There are two and a half options for places to stay in and around Belfast: the Bed and Breakfast, or the Motel; the latter comes in both mom & pop and national chain varieties. These two options map roughly onto the in-town, out-of-town divide. If you would like to stay in town, with all the convenience and charm Belfast offers, a B & B is your best bet. If you'd like to stay right on the water, or across the street from it, you might prefer a motel. There are a handful of exceptions to these general principles, which will be described in greater detail below.
But before deciding where to stay, you might want to look at the schedule of events.
Downtown Belfast B&Bs? East side motels? We know--it's an exciting choice to have to make! You might want to check the Trip Adviser page on Belfast, for some non-Anne and Ben commentary. Click on the name of a given establishment to be taken to its home page.
B&Bs:
Thanks to its first incarnation as a prosperous shipping town, Belfast is blessed with a truly spectacular array of well-preserved homes dating from the mid-nineteenth century, representing a dizzying variety of historical styles. Once its second incarnation as gritty host to a chicken-parts factory drew to a close in the early 1990s, several of these houses were opened up to guests as B&Bs. Our favorite is the Alden House, across the street from Anne's house, owned by the lovely Larry and Rose. We like it so much that we've booked it up for the weekend to host events and store our grandparents in, making it sadly unavailable for out-of-town guests. But fear not--there are other worthy contenders:The Jeweled Turret Inn: A block from both Anne's house and the First Church, the Jeweled Turret Inn is a unique stone-and-shingle house with an inviting wrap-around porch. The first floor veritably overflows with the owners' collections of, goodness, all kinds of mostly old things, as well as a prominent display of family photos. Great spot, great rooms, very Belfast.
The White House: A three-block walk to the First Church and downtown, one imagines the White House was among the more stately erstwhile abodes in Belfast, an all-white, grand Georgian revival with the pillars to prove it. When Anne and Ben visited the new owners were still trying to find their style, having just purchased the property from a Texas couple with extremely dramatic taste in wall coverings. The nature of the house makes it one of the higher-end places in town, with prices to match.
The Harbor View House of 1807: The location is perfect--perched atop the hill leading into to downtown Belfast from the north, just a stone's throw from the Colonial movie theater, in case you get a late-nite hankering for a second-run film likely to appeal to well-educated white people in their 60s. True, Ben and Anne have never been here (the inn, that is; they love the Colonial), but there is no reason to think it wouldn't be a great stay.
Now, there are two establishments in town that qualify as neither B&Bs, nor motels, but err closer to the side of B&Bs, and so are listed here:
The first is the Belfast Bay Inn, which bills itself as a luxury hotel offering spacious apartments with large bedrooms and kitchens right smack on Main Street, in a renovated commercial building between the Game Loft and the fancy kitchen-goods store. Locals wonder at the business model but the place appears to be thriving after several years and you cannot beat the location.
The second is the Penobscot Bay Inn, just at the turn-off for Belfast as you head north on Route 1, and thus ever so slightly out of town. This comfy spot is one of the best bets in town, offering nice rooms for good value if you're willing to make the short drive or long walk downtown.
The Motels:
We could list many here, but for all intents and purposes the choices are two: The Belfast Harbor Inn, among the local offerings, and the Comfort Inn, among the national chains. Both are on what is known as the "East side" of town, meaning across the Passagassawakeag (I'll give you a hint--it actually has multiple stresses) River and thus slightly north on Route 1.The Belfast Harbor Inn is the closest to the farm where the reception will be held and offers recently refurbished rooms at great prices. It has the added point of interest of being virtually next-door to a shop called The Cherished Home, owned by Laura of Luke & Laura from General Hospital and her husband Captain Riker of Star Trek: The Next Generation. In my head they are Scientologists and I haven't been into the shop yet, but it's open in August and if you stay at the Belfast Harbor Inn you could probably walk there.
The Comfort Inn: A bit further north. Everything you could want and more, no doubt.
Finally, because Ben and Anne love Belfast, they encourage you to stay in Belfast, but if you want to expand your horizons a bit, to get out and spread your wings, as it were, you might consider staying somewhere further afield. No one could fault you for wanting to take a peek at Camden, just south of Belfast, which was recently ranked #2 on Outdoor Magazine's list of the Top Ten Least Ironic Towns in America. On the road down to Camden is Point Lookout, the former home of MBNA's corporate retreat, before Bank of America bought MBNA out and turned the retreat into a resort, mercifully leaving behind, in its infinite largesse, the spectacular collection of bronze moose that grace the grounds. Point Lookout offers lovely cabins with two to four bedrooms, a kitchen, and screened in porch, as well as tennis and other amenities. It's about a twenty-minute drive up to Belfast.
