The Inn on the Wharf

The view and how close the Inn is to the water were a lovely surprise when we arrived. Guests can share a common dining and kitchen area, and there’s a small selection of books there too. I only wish we could’ve stayed longer.

The room was quaint and clean, and the staff were really friendly. The views from our room were out of this world. One day we even saw an eagle fly by the window. The restaurant food was really good, and the wait staff were friendly and attentive. We also took Downeast Charter Boat Tours, right beside the Inn. The captain was super friendly and knowledgeable, and we spotted a Minke whale, seals, and bald eagles.

The view is what makes this place. We got up early for sunrise, and it was spectacular. When there’s fog, which is probably likely, it feels moody and serene. The room itself is pretty stark, but that was okay for us. We read some reviews and found there may be confusion between the inn sections: one is closer to the restaurant, while this newer section has more independent rooms. I’d choose the latter. The room is a bit Spartan, and you can hear a lot. If noise bothers you, floorboards creaking overhead could be an issue, so pay for the upper unit. Same if you don’t want to share a deck. The view makes up for it.

BED BUGS IN THE RUM RUNNER ROOM! We booked this place for our anniversary. As we were getting ready for bed, we saw bed bug nymphs crawling over the pillows and coming from under the comforter. We grabbed our belongings and called the front desk right away. The owner came shortly after with another staff member to inspect, and they confirmed what we suspected. She said she’d bought the place the previous year, the cottages were owned by a separate entity from the rest of the inn, and this kind of thing happened because “people just bring these on their luggage.” She also told us her other operation in Missouri had an infestation, and that treatment was very difficult. She asked what we planned to do. Stunned, we said we might have to sleep in our car, since finding somewhere at 10pm on short notice this far out would be hard. She asked us to keep her on call if we couldn’t find anything. We called around without success, then contacted her again for guidance about where to go. There didn’t seem to be any vacancy all the way to Bangor, and she didn’t offer us another place onsite. In the text exchange, she offered to strip the sheets, remake the bed, and let us stay at a discount. We declined and said we expected a full refund. She then suggested that the bugs all of us had identified weren’t bed bugs, since staff who’d worked in the building for years had never seen them there, adding that “insects are insects.” We stopped engaging, cut our anniversary trip short, and drove four hours home through the night. We did get a refund in the end. There was also a faint raw-sewage-like smell when we arrived. It mostly went away after we ran the bathroom fan. Under the bed hadn’t been cleaned or swept, likely all season. I hope out-of-state investors buying Downeast properties as portfolio assets don’t let this kind of neglect continue. It would irreparably harm the charm of places like Lubec.