At the Deer Isle Hostel in Maine, guests sign up for more than a typical escape from reality. The hostel is on an island that’s just a bridge span away from the mainland, but for overnight guests the experience offers a glimpse into a way of life that might seem worlds away.
Photography by Anneli Carter-Sundqvist for Deer Isle Hostel except where noted.
Photograph by Ali Kaukas.
Dennis and Anneli live year-round in a 17th century-style farmhouse that Dennis built using hand tools and local materials (including the granite used in the traditional stone foundation).
Looking out at the homestead’s impressive vegetable garden.
Photograph by Ali Kaukas.
Guests at the hostel can enjoy a nightly communal meal grown and prepared on site.
Guests are expected to participate in the meal, either by bringing a contribution (olive oil, coffee, tea, and wine are welcome additions) or by helping with prep or cleanup.
Photograph by Ali Kaukas.
A cabbage from the hostel garden.
The hostel embraces life off the grid and encourages guests to do the same. For guests seeking creature comforts, the hostel provides heated water and a metal watering can that can be hoisted and tipped for showering.
The newly built Spruce Hut, available for $60 a night (single or double occupancy).
Bikes are available for guests to use; opportunities for kayaking, canoeing, and hiking also abound on Deer Isle and the surrounding mainland and coastal islands in Penobscot Bay.