Name: White Birches Motel
Address: 17 Thorsen Rd, Hancock, Maine, United States of America, Hancock, Maine, US
Rating: 6.2

What guests think

White Birches Motel is a budget, older roadside option near Ellsworth that many travelers use as an affordable base for Acadia, praising generally clean, simple rooms, convenient kitchenettes, and friendly staff, with parking handy and the area feeling safe.

Common downsides include thin walls and occasional nighttime noise. Reviews are mixed on maintenance and cleanliness details, with some rooms musty or humid, reports of bugs, worn fixtures or doors that don’t seal, and Wi‑Fi that can be unreliable. Housekeeping is limited unless requested, there’s no breakfast beyond coffee/snacks, and some upper rooms require stairs. Expect a basic, no‑frills stay focused on value and location.

Facilities

Cleanliness

Rooms

Service

Location

Dining

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Facilities

Facilities are basic, with convenient on-site parking; some rooms require climbing stairs. Guests note occasional ice-machine issues, limited exterior lighting, a narrow entrance, and no on-site laundry.

Related guest reviews

8

Diane

22 Aug 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Check-in was a breeze. Tidy and comfortable. Very comfortable beds, lots of towels. Parking very convenient. Chairs in front of the room could use a coat of paint.

8

Nils

28 Jul 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Nice location, friendlt staff. Entry to parking is narrow!

8

Kathryn

16 Oct 2024

·

Stayed 6 nights

Nice room with refrigerator and microwave. There was no carpet and gravel and dirt from our shoes got on the floor. If you are there longer than a day or two, get a cheap broom. There is a coffee maker but no refill on coffee supply so we used it to make hot water and used Starbuck via packets. Also, there is no laundry area.

8

Lawrence

21 Jun 2024

·

Stayed 4 nights

Ice machine had issues

10

Sonia

23 Jun 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

29F solo traveler, felt safe. I stayed here for 3 nights in a double room with kitchenette. I enjoyed my stay, the beds were comfortable, staff was friendly, and parking convenient. No breakfast at this time, but they have some to-go snacks after 9AM. I would add a full-body mirror to the room but other than that I was satisfied with the room. 30min drive from Acadia and close to supermarkets, dining options, and gas stations.

8

Janette

16 Sept 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

You have to go up several stairs so need to specify ground level if a problem getting up and down. Still no breakfast available just coffee and cookies.

8

William

13 Sept 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

Need more exterior lighting at night. Stairs were hard to see

10

Eric

17 Aug 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Excellent staff and very clean room. Full amenities and ice available

10

Sarah

22 Aug 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

White Birches is a delightful little strip motel. Some parts of it appear to be in a renovation process. Our room, although not renovated/updated, was still quite nice. It was clean and had everything we needed. Our room also had queen-size beds (not doubles) which we require. The office staff were extremely friendly and helpful. The only downside to this motel was that two of the three ice machines were not working and the only working one was the scoop/chest freezer type and there was no scoop. Overall, however, this was a wonderful motel.

8

Franklin

10 Aug 2025

·

Stayed 6 nights

Did not enjoy the steps to the room

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Cleanliness

Cleanliness feedback is mixed: many describe rooms as clean or very clean, sometimes recently updated. Others report musty or damp rooms, bugs, rust or stains, and limited housekeeping unless requested.

Related guest reviews

2

April

7 Jul 2025

·

Stayed 5 nights

Room was not clean when we checked in. Dead bugs on floor and filter for AC over full with lint/durt/dust. Fridge didn't stay cold and freezer area didn't work (full of water). Mattress felt hard/old. Not much room to move around in room for family of 4.

8

Mary

21 Oct 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

We truly enjoyed our stay at White Birches. The receptionist was very friendly and had coffee and snacks available every day we were there. The room was exceptionally clean and neat. Just what a person needs when he is traveling. The room itself was also very quiet. Not much traffic, etc. Our dog loved all the grass in front of the units. I also noted that those with dogs cleaned up after their dogs went to the potty. It would have been nice to have available places to easily plug in our phones, computers, etc. to charge them. We had to make a trip to Walmart to buy the plugs we needed to do that.

4

Kathy N

30 May 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Walls had soda or something running down it! The door has tons of black finger prints and smudges all ove it! The bath tub faucet looked like it was dug out of the garbage! Spent two nights and only enough coffee for the first morning to each have a cup! Nothing for the second morning ! Won’t be staying by there again!

8

Clif

21 Jul 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Overall, a great price for a clean room and a great shower. Exactly as expected, no frills but everything worked and enjoyed the stay. I did not appreciate the no room service daily, something if you wish to do is more like home, but not at all like staying in a motel. I don’t mind this type of motel service, but it shouldn’t be instituted without telling the customer. Probably was in the fine print, but I didn’t see it. Overall, I would stay here again.

4

Tashina

25 Sept 2023

·

Stayed 3 nights

Room was not what we were expecting according to the photos. We expected a more updated and clean room but found sticky tile floors throughout the room, hair in the bathtub, dingy bedding, and even a Benadryl tablet sitting on the tv stand that was left behind. We didn’t even feel comfortable taking our shoes off and decided to check out before we even spent the night.

10

Barbara

21 Jun 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Pleasantly surprised by economical price for 2 adults, amenities like fridge, microwave, in room coffee, comfort of beds, up to date look of room. Great location near Acadia National Park. My only disappointment was coffee in office was not hot in AM. Overall perfect!

4

Gregory

9 Aug 2024

·

Stayed 5 nights

First let's start with the good. It's close to Acadia, the price is right and you can bring your pet. The towels and pillows were both nice quality. There is a fridge and microwave in the room. The fridge does a good job and is nice and cold. The TV in the room is nice as well. Now for the bad, the room smelled damp, moldy, like wet dog, and cigarettes. They try to cover it up with plug in air fresheners which only makes it worse. The A/C units leave the rooms very very humid for some reason. We mostly ended up keeping the windows open to air the room out. The mattress must be original to the building of the motel. It was the most uncomfortable and squeaky mattress I ever had the displeasure of sleeping on. The walls are very thin and the hotel is pet friendly. So I hope you are a deep sleeper, because you will hear your neighbors and their pets so clearly its like they are in the room with you. There was also no maid service at all during our 5 day stay. We had to hunt down a maid for a towel, toilet paper and soap refills. They do provide an envelope for a tip for the maids though. My tip is provide maid service for people during a multi-day stay if you expect money in that envelope. Also do you enjoy hot showers? Well too bad for you. Luke warm water it is! Lastly, the deadbolt on the room door is purely ornamental. Never again, not even for free.

4

Jennifer

16 Sept 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

The photos on the website or ok nothing like what the rooms look like in person. Our door would not shut fully which allowed bugs to come in and it was so humid and gross in the room. It smelled moldy and everything was damped due to the door not t able to shut fully. The coffee was awful and the room was not cleaned. Will stay somewhere else next time.

6

Emily

23 Jul 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Bathroom had a dead bug and drop of blood on the floor. Beds were comfortable. AC was cool. We booked a non smoking room and it definitely smelled like cigarette smoke. Several of the rooms looked like long term rentals. There were abandoned vehicles in the yard/parking lot.

8

Stephen

5 Oct 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Clean, freshly renovated, good air conditioning, quiet, friendly staff, great wifi, hot water. This is a great place to stay while visiting Acadia on a budget.

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Rooms

Rooms are simple and generally functional, with some renovated units, kitchenettes, and good space in certain layouts. Recurring issues include thin walls and noise, dated fixtures, doors that don’t seal well, sparse furnishings, firm or uncomfortable beds, and spotty Wi‑Fi.

Related guest reviews

8

JAMES

26 Aug 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

Spacious room (two double beds) was a pleasant surprise. Only negative is the bathroom where the shower area is on the same level as the rest of the bathroom so water flowed out; a dam formed by towels was not good enough. Would have rated five stars if not for this. Overall, a pleasant two night stay.

4

David

26 Jul 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

WIFI did not work or worked poorly.

10

Gabi

20 Jul 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Close to Acadia National Park and the town of Ellsworth was so cute! Motel itself was good and the included kitchenette was super helpful! No complaints

8

Edward

28 Jun 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

The location is perfect if you are planning on exploring bar harbor. The staff is very friendly and helpful. The only downside is the walls are paper thin so you'll hear your neighbor quite clearly if you are in a connecting room (door between the rooms).

6

Shirley

28 Aug 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The bathroom fan was really loud and the bed was awful but everyone else was good.

6

Janet

3 Oct 2024

·

Stayed 4 nights

Doors did not seal leaving light gaps and room for bugs to get in

6

Brenda

27 Aug 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

There appeared to be some recent upgrades and pretty clean. We had a room with kitchenette. No table and chairs to eat at.

6

Prithwiraj

10 Jul 2024

·

Stayed 3 nights

The property was nice, in terms of location and average in terms of cleanliness. However, one area stood out as 'terrible' - that was service. The wifi does not work in certain rooms and the reason we were cited for that is - we come from Canada!!! On the last day, we request for a late checkout (by 30 minutes since we have kids). However the lady at the front desk blatantly refused and said anything beyond 15 minutes would necessitate an extra payment.

6

Linda

3 Aug 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The property is clean but old and you can tell they tried to fix things in a cheap way. AC works well. Hot water comes quick.

8

Helena

25 Oct 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

This hotel was convenient to spend time in Acadia. The furnishings were very minimal with no framed art at all, no lamp for the bedside, very much in need of painting to clean up the walls. I could hear a man staying in a room adjacent to mine as he snored all night long, so the walls are thin. Fortunately, I had earplugs or I wouldn't have been able to sleep myself. The staff in the office are very friendly and helpful. I was told I should have let them know about the guy and I could have moved.

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Service

Staff are frequently described as friendly and accommodating, with smooth check‑ins and help resolving issues or moving rooms. Some guests encountered limited office hours, strict late‑checkout policies, or unhelpful responses to problems.

Related guest reviews

8

Amanda

14 Aug 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

This place was decent. Walmart, gas stations and food places nearby. Not too far from Acadia National Park. Staff was helpful for a late check in. Only issue we had was noise from people standing outside near the stairs talking in the morning and at night. At night a group of guys stood around the stairs in the way, with beer bottles, while we tried to go up the stairs with our hands full.

2

Mariusz

2 Sept 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

There were bugs in our room and when we notified the staff they weren't willing to help or give a refund. We ended up leaving and going to a different motel.

8

Sagar

19 Oct 2023

·

Stayed 4 nights

The staff are just too amazing at the property. We stayed from October 12 to October 16 2023 and did not have any issues. We arrived late and the keys were outside the leasing office in an envelope. The room was nice but the floor was very dirty, we could not walk bare foot in the room and also the TV was not working. We complained and the guy came to fix it but could not and the staff happily gave us late checkout as complimentary for the inconvenience. Also we had initially booked a king bed but later we asked for a double bed room and they happily moved us to a double bed room. That’s amazing to see. It’s only 30 mins away from bar harbor so not far. Overall we enjoyed the stay except the dirt in the room.

8

Christian

13 Jun 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Motel was very clean and the front desk staff was very friendly.

6

Prithwiraj

10 Jul 2024

·

Stayed 3 nights

The property was nice, in terms of location and average in terms of cleanliness. However, one area stood out as 'terrible' - that was service. The wifi does not work in certain rooms and the reason we were cited for that is - we come from Canada!!! On the last day, we request for a late checkout (by 30 minutes since we have kids). However the lady at the front desk blatantly refused and said anything beyond 15 minutes would necessitate an extra payment.

6

Carlee

26 Aug 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

At first, our stay wasn’t great. The walls were extremely thin, so we could clearly hear our neighbors and even smell the food they were cooking (to the point where our clothes reeked like it for days). On top of that, our window was broken. After communicating to the front desk, we were moved to a room without neighbors, a comfier bed, and it felt much cleaner overall. It left me wondering why we were given the first room at all when there were better options available.

8

Laura

1 Oct 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Clean, quiet, friendly staff

10

Kathy

27 Jun 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Very friendly, Shanice helped me with a computer issue, she saved me that day. I would highly recommend this motel.

6

June

23 Sept 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

We had a noisy neighbor & appreciated moving to a quieter room our 2nd night.

10

Sarah

22 Aug 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

White Birches is a delightful little strip motel. Some parts of it appear to be in a renovation process. Our room, although not renovated/updated, was still quite nice. It was clean and had everything we needed. Our room also had queen-size beds (not doubles) which we require. The office staff were extremely friendly and helpful. The only downside to this motel was that two of the three ice machines were not working and the only working one was the scoop/chest freezer type and there was no scoop. Overall, however, this was a wonderful motel.

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Location

Convenient driving base about 30 minutes from Acadia/Bar Harbor, with easy access to Ellsworth, groceries, gas, and dining. A few note highway noise or that the immediate area feels isolated for walking.

Related guest reviews

8

John

16 Sept 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

This little motel was a very clean quiet place just on the outskirts of Ellsworth, ME. It was very convenient to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. I definitely would recommend this place to beat the price of the chain hotels.

8

Jessica

21 Oct 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Clean and close to Acadia

8

Manuel

2 Dec 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Quick drive to Bar Harbor, Acadia park, and a Walmart near by. Management on the property even late. Was able to help me access my room when key card was not working. Found that helpful.

10

Terry

26 Sept 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The staff was eager to assist and friendly. It was a bit of a trek to get to Acadia, but it was doable. The place is also nearby a grocery store, which allowed me to save on meals, thanks to the microwave and refrigerator.

8

Wipa

15 Oct 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

Close to busy highway, very noisy by 6 am, though our room was spacious and well decorated.

8

Skye

25 Oct 2024

·

Stayed 4 nights

30 minute drive to Bar Harbour, plazas nearby for coffee and dinner, overall good place to stay.

6

Tim

28 Jun 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

It was fine, and very affordable. Very bare-bones, with basically no amenities (just a little coffee station and a vending machine). Location a bit isolated - nothing there that you're going to walk to. My room looked like they've been doing some work on the place recently, which was nice to see (fresh paint, new deadbolt system on the door, signs of other repairs upon closer examination). King bed room was surprisingly large (even a little empty-feeling). New-looking appliances in room.

8

Vitalii

7 Sept 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Close to Bar Harbor and Acadia NP, quiet and in fair condition for the price

8

Mark

8 Oct 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Stayed here 4 days and commuted to Acadia about 30 minutes. Nice comfortable hotel with groceries and restaurants just a few minutes away.

10

Jason

6 Aug 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

This was a great location accessible to Bar Harbor and Acadia Park with better rates then the places inside Bar Harbor.

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Dining

No formal breakfast or restaurant; the office offers coffee and occasional snacks. Many use in‑room kitchenettes to self‑cater, though coffee supplies can be inconsistent.

Related guest reviews

10

Terry

26 Sept 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The staff was eager to assist and friendly. It was a bit of a trek to get to Acadia, but it was doable. The place is also nearby a grocery store, which allowed me to save on meals, thanks to the microwave and refrigerator.

8

Connor

11 Jul 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

My girlfriend and I got the king suite for one night and it met our expectations which were low considerably, since it’s a below average motel. Although, the staff and accommodations in the room itself were very nice — especially having a stove to cook (Annie’s white cheddar shells) since there were no other food options. There was only one main issue with our stay which wasn’t caused by the establishment itself but rather another guest staying at the establishment. Since my girlfriend and I were watching TV around midnight at a reasonable volume and the person(s) staying in the room next to us didn’t appreciate that at all. Mind you, we were being considerate of others and realized it was a late hour this person decided to knock on our door profusely which caused annoyance and disturbance for us. The figure quite audibly voiced their sentiment that we were being far too loud and we must quiet down. I found this encounter to be rather abrasive and unnecessary only creating a worse situation.

10

Gabi

20 Jul 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Close to Acadia National Park and the town of Ellsworth was so cute! Motel itself was good and the included kitchenette was super helpful! No complaints

10

Chelsea

5 Aug 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Excellent stay close to Acadia. Staff was super helpful and the room was equipped with the utensils we needed to cook.

6

Brenda

27 Aug 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

There appeared to be some recent upgrades and pretty clean. We had a room with kitchenette. No table and chairs to eat at.

8

Janette

16 Sept 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

You have to go up several stairs so need to specify ground level if a problem getting up and down. Still no breakfast available just coffee and cookies.

10

Barbara

21 Jun 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Pleasantly surprised by economical price for 2 adults, amenities like fridge, microwave, in room coffee, comfort of beds, up to date look of room. Great location near Acadia National Park. My only disappointment was coffee in office was not hot in AM. Overall perfect!

8

Suzanne

27 Aug 2023

·

Stayed 3 nights

We chose the White Birches for the price and the location (not too far from Acadia National Park). We stayed for 4 days. We got a room with a kitchenette so we could make some meals for ourselves when we weren't eating out. The room and bathroom were clean and the staff was friendly and accommodating. There was a full size stove/oven in the kitchenette, but we could only use one burner due to the mis-sized pans under the electric elements. They were all too small so the elements were crooked. The hot water for the shower and sink was right there and lasted as long as we needed it. Overall, we had a good stay and it was a nice place to crash after a long day in Acadia.

8

Peggy

1 Jun 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Our room was exactly what we needed. There was a kitchenette that is very convenient. There was a coffee maker but there was no coffee. If we would have known we would have brought some. That is why we didn’t give it a 5 star rating. Very clean.

8

Ella

15 Aug 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

Older property but not bad. The area was buggy. The staff was very nice. The picture you use on expedia is old. There appears to be a restaurant in front of the motel. There is no restaurant there. You must drive to get meals.

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Month	Average price
September	US$152
October	US$210
November	US$114
December	US$117

White Birches Motel

Prices for White Birches Motel

Monthly average prices

About this property

Location

Room options

Deluxe Room, 1 King Bed, Kitchenette

Superior Double Room, 2 Queen Beds, Kitchenette

Standard Room, 2 Queen Beds, Refrigerator & Microwave

Deluxe Suite

Deluxe Double Room, 2 Double Beds, Kitchenette

Standard Double Room, 2 Double Beds, Refrigerator & Microwave

Deluxe Room, 1 Queen Bed, Kitchenette

Guest reviews of White Birches Motel

Who stays here?

What guests think

Property policies

Check-in instructions

Good to know

Optional extras

FAQs about White Birches Motel