Home

Camden

Your Hosts

Our Blog

Rooms & Rates

Web Cam

Book Online

Getting Here

Dining

Policies

E-Mail Us

Specials

Links

As Seen on TV

Blue Harbor House Happenings

Check out the news at Blue Harbor House Maine Bed and Breakfast

Dear Friends:

We've loved the Maine Coast ever since we first laid eyes on it, while we were working on the cruise ship "Pacific Princess" (aka "The Loveboat," on the TV series). We immediately vowed we'd return some day. Now, nearly fifteen years later, the reality has turned out to be even better than our dream, and we're delighted to be your hosts at the Blue Harbor House. The inn is filled with old New England charm (to which we've added a wee taste of Scotland), and the village of Camden is just as warm and welcoming as it is beautiful. Won't you come stay with us and discover for yourself why so many of our guests return to the inn again and again? We look forward to seeing you!

Very best regards,

Annette and Terry Hazzard

At Your Service

It's our pleasure to help you get the most out of your visit, so please don't hesitate to ask for recommendations or guidance.

Life Should Be Full of Surprises!

Come spend a couple of nights in one of our luxurious suites and set sail on a two-hour Penobscot Bay cruise aboard the beautiful schooner Surprise. A bottle of champagne tops off our Surprise Package in style. Available throughout our season, it's $425 for two, plus tax and gratuity.

The Perfect Touch

Staying at the Blue Harbor House is always a terrific way to de-stress. Add a one-hour massage for two, and you'll know what it is to be really relaxed.

Our R 'n' R Package, which also includes a two-night stay and two breakfasts, is $475 for two, plus tax and gratuity, and is available throughout the season. To stay in a suite, just add $50.

The Pleasures of Paddling

Come kayaking! Just book our ever-popular Day on the Bay Package. No experience is required, and it's a great way to get out on the water. A registered Maine Guide will lead you on a daytrip from Rockport Harbor to Camden Harbor with a lunch stop on Curtis Island. Also included are two nights' lodging for two, and two breakfasts. Available July 1 through August 31, it's $475 for two, plus tax and gratuity. To stay in one of our suites, just add $50. Space is limited, so advance reservations are required.

Lobster Facts

It's always a good idea to be well informed about what you're eating. So here are some answers to FAQs heard in the inn's dining room as guests dig into their succulent lobster dinners.

• Live lobsters are usually bluish green, but on rare occasions fishermen catch an orange, yellow, or blue one. The color is determined by pigments in the shell. When the lobster is cooked, all of the color pigments except the red background color are masked.
• A one-pound adult female lobster will produce approximately 10,000 eggs when she is fertile. Each egg is no bigger than the head of a pin. As they grow, the eggs are held under the mother's tail with a special glue-like substance for almost a year. Then the eggs are released as larvae. It has been estimated that less than 1 percent of the eggs will survive to adulthood.
• Lobsters grow by molting, which means shedding their shells and growing new, larger ones. By the time they are 7 years old, they have molted about 20 times.
• Just after they molt, lobsters are soft and fragile until their new shell has hardened, which usually takes a few months. During this time, they are known as softshell or newshell lobsters.

Now that you're a lobster expert, be sure to come enjoy this delectable Maine treat with us soon!

Off to a Great Start

Maybe we should start calling the Blue Harbor House a Bed and Bountiful Breakfast Inn, as our morning menus have become legendary. Our specialties, like blueberry pancakes with blueberry butter and maple syrup, stuffed French toast, and juicy baked apples crowned with vanilla ice cream, never fail to put big smiles on our guests' faces. "Dutch Babies" – a cross between a baked custard and a soufflé, topped with fresh fruit and maple syrup – always evoke exclamations of "Wow," quickly followed by "Yum!" There's no better place to begin your day than in the inn's dining room, so come join us soon!

Delicious Days Out

There's no doubt that pleasing your taste buds is one of the most enjoyable parts of exploring new places, so we decided to share some of our favorite foodie finds with you.

If you've room after your Blue Harbor House breakfast, take a mid-morning break at Periwinkle Bakery on Route 1 in Searsport for old-fashioned sticky buns to sweeten the hunt among the town's jumble of antiques shops. For lunch, head down to Shaw's in New Harbor for lobster rolls on the dock, or graze on some of the fresh offerings at the Camden Farmers' Market, including homemade breads and cheeses and farm-grown fruits and berries.

As the afternoon winds down, stop at Camden Cone on Bay View Street for a few scoops of Maine-made Round Top ice cream, or try a slice of the carrot cake at Sweet Sensations on Route 1 in Rockport.

On an evening when you aren't having dinner at the inn, consider the Twilight Café in Belfast, a unique place that's an art gallery by day and a charming café by night. The menu offers lots of creatively prepared local seafood and meats served in an intimate atmosphere surrounded by artwork. Who could resist pecan-crusted lobster cakes with pumpkin ginger crème fraîche or ginger lime swordfish and cilantro salsa? Bon appetit!

Daytrippers' Diary

Just 45 minutes from Blue Harbor House, in North Orland, there's a spectacular hiking trail up 1,030-foot-tall Great Pond Mountain. It seems to be quite a well-kept secret – in fact, you may well have it all to yourself.

To get there, take Route 1 north about 5 miles beyond Bucksport, looking out for Black Ridge Road (it's 1.5 miles beyond the turnoff [on your right] to Route 15 and Blue Hill). Turn left off Route 1 onto Black Ridge Road. The beginning of the trail is 2.5 miles from here.

The Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery is also on Black Ridge Road, and you should definitely stop here before or after your hike. Set at the edge of Alamoosook Lake, the hatchery works to increase populations of native sea-run Atlantic salmon. When the fish reach maturity, they are released into half a dozen Maine rivers. Through viewing windows, you can see the brood stock, egg incubators, and troughs and pools in which the fish are raised.

Maps of the Great Pond Mountain trail are usually available at the hatchery or in a box at the base of the trail. The footing is gravely at the start, changing to smooth rock. It's a continuous, sometimes steep climb, and will take you about 45 minutes to reach the top. The rewards are ample: a 360-degree panorama of the ocean and islands, Blue Hill, Cadillac Mountain, Mount Megunticook, Mount Battie, Owl's Head, inland blueberry fields, and four lakes.

Be sure to take your binoculars, camera or watercolors, and sunscreen, and pack water and a snack or a picnic lunch. Flat rocks at the top provide the perfect perch before the climb back down.

This beautiful spot is maintained by Great Pond Mountain Conservation Trust which depends upon dues and donations.

You've Got Mail!

Would you like to hear about special offers, last-minute availabilities, and other opportunities for savings at the Blue Harbor House? Just send your e-mail address to us at info@blueharborhouse.com, and we'll keep you posted. We promise not to overload you with messages, and we absolutely will not share your address with anyone else.

This Year's Quiz: Proper English

It's often been said that the U.S. and the U.K. are two countries divided by the same language.

Here's a list of British words and their American counterparts. How bilingual are you? Match up the words, print this out, and fax it to us at 207-236-6523. If you get them all right, we'll double the value of your Krackers Koupons.

1 kagool	___ sidewalk
2 brolly	___ trunk
3 lorry	___ busy signal
4 bin	___ cilantro
5 pavement	___ zucchini
6 pull in	___ line
7 lift	___ purse
8 engaged	___ diaper
9 queue	___ cookie
10 courgette	___ garbage can
11 coriander	___ elevator
12 handbag	___ vest
13 nappy	___ traffic circle
14 waistcoat	___ raincoat
15 pram	___ umbrella
16 boot	___ truck
17 biscuit	___ stroller
18 roundabout	___ pull over

 

From the Blue Harbor House Kitchen

Seafood Pasta

Ingredients per serving:

• 1/2 to 3/4 lb. of fish or shellfish:
  - 1/4 lb. white fish, uncooked (halibut, sea bass, cod, or haddock)
  -1/4 lb. shrimp, cooked or uncooked, shelled and de-veined
  -1/2 lb. mussels, uncooked, cleaned, and purged (sand removed)
  -1/4 lb. scallops, uncooked
• 1/4 lb. linguine
• 1 tbl. unsalted butter
• 2 tbl. olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup celery, chopped
• 1/2 cup sweet red pepper, chopped
• Fresh tomatoes, peas (fresh or frozen), and broccoli florets
• 1/4 cup each heavy cream and sour cream, stirred together
• 1 cup dry white wine
• Sherry to taste
• Fresh parsley to garnish

Clean and dry seafood. Slightly undercook pasta and reserve. Sauté onion, garlic, chopped sweet red pepper, and celery in butter and oil. Onions should be softened but not browned. Reserve.

In a stock pot, place half the sautéed onion, pepper, garlic, and celery; add water and some of the wine to steam the mussels. Bring to boil. Add mussels and steam for 10 minutes or until the shells open (discard any shells that do not open). Place scallops and shrimp in a sauté pan along with the other half of the sautéed onion, garlic, pepper, and celery. Toss until shrimp turn red. Add fish, mussels, and remaining vegetables. Lower heat, cover, and simmer until fish is cooked, about 10 minutes.

Remove fish from the pan to make room for cream, sour cream, and remaining wine for sauce. Season with salt, pepper, sherry, and any other spice you like. Return fish to pan, mix gently, and pour over pasta. Garnish with parsley. Serve hot with salad and French bread. Think chocolate for dessert!

Dog Days

When you come to the Blue Harbor House, why not bring your best friend – the four-footed, tail-wagging variety? Krackers loves greeting canine guests, who are welcome in the Captain's Quarters suite.

There's lots of doggone fun to be had in the area, including romping in Merryspring Park and Camden Hills State Park or swimming from the boat ramp at Barrett's Cove on Megunticook Lake.

In Print

The inn was extremely fortunate to be showcased in two major publications last year. In Travel Holiday magazine's "Inn Lover's Guide," Blue Harbor House was given a very complimentary write-up and appeared at the top of the list of seven Camden inns. Last October, Rhode Island Monthly magazine ran a feature article on the inn and the many reasons to vacation here in Camden at the Blue Harbor House.

Return to the Inn,

Again . . . And when you've stayed with us ten nights, we'll send you a Gift Certificate for one night's free lodging. For every guest you refer to us, we'll also give you one night's credit!

 

---

Our Affiliations

The Blue Harbor House is proud to be affiliated with
Superior Small Lodging,
Mobil Travel Guide (3 stars),
and AAA (3 diamonds).
All of these organizations have very high standards and conduct annual inspections of member inns.