TimeSharing Today
Page 39
Mar/Apr, 2009
FOCUS ON: Harbor Ridge, Southwest Harbor, ME
By Sheila Wilshire
Our week at Harbor Ridge was very
pleasant, in spite of rainy, cold weather
most of the week. The resort sits high
on a hill overlooking the water in the
distance. The trees blocked the view
a bit, but it was still nice to look out
over the greenery and flowers. We saw
many birds and even one deer hanging
out there. Because of the weather, we
didn’t explore the woods too much, but
my husband took a walk there and found
it very pleasant.
We found the staff to be very
friendly and helpful. We arrived quite
late for check in, but when we called, the
desk clerk assured us she would leave
the lights on and the unit unlocked if we
didn’t get there before she left at 9 PM.
We just made it and check in only took
a couple of minutes. Checkout was also
quick and simple.
There were several activities
planned during the week. We attended
the introductory meeting where they
offered brochures on many area attractions and answered any and all questions
from the guests. We also attended the
wine and cheese evening, where they
provided nice snacks.
The units were quite lovely, but a
little open for my taste. Luckily there
were only four of us, so we were a little
insulated from noise. The middle floor
has the entry, along with a half bath/
laundry room, kitchen and living room.
The upper floor was the master bedroom
suite and was open to the stairs. A loud
television on either
floor could be easily
heard on the other.
We also heard noise
a few times from the
unit next door. The
bottom floor had two
twin beds, a full size
bath and a nice walk
in closet.
Each floor had
a patio or balcony.
There were charcoal
grills on the lawn
and a dumpster for
garbage. The kitchen was adequately
equipped for our group and the towels
were good quality. Toll free and local
calls were free. My dial-up internet
connection was always painfully slow,
but did work.
An electrical problem affecting part
of our lights could not be resolved by
the time we returned to the unit and discovered it about 8:30 one night, but the
staff was very apologetic and provided
us with night lights and a flashlight to
get around. It was repaired quickly the
next morning.
We had never been to this part of
Maine and found it quite interesting.
The nasty weather just made the waves
more interesting. We saw a baby seal
being protected by a ranger at the one
sandy beach. We did a fair amount of
exploring the area and found several
smaller towns with lots of character.
We also enjoyed a visit to the LL Bean
Outlet Store and adjacent Clearance
Center, where flannel sheets were a great
bargain, but finding the right size for our
beds a challenge.
We never got used to the early
dawns in this area and the skylight didn’t
help any. Dawn was at 4:49 AM, far
earlier than at our home near the western
edge of the Eastern time zone.
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