(Don't) Stay: Under Canvas Acadia
A ruined arrival experience at luxury prices.
near Mount Desert Island / Acadia National Park, Maine
63 tents, from 520 usd per night
I'm not one for camping. But I will do some glamping. And that was my intention in trying out one of the new "Under Canvas" properties that have popped up around the United States, mostly around the national parks. So, when the Atlantic Coast's first flagship of the brand opened near Acadia National Park, I made it a part of our travel research list of must-visits. Luxurious tents are marketed with indoor, fully-plumbed bathrooms, beds with plush sheets and "stargazing roofs," fireplaces stacked with wood, ready to light. There are communal spaces for "dining" and fire pits with views of the bay and adjacent rocky cove. Never mind that the property was a 30 minute drive from Acadia, not even on the more prestigious real estate of Mount Desert Island.
At $520 usd per night, I had luxury-level expectations. But, it was the arrival experience that completely ruined it. Driving down a dusty, gravel road to a big parking lot that one would find in a rodeo arena was the first downfall. Call it "eco-friendly" development. Poor way-finding to locate the check in, and carrying our roller-board luggage there over the rocks was another. But, it was the poorly-trained front desk attendants that pointed the way to our tent across the sprawling property and bidding us farewell that really was the disappointing bit. We were not escorted to our tent; we had to find it amongst the scattered grid of others (way-finding again). We were not shown how to use the room itself, still unconventional in its functionality. But worst, we had to actually carry our luggage over a quarter of a mile across the gravel track like actual campers, not luxury hotel patrons.
The pictures are – by and large – quite deceiving. It photographed well. And we got to sleep under the stars in our "stargazing" bed. But I would never pay $500 again for a hotel to not offer to carry my luggage (or golf cart it over) to our room.
Tread carefully:
Under Canvas Acadia, Surry, Maine, USA
Photo source: Syllogi
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