Excellent, relaxed atmosphere--and food that is delicious, interesting, and very well-prepared. In the cold weather months, the pub room with its blazing fire is deeply welcoming. In warm weather, the dining areas are kept pleasantly cool.
The crabcakes are the best we've ever had in any restaurant: there is no filler; they are all crab! The wood-fired pizza is extraordinary. The steamed mussels are A+. On the menu, there's something for everybody. Also, the wine and beer selection is excellent. And there's a full bar.
Prices are very reasonable, especially for food and service of this high quality. We go every Tuesday evening, and we're always glad we did!

I stayed at Barncastle while attending a 1 week training at Wooden Boat School in Brooklin. Wooden Boat is an easy 20 minute drive away. I did not wish to stay in Brooklin as I wanted to be able to get away to work after class. I stayed in Suite 2 on the second floor, which is a 2 room suite. The room was in the front of the hotel, right on the road. Road noise was loud and there was no A/C, but I found that if I opened the window until I went to bed, the 50 degree outside temp had made the room comfortable. When the weather did heat up later in the week, the staff provided a window aircondition for the bedroom. The bed was very comfortable. There is a small mini fridge and microwave in the room which is handy. The flat screen tv came in fine. I did not try the pull out couch. I ate twice at the restuarant and had a very nice meal both times. I would recommend this hotel.

The old place has some charm, but the rooms are really a sideline and they don't really know how to run a B&B. Altho' the restraurant closes at 8 or 9, the clean up go on a while so it stays noisy if you are early to bed. And despite what the website leads you to believe, this is way out on a lonely highway, several miles from Blue Hill, which is not much anyhow. You have better options (like Castine)

The rooms are beautiful, but the sleeping... If you try to get to sleep before 10:15 pm, forget it. The entire downstairs is a restaurant/pub, and while the clientel isn't rowdy, any noise and music drifts into the rooms above. The owner is aware of the problem and intends to install soundproofing between the floors. Until then, bring earplugs. The place had been abandoned for five years before the current owners bought it three years ago. They've done a lot of work, but much needs to be done. The plan is to eventually make the downstairs into rooms too, and move the restaurant/pub to a building in the back.

My mother stayed in a separate room and was quite pleased with the place. We stayed six nights. Breakfasts were Continental, but always included something warm and homemade like apple cake or donuts. There is also two kinds of cereal, yogurt, bananas, raisins, orange juice, milk, and granola bars. The only truly worrisome event was when my mother was unable to unlock her door. Fortunately she had given me the key from the beginning. I managed to get it open, but not without causing considerable anxiety. My husband then pulled the doorlock assembly apart, only to discover a missing screw and every component loose. He tightened everything and reinstalled it. Even without the missing screw, it now works beautifully. The owner was notified.

There aren't a lot of places to stay in the Blue Hill area. This place is fine if you don't mind the noise until after 10. The restaurant food isn't bad either and offers vegetarian options.