If You Enjoy Simple Pleasures

Guest: Carol and Lou (New Jersey)
Date of Stay: 08/21/10 Review Submitted: 05/04/11

If you enjoy simple pleasures of: taking time to appreciate the natural features of the Maine coast, watching a heron patiently catching its meals, listening to the ospreys call to their young in the nests, relaxing in an Adirondack chair as the tide goes out and comes in, you may be happy at the Yellow Dog Cottage. We have rented the Yellow Dog Cottage for 8 consecutive years. We return each year for a week in August for the things we enjoy about the "Yellow Dog": a charming cottage that's well-equipped for a comfortable stay; a peaceful location with expansive water views and beautiful sunsets; the freshest lobsters delivered right to your dock upon request; great kayaking (we bring our own); a pleasant respite from the heat and humiditiy of NJ in August; and a very good rapport with the cottage owners and local caretakers and neighbors. If you're looking for a spacious new luxury rental that's very close to fancy restaurants, shops, and lively entertainment...look elsewhere!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children.

Our Stay at Yellow Dog Cottage

Guest: Julie, Michael, Judy, and Tom (-)
Date of Stay: 09/06/10 Review Submitted: 04/28/11

Dear Katharine, We had a wonderful time here at Yellow Dog Cottage. The cottage is so comfortable and the view is spectacular. Our days were filled with biking, paddling, walks, and relaxing at the water's edge in theAdirondack chairs. Lots of reading and watching Harlan lobstering with the tides ebbing in and out. We had delicious lobsters and clams thanks to Harlan, who was so kind. What friendly neighbors you have here. Our evenings were filled with beautiful sunsets, campfires, drinks, shooting stars, and great conversation with loved ones. We had such a relaxing vacation and we will treasure our memories of this little piece of heaven, Thank you for sharing your home with us, We hope to return next year. -Julie, Michael, Judy, and Tom from Massachusetts

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Great times at YDC

Guest: Alex, Jan, and Nick (-)
Date of Stay: 08/14/10 Review Submitted: 04/28/11

We had a great time here at YDC! Our son became quite the expert at mussel harvesting and loved kayaking the area with us. Sunsets were perfect viewing them from the chairs at the edge! Explored Bristol, Pemaquid Point, Waldoboro (Cafe and Narrows Tavern). Thanks for all the great memories derived from our stay here! --Alex, Jan, and Nick

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A wonderful week at Yellow Dog

Guest: Molly and Fred (-)
Date of Stay: 10/24/09 Review Submitted: 04/28/11

October 24, 2008 A wonderful week at Yellow Dog. Our daughter, son-in-law and their pug, Sherman, enjoyed a few days with us. Sherman went swimming, the rest of us did not! We made the obligatory treks to LL Bean, had pie at Moody's, lunch at Morse's and ate copious steamed clams. We spent lots of time in front of the fireplace watching the tide rise and ebb. Until we return.... --Molly and Fred, Rochester, NY

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A very pleasant week of downtime

Guest: Muriel, Tom, Nathan, and Matthew (-)
Date of Stay: 07/03/09 Review Submitted: 04/25/11

A very pleasant week of downtime. Rain showers and thunderstorms kept us inside most of the week, so we had fun playing games and just being together as a family. Harlan brought us some amazingly tasty lobsters. A break in the rain gave us a chance for a fire outside near the water's edge. The boys had fun exploring at low tide. Thank you, --Muriel, Tom, Nathan, and Matthew

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Midcoast Paradise for All Types of Getaways

Guest: Mainers for a Week (Northwest of Boston)
Date of Stay: 09/11/10 Review Submitted: 04/04/11

We've spent a week in September at Yellow Dog Cottage for the past 8 years. We'd never been to Waldoboro before, but loved the fact that we'd be able to launch our kayaks right from the house to explore the Medomak River and Muscongus Bay. What we got was so much more - each year has been more memorable than the last. It's the perfect location from which to set off on hiking and paddling excursions in the Camden and Boothbay areas. If shopping is your thing - the lovely main streets of Rockland, Camden, Damariscotta and Boothbay Harbor are all nearby. We love being in the area in September because the crowds have thinned out a lot. And maybe you're like us - just thrilled to get away from it all and in need of some "chill" time. If that's the case you won't find a more peaceful spot. After each day's adventure we always try to get back to Yellow Dog in time for sunset - those Adirondack chairs are calling us! Some of our fondest memories have been spent sitting in those chairs. Yellow Dog is equipped with everything you need for the perfect Maine vacation. You’ll sleep comfortably to the sounds of the river, the kitchen is well equipped, the living room and porch are perfect for curling up with a good book. If you can’t bring yourself to unplug, all your technological needs are met. The accomodations are great for an assortment of gatherings - I imagine kids will love having the upstairs to themselves. The homeowners, Katharine and Paul, have been so hospitable in sharing their home with us over the years –always attentive to any requests we have. There’s an added bonus in that Yellow Dog’s caretakers are also great people and the husband is a lobsterman in the waters right in front of Yellow Dog! We eat lobster just that one week a year because we can’t imagine anything else coming close. A week at Yellow Dog will rejuvenate and inspire you. Thanks Katharine and Paul for sharing your special spot with us!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing, pet owners, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Great Location - Major Mechanical Problem

Guest: mz4806 (Pine Bush, NY)
Date of Stay: 07/10/10 Review Submitted: 04/01/11

We stayed at Yellow Dog Cottage in the summer of 2010. The location was amazing. The house is set on a sheltered, pristine cove with a private dock and gorgeous view. We rented kayaks and spent many hours paddling the beautiful tidal cove. Waldoboro is a very small town and is some ways away from the house, so you have to plan supply trips into town. It's a rural location, which suited us but might not be for everyone. The house was simple but comfortable, though the upstairs room was a little strange with virtually no light and no electrical outlets. The biggest problem we had was with the water. We were told the house slept 5, and it was myself and my four children. We were very cautious with the water as we were told there was an elaborate water system in place due to the proximity to the cove and that as long as we "didn't use more water than is reasonable", it should be fine. Basically, we took two short showers in the morning and two short showers at night, with my youngest daughter fitting one in when she could. We ran the dishwasher once a day and that was about it, and we had MAJOR water problems. The water shut off entirely several times, requiring the local handyman to come in and reset everything followed by a long wait for the tanks to refill. During this time, we couldn't even flush the toilets. Katherine did offer me a partial refund when I asked, but I was disappointed when I inquired about renting the cottage again this year to discover that the water situation has not been fixed. Furthermore, Katherine seemed to blame the problems on our "excessive" use of water, which was upsetting giving how cautiously we approached the whole situation while there. If the water can't be fixed because of the proximity to the cove, the listing should clearly state that this cottage sleeps less than 5, because in my opinion, it's perfectly reasonable to expect that each person get one brief shower a day. The only other problem we had was the authorized use of the Yellow Dog dock by an early morning lobsterman. Said lobsterman was lovely, but the fish guts and traps strewn across the dock along with the excessive noise of his boat motor at 5am was not. Wish we'd known about this in advance. All this said, if the noise doesn't bother you and you have only a couple of people (or don't plan on showering everyday) in residence, Yellow Dog offers a simple place to stay in a stunning location.

Owner response:Michelle contacted me this spring about renting the house again this summer (she was a guest last summer). I was surprised by her inquiry because last summer she ran out of water and left feeling unhappy about her experience. Last summer, we took Michelle’s water situation very seriously and worked to resolve it as quickly as possible. We had a plumber at the house within a couple hours to optimize the water flow rate and paid to have 650 gallons of water delivered to tide them over until the well replenished itself. We also issued her a partial refund for the water inconvenience. Our house is located 75 feet from the ocean, where having a well so close to the shoreline is somewhat delicate so water has to be used with care. Because of this, we always discuss our well’s possible limits and provide written guidelines to ensure our potential guests understand this and are comfortable before we accept their reservations. We do this not because we anticipate problems, but because we want our guests to enjoy their stay or choose other vacation accommodations if they are uncertain. We have hosted vacationers for seven years and only very rarely have had a guest run out of water. Before the next scheduled guests arrived, we brought in a well expert and second plumber who determined the system was in working as effectively as possible. They concluded that the water shortage was a result of the demand for water outpacing the available supply. We had numerous guests over the rest of the rental season and none experienced a similar situation. I’m puzzled by the other issues Michelle raised in her review as she never brought them to my attention or expressed dissatisfaction. Now that I am aware, I will be looking into them.

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