Maine Resort Facilities

There are ski schools in the larger resorts, with Sunday River, Sugarloaf, Shawnee Park and Saddleback in particular offering a good range of ski and snowboard lessons, providing everything from first-time packages and expert clinics, to guiding and touring.

 

There are creche facilities for children aged 6 weeks to 8 years, with evening babysitting available in various hotels. Sunday River is known for its excellent childrens' lessons, catering to ages 3 and up, and offers a range of options, from one hour lessons to full days.

 

The resorts have fairly limited shops in their base lodges, home to ski, rental shops and sports shops, with larger local towns such as Bethel, Farmington, Rangeley and Freeport boasting more choices, and outlet malls such as North Conway offering excellent discount shopping.

 

Maine enjoys a family-friendly homely atmosphere, with a generally unpretentious dining scene on the mountain, at the base lodges and in the local towns. Choose from casual cafes, cosy grills, microbreweries and old-fashioned steakhouses, as well as international restaurants and gourmet eateries featuring regional Maine specialities such as wild game, lobster, fish and blueberries.

 

Sunday River and Sugarloaf have the busiest apres-ski scene in Maine, with the resorts boasting both lively ski bars featuring dancing, bands, happy hours and big screen TV's, as well as quiet spots with sunny decks and roaring fires, and intimate inns, traditional taverns and saloons.

 

There are the usual facilities in the base lodges, such as ski schools, day care centres, lockers, cafes and dining options, with free bus services in the larger resorts to and from the restaurants, bars, hotels and condos. Local towns offer general services such as shops, post offices and tourist offices.

 

Sunday River and Sugarloaf have medical clinics in town, and chemists in and around the resorts.