Bar Harbor, Maine – the quintessential summer getaway for the discerning traveler – provides an opportunity to stay at some of the most beautifully classic Bed & Breakfasts in the country while touring the surrounding area of Acadia National Park. But, how does one choose where to stay? There are just so many unique accommodations in the area and they are all seemingly beautiful! After thorough research and many phone calls, we had decided! All it took was one call to Pat & Chris, the Innkeepers at the Yellow House Bed & Breakfast, to convince me that THIS Bed & Breakfast was where we wanted our Bar Harbor experience to be.
The Yellow House B & B
The Yellow House Bed & Breakfast is one of Bar Harbor’s original summer cottages. Staying here makes you feel like you’re visiting friends. Built in 1872, the Bar Harbor Historical Society believes it may be the second oldest house in Bar Harbor. (Click HERE for more history on the Yellow House B & B.) The classic elegance of this Maine summer cottage welcomes guests with charm, flavorful breakfasts (my accompanied recipe is inspired by our breakfasts here), a lovely happy hour on the porch and gracious hospitality.
The Yellow House Bed & Breakfast is perfectly located to explore the town of Bar Harbor on foot. It is just a few steps away from restaurants featuring the best Maine cuisine, local artisan gift shops, pubs and galleries. Its location yields a quick drive over to Acadia National Park, too. There, you can explore the dramatic scenery by foot, bike, or boat. The Yellow House B & B is the perfect launchpad for all of your Bar Harbor & Acadia National Park activities.
Yellow House Breakfasts
Have you ever stayed at a classic Bed & Breakfast?
If you have, you fully understand why the ‘Breakfast’ part is so special.
These Innkeepers go out of their way to place their own unique flare into each of the meals they serve.
Pat & Chris, Innkeepers at the Yellow House Bed & Breakfast, are plant-based eaters themselves so naturally, our meals followed suit. While we do not focus on plant-based eating at our home, (we are very much carnivores 😉 ) I do appreciate restaurant owners who can create meals in unique ways that speak to everyone.
Actually, it wasn’t until Chris mentioned to us in a morning conversation that they solely eat a plant-based diet, that I even noticed that meat was missing from the morning equation. How amazing is that?! The food was SO GOOD that I didn’t even consider that I may be eating in a different way. I found this to be an unique approach to a classic Bed & Breakfast – and I LOVED it!
Our breakfasts at the Yellow House were nothing short of amazing! We ate like royalty and never felt rushed or left hungry.
We spent what felt like hours in the common breakfast room and porch sipping coffee, enjoying house-made granola and yogurt, fresh seasonal fruit – Maine blueberries included, of course – along with a phenomenal main dish that set us up for the aggressive hiking we did each day. Click HERE to learn all about the adventure portion of our trip to Acadia National Park!
From fresh, house-made vegetable tarts with oven-roasted potatoes, ultra-fluffy Maine blueberry pancakes and fruit to luscious parfaits, the breakfasts at the Yellow House are fit for royalty.
As a matter of fact, one of the breakfasts stirred me so deeply, that when I got home, I knew I had to recreate it – Bed & Breakfast Fluffy Blueberry Pancakes + Blueberry Compote.
We eat pancakes at home, but nothing like this. They were AMAZING. The blueberries were bursting with flavor under the warmed butter and pure Maine maple syrup. And the blueberry compote…it’s the sauce that takes the {hot} cake! It’s what my dreams are made of. The recipe at the bottom of this post is my version of my favorite meal at The Yellow House B & B.
I’m sure it is Chris & Pat’s daily mission that their guests feel abundantly cared-for, and it shows.
Yellow House Happy Hour
One of my favorite parts of the day while visiting The Yellow House Bed & Breakfast was happy hour.
I mean, happy hour is probably my favorite hour of the day anyway, but here, it was extra special.
Around 5 p.m., Cecelia, the Inn’s manager, would bring out delicious bottles of chilled wine to guests staying at the Yellow House B & B. We grabbed a glass of our choosing and would saunter out to the gorgeous wrap-around porch, find a rocking chair and just breathe in the memories of the day.
Yellow House’s wrap-around porch is complete with several sitting areas, for groups large and small, and has a perfect viewing opportunity to take in the Yellow House’s sculpture garden.
Each night during happy hour on the porch, we took time to reminisce about our {strenuous} hikes, our lobster boat ride from the evening before, or the helicopter tour that we just finished up with. We swapped stories with the other guests staying at the Inn who also ventured out for the day.
If only happy hour lasted more than one hour! Relaxing during happy hour is one of my favorite parts of vacation and something I truly look forward to.
Yellow House B & B ~ Rooms & Common Spaces
The seven bedrooms and common spaces at the Yellow House Bed & Breakfast are all classically decorated, leaving guests with a lovely feeling of traditional East coast charm.
Staying here felt like home. Not my home, because my home is nothing like this, but it felt warm and homey, like classic luxury at its finest.
We stayed in the Louisburg Room, which was located at the end of the hallway, upstairs. I liked the location because I’m a super light sleeper and it was very quiet. Although, I think you could stay in any of the rooms at the Inn and it would be suited for a quiet night’s stay.
The rooms are all very large and they feature a King-sized bed, additional seating area, a large closet plus an en-suite bathroom. I was really surprised at the size of the rooms – SO spacious! I never felt like I was staying in a bedroom, rather a very classically-decorated hotel room. Click HERE to see the room options at Yellow House Bed & Breakfast.
Besides the rooms, breakfast space and wrap-around porch, the Yellow House Bed & Breakfast also boasts a lovely living room area where guests can enjoy a cup of coffee anytime of the day while perusing any number of books and local travel magazines.
I especially loved this space in the wee hours of the morning when it was too cool to be out on the porch, but was time for me to be up and moving around for the day.
The Yellow House B & B also has a lovely Butler’s pantry that is open to guests 24/7. Here, guests can grab coffee, tea or even a glass of water at anytime of day. It was a nice option especially since one morning, we awoke at 3:30 a.m. to drive to the top of Cadillac Mountain to catch the sunrise! Coffee was a MUST if I was to be up and acting even remotely human at 3:30 a.m. – HA!
I sure hope Bar Harbor is on your bucket list if you haven’t visited already – a visit here will certainly be life-changing! The area is so vast and beautiful and it is made complete with a perfect place to stay such as the Yellow House Bed & Breakfast. Don’t forget to catch my Yellow House-inspired recipe for Bed & Breakfast Fluffy Blueberry Pancakes + Blueberry Compote below.
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For more information on what to do while visiting the Bar Harbor & Acadia National Park area, click on my post Acadia National Park via Land, Sea + Air for the best guide to the area! Here, I discuss local hikes for all levels, area attractions, exploring via boat tours and catching a glimpse of this destination from a bird’s eye view in a helicopter! It’s a helpful guide you won’t want to miss! After that, hop over to the Bed & Breakfast Blueberry Pancakes post to get more information on the creation of that recipe!
Until next time…Eat Well. Travel Often. Love Much.
XOXO
Bed & Breakfast Blueberry Pancakes + Blueberry Compote
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 T. powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 1 large egg yolk + 3 egg whites
- 4 T. butter, melted & cooled + more for brushing
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract or 1/2 tsp. vanilla paste
- 3/4 cup fresh blueberries
- Blueberry Compote:
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
- Pure Maple Syrup + Butter for serving
Directions
- Step 1 Whisk the flour, powdered sugar, kosher salt and baking powder in a large mixing bowl.
- Step 2 In a separate bowl, whisk the milk, egg yolk, melted butter and vanilla until combined.
- Step 3 In the bowl of your stand mixer or a separate mixing bowl, beat the 3 egg whites with a mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 2-3 minutes.
- Step 4 Stir the milk mixture into the flour mixture using a rubber spatula until just combined – make sure not to over-mix and there may still be a few lumps at this point. Gently add the blueberries to the wet mixture.
- Step 5 Taking great care not to deflate your egg whites, fold in about 1/3 of the beaten egg whites into the pancake batter. Then gently fold in the rest until just combined – again, try not to over-mix.
- Step 6 Make the blueberry compote: In a medium saucepan, combine the blueberries, sugar and lemon juice. Heat over low-medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves, about 2-3 minutes. Increase the heat and bring the mixture to a slow boil. Lower the heat to simmer and cook for another 2-4 minutes, smashing some of the berries with a smooth potato masher if they do not burst on their own. I do not smash all of them, just some. Remove from the heat. Set aside and keep the compote warm.
- Step 7 Make the pancakes: Heat a griddle or large nonstick skillet over low-medium heat. Lightly brush with butter if desired. Pour about 1/4 cup batter onto the griddle for each pancake. Cook without flipping until bubbles form on top and the bottom is lightly browned, about 3 minutes. If they brown too quickly, lower the heat.
- Step 8 Flip the pancakes and continue cooking until golden on the other side, about 1-2 more minutes. Transfer the pancakes to a plate.
- Step 9 Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve with blueberry compote, pure maples syrup and extra butter, if desired.
- Step 10 Enjoy!
The Yellow House seems lovely and you have captured all the charm of Maine in your writing! Besides, you had me at Happy Hour!
I enjoyed your post. The B&B is beautiful and the pancakes sound delicious!! I always love going to Bar Harbor. I’m from Maine and we’re riding out the virus here. We’re full-time travelers hoping to get back to it…maybe our first stop will be Acadia.
Wow, what a beautiful house. That Bed and Breakfast looks like a must do and that food looks amazing!
Bar Harbor is one of my most favorite spots along the Maine Coastline. We are always looking for wonderful places to stay when there. Thanks so much for this!
I am so excited to visit here on my next trip up to Maine! My parents recently purchased several rental properties in the Sullivan/Winter Harbor area, so we go up to Acadia regularly. This place looks so cute and just up my husband’s and my alley! Thanks for the recommendation!
What a beautiful, fun place! The food looks delightful and happy hour is the cherry on top! I hope to explore up that way soon!!
This place sounds lovely! The pictures are beautiful. I love the idea of plant based meals (occasionally). I’m putting this place on our list!
Looks like an amazing place to visit!
Oh my goodness, the yellow house looks so cozy and that recipe sounds amazing. Bed and breakfasts have the best food!
What a beautiful place to visit! I love B&Bs this one looks like a great place to stay!
I love everything about this B and B! I have been wanting to visit Maine for a while. I will be saving this!
Looks Ahmazing!!! Would love to get up there!
Such a beautiful home, that porch is amazing! Bar Harbor is on our bucket list. Thank you for sharing, your pictures had us feeling like we were there.
Maine is on our travel list so we will have to check out this place. It looks beautiful!
This looks like a fun bed and breakfast. The breakfast looks fantastic!
Much as we like staying at AirBnB’s, I loved staying in family run bed and breakfasts! Hubby and I used to travel that way often. Was more personal and you get to know the locals, and the history of where you are.
We love that part of Maine. Looks like a beautiful stay.
This place looks amazing! I mean, adorable and elegant and inviting all at once! We’ve been wanting to visit Maine, so maybe we’ll have to check this place out.
Well, now I want to stay there! You are right, the breakfast is one of the best things about a Bed & Breakfast. A B&B is one of the first places I look at when we are traveling.
What a cute house! I wish I could live there. The food looks delicious and it looks like it’s in a great location to enjoy the outdoors.
This is bringing back so many memories! I worked at a bed & breakfast while in college. It was a beautiful old house with 6 guest bedrooms. I helped with cleaning, and I loved each room! I also learned how to make a perfect bed!
This definitely looks like a picture-perfect Bed and Breakfast. I miss getting to go to B&B’s with my husband. We have 4 kids and most of the B&B’s we’ve looked into won’t let kids stay there.
It looks like a great place to stay! I don’t know if we will ever get to Maine, but I’m going to remember this place. Thanks!
Great job describing this place and making us want to visit! The photos look great and I could certainly use a near vacation! I think I’m even inspired to make these pancakes. Yumm!
I’ve never considered staying at a B&B, bur you make it sound worthwhile. Maybe I’ll look into it on our next trip!
Man I wanted to go to Maine anyway but this makes me want to go even more!
We stayed elsewhere when we last visited Maine, but I’m definitely going to book here next time! Absolutely charming and filled with my favorite color!
This place sounds wonderful!!! Thanks for the recipe too!
Look at those blueberries! I was so happy to see the recipe at the end! YUM! Can’t wait to try these (would prefer to try them in person!)
Looks like a beautiful place to stay! And I love that they are plant based. Me too. How nice it is when I don’t have to make special meal requests! Id love staying here.
What a charming B&B. We haven’t visited Maine yet, but its on our list!
What a beautiful house and their breakfast looks absolutely delicious!!! I would LOVE to stay here! 🙂
Oh, this looks like such a bright and cheerful place! Very homey and welcoming. I love Bar Harbor and hope to get back there one of these days. Thanks for sharing this spot. I pinned it for later.