Front of cottage in late summer; eat or sleep on screened-in porch
Location: Chesterville, Mountains & Lakes, Maine, USA (10 Miles To Farmington, 80 Miles NW of Portland) View Map
Accommodations: Cottage, 3 Bedrooms, 1 Bath (Sleeps 6-7)
Waterfront cottage on Sand Pond in the beautiful western Maine mountains, rustic but newly modernized, fully furnished kitchen, linens provided. As a new owner in 2008 I've made it cozy and welcoming. It is small (756 square feet) but sleeps 3-6 adults comfortably and there is a roll away cot. Downstairs bedroom has a ceiling fan; 2 upstairs bedrooms and each has a floor fan and cross-ventilation. This is a quiet (except during snowmobile season) winterized camp with a shallow (average depth 13 feet, 23 feet at its deepest point), warm, sandy pond, new 40' dock, across a dead-end dirt road (and snowmobile trail, fun for mountain biking and hiking), so it may not be suitable for toddlers; we usually see 3-5 cars a day in the summer/spring/fall. State certified as a Lake Smart house in August 2009, use of eco-friendly products required.
You cannot see a neighboring camp, the pond is known to be full of largemouth bass and white and yellow perch, and loons serenade each summer evening. 14' fishing boat, 9.5hp motor, and trailer, registered and insured, are provided so you can fish in whatever lake you choose if you have a trailer hitch--Maine fishing license required, and please remember to put outboard motor oil in with the gasoline. New paddles, 7 life vests. No large motorboats are present on the pond, but guests are welcome to bring a canoe or kayak. NEW FOR 2010: pedal boat and canoe provided. Fire pit and picnic table at the water's edge.
This is a very rural area, not for those who want constant entertainment, but great for reading on the front porch (completely screened in during April 2009, only first picture reflects this) overlooking the pond or on the large octagonal dock or sitting in front of the wood stove. There is also a propane heater for the colder months (year-round, insulated cottage). Most popular activities: moose watching, sunset watching, swimming, boating, and hiking, berry picking, chilling in a porch rocking chair, lobster grilling, gathering with friends around the fire pit after sunset. Cell phone reception is good on the porch. Satellite tv/high speed internet installed June 2009; tv reception cannot be guaranteed during cloudy weather.
You can quickly find small town life 10 miles away in Farmington and at the University of Maine, shopping, a movie theatre, summer concerts, a couple of interesting restaurants, three independent bookstores, an ice cream stand and a summer farmer's market. 15 minutes to pick strawberries and blueberries in season and buy freshly caught lobster. Half an hour to Mt. Blue State Park, 45 minutes north to scenic Rangeley with brilliant fall foliage and dramatic mountain views, skiing at Saddleback, Sugarloaf, and west at Sunday River. Sand Pond is about 3 1/2 hours from Boston.
Vacation Rental Features
- Amenities
- Washer: W/D in bathroom
- Dryer: new 2008
- Linens Provided: Beds will be made up with fresh sheets before you arrive.
- Off Street Parking: Room for 3-4 cars.
- Parking for RV/Boat/Trailer: Next to shed.
- Gas Fireplace: Propane heater supplies winter heat.
- Wood Stove: For experienced users only; cut wood supplied.
- Beds
- Queen Bed: high-quality queen air bed you can put on the screened-in porch to sleep facing the lake on clear nights if desired, but septic system can't handle more than advertized capacy of 7 including cot, and you'd be very cramped for space.
- Double Bed (2) : 1 in downstairs bedroom, 1 in upstairs bedroom.
- Twin/Single Bed (2) : Two twin beds in second upstairs bedroom.
- Child Bed: Roll-away cot can be used in a bedroom, living room, or screened-in porch on clear nights.
- Entertainment
- Cable/Satellite TV: Flatscreen TV, DirectTV satellite installed May 2009. Reception not guaranteed on cloudy nights, sorry!
- DVD
- VCR
- Video Library: limited selection of VHS and DVD movies
- CD Player
- Kitchen
- Full Kitchen: New propane stove, electronic ignition. Also a new blender and toaster.
- Cooking Utensils Provided: Chosen by an owner who loves to cook!
- Refrigerator: Frost Free, 6 years old
- Dishwasher: New 2008
- Microwave: New 2008
- Outdoor Features
- Charcoal BBQ Grill: Weber, new; also a fire pit.
- Balcony: Front porch runs width of cottage, was completely screened in April 2009
- View/Location
- Lakefront: Cottage is perhaps 30 feet from lake, across the private dirt road, great direct view from porch. Perhaps 5 cemet steps down to the dock. Right on the lake are the firepit, picnic table, and charcoal grill, all lit by a flood lamp at night if desired.
- Communications
- Broadband Internet: Hussey installed fiber optic high speed internet June 10 2009--strong microwave signal.
- WiFi (Wireless Internet): Wireless router allows you to use your laptop anywhere in the cottage, on the porch, probably on the dock! HP printer also supplied.
- Other Amenities
- 40' seasonal dock with octagon, 14' fishing boat with 9.5 hp motor, 7 life vests, and a 1-person towing tube. Guests are welcome to bring kayaks. Picnic table. Firepit new June 2009. If you are going to fish you need a Maine license, available for 1-3-7-15 days or all season, online at www.state.me.us/ifw/licenses_permits/fishing.htm. Buy locally or via credit card online and print immediately. NEW FOR 2010: 4-person pedal boat and 2-person canoe.
- Suitability
- Pet Friendly: Well behaved will be considered with an additional pet deposit.
- Handicapped Accessible (may have limitations): One step to porch and entry door; bathroom on first floor, large stall shower, but too narrow for wheelchair access. Several concrete steps to dock.
- Kid Friendly
- Smoking Not Allowed
- Activities (on site and nearby)
- Sightseeing
- Restaurants
- Boating
- Swimming
- Mountain Biking
- Downhill/Alpine Skiing
- Snowmobiling
- Sledding/Tubing
- Wildlife Viewing
- Hiking
- Fishing
- Hunting
- Fitness Center/Gym
- Antiquing
- Cinemas/Movie Theaters
- Other Activities
- Guest passes to U. Maine at Farmington's gym with exercise equipment are available. On snowmobile trail ITS 82 and in the summer we see an occasional ATV.
Rate Details (In US Dollars)
Weekly rentals: May before Memorial Day, Sept after Labor Day $650
Weekly rentals: Memorial Day through Labor Day weekend $850
Monthly rentals for academic sabbaticals/writers' retreats only in
off season: Sept-May,$750/mo +utilities+optional tv/internet
Check-In Time Is 3:00 PM Saturday, Check-Out Time Is 11:00 AM Saturday
50% Deposit At Time of Booking, Balance Plus Security Deposit Due Upon Arrival
All rates are subject to 7% Maine Lodging Tax and $400 security deposit
Contact rental agent for information
Note: Until confirmed, rates are subject to change without notice.
Map & Owner's Profile
Year Purchased: 2008
Why the Owner Chose Chesterville
Sand Pond is 10 miles from a university town with some intellectual life, two good bookstores, a few good places to eat including a memorable ice-cream stand, a fresh-from-the-ocean lobster store, shopping for all the essentials, but not a mall in sight. It's too small for big noisy boats. There are only 30-odd camps on the pond and a similar number on Locke Pond right behind it off the same private road. I like the curvy country roads (in summer anyway), the warm shallow pond for swimming, the fact that I can't see or hear a neighbor but know several friendly folks are a phone call or a 2-minute drive away.
The Unique Benefits at this Cottage
Compared to the last rental I took before buying, where a neighboring camp sounded like a remake of Animal House every weekend, this place is pristine and quiet. Loons serenade their partners every night. I like being able to build a fire in the wood stove, cook for my friends, sit on the porch with a glass of wine and a book, or on the dock with one hand in the pond. You can boat around the pond and never see another human, or wave to children on a floating dock. Most of these cottages have not been gentrified or razed and replaced by McMansion houses, so it feels like a step back to a saner time and simpler pleasures--board games, jigsaw puzzles provided. If this scene makes you smile like it does me, you'll enjoy a stay here.
Owner's Map of Chesterville
I'm a university administrator in New York City but need peace and quiet to balance that life. My great-grandfather bought a lakefront cottage in western Maine in the 1880s and I spent part of every summer of my childhood falling in love with this part of Maine and learning why generations of my family, mostly born in Jersey City, kept coming back to this very special place. Of course I brought my daughter here as a child to make sure she fell in love with it too!
Property Photos
- Front of cottage in late summer; eat or sleep on screened-in porch - Chesterville, Maine- Waterfront Cottage
- Front of cottage, facing Sand Pond (before porch was screened in) - Chesterville, Maine- Waterfront Cottage
- Picture of the cove taken from a boat--not a neighbor in sight - Chesterville, Maine- Waterfront Cottage
- Private dock, 13' wide at the octagon, perfect for sunning and swimming
- View from the front of the cottage, across the dead-end road from the pond
- 14' fiberglass fishing boat with 9.5 hp motor
- Eat-in kitchen, with new stove, dishwasher, microwave, toaster oven, blender
- living room with cathedral ceiling, stairs to second floor
- Cottage seen from across the pond in October, with glorious foliage
- Dock and boat in early October: 4 adult, 3 new child life preservers provided
Guest Comments (7)
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Vacation Rentals by Owner Listing #207124
There have been 4422 visitors to this page since the counter was last reset in 2008.
This listing was first published here in 2008.
Date last modified - November 19, 2009
Positive Rating
Mary Regan , Waltham, MA
Homeowner Response:
This guest IS referring to Pinehurst II, just referred to it as Lake Cottage.
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Kay Cain , Brooklyn, NY
Positive Rating
Goldsmith and Candelaria family , Florence, AZ
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Fiffick Family , Spotswood, NJ
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Marcin Rzeszotko , Raritan, NJ
Positive Rating
. . .We made a couple of memories we will never forget. The first night we were here my husband caught an 18" 2-pound large-mouth bass and since then I could not get him off that dock . . .
Positive Rating
Joe Kaczynski , Tucson, Arizona