Inn at Isle au Haut, Maine

How many people live on Isle au Haut?: About 45 people live here year round.

How many kids are in the school?: Right now, there are 3.

How big is the island?: About 6 miles long and 2 miles wide.

Are there any excursion boats or trips based on Isle au Haut?: Check out our new excursion packages with Captain Linda Greenlaw aboard her lobster boat the "Mattie Belle." CLICK HERE; Captain Bill McDonnell and his impeccably maintained boat the "Nanatoo" provides excursions around Isle au Haut and Penobscot Bay. Arrangements can be made through the Inn and are subject to availability.; The mail boat company offers daily excursions out of Stonington throughout the summer months.

Can I bring my own bicycle to the island on the mailboat?: Yes. The mailboat charges $8.00 each way for a bicycle. A point to ponder if you are thinking of bringing your own bike— you will have to ride it the 2 ½ miles to the Inn when you arrive as there is no room in the vehicle to transport it along with guests and luggage.

Can I rent a kayak on Isle au Haut?
: Nope.

Can I kayak out to the island?
: I have had guests who have kayaked to the inn. This can be tricky as it is totally weather dependent. You could have a gorgeous summer day with a sea as calm as glass on the day of your arrival and wind whipped white caps for the day of departure. The same holds true for kayaks as for bikes— I have no way of transporting the kayaks to the town landing for you to take them back on the mail boat if the weather is too bad to paddle back. That said, kayak rentals are available at Old Quarry Ocean Adventures based in Stonington, Maine (www.oldquarry.com).

Is there a taxi service on Isle au Haut?
: Nope.

Can I hire someone from town to drive me around the island?
: No one I know has any interest in that sort of thing. Once you are here a bike or your feet are how you get around. Hitchhiking, however is perfectly acceptable— no kidding.

Can't you just give us a ride to the trail head or maybe to town?
: Nope.

First of all, my day is closely choreographed and does not include dropping mid-morning tasks to tote folks around. Secondly, a little foray onto the Park road on a bike would, I'm certain, provide the understanding "a-ha" as to why no one wants to risk the underbody of a halfway decent car for such a little jaunt. Having said this, I of course, want you to come and have a memorable stay, but I also want you to know that the nearest trail head is 3 1/2 miles from the Inn. You are going to have to get to the trails by your own power — whether it's on one of the Inn bicycles (again, fat seated, fat tired, coaster brake, hard to ride, go-slow bikes), the good old-fashioned heel-toe express, or your thumb. If you feel that you are unable to do so, I would suggest that an Island stay may not be right for you. I truly do not want to discourage, but offer information that will provide insight into the type of experience you can expect from an Inn at Isle au Haut stay. Then, there's always this... a wicked easy trail leads as far as the front porch!


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	How many people live on Isle au Haut? About 45 people live here year round. How many kids are in the school? Right now, there are 3. How big is the island? About 6 miles long and 2 miles wide. Are there any excursion boats or trips based on Isle au Haut? Check out our new excursion packages with Captain Linda Greenlaw aboard her lobster boat the "Mattie Belle." CLICK HERE Captain Bill McDonnell and his impeccably maintained boat the "Nanatoo" provides excursions around Isle au Haut and Penobscot Bay. Arrangements can be made through the Inn and are subject to availability. The mail boat company offers daily excursions out of Stonington throughout the summer months. Can I bring my own bicycle to the island on the mailboat? Yes. The mailboat charges $8.00 each way for a bicycle. A point to ponder if you are thinking of bringing your own bike— you will have to ride it the 2 ½ miles to the Inn when you arrive as there is no room in the vehicle to transport it along with guests and luggage. Can I rent a kayak on Isle au Haut? Nope. Can I kayak out to the island? I have had guests who have kayaked to the inn. This can be tricky as it is totally weather dependent. You could have a gorgeous summer day with a sea as calm as glass on the day of your arrival and wind whipped white caps for the day of departure. The same holds true for kayaks as for bikes— I have no way of transporting the kayaks to the town landing for you to take them back on the mail boat if the weather is too bad to paddle back. That said, kayak rentals are available at Old Quarry Ocean Adventures based in Stonington, Maine (www.oldquarry.com). Is there a taxi service on Isle au Haut? Nope. Can I hire someone from town to drive me around the island? No one I know has any interest in that sort of thing. Once you are here a bike or your feet are how you get around. Hitchhiking, however is perfectly acceptable— no kidding. Can't you just give us a ride to the trail head or maybe to town? Nope. First of all, my day is closely choreographed and does not include dropping mid-morning tasks to tote folks around. Secondly, a little foray onto the Park road on a bike would, I'm certain, provide the understanding "a-ha" as to why no one wants to risk the underbody of a halfway decent car for such a little jaunt. Having said this, I of course, want you to come and have a memorable stay, but I also want you to know that the nearest trail head is 3 1/2 miles from the Inn. You are going to have to get to the trails by your own power — whether it's on one of the Inn bicycles (again, fat seated, fat tired, coaster brake, hard to ride, go-slow bikes), the good old-fashioned heel-toe express, or your thumb. If you feel that you are unable to do so, I would suggest that an Island stay may not be right for you. I truly do not want to discourage, but offer information that will provide insight into the type of experience you can expect from an Inn at Isle au Haut stay. Then, there's always this... a wicked easy trail leads as far as the front porch!	Are there any restaurants on the island? The Inn, also a licensed restaurant, allows non-guests to come for dinner on a very limited, advance-reservation basis. Is there any place to shop on the island? The well-stocked Island General Store provides every day staples, specialty food items and has a section of Isle au Haut T-shirts, hats, books, post cards, etc. The Sea Urchin Shop, run by Martha Greenlaw, carries gift items including all of Linda Greenlaw's books, Maine Sea Bags, rugged and attractive totes fashioned from recycled sails, ships models, jewelry, kitchen wares, and more. Kate and Steve Shaffer own the newly-established Black Dinah Chocolatiers and Café. Kate makes all the adventurously flavored truffles and caramels by hand, using many local and organic ingredients. Samples of their chocolates are in all the guest rooms at the inn, and are as beautiful to look at as they are delicious to eat. If you find yourself here on the island during the summer months, you can purchase their confections at the Black Dinah Café (open Memorial Day weekend — Sept 15), or, if you can't wait, find them online at www.blackdinahchocolatiers.com. What do you do in the winter? Recover from the intense summer season, test new recipes, catch up with family and friends, and sleep! Why do all the gardens, trees and plants have wire around them? Deer— they eat everything. Can I please bring my pet? Sorry, we cannot accommodate pets. Can I bring my 11 year old— he is extremely well behaved? Sorry, I cannot accommodate anyone under the age of 16. Besides he would hate the food and be bored out of his mind. Can you tell me where Linda Greenlaw lives? Who?
HOME YOUR JOURNEY YOUR STAY ROOMS MEALS TOURS RESERVATIONS GIFTS ISLE AU HAUT FAQs PHOTOS PRESS CONTACT • • • • • • Diana Santospago, Innkeeper INN AT ISLE AU HAUT P. O. BOX 78 • ISLE AU HAUT, MAINE 04645 207-335-5141 Copyright 2011 Diana Santospago. All rights reserved. Website by Mary Greene Design.