The Lodge-ings

We had a lovely 3 night stay here for our 6^th anniversary and it is one of our favorite of a dozen B&B stays. Don was friendly and fun, gave lots of local spots to try (we visited Ship Harbor and Seawall at his recommendation and loved both!!) and made a great breakfast. He was very sociable — I would remind those who post rude reviews that people visit b&bs for the visiting not for private space — sheesh. We had no complaints. We got to see Bar Harbor and the park without the crowds by staying on the Quiet side and the view out our window and from the porch was just lovely. Recommend this spot fully!!!

We had a great time at this b & b. The breakfasts were the best on our 1 week stay at bed and breakfasts between New Brunswick, Canada and Nova Scotia. Don was really nice and had great stories to tell. Location was very close to the Southwest downtown area. When we arrived, we stated we were starving after a long drive and Don quickly brought us to our room and gave us the low-​down on area restaurants. We wanted to read out on the front porch at night and he again, quickly went and grabbed a butane bug repellent for us to use. There were great choices for breakfast everyday. The coffee was ready to go first thing in the morning. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay.

«The Lodge-​ings» a first season B&B in Southwest Harbor Maine would do best to close its doors now and not harass any future clientele. Don Lodge, owner, is a paranoid retired construction manager prone to extreme mood swings which, if you are unlucky enough to book a room here, you may experience. The total lack of professionalism is remarkable in our years of experience with many wonderful B&B’s throughout Maine. If you are looking for a quiet retreat, don’t come here!
Don Lodge will intrude into your space. The inn is set up so that the owners continually traipse up the central stairway past guest rooms to get to their quarters. Don Lodge will, given any opportunity, talk your ear off, and even renege on a written agreement of a room rate. In one moment Mr. Lodge can be warm and welcoming. He invited us to bring our own lunch and eat our sandwiches on his front porch. In the next moment he raised the room rate retroactively for the added inconvenience, claiming it was the «tax”– a tax previously figured into the room rate. Not withstanding this is Mr. Lodge’s first season as a proprietor of a B&B, his aggressive stance toward his guests and his unprofessional business practices detract from the loveliness of the surroundings — the B&B boasts a peek at the harbor on a fairly noisy main road.
When I reminded Mr. Lodge of our agreement, that tax was included in the discounted rate, (I forwarded to him the email he had sent to me confirming this) he said he felt entitled to charge the «tax» since we stored freezer packs for our picnic lunch and ice water in his freezer (all at his invitation), and we ate one sandwich lunch on his porch (we provided the food) with a few plates and mugs that he offered us for the purpose.(We offered to wash the plates after lunch, but he refused.) He sharpened a knife for us to cut a tomato, and I nicked my finger, a small scratch. Minutes later Mr. Lodge interrupted our lunch to ask that I sign a release in case I should develop an infection in my finger and decide to prosecute him! I said I would certainly sign the release, but that it seemed paranoid on his part, and he explained that he was «a hard ass» and had «too much experience in the past with lawyers.» Mr. Lodge’s paranoia is his own affair, but reneging on a written agreement which specified the inclusion of tax in the rate does not seem to us to be acceptable business practice. Mr. Lodge is definitely a loose cannon, prone to mood swings – sometimes nice, sometimes obnoxious and over-​bearing. Not the kind ofB&B owner we would want to encounter on an otherwise relaxing vacation.Mrs. Lodge is a shadow in the background who does not speak — she barely whispers — one might hazard a guess as to why.
Caveat emptor.

What a wonderfully pleasant stay my mother and I had with the Lodges at their recently opened bed-​and-​breakfast called The Lodge-​ings. Don is a friendly and gregarious proprietor of this warm bed-​and-​breakfast.
We stayed there for a delightful three nights. Because we were there mid-​week and the fact that they only started taking guests, we were the only guests. We had our choice of rooms and when I demurred over which room to take, Don (the owner) promptly declared that he would give us the biggest and best room — The Oak because of its view of the harbor. All of the rooms were immaculate and comfortably decorated.
For me, the biggest draw of staying at a bnb is the breakfast. Every night Don gave us a menu for us to decide what we would like in the morning and what time we would like breakfast. Every day he stuffed us with a cornucopia of Maine goodies (and some Pennsylvanian Dutch ones too). Over the three days, we ate: two different kinds of omelets, scrambled eggs, bacon, scrapple (a Pennsylvanian Dutch specialty of ground pork mixed with corn meal and spices and fried like spam), blueberry pancakes, Belgian waffles with blueberry preserves, and lobster Benedict. And that’s not all — every morning, we started off with a warm blueberry or morning glory muffin and coffee.
Staying with Don and his wife, Marge, was like staying with old family friends. After a fun day of hiking and what not, we’d come back, sit in the living room, drink a cup of tea, and chat with them about our day.