Terrific home on sparkling lake Megunticook

Guest: Suburban Boston Family (Outside Boston, MA)
Date of Stay: 07/09/11 Review Submitted: 09/25/11

We returned from Maine and our stay at Primrose Cottage and are still having pangs of "why did we leave????" The rooms were exceptionally appointed and frankly the photos do not do the home justice. The smell of the pines when we exited the car was heaven, and the week was an absolute treat. We traveled with our preschool-aged son and infant daughter, and the room setup was great. While there was no lawn to speak of, our son showed no trepidation and leapt into the water. Canoe rides, swimming, fishing, and sailing started at 7am and didn't let up until dusk. The shed/boating garage is well equipped - 2 kayaks, 1 canoe, a tube for enjoying the lake and life jackets galore - even two for infants, which for us was an ideal surprise. Thanks for thinking of everything. :) The home's layout in particular was exceptional and we really enjoyed it - especially when friends stopped in with their two children. Our 3-year-old was desperate to stay in the bunk room, and we told him he had to be 5 to sleep there!! MAJOR HIGHLIGHT: we had a chef come in to cook dinner for the adults one night, and absolutely should have done it more than once. His lobster shallot cavatelli was divine. Book him and you won't regret it - frank dot carrozza at gmail dot com. Skip his sweets though (his forte is ABSOLUTLEY dinner, salad, crab dip mmmmm you will not regret it) and pick up one of Amy's Pies at Thomaston Grocery. The rhubarb was one of the best pies I've eaten in my life. Best of all, he came in with everything he needed, made so much we had leftovers for the next day's lunch! Just DIVINE.

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, families with young children.

Primrose Cottage is a Perfect Place!

Guest: David (Shelburne)
Date of Stay: 05/26/11 Review Submitted: 06/05/11

We just returned from our glorious stay at Primrose Cottage on Lake Megunticook . We arrived to a very clean impeccably appointed lake house on a peaceful Maine lake. We were in Camden for our son's wedding over Memorial Day weekend, and despite some fog we had perfect weather. The house was quiet and there was not one time of day when we wished we couldn't just stay put but wedding events pulled us away! The house and the well equipped kitchen allowed us to host the rehearsal dinner for 13 in a comfortable and intimate setting. We had cocktails on the dock and grilled tenderloin on the Weber. This was far better than any restaurant in Camden could provide!! The beds were all comfortable with fine linens and great pillows! The house had nice extras like table linens, spices and plastic wrap- -although I had packed my own! The night after the wedding the newlyweds joined us with some cousins to clean out the refrigerator and again everyone commented on how perfect the cottage was! We were able to enjoy a few local runs to town and up the cliff trails nearby, we kayaked, and just relaxed on the dock. This home provides something for everyone! Primrose Cottage was a perfect base for our family celebration I am sure we will make an effort to return in the future. If all of the VRBO properties are like Andy and Tracey's ---we ask---why stay home???!!

Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with teenagers, romantic getaway, adventure seekers, families with young children, sightseeing, age 55+.

LA VIE EN PRIMROSE

Guest: Barney (Castle Pines (Castle Rock), Colorado)
Date of Stay: 06/26/10 Review Submitted: 07/06/10

We wish there was a Six Star (******) Rating or better because that's what the Primrose Cottage deserves. The Primrose Cottage served our group of eight (8) ideally for what turned out to be the perfect setting for our immediate family mini-reunion. The additional traveler reviews herein regarding this property speak for themselves. Not a single demerit translates into the fact that the owners of this property constantly work hard in seeing to it that each and every guest is treated with the highest of expectations. Mother nature and the surrounding areas provide the rest. Awe-inspiring, yes, indeed, but from A to Z none of this would be possible without the help and cooperation of our gracious hosts - Tracey and Andy. Thank you both. We will always treasure the memories of our stay at the Primrose Cottage on beautiful Lake Megunticook. The Blais'/Castle Pine, CO & Maui, HI; The Hustons/Springfield, VA; The Kampsniders/Denver, CO.

Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with teenagers, people with disabilities, romantic getaway, adventure seekers, families with young children, sightseeing, age 55+.

Heaven on Earth !!!

Guest: Diane and Mel (New Jersey)
Date of Stay: 06/11/10 Review Submitted: 06/16/10

We have traveled all over the world and stayed in many beautiful places, but we can fairly report that Primrose Cottage - perched at a quiet end of Lake Megunticook in Camden, was one of the absolute best homes we have ever rented and we still can't believe our good fortune to have found it. From the moment you enter, the care that they took in the total renovation is completely evident. Every fixture, piece of furniture, and linen was chosen with an eye towards top quality. We especially appreciated the comfortable sofa and chairs, well equip kitchen, luxurious bedding and charming art work. We loved curling up with a book on one of the many decks or in the living room reading nook. However as beautiful as we found the home, the best part was being right on the lake. Each morning we woke up to a procession of geese passing by and a choir of birds chirping. The lake was so still, that it looked like a piece of glass. Of course this gave us the courage to try kayaking which was so much fun. We also took a few great hikes, as there are so many parks and paths nearby. It was truly hard to leave the lake house - which felt so much like home ... and we really look forward to returning. As we told Tracey and Andy, the only words to sum up the experience of staying at Primrose Cottage is to say "it is as close to heaven as you can get and still be on earth."

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, romantic getaway, age 55+.

Awesome!

Guest: lblank (CT)
Date of Stay: 04/18/10 Review Submitted: 04/27/10

I was hesitant to go in April thinking it might be too cold and it ended up being spectacular weather and a real treat being in town prior to peak season. We welcomed the rain on our last day as we wanted to spend the entire day inside this wonderful house reading and playing board games after a week out on the lake. The house is newly renovated and the attention to detail is fantastic. Each of the bathrooms appointed with high-end marble, tile and fixtures. Each bed made up with the finest of linens. And of most importance to me, the house was very clean. The house has a perfect location on the lake with a large dock for launching the boats our host made available and taking in sunsets. The pictures really don't do this house justice. We were not out of the drive way when our kids wanted to know when we could come back (and the adults were in agreement). We will return.

Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with teenagers, people with disabilities, romantic getaway, families with young children, sightseeing, age 55+.

Guest: Debbie Mast (Atlanta, Ga.)
Date of Stay: 10/12/09 Review Submitted: 10/12/09

Our stay at Primrose Cottage was nothing short of delightful. The outstanding view of Lake Megunticook was a huge bonus to the comfortable and well appointed furnishings of your home. We already look forward to our return visit next summer!

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Guest: Dawson Nash (Washington DC)
Date of Stay: 08/26/09 Review Submitted: 08/26/09

We had the pleasure of spending our annual family vacation at beautiful Primrose Cottage. Everything written on this page is true, and the photos of the lake and cottage bring back great memories. There are beautiful sunsets at night, great hiking trails on the two mountains in the area, other picturesque towns nearby, and a local market makes it easy to enjoy staying at the cottage without having to go to restaurants. Swimming and kayaking in the lake are wonderful. Various lake wildlife (Canadian geese, loons, coyotes, and bald eagles) can be seen during the day. You may get lucky and swim next to loons. At night, we roasted marshmallows with the kids by the chiminia on the dock and made s'mores under the starts. One night we were treated to a show of falling stars. We picked blueberries on Maiden's Cliff and ate them in pancakes and made other sweet treats. We ate lobsters and lobster rolls and one afternoon we chartered a sailing trip around Penobscot Bay with views of the area including an old lighthouse. It was all spectacular!

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Guest: Candace Hassel (Jacksonville Florida)
Date of Stay: 07/23/09 Review Submitted: 07/23/09

The Hassel Clan had an oh so sweet week at the Primrose Cottage. We came with ages of 83 to 27!! And did we have a great time! We and our South Carolina relitives spent the night away learning the SHAG ! Hope we were not to loud for the neighbors!! We cooked many a night on the grill and had 2 LOBSTER BAKES at home. The young ones (and me!) hiked the Maiden Cliff. What a awesome view from there. It beats the view from Batty Cliff!! Can you guess that we had an awesome week !! Canden and Lake Megunticook is the best! Really liked being outside of the crazy traffic in town. Cannot say enought about this house. It is as if just built but keeping the old lakehouse look. Water views are the best! Kayaks were a plus! The house was perfect for our family of 8! David and I would recommend this place in a heartbeat! Will come back again soon.

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Guest: Derek Pratley (Ferndale, Michigan)
Date of Stay: 07/14/09 Review Submitted: 07/14/09

What can I say except to summarize - WOW! We really weren't prepared for how wonderful this vacation home is. The current photo's (July 14, 2009) don't do the home enough justice. In particular the water views are stunning from the lake-side (rear) of the home. The home-owner had told me they don't eat out too much because the views from the deck(s) are so great, and she is absolutely correct - the views are unparalled. The rear (lake-side) aspect of the home is absolutely beautiful, and currently isn't featured in pictures. We spent a lot of time locally, doing walks / treks / climbs - in addition to kayaking on the lake of course. The home is close to Camden but it isn't walking distance - for us that might have been an issue but in retrospect it totally isn't a problem. In fact it is probably better to be slightly outside of Camden town center. We had a small family re-union here - my parents (who are very picky about quality furnishings, cleanliness and decorative style) were highly impressed by the standard of the renovation of the home. The furnishings are of excellent quality, very tastefully put together - by no stretch of the imagination is this a typical vacation home. We home you enjoy the home as much as we did. The Pratley family - Detroit, Mi, Castle Rising, UK, Courtmacsherry, Ireland.

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Guest: carolyn stearnes (Memphis, TN)
Date of Stay: 04/25/09 Review Submitted: 04/25/09

Text: What a wonderful experience it was to enter Primrose Cottage and find it even more lovely and inviting than the photos on the website. Everything was perfect, the home was warm and welcoming, the setting was breathtaking, even though spring had not fully arrived! The one really foggy morning had its own eerie beauty. We were fortunate enough to have one incredible sunset; I think I took 25 shots as the brilliant colors gradually faded away. Tracey has thougtfully provided everything you could possibly need for an enjoyable experience. Warm throws for the oversized window seat made it my favorite place to curl up and read. My friend and her daughter both raved about my "find" in locating this lakefront jewel. They were very glad I convinced them that this would be superior to a B & B stay, offering space, comfort and a quiet, restful setting. I will be back...no doubt about it.

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