Vacation Rentals by Owner

A Wonderful Christmas

Guest: Michele and Geoff B, Studio City , CA
Date of Stay: 12/20/11 Review Submitted: 01/23/12

December 30, 2011 What a wonderful 10 days we enjoyed in Belfast and in this lovely home.I'll miss the top bedroom the most,waking up to the incredible view and morning sky everyday was such a treat. We'll be taking away many fond memories of a very special Christmas with our family. M and Geoff B, Studio City , CA

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Why we live in Maine

Guest: Kathie and Chris
Date of Stay: 10/22/11 Review Submitted: 01/23/12

Being “Mainers” we love the opportunity to just chill and enjoy the beauty all around us we seldom seem to see during everyday life. This place only confirms why we live in Maine. Gorgeous views-comfortable -relaxing. Highlights: Marshal Wharf 4 year beer, Sweet Grass Winery and Distillery in Union , trip to Entwood Bonsai in Burnham(bought 3) And of course,daily walks to the “Coop”.Love the homey neighborhood. Indulged our passion for hunting sea glass everyday possible.,Super!

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Great 2 weeks

Guest: Linda and Thom J, Anchorage Alaska
Date of Stay: 09/30/11 Review Submitted: 01/23/12

September 16-30, 2011 Had a great 2 weeks here – Loved the Common -Ground Fair at Unity. Visits from friends from Long Island, Winthrop ,Maine and Australia. All loved the house and Belfast.

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Lovely house- lots of great day trips

Guest: Ann and Richard B, London , England
Date of Stay: 09/10/11 Review Submitted: 01/23/12

September 10-16, 2011 We've had a great week staying in this lovely house- very comfortable and the views are fantastic. The weather has been a bit mixed, but we've had several amazing red sunrises and beautiful sunsets.We’ve enjoyed being in the house and in Belfast-we had an excellent meal at Darby’s and at Young's Lobster Pound which was a real treat for us. Also good trips to Acadia, Down East to Campobello(a long drive but interesting)and also to Fort Knox and the Observatory.

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A fabulous two week stay

Guest: Betsy and Joe K., VA
Date of Stay: 08/27/11 Review Submitted: 09/16/11

A fabulous two week stay-Escaped the hurricane back in Virginia and enjoyed the beautiful Maine weather, most often awakening to fiery sunrises. Belfast is just the right pace for our family with a laid back feeling and lots of good places to eat. Young's was frequented almost everyday..Chases is a must as well as John's ice cream. Day trips to Bar Harbour, Acadia, the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland, Camden ...Lots of places to go antiquing as well. We love Maine and we will be back!

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Belfast is an awsome little city

Guest: Lauren M., John and Marie M., Alanna, Callie, Raly
Date of Stay: 08/06/11 Review Submitted: 01/23/12

August 6-13, 2011 A week long stay of a multi-generational group - house was accommodating , pleasant and comfortable for everyone and we thoroughly enjoyed the location. The kids really enjoyed beach-combing , walks downtown and daily trips for ice cream.(our collective verdict ;The Barn on Route 1 has the best ice cream– we also enjoyed their fried food baskets of sweet potato fries.) Belfast is an awesome little city! It is welcoming and interesting , plenty of things to do without being touristy.(We had fun at a street party on Tuesday night and the Friday night gallery walk. Everyone's favorite shop was Beyond the Sea-the owner is really sweet!). Thanks for welcoming us to your lovely vacation house!

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The best view ever!!

Guest: MustangSally (Just North of Los Angeles in Ventura County)
Date of Stay: 06/19/11 Review Submitted: 06/26/11

The Good News: Stayed mid -late June 2011 for almost a week. Owner super helpful on the phone. House was open airy and plenty of windows to let in all the wonderful fresh air.. very comfy and CLEAN ! Furniture all in great shape. Amazing views from everywhere.. The kind of view where when you just open your eyes and don't have to lift your head off he pillow amazing views. Big wrap around deck and nice super quiet neighborhood ..walking distance from downtown Belfast. I spend lots of time a Chases Daily and the Belfast Co-op getting bread and things to cook with which is why I wanted a house and not a hotel room. I was there to take cooking classes at a nearby farm in Lincolnville; Saltwater Farm and visit old college friends. On the down side:. Friday 7 am!!! ( OMG) lawn mowers were right outside my bedroom window for 45 min -1 hr YUK.. Also the owner was around the last 2 days doing work on the house and yard as basement is not yet finished.. but sometimes he says he stays down there?? Really?? It's not a separate area that both parties can lock off like adjoining hotel rooms..Super weird as I was traveling alone as a single woman. Also one slider door did not lock and I had to keep a stick behind it .. Felt weird with owner around and just me by myself. He was actually in the house working on lower part when I was not there the last few days but still renting the house. Maybe this is normal some places but I live in LA now and didn't appreciate it but I know hotel rooms have cleaning staff in them when guests are not there.. but I don't like that either. and that's why I like renting houses.. more space and more privacy and more quiet!!. Lots of stairs... so maybe not best for those with stair difficulty or little kids that fall on stairs and property steep down to water where the is another deck and a place to swim but average adult and most people will have no trouble with that.

Owner response:We are pleased the reviewer found the amenities , views and cleanliness of our house in Belfast, exceptional . We have worked hard to make this one of the really great houses in which to stay , the result of totally rebuilding from top to bottom. We are, however, unhappy to hear that this renter, felt uncomfortable having me,the owner,on the premisis to perform essential tasks. Our substantial 4 level house has almost 2000 square feet of living area.The separate studio basement workshop refered to is being rebuilt slowly into an apartment after a broken dishwasher dumped 20,000 gallons through the ceiling a couple of years ago, hence we now leave nothing to chance . I inquired with this renter to see if it would be possible work but only with her express permission , only when she was out (as much as feasible).Work is usually handled by a number of parties especially the wonderful couple who also clean the house. Everyone was backlogged. I explained I would be quiet and unobtrusive. Had this renter expressed her unease at having me or any other male workman on the property concurrently at any time, no matter how brief , I would have endeavoured to do no work at all when she was at the house. Much of my work was trimming trees125 feet away on the lower lawn and in the shed near our stairs to the beach. This was a last minute rental at less than half of our seasonal rate,a rate more comparable to a hotel or B&B yet with far more space and extraordinary views. We regret that this renter's requirements for absolute privacy (ie no work to be done, no one else around at all) were not expressed more emphatically at the outset. We have always been able to work around the needs and requirements of guests;their wishes are paramount. Guests should have a feeling of total safety and that thier comfort zone and space is all their own. I did not put myself in the mindset a female from LA traveling alone and my apologies for not thinking beyond the work at hand. The lock on asliding Anderson door in the livingroom is being repaired to be easy to lock. We are sorry about the early morning awakening by lawmowers. These folks mow our lawn and all the adjacent lawns at the same time as they are all one continous rolling lawn spanning several properties. These folks sometimes get an early start or they do it in the afternoon every 10 days or so. We are happy to address anyone's concerns about anything in person, please let us know.

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

wow

Guest: Gloria and Stan W, Florida
Date of Stay: 05/21/11 Review Submitted: 09/16/11

Wow,came to chill while my husband was in school and fell in love with Belfast.The house was a wonderful place to relax and enjoy. The neighbors were great and everything was lovely. We loved being able to walk to town, walk to the beach , farmers market on friday is great and young's Lobster Pound has great food and you can bring your own wine. Darby's is also good.... We will definitely be back. Thank you for a lovely stay in a wonderful home.

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Enjoyed our stay

Guest: Tom and Diane E.and family, Grand Rapids ,MI.
Date of Stay: 05/08/11 Review Submitted: 01/23/12

May 8-14, 2011 Enjoyed our stay this past week -the weather didn’t totally cooperate, but that is not why we came. Would’nt you know it, our last morning was the only chance to view a beautiful sunrise from the third floor. We enjoyed Belfast,Camden and surrounding towns. We had a great time at Fort Knox and of course you can't beat the beauty of Acadia. Thanks for your home.

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Wonderful place, great people

Guest: LDH (Colorado)
Date of Stay: 10/05/09 Review Submitted: 07/07/10

We had a family gathering in the Fall of 2009. The owner went out out of his way to accommodate our wheelchair-bound father. The home is beautiful with a great location on the harbor and only a very short walk to town. I hope we can get back there again (and again)!

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Guest: From our guestbook
Date of Stay: 09/08/09 Review Submitted: 09/07/09

We will be adding this season's comments soon-Guestbook Transcription12 July 2008 – 17 July 2008Few days spent in Belfast, Maine! House great. Water/beach access wonderful, views spectacular, and company even better! We’re off to New York then back home to Bangor, Northern Ireland!-Aly Harte, 44 Shaflesbury Rd., Bangor, N. Ireland.Had a wonderful time. Belfast is the cutest little town. Lots of R&R. Thoroughly enjoyed the house. View is wonderful. Not quite the Belfast of Northern Ireland, but we loved being here. Will definitely recommend to friends and family.Sheena, Ridge Road, Nashua NH.26 July 2008 – 2 Ausgust 2008Great house, great views…North to Acadia.South to Camden, Rockport, and Rockland.Two hour sail on the bay.Golfing, kayaking, shopping.Reading, relaxing, card games and five most appreciative flatlanders.-Phil, Marilyn, and Matt BoriaJoanne Humph-Cuille, and Mike O’Neil.9 August 2008 – 16 August 2008We appreciated the new house, the view is great, Belfast is a nice place to live. We had a great week.-Martine, Claude, and Soleme Quebec, Canada17 August 2008 – 24 August 2008A beautiful, relaxing time was had by all! Thank you very much!The Talm Family, Concord, Mass, Dedham, Mass, and Dania Beach, Florida20 September, 2008 – 27 September 2008The view is unparalleled. We had beautiful sunrises this week and gorgeous weather. Your house provided the perfect venue for old friends vacationing in such a lovely state.-The Barrms—Myrtle Beach, SC-The Brinks—Georgia

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Guest: Marilyn Boria and Family
Date of Stay: 08/01/08 Review Submitted: 07/31/08

Dear Duncan and Naomi: The Boria Family had a wonderful vacation at your home in Maine. Your house was even better than advertised. The views of the Bay were stunning from every window - but especially from the top floor. We loved eating and relaxing on the deck. The beds were comfortable, and there were plenty of very nice bathrooms. We ate some meals at home - the kitchen was great - but also ate out a lot since we were on vacation. My sister rented two kayaks for the week, and your neighbor gave her some great advice on the best places for bird watching. We went to see the Belfast Maskers production of Carousel on Tuesday night. I ran into a friend I hadn't seen in 20 years (the last time we were in Maine). She and her husband are now retired, living in Belfast 4 months of the year and in North Carolina the rest of the time. So, thank you for giving us a great base to explore coastal Maine. Belfast was the perfect location, an interesting town with not too many tourists. Fondly, Marilyn Boria

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