As I was reading Trip Advisor reviews of the Mid-Town Motel prior to booking a night there, the single word that stood out most for me was "heirloom." That's exactly what the Mid-Town Motel is, a treasured and pampered family heirloom. On our drive north to a week-long stay at Acadia National Park, we needed a one-night stopover. In the past, we have made that stay in the Portland area where we generally spent between $200 and $300 to stay in a a well-worn chain hotel run by paid (and sometimes unhappy) employees. This year, though, we elected to stray from the Maine Turnpike and made that stopover in Boothbay Harbor where we found the Mid-Town Motel. This gem is certainly a link in no corporate chain. Rather, it's a family treasure. A little online research led us to a 2015 article in the Boothbay Register all about the history of the motel and how the family continues to cherish it. That article is still accurate. What you won't find at the Mid-Town Motel is room service, a spa, a late night dance club, or chocolate on your pillow, but what you will find is a classic Maine motor vacation. There's no air conditioning -- just as there was none when the hotel was built and opened by the parents of the current owner/host -- but you won't need it anyway, because the motel is only about a block away...As I was reading Trip Advisor reviews of the Mid-Town Motel prior to booking a night there, the single word that stood out most for me was "heirloom." That's exactly what the Mid-Town Motel is, a treasured and pampered family heirloom.

On our drive north to a week-long stay at Acadia National Park, we needed a one-night stopover. In the past, we have made that stay in the Portland area where we generally spent between $200 and $300 to stay in a a well-worn chain hotel run by paid (and sometimes unhappy) employees. This year, though, we elected to stray from the Maine Turnpike and made that stopover in Boothbay Harbor where we found the Mid-Town Motel. This gem is certainly a link in no corporate chain. Rather, it's a family treasure. A little online research led us to a 2015 article in the Boothbay Register all about the history of the motel and how the family continues to cherish it. That article is still accurate.

What you won't find at the Mid-Town Motel is room service, a spa, a late night dance club, or chocolate on your pillow, but what you will find is a classic Maine motor vacation. There's no air conditioning -- just as there was none when the hotel was built and opened by the parents of the current owner/host -- but you won't need it anyway, because the motel is only about a block away from the harbor and its cool sea breezes. Open windows and an oscillating fan in the room proved more than adequate.

There is a small, flat-screen television in each room, but we never once turned ours on. There is also WiFi, but we used that only to check on things at home. We were on vacation, and we tried our hardest to unplug from the modern world. This is a great place to do that.

The Mid-Town is cleaner than any motel or hotel we have ever stayed in, and even though it dates back to the 1950s, you won't find a loose paint chip, a worn bit of carpet, or any other signs of wear and tear anywhere. You won't need euphemisms like "patina" to describe the effects of aging on this motel, because Mr. Lewis makes sure that every season is just like its first. It's absolutely a treasured family heirloom, and Mr. Lewis will be more than happy to tell you all about its founding, its history and the pride he takes in offering this beauty today.

The location of the motel is also perfect! Because you'll park right in front of your own door in this classic motel that is only two blocks from the waterfront, you'll save $20 to $25 dollars a day in parking fees. And you will want to explore Boothbay Harbor on foot, checking out the shops, the restaurants, and even walking the footbridge that crosses the harbor.

Next year, we plan to allocated a few days to Boothbay Harbor, and the Mid-Town Motel will definitely be where we sleep.More