Asticou Inn

We returned to The Asticou again this late Summer, but two weeks earlier than last year- we had a lovely stay last year- see review- the resort was full of mostly adults, whether couples, friends, family… there were almost no children given it was September. The resort is designed and decorated for adults- it’s beautiful- no detail forgotten- but this trip children have taken over and it has ruined the vibe. The pool is gorgeous- it’s a small pool and designed for adult crowd. This year- full of children of all ages - playing pool games, screaming, crying, splashing, and the children of all ages allowed in the hot tub!!! Truly unbelievable and in our opinion not the original mission of this resort.. we love kids, but not on a couple vacation to a place we loved for its relaxing vibe and top notch accommodations and beautiful pool deck! At this price point there should be second pool built for families closer to the cottages and leave the original pool to the adults it was built for. With a new spa coming there will only be more adult group trips - not looking to hang with kids! The food and beverage venues are very good, but as I stated last year there’s still a lack of Mainer’s working here - and the bartenders are still not engaging about the area. Minor things like makeup towels in the bathrooms and better quality towels still a thing. Not sure we will be back for a bit- saddened that the place has changed.. The Four Seasons has figured out how to make their resorts family friendly AND still attract the adult only bunch with separate pools and designated areas for families.

I initially rated the Asticou 2 out of 5 after the first day of my 3-night birthday stay. Now that the visit is complete, I’m increasing the rating because the hotel responded thoughtfully and the remainder of the stay improved considerably. The first day included several operational missteps. The arrival process wasn’t clear, check-in felt impersonal, my room wasn’t serviced despite the service light being on for several hours, and the shower had very weak water pressure. I also wasn’t told that advance reservations at Dahlia’s, the hotel’s dining room, were important because it also accepts outside diners. There were also meaningful positives from the beginning. The property has a beautiful setting, my Spacious King Harbor View room was clean and spacious, and breakfast was good. Katya was exceptional at dinner. She was warm, funny, attentive, and genuinely interested in making the evening enjoyable. Jonpaul, the assistant general manager, was another bright spot. He helped with the luggage and later gave me excellent recommendations for hiking and sightseeing in Acadia. What changed my assessment was the hotel’s response. The following day, my room was cleaned extremely well and everything was replenished. The hotel left birthday macarons and a thoughtful card. Jonpaul separately left drinks, chocolate-caramel sea-salt popcorn, and a personal note apologizing for the earlier experience. The practical issues were also addressed quickly. After the initially unclear arrival, the entrance was consistently staffed for the remainder of the stay. The shower’s water pressure was fixed within 24 hours and remained excellent. Checkout was warm, pleasant, and professional. The initial issues still matter, which is why this isn’t a 5-star review. However, the Asticou listened, responded quickly, and made a genuine effort to improve the rest of my visit. Katya and Jonpaul deserve particular recognition, and I left with a much more positive impression than I had after the first day.

I have really struggled to decide a fair rating for this hotel. The location and amenities are stunning and the food was fantastic. When I checked in though I was told I was being upgraded to a harbor facing room which was a nice surprise - until I was trying to get my 11 month old down at 7:30pm. The rooms on the fifth floor are below the dining room and people in those rooms hear every person walking above them, every chair being dragged out and even some conversations until dinner service is over. I asked if the hotel had a sound machine as playing white noise full blast from my phone wasn’t enough to drown it out for my baby. To the hotel’s credit without me asking they comped my breakfast and gave us a slightly later check out so I could try and at least get a good nap in (but same problem with breakfast). They also offered to move us but I judged at 9pm to pack up myself, baby and dog it was probably just as efficient to rock her until dinner wrapped up. While I appreciated what the hotel did to try and make up the unpleasant night we had two things continue to bother me which make me hesitant to recommend the hotel to others. A quick google search reveals this is a regular complaint of guests on the 5th floor in their reviews - yet there aren’t even rugs down in the dining room. Management can’t be in the dark about how bad the sound is but they’ve done nothing to rectify this. Maybe it doesn’t bother everyone but the note on my file flagged I was coming with a baby. Why they’d then decide to “upgrade” us to a room with a known noise problem is beyond me. It makes me think the room was intended for someone else who maybe moved rooms due to the noise. I really appreciated the staff who tried to salvage our stay with some perks and again the food was great and the property lovely. It wasn’t the fault of the staff that the sound was an issue. But for the amount one is paying per room per night I have trouble recommending this hotel that chooses not to fix a known problem but just gives out mea culpas to guests who complain or raise the issue. I’d taken myself and my daughter as a special treat and feel like we would have got better sleep at a much cheaper hotel.