Yankee Magazine Names Inn of Acadia a “Best of New England” Editor’s Choice Winner

Less than a year after it opened for business in downtown Madawaska, the Inn of Acadia has received an honor from one of New England's most prestigious magazines.

Yankee Magazine’s Travel Guide to New England has chosen Inn of Acadia as a 2014 “Best of New England” Editor’s Choice winner for the category of “Best Convent Makeover.”

“It’s quite an honor," said owner Jonathan Roy. "Who would have thought that what was once a convent is now a hotel offering lots of comfort and lots of amenities?”

Each year, Yankee’s editors and contributors name select restaurants, lodgings and attractions throughout the six-state region to their exclusive annual list, providing readers with a comprehensive vacation-planning tool.

The historic building on St. Thomas Street in Madawaska, originally  opened as a  convent in the 1950s The Roy family purchased the building in 1993 and operated a senior care facility  there for ten years.  But the building had sat empty for nearly a decade before Roy decided to transform it into an upscale Inn.

According to the review in the special Yankee edition, “A calming décor, contemporary amenities, and a cozy lounge welcome guests to this meticulously renovated boutique inn, which began life as a convent and later served as a convalescence center.”

Roy credits family friend and designer Janel Ouellet of Edmundston and his brother Joshua Roy, who was the lead contractor on the renovation and preservation project. Some of the building's historic elements have been preserved and melded with modern conveniences.