The Bay of Naples Hotel – Lost Vacation Icon on Long Lake

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The Bay of Naples Hotel – Lost Vacation Icon on Long Lake


When it opened its doors in the summer of 1900, the Bay of Naples Hotel on the east shore of Long Lake in Naples, Maine had a full compliment of guests ready to occupy its four floors and 72 rooms.
A staff of 85 would have waited on the front veranda and watched as their guests disembarked from a boat provided by hotel owner Charles Goodrich. Horse-drawn buggies would have taxied the guests from lakeside, up the gravel path, to the hotel front door. Before entering, they could turn and take in a sweeping view of Long Lake, the causeway and Naples Village and, on the horizon, the Presidential Range of the White Mountains and mighty Mount Washington.
Goodrich built the Bay of Naples Hotel as a destination for all the passengers he carried on the Songo River Steamboat Company, which he also owned, as well as for well-heeled summer vacationers looking to escape the heat and humidity of east coast cities.
Once inside the hotel, two grand staircases would lead guests to their rooms or, if they prefered, they could take the elevator. In the lobby a stone fireplace with a 12 foot mantel provided heat, if necessary. A similar fireplace could be found in the main floor dining room, as well.
The hotel kept a stable-full of horses to take guests out for daily excursions to area points of interest. Before too many years passed the horses were replaced by Model-T Ford automobiles.
For fifty years this magnificent hotel graced the southern end of Long Lake, welcoming visitors from near and far. But with the advent of the automobile, air conditioning, high-speed highways, motels, and private residences on the lake, the days of the grand summer hotel came to an end.
Guests stopped arriving at the Bay of Naples Hotel in 1951 and it was demolished in 1964. Today on this spot you’ll find the Bay of Naples condominiums. They command the same stellar view as the hotel, but lack the imposing grandeur. Sadly, we’ll probably never see its like again.

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