If you visit Monhegan Island, walk up the hill to visit the lighthouse and also the museums in the former Keeper’s House and newly rebuilt Assistant Keeper’s House. @Hilary Nangle The romanticism of lighthouse life has motivated many a traveler to seek out a Maine lighthouse or two, and there are numerous ways to do so. Many of Maine’s 64 beacons can be viewed from land, some only by boat, and lighthouse-themed excursion boats depart from many coastal communities. A few Maine lighthouses are regularly open to visitors (Owls Head and Rockland Breakwater, for instance). Other beacons are accessi ..read more

Portland’s new Longfellow Hotel, Maine’s first wellness hotel, wowed me. This 48-room boutique hotel has rooms designed for sleeping, a wellness spa, a counter-service cafe offering healthful breakfast and lunch fare, and a handsome lobby lounge serving cocktails and delicious tapas-style cuisine. All this is in a convenient location on Congress Street, adjacent to Tandem Bakery and across from its sister property, The Francis. The hotel, a Small Luxury Hotels of the World affiliate, takes its name from a Portland native, poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Its lobby bar and lounge, Five of Clubs ..read more

The Candy Lounge at the Camden Harbour Inn delivers an adult-in-a-candy-store experience with candy-themed cocktails and desserts. ©Hilary Nangle Staying at the Camden Harbour Inn became even sweeter with the unveiling of the Candy Lounge. The new Candy Lounge serves candy-themed cocktails and desserts in a sophisticated yet fun setting that feeds on childhood dreams with a candy shop decor. Forget kids in a candy store; this lounge is all about adults in one. “We wanted to see people smiling again, and they do when they see the lounge,” says Raymond Brunyanszki, co-owner of the Relais & C ..read more

Save on The CAT ferry transportation between Bar Harbor, Maine, and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia this summer by booking early. ©Hilary Nangle Book by March 17, 2024, to save on The CAT ferry this summer. You read that right; you can save 25% on vehicle and passenger reservations. The CAT operates between Bar Harbor, Maine, and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. The seasonal car ferry, which makes it easy to enjoy a two-nation vacation, operates from May 17 to Oct. 25, 2024. Here’s what it’s like to cruise aboard The CAT ferry. Passenger fares for 2024 range from $94 to $210 varying by season, duration (round-tri ..read more

Too many folks store their skis in March. I consider spring skiing the reward for braving frigid temps and blustery winds. Give me sunshine, sunscreen, and corn snow, and I’m in heaven. These eight alpine resorts, offering some of North America’s best spring skiing, are clustered in Montana, Alberta, and British Columbia. Ski one or two or plan an epic road trip. Spring skiing in Alberta, Canada Sunshine: Escape civilization For first and last tracks, check into the Sunshine Mountain Lodge. Sunshine maintains a poker face at its base but ascend in the gondola, and it reveals its winning hand ..read more

Map of the Great American Eclipse is Maine courtesy of Michael Zeiler, GreatAmericanEclipse.com. The Great American Eclipse in Maine passes over some of the state’s deepest wilderness, darkest skies, and best outdoor recreation areas on April 8, 2024. Sure, you can hang out and watch, but you can also pair the eclipse with fun activities. Here’s what you need to know. Where to view the Great American Eclipse in Maine The Great American Eclipse enters Maine from the west, cutting a wide swath until it exits the state and the country at the border with New Brunswick, Canada. The southe ..read more

Don’t miss Maine Restaurant Week 2024 Ready to try something new? Maine Restaurant Week is your chance to try a new restaurant or dish and take advantage of great deals. This much-appreciated cabin-fever reliever runs March 1-2, 2024. This year, more than 60 restaurants are participating. While the majority are in Greater Portland (Cape Elizabeth, Cumberland, North Yarmouth, Portland, Scarborough, South Portland, and Yarmouth), you’ll find options sprinkled statewide. You’ll find participants in Bangor, Bethel, Blue Hill, Biddeford, Brunswick, Camden, Hallowell, Lewiston, Norway, Ogunquit ..read more

Scenes from driving in Ireland. ©Hilary Nangle I was just beginning to relax, just beginning to loosen my white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel and allow myself a quick sideways glance at the stonewall-stitched patchwork of greens quilting Ireland’s countryside when KK-THUMP. “OhmyGod,” I gasped, releasing my foot from the accelerator and peering gape-mouthed into the rearview, then driver’s side mirrors. I expected to see a body lying in the street behind me. There wasn’t one. Still holding my breath, I glanced at the passenger-side mirror. It took a minute for my jetlag-addled brain to r ..read more

Austria’s Aqua Dome wellness hotel is just the ticket after a day of skiing at nearby Sölden or Obergurgl/Hochgurgl. The hotel spa’s indoor and outdoor thermal pools, steam rooms, and saunas soothe aching quads, and booking half-board ensures being well-fueled before hitting the slopes and well-satiated afterward. Guests staying at the Aqua Dome wellness hotel have exclusive access to Spa 3000, a spa within the spa. It’s a nice retreat after skiing the Tyrolean Alps.©Aqua Dome Wellness HotelBond meets Ötzi in Austria’s Ötztal Valley Opened in 2004 and enlarged in 2013, the four-star superior A ..read more

Be among the first to ride one of North America’s fastest lifts when Sunday River opens the Barker 6. Photo courtesy Sunday River Sunday River, home of the longest, steepest, widest trail and the fastest eight-passenger lift is adding another superlative. When the new Barker 6 chairlift ascending from the Barker Mountain base opens on Saturday, Dec. 9, it will be one of the fastest aerial lifts operating in North America. Not only is it fast, but it also promises to be comfy and warm, thanks to ergonomically designed heated seats. The Rivah’s other fastest lift is the Jordan 8 ..read more