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2023 Spring Discount

The summer fields of Red Point park

As January nears an end, we think that everyone begins to think about spring and summer because we definitely are. So, to help kick off the 2023 season on the right foot, we have discounted the rooms for the month of May. In addition we have added a bonus discount that you can apply during the first 2 weeks of May by simply entering the promo code: SPRINGFLING. That discount code will last forever, so better to book now and lock in your spring stay.

With regards to the Pub, we are still sorting out when we will open officially, but we are shooting for the beginning of May like the rooms. Our hours will be limited in the beginning, but once season kicks off, we plan on going 6 days a week for lunch (YES LUNCH) and dinner. Assuming that we can find the appropriate staffing we hope to be full speed by Memorial Day weekend.

Looking for a job this summer? Send us a note to info@cohillsinn.com and we will set up a time to chat about our opportunities and benefits.

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Bitcoin Payments Accepted

This year we will be accepting payments via the Lightning network for those that wish to do so. In order to help incentivise customers to pay this way, each time you pay us over the lighting network, you will get one entry into a drawing for a $250 gift card. Each and every time you pay this way, you will be entered into the drawing.

For those of you that know what this is, you will be able to use any lightning compatible wallet to complete your transaction. This will be available for both lodging and for inside the pub. All you will have to do is tell us at checkout that this is how you want to pay.

Currently we are charged approximately 3% for every credit card transaction. One the last 5 years, our transactions are almost 90% credit card. This 3% represents a sizable amount of revenue that we loose each year just providing you a service. Paying over lightning is virtually free to both the customer and the business. Right now, the easiest way to get started is to download a wallet from Strike, fund it with some cash and then you are all set to make payments this way.

If you have any questions, please just let us know.

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Accepting Bitcoin in 2022

We are excited to announce that for the 2022 season we will be accepting Bitcoin as a form of payment. Not only do we believe this will be a positive step for you, the customer, but it is a dramatically beneficial financial element to every small business that chooses to go down this path.

Present, it costs us on average close to 3% for every transaction that is made with a credit card. I say 3% because sometimes it is a bit higher, say on room bookings and sometimes a touch lower if done at our Square POS in the pub. In either event, it is a large number for a small business and a number that must eventually be passed on to you, the customer, as one of our basic ‘Cost of Business’ elements.

So, how will this work? Well, the simplest mechanism will be those of you that choose to pay us in the pub using your Square CashApp. Square has continued pushing out updates to both our POS (point of sale equipment) and to the consumer CashApp. If you don’t already have the app, I encourage you to download it and attempt to use it. Let us know how that goes. Remember, we are all on the cusp of a new financial world and there are going to be growing pains along the way.

Second, if you have your own BTC wallet, and wish to pay in a peer to peer manner, at the time of invoice, either in the pub, or for rooms, we will generate a BTC invoice that you can simply scan with your phone our BTC wallet address and remit payment. Again, compared to simply handing us a CC, these things will be a touch more tedious in 2022, but probably seamless by 2024. Change is always slower than we expect, but as the song says, change is a coming.

We have 4-5 months to work out these details so that we are ready for the season. However, for those of you that will begin booking rooms for the summer, please let us know in your booking request if you would like to pay via BTC. At present time, the system we use for processing room reservations will continue to take a one night deposit in USD at the time of booking. We hope to identify a way to avoid this for you, but in either event, you may choose to pay the balance of your booking with BTC, just let us know at the time of booking and we will create the appropriate invoice.

As this is a new and emerging financial market, we would love to hear your thoughts, especially if you are on the side of paying for goods and service in this manner.

More details will follow, so check back soon. We will be starting up the newsletter again next month and will be introducing this topic along with more details of what the 2022 season will look like. We are currently expecting the discount rate for paying in Bitcoin to be approximately 5%, but are still finalizing those details. We also envision this discount to apply to purchases in the Pub as well.

Wishing you all a happy Thanksgiving with your family and friends.

Glenn & Ellen

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Pirate Festival and Invasion

Due to the current uptick in the Covid 19 Delta variant, Cohills will not be open for the invasion. We do not feel that it is responsible for us to open to that many people in a closed space. This will be the first time that we have done this, and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

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Cancelation of Booking.Com Services

Due to the continued anti small business practices by Booking.com, we will no longer be accepting reservations through that system. If you currently hold a reservation with us that was booked on booking.com, you are fine. However, from this point forward please book directly with us.

We would also encourage you to do this for any other reservations you make with small hotels, B&B’s, etc. Their practices, which are too many to go into, are killing small businesses. We for one will no longer support this company.

You may book directly with us by following this LINK.

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Current operating hours and other bits...

Due to a continued decline in any sense of civility on Face Book, we have permanently removed our FB page. As we indicated several years ago, we were going to move away from FB as a from of communication. While we kept the page up and periodically updated information on the page, the lack of civility and just plain common courtesy, has forced us to take the final step in removing the page. To keep up to date with what is going on, our website, newsletter, and yes, even the good old phone (207-733-4300) are the best ways to find the answers to your question.

Hours of operation are Friday - Monday 4 to 8, with the kitchen closing around 7:;45.

R/

Glenn

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2021 Schedule

As of March 1, things are beginning to look up for a summer season that is closer to normal than not. With that said, while we have opened up the room reservation system, we are still sorting out what our dining options will be for the summer.

Many of you that visited last summer witnessed from outside the windows that we had completely remodeled the pub as the first step in moving towards a new dining model. This work was done right as COVID was ramping up and as you know, forced us to scrap any inside dining options for the summer of 2020.

Moving into 2021, we will be orienting ourselves towards a completely new indoor experience. One that focuses on guests taking advantage of our space and our views to relax, drink, eat small bites and enjoy music. What exactly this looks like is still in the works, but we hope to announce the final details in the next week or two.

What we can say is the menu will be different (with some obvious holdovers) and the number of seats has been dramatically reduced, even before COVID. We will no longer take reservations for dining, other than for special event nights, and service within the pub will be bar oriented — order at the bar and your food will be delivered to a table.

What does that mean, well, the menu will be smaller and simpler, but with just as much emphasis on high quality fresh and local food as before. Cocktails will continue to be unique and push the envelope on what can be found in the down east region. Our whiskey selection will grow and our wine selection will evolve to the next level.

The music will be good, at all times, and the coffee is likely to flow from the espresso machine all day long :-). We have a couple of very unique things that will be taking place, including more tastings and private dinners with limited seating along with the possibility of finally implementing a wine and beer club. Glenn rebuilt the entire tap system last year, so we can now serve up to 12 drafts at any given time! We added more furniture to the deck along with a firepit with more deck furniture on the way.

This summer is still likely to be a challenging one for everybody as we all begin moving out of a COVID centric world. However, the evolution is not going to come right away and as such, we will evolve the business model with both current conditions and guidance from the Governor. We anticipate opening up our Carryout service early this spring and as mentioned, the rooms are now open for bookings.

Both Ellen and I greatly appreciate your support and we look forward to seeing everyone this summer!!

Cheers,

Ellen & Glenn

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Summer 2021

We have officially opened up the reservation system for the summer season (2021). Rooms are available starting in May through the beginning of October. We are still formulating our pub plans largely based on advice from the Maine CDC and mass access to vaccinations. Please stay tuned for details by signing up to the newsletter. We do anticipate opening our Carryout earlier than May 1, but do not have an official start date as of today. We anticipate announcing the carry out schedule in the next couple of weeks.

Thanks to all for your support and patience as we try and navigate these difficult times. We will continue to practice COVID-19 best practices both in the rooms and our pub in order to maximize keeping us, staff, and our guests safe.

Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to drop us a note.

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New COVID-19 Directions From The Governor

Today, Governor Mills announced her updated plan for allowing tourists to enter the state of Maine. While we encourage you to go to the Governors page for the exact details, here is a summary as it relates to Cohill’s and our guests:

  • First, residents of New Hampshire and Vermont are not subject to any restrictions and are free to visit the state. This is great news for residents of these states and we hope that those seeking a vacation in Maine will take advantage of this rule change.

  • Second, if you are not from Maine, and can certify to having had a ‘Negative’ COVID-19 test result less than 72 hours before entering the state, then you are free of the 2 week quarantine rule. You will be asked to provide proof of the negative test result at check in time.

  • Lastly, all other individuals, are still restricted to the 2 week quarantine rule, which must. be done at a private residence before you are allowed to stay at Cohill’s or any other establishment.

We applaud the Governors continued efforts to balance the health and well being of Mainer’s while at the same time trying to deal with the real and crushing economic crisis that Maine small business is enduring. There is no good answer, but this is certainly a positive step.

Should you have any questions as it relates to your stay or potential stay at Cohill’s, please don’t hesitate to reach out via email or over the phone.

If you currently have a reservation with a deposit and wish to convert that deposit to a gift certificate plus a $20 gift from us, please contact us via email to arrange for the cancelation and the electronic gift card. The E-Card can be used towards future reservations or in the Pub at a future date. Their will be no expiration date on these E-Cards.

Stay Safe

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Cocktails To Go

As everyone hopefully knows, we are now allowed to sell cocktails to go, at least for the foreseeable future. This weekend we had a great response to our Bloody Mary’s, Mimosa’s, Manhattans and a couple of old fashions. Navigating the ‘cocktail to go’ scene will require a little experimenting to sort out how to best provide you with a great cocktail experience.

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This past weekend we essentially worked the drinks like little kits, with the spirit concoction portion in a sealable plastic flask and the mixer in a cup. While this worked, we were not overly excited about the look and feel of a cocktail experience. So, this week we will begin down a different path.

First up, we will offer cocktails in sanitized and sealed mason jars. When you purchase the first cocktail their will be a small ‘glass’ deposit of $1 added to your bill. This will simply cover the cost of the Mason Jar and it will be yours to keep. However, from then on, if you return the Mason Jar for your next drink, we will take it back, sanitize it, and provide you a drink in a fresh Mason jar with no deposit fee attached. In the end this should work just like the bottle deposits that we are all used to.

Additionally, we will be selling Yeti 10oz tumblers with the closing lid. You can purchase the Yeti from us, at our cost, and we will sanitize it, make you a cocktail, seal it up, and off you go. Bring the Yeti back each time you want a cocktail, and we will repeat the process.

We ask that you only bring back in the Yeti’s and Mason Jars (you keep the lids) that you purchased from us because we will need to seal them up and our sealer will only work on a specific size jar. We will try this out and see how it goes. Again, these are uncharted territories for all of us, and we appreciate your patience as we work through the process.

One big advantage to the Yeti tumbler is that Glenn will be able to use his Square Ice cubes for cocktails that require one, and for those that don’t, the Yeti will keep your drink cold until you get home to drink it :-) We use our 10oz tumblers in warm climates for cocktails and they are amazing.

If we feel that this is being well received, we could add the larger tumbler size for larger cocktails like the Bloody Mary’s (hint, this coming weekend we are taking the Bloody to a super size/complete breakfast meal experience)…. Details on that will be out Wednesday.

Yeti 10oz Tumbler plus magnetic lid will be $25. We hope to get bulk pricing on them which will lower this a bit, but this is what you pay in the store or at Amazon.

Don’t forget, if you have not already signed up for the newsletter, be sure and check it out. Newsletter recipients not only get special discounts, but they learn about the weekly menu before anyone else.

Stay Safe and thank you all for your support!


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Carryout Starts NOW

We are excited to announce that we will begin carryout service starting this weekend. As we work through the pub re-model and the constraints placed on regular opening, we will slowly grow not only our menu but also the days we will be servicing food. For now, we start with 2 of Ellen’s classic dishes, the famous Shepherds Pie and a Guinness can along with a vegan option and a selection of bottled wines.

You can place your order by following this link. Pickups will take place Saturday from 4-7. Orders must be placed online and paid via credit card. Pickup will take place through our front window.

We look forward to getting back to normal and this is one positive step that we can take down that long journey.

Cheers,

Ellen & Glenn

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March Happenings


To All:

Ellen and I wanted to send out a quick note to let everyone know that we are thinking about you all and hope everyone is staying well and safe.  We know that these are trying times for everyone and that by sticking together, we will all get through this before you know it.

Things in Lubec are starting at act like spring.  A few warm days a few chilly days and a lovely spring snow storm.  The birds are showing up and the sun is now rising earlier and earlier each day.  Summer will be here before we know it, and while no one has any idea when daily life will go back to normal, it is still reassuring to know that the weather is getting better by the day.

Soon we will have a chance to see these beautiful Lubec summer sunsets -

Soon we will have a chance to see these beautiful Lubec summer sunsets -

The pub reconstruction project is in full gear.  As I write this, the floor is almost done and the painting process has begun.  Based on our current schedule, we anticipate doing a special takeout option this coming weekend for the 25th of March.  This will include one of our all time favorites along with a couple of beer and wine choices.  The ordering process will be online and pickup will take place on Saturday.  We will shoot out another email in the next 24 hours with the exact details on what we are serving (hint, hint) and how to place your orders.  As we move forward more options will be available.

Lastly, the Governor has indicated that we may begin taking room reservations for May 1 and beyond.  I believe that we are going to keep our reservation system closed until mid May, although this is obviously going to be a fluid decision.  This is largely so that we can understand and prepare for housekeeping of rooms given the potential for transmission of the virus.  We need to make sure that not only are the rooms ready for you, but also to minimize the potential risk to us.  This is a challenging time and we appreciate your understanding.

We do hope that with everything that has transpired, that come summer we will have a robust season in town and that the fall may be a time for folks to catch up on missed vacations.  As anyone who has been to Lubec in September knows, it is perhaps the prettiest time of the year.

Stay safe, love one another, and we will see you this summer!

Cheers,

Glenn & Ellen

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