As you may recall, last summer Mr. PiN and I went to Maine (aka Vacationland) for the first time last year. We had a blast.
Since COVID is still affecting travel this year, we decided to go back, and see if it was just as nice as the first time.
The short answer: yes.
The other answer: it wasn’t quite the same.
The biggest differences related to visiting in the shoulder season, rather than high season.
For our international travels (back before COVID), we loved traveling in shoulder season. We were unconstrained by the school holiday calendar, and could find cheaper flights to destinations that had great weather and fewer crowds.
This year we found that shoulder season in Maine had some of the same advantages, and a few more drawbacks. I thought I would go through some of them.
Shoulder season: the good
Crowds are fewer. This year, we were able to walk down the sidewalk without encountering huge clumps of people. We were able to walk into restaurants when we were hungry, and were seated without delay.
Last year, I saw long lines at the local ice cream parlor; people were waiting nearly an hour to get their ice cream cone. I didn’t bother trying to get a taste then; this year, I walked by and saw an empty store, and was able to jump in quickly. By the way, the ice cream was excellent.
Hotel availability is better. Booking a room in Bar Harbor last year for July was very difficult, and I would say that although we stayed in a nice B&B, it wasn’t quite what we wanted. Booking for May this year, we had a bigger choice of places, and were much happier with the end result.
The prices are lower. We stayed several days in a beach town, in the same place as last year. Our room cost $100 less per night, which is a real savings over several days.
Shoulder season: the not so great.
The service is not as polished. We met a number of restaurant servers still in training. A few already had some experience–all of 2 weeks. Except for the restaurant where our waitress clearly had many years of practice, none of our orders for any meal were totally correct.
On the whole, I would say: staff were friendly and eager to help, but not 100%.
The stores aren’t all open. I don’t usually go on vacation with the goal of shopping. However, I do sometimes like to buy souvenirs, or presents for upcoming birthdays. In both towns we stayed in, a number of storefronts had “closed” signs up all day. It turns out that many stores are only open on the weekends until Memorial Day weekend–when they switch to high season hours.
Preseason construction happens. We were woken early every morning in Bar Harbor by jackhammers. Walking around town, there were at least 5 areas of torn up sidewalk in a 3 block area. I suspect they choose to do a lot of work in the off season, and are usually finished in time for the tourist deluge.
The weather isn’t prime. I realize that weather can be variable. And that our introduction to Maine last year was during a heat wave. But I will say it was quite chilly during our visit, which made the trip somewhat less relaxing (I was so cold my shoulders were just about continuously by my ears. Also, I prefer to eat outdoors while we are still dealing with COVID, but a nice outdoors seat in 50F weather while night falls is not quite what I would hope for. ) Though not guaranteed, I suspect we would see higher temperatures in July and August.
Which will we choose going forward?
Life isn’t all about saving money. (Heresy on a personal finance blog, I know.) So it wasn’t clear to me which choice Mr. PiN and I should make going forward, if we choose to return to Maine next year as well:
High season: warmer (probably), busier, more people watching, more attractions open.
Shoulder season: cooler, emptier, cheaper.
Mr. PiN surprised me, by preferring the shoulder season. (I prefer it too! I guess that’s why we do so well together. It’s not the money–though he doesn’t mind saving it. Mostly, he preferred the quieter pace of vacation (i.e. fewer crowds).
As for the colder weather, we will keep this saying in mind as we pack next year:
There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes.
Where do your preferences fall on the shoulder season/high season spectrum?