it. My biggest complaint however is that for a drink that cost $16 plus I certainly do not want it served in a plastic cup. That, to me, really was a major bummer. At least he did a good job making it. If they are serving at a 5 star hotel, i want a martini glass AND don't want to think about all that plastic going into our landfill in town. Other than that, it's truly a beautiful spot. read more

What a relaxing place to stay. Centrally located. We have stayed in the main hotel as well as in adjoining houses. Fireplaces are great cold summer day. We really enjoyed using the rowboats to explore. And who else has a croquet court today? read more

We had a terrific stay at the Claremont. I had expected it to be as wonderfully charming as it is, but was pleasantly surprised to also find that it is well-maintained and super-clean (our room was freshly painted and our bathroom was spotless). The included breakfast is full of delicious egg dishes, fresh fruits, yogurt, and house-made baked goods. One note about staying in Southwest Harbor- things close very early (9pm), even on weekends. This was perfect for us, but if you are looking for a bustling nightlife you will need to hop in the car. I can't wait to go back. read more

Just a quick note to say that the Claremont is not closed. The Xanthus restaurant is closed until September, but the hotel is very much still open for business, and informal dining is available on the dock from 6:00 PM (no reservations). read more

Nice old hotel (think B&B), quirky. Great location on the harbor. Come for lunch at the boathouse cafe if your not in a hurry. Country club type food, great crab sandwich!! Slow service. But the view! read more

I applied for a job and didn't hear back after a week. I called to check on the status of my application and the man I spoke to was incredibly rude and condescending and rather than checking on the status of my application simply told me "we call the people who we're interested in hiring so what does that tell you?" read more

This is a wonderful place. Charming, elegant, and quaint all at once....like stepping back in time.....please only come here if you're willing (and happy) to rough it just a little bit. Do not expect luxurious accommodations (no TVs, except in the common room, no A/C, no room service, etc.). Rather, expect a wonderful *experience* staying here. If you want very good food and a genteel, quiet environment with incredible views, this is a perfect place to escape. I recommend going down to the boathouse for a cocktail before dinner to enjoy a look at the only fjord on the East Coast of the US. The meals we had at the Claremont's fine dining restaurant were superb. If you come here and complain that it's not up to modern standards, then you just don't get it. read more

My review is for the boat house cafe down at the water behind the hotel. The food was excellent and the service was great. The menu was short and there wasn't a kids' menu, but the view more than made up for it! read more