Car Rental In Portland ,ME and tips for Bar Harbor Needed

My wife and I want to do some exploring on our own. Does anyone know if you can get a rental car delivered to the Portland port? Also I have read other posts saying getting a rental car in Bar Harbor is next to impossible. Is there a way to tour acadia nat. park without being stuck on a tour bus?

Acadia Tours is a trolley type tour that goes into the park; one of the neatest things we found in Bar Harbor was the Lobster Boat Lulu http://www.lululobsterboat.com for a truly unique "Maine" experience. You can also poke around on theBar Harbor site and see if you find car rental or check online with major agencies.

I don't know if Enterprise has an office in Portland.. didn't check that out since we were not interested in a rental car but they pick you up anywhere.. They may have location at the airport which is in South Portland but not that far and there's a shuttle. You can also try www.drivebudget.com or their number is 800 527-0070 -- they are on the Portland CVB site

Host Caroline

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Re: Bar Harbor - To the best of my knowledge there is no car rental on the Island (one has to go 15 miles and off island to find a car rental) - I think that "Ollie's Trolley" in Bar Harbor looks like great fun and would be a wonderful way to see our beautiful landscape, a trip through Acadia around the loop road is a must - There are also bikes to be rented, but not the best idea to try to go too far - there is a lot of traffic in the summer/early fall - when will you be in my area? Let me know I might be able to come up with other ideas. Jan

8/17/03 Voyager of the Seas Cruise - & 30th wedding anniversary

Enterprise does indeed have an office in Portland, near downtown. The phone # is 207-772-0030. There is a Duck tour which uses an amphibious boat/bus in Portland that looks real neat. If shoreline walking is your style, just north of the city on Rt 1 is Mackworth Island in the town of Falmouth. This is free, but parking is limited. The island is home to the state school for the deaf and is accessable via a causeway. There is trail that runs around the perimeter with stairs in various locations to get you down to the water. One unique aspect is the fairy village located here. Children and adults are encouraged to make fairy houses out of sticks and natural things in the area. Many are very creative. We just took my sister and her two teenage girls there last week. There are also about 5 lighthouses within a 20 minute drive of the port. Portland head in Cape Elizabeth has a museum and gift shop. It is part of Fort Williams Park on Shore Rd. Also check out many of the small shops in the Old Port near the port.

Good luck and enjoy your visit.

Rich

Any recommendations of a good restaurant in the Old Port area?

Enterprise does indeed have an office in Portland, near downtown. The phone # is 207-772-0030.

Its not that far from the Port. Probobly a 20 minute walk up high street to the Enterprise near the park. You will pass plenty of great restuarants.

It doesnt hurt to call. They might deliver to the port, especially if business is slow.

For Acadia, the car rentals are just over the mainland at the Airport.

Maybe a 30 minute ride in a taxi? Hard to say if its worth it. I guess it all depends on how long your there for.

-nick

There are many good restaurants with all sorts of different cuisines in the Old Port. Just check the menus for what looks good to you.

Rich

:)

Loved Acadia National Park - a must see when in Bar Harbor.

:)

Any recommendations of a good restaurant in the Old Port area?

DiMillo's floating restaurant.. also a bunch of places right along the waterfront.. I can't for the life of me remember the name of the one we ate at (I'll look thru my stuff later) but there were several right along there with similar menus... we ate outside, near water -- seafood chowder and lobster rolls.. awesome..

Ri Ra next to the Casco Bay Ferry terminal is an Irish pub with excellent food. The views of the fishing boats and ferries is awesome. We live here and love eating there. For eclectic pizza, right next to Ri Ra is Flatbread Pizza. The pizzas are all organic and cooked in clay ovens and are excellent. Though I've never eaten there, Gilbert's Chowder House, also on Commercial street is very good. For local flavor, try the Dry Dock Restaurant and Tavern where Linda Greenlaw of Perfect Storm fame launched her latest book. Hope this helps. BTW, the attached view is of the harbor you will be seeing soon.

OH..the Chowder House.. That's where we ate.. we have a RiRa here also and it's really good but if you love seafood chowder, lobster etc. you should really try the local specialites IMHO

Forgot about the Porthole restaurant right on the wharfs. If you like Italian, try the Village Cafe on Newbury Street. It's right across the street from the Shipyard Brewery, which offers tours. The beer is a local and is one of the biggest sellers around here. Did not know Ri Ra was part of chain. When we ate there it seemed like a local.

BTW, we have not seen 80 degrees this month, but we may on Sunday. Actually made it into the 70s for the first time in 4 days.:D :cool: