Craignair Inn

I would give the Craignair Inn a solid 3.5 stars as there are some definite pros and some definite cons.
The pros:
–It is in a beautiful location. There are gorgeous sunsets, and I’ve heard, equally spectacular sunrises though I did not get up for that. There is a lovely low key hiking trail where we saw some deer, lots of apple trees and a grouse scared the crap out of me.
–The breakfast is very tasty. I am particularly a far of the muffins. I don’t know how to get that crunchy topping. I’ve tried so many times on my own muffins and it has just not been a successful endeavor. That being said, we got the same thing (mushroom fritatta) two days in a row, and having read the other reviews, it seems that is all they serve. I get that a frittata is easy to make for a large crowd, but potentially getting the same thing at every visit does not really entice me to want to go back.
–Mimi! Their little dog was seriously the highlight of my morning. She is so sweet and cuddly and I really wanted to put her in my pocket and take her home with me.
–The bed was very comfortable and they had robes available which I love.
–It was a very reasonable priced inn.
–They have a restaurant on site which I would give 4 stars. The food was very good, albeit a little expensive for the area and I was a huge fan of the pumpkin crème brûlée.
The cons:
–The Craignair Inn is missing all of the little touches I think of when I think of a bed a breakfast– afternoon tea and cookies, bottled water in our rooms– in general that sort of warm, homey feel.
–We had a room with a shared bathroom. I definitely think that affected our experience. It was weird to have to walk all the way down the hallway (in our robes!) just to get to the shower, and potentially run into other guests. Maybe if we had gotten a different room, I would have felt differently about this aspect. However, that being said, the shower was very tiny, the walls were stained and the sink in the bathroom didn’t have hot water.
–The walls are disturbingly thin.
Overall, I would say that we had a very pleasant experience in a beautiful area. The inn itself just wasn’t mind-​blowing by any means.

Craignair Inn in Spruce Head Maine was our first B&B experience. So… it’s not the typical B&B but it was wonderful. We loved the idea of sleeping in the home of a treasured old friend instead of a massive hotel. Our host, Joan, asked enough of the right kind of questions of what we enjoyed and our dietary needs, that we didn’t have to ask her for anything. The bed was very comfortable and cozy, I thought I was home. The rooms are not large and the tv was tiny, thank goodness! We only used the room to sleep. The real living spaces, found indoors and outdoors, were the spaces we explored. The Clark Island walk was very relaxing, don’t forget the bug spray! Nature also abounds in the area, an adolescent moose crossed the road right in front of our car. We heard from several people visiting and living Maine year after year and never catching a glimpse. For our next visit we’ll make certain that we’re there a night that the restaurant is open. The menu and ingredients excited the foodies in us. The restaurant is closed Monday night so reserve for any other night. We love Maine and are looking forward to again visiting Craignair Inn, with the creaking floors, the little bit high steps, their beautiful puppy Mimi, who loves to be loved, the chock– full-​of-​blueberries blueberry muffins, the horseradish potatoes and yes, fresh coffee brewing when we get up.

After this stay, I guess we’re not bed and breakfast people. The room was very small, the bed was also small (I have a queen at home and it was not what was in the room). The floors made sounds every time we moved and we could hear everything from next door. We didn’t get much sleep because the person next door snored all night and I think he worked at the Inn. So beware of room 19 on the 3^rd floor!
I was very worried about sharing a bathroom with others but it was always available when we wanted to use it. However, taking a shower in the morning was a nightmare. I couldn’t move in the stall and it took forever because the water pressure was very low.
I guess the price is high due to the location. It’s on a peninsula and the view was gorgeous. We went on a hike around the island and sunset was splendid! It was also close to many of the lighthouses.
The breakfast was also very good. We had homemade blueberry muffins-​a little crunchy coating on the outside but moist on the inside. We also had mushroom, cheese fratata, which was very light yet flavorful. The potatoes were also amazing!

We aren’t usually the B&B type of folks, but this place seemed really nice and was super convenient along our trip route, and was pet friendly. Speaking of pets, lets start with a story about how awesome the owners are. We wanted to go to dinner up the road a little ways at a rather nice place (Primo.Rockland, ME) and obviously couldn’t take the dog, and didn’t feel comfortable leaving him in the room at this place since there was lots of foot traffic around the halls and he tends to bark and get nervous. So we asked the owner if she knew of a a dog sitter in the area. She referred us to a 12ish year old boy and his mom who lived right next door who offered to watch him for free. Of course we paid them, but it was a super nice gesture and great of the owner to set us up with them.
As for the rooms, typical of what you’d expect at this type of place, it’s clearly an older building so that lives a little bit to be desired, but everything was clean well maintained. There is a little restaurant attached. We didn’t eat much there other than a little bite for breakfast, but it seemed really nice.
IMPORTANT!!! After it gets good and dark, go out on the little bridge/​road that goes out across the water. Stay out there for a few minutes to let your eyes adjust to the dark and be prepared to be amazed by the stars. It’s so perfectly dark here and far enough away from civilization that the night sky is amazing. Same goes for getting up super early and see the sunrise. Gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. Putting pictures up now :)

Immaculate views. Our room was clean, cozy & comfortable. Breakfast was unique & delicious. Décor is dated, but the hosts were working on updating. Michael & Joanne were fantastic hosts. Beautiful island (peninsula) within walking distance and the views are pure & pristine. Recommend.

The inn is under new ownership ending their first season there. We came as dinner guests of my wife’s brother and sister-​in-​law. The location is great, and the food was fine. I think the owners are looking to make updates to the cuisine and the décor, as both are needed. They plan a full service pub (over just beer and wine) this winter and I think their orientation to make this a destination makes much sense.
Worth going to for the ambiance of the location at the end of the peninsula.

The location and the building itself are amazing. Clark Island is a short walk away (not sure why it’s still an island when there’s a dirt road that connects it to the mainland, but whatever) that has a filled in granite quarry that makes an awesome swimming hole. The Inn itself wasn’t too bad, but the proprietors seemed to like catering to an older crowd. When my buddy and I tried to see if the kitchen was still open at 9:00 pm, we were given glares that shot bullets. Our other friends at the inn were told dinner was served ’til 9:30. And then they noticed the 6-​pack of beer we’d bought and were hoping to store in one of their fridges for the next day. They nearly flew off the handle telling us that we could not, by any means bring that in and drink it. Whatever. Needless to say we wound up driving all the way off the peninsula to Rockland to find a meal. On the plus side, there’s free wifi, but be prepared to have next to no cell reception anywhere on the peninsula. Verizon fared better than AT&T, but not much.

The Craignair Inn was okay, but we didn’t have a very comfortable stay. The breakfast was good and the location was really wonderful. One major problem was that our room was extremely hot and stuffy (in late August). It had a small fan in it, but the only way we could keep the room cool enough to be bearable was by opening the door to create a cross-​breeze with our single window (which only opened a foot or so). The room was also very small, cramped, cluttered, and dark. We had to share a bathroom, which was more inconvenient than we’d imagined it would be. As with many B&B’s, there was generally very little privacy, and while the staff was technically polite, they were also a bit prickly.