Vacation Rentals by Owner

Come Relax, Book Now Summer 2013!! *Free Wifi* [#226318] | View Property

Brooksville
House, 4 Bedrooms + Convertible bed(s), 2 Baths (Sleeps 7-8)
$700-$950/wk
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Traveler Reviews (16)

• We'd go again and again!

  We'd go again and again!

  • Guest Helena
  • Date of stay 09/08/12
  • Review Submitted 09/18/12
  So enjoyed our time at Orchard House! The beds were comfy, the breezes blowing through the big windows were lovely, and the big, open kitchen/living room was perfect for our group! There was so much to do within just a few minutes' drive. Acadia and Bar Harbor are great, but we were thrilled with Holbrook Island Sanctuary, the town of Blue Hill, and Walker's Pond, too! Highly recommend the co-op in Blue Hill. Great family vacation!

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, families with young children.

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• The Perfect Maine Vacation

  The Perfect Maine Vacation

  • Guest The DeWitt Five
  • Date of stay 08/04/12
  • Review Submitted 10/08/12
  Our family of five (two adults and three children--ages 7, 8, 10) stayed at Orchard House for three weeks in August and could not have asked for more. It was better than advertised and our best family vacation to date. The residence was very private with plenty of space on the property and in the house for the five of us to spread out and enjoy ourselves. The house was clean (we loved the tile and hardwood floors!) and well-maintained. Sean and Sally were very helpful answering our questions promptly. We brought our bikes, and the kids loved going up and down the drive and the hill to the lake. The deck was spacious and all of us enjoyed the outdoor shower and the beautiful starry skies at night. The kitchen was well stocked with everything we needed, and the bathrooms were well-appointed. We all discovered favorite books in the literally hundreds scattered throughout the house, but the Blue Hill Library also provided an unlimited assortment of books, cds, and dvds. The location is outstanding. The property is on a lake but within five minutes of several isolated ocean beaches. Brooksville and Blue Hill are very convenient drives for farmer's markets, groceries (Tradewinds), and health food (Blue Hill Co-op). Orchard House was a perfect launching point for trips to Acadia, Stonington, Fort Knox, Lubec, the Bold Coast, and the Schoodic Peninsula. Every little village was a gem--Brooklin, Castine, Sedgwick, Penobscot. We would definitely recommend Orchard House, and it will be at the top of our list for our next Maine vacation.

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, families with teenagers, families with young children, sightseeing.

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• Great Maine Getaway

  Great Maine Getaway

  • Guest Katrina
  • Date of stay 07/14/12
  • Review Submitted 07/23/12
  We've just returned from our stay at Orchard House and are already picking dates for a return visit in 2013. Sally and Sean provided a home away from home vacation experience with a comfortably furnished living area, fresh crisp linens on the beds, fully appointed kitchen, and a deck that extended the living area outdoors. Within easy driving distance of so many lovely little areas including Blue Hill, Brooklin, Ellsworth and Bar Harbor, Stonington, Brooksville and our favorite water spot Naskeag Point. We explored the Holbrook Island Sanctuary and the daily farmers markets in each of the surrounding towns and feasted on fresh lobsters from local fishermen (Bucks Harbor and Brooklin) Private without being remote, this was an ideal getaway location for our family of four.

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, families with teenagers, girls getaway, sightseeing.

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• Beautiful Home in a Great Location

  Beautiful Home in a Great Location

  • Guest Stephen D.
  • Date of stay 06/30/12
  • Review Submitted 07/14/12
  Our family of five, including 3 young children, has been traveling to Maine for the past 8 years. We found the Orchard House to be remarkably clean and superbly maintained and managed. The location was exactly what we were looking for between scenic Blue Hill and Stonington. It has a remote feel to the property with a nice distance from neighbors yet close to all the local attractions including Acadia National Park. We found Sally to be a great wealth of information on every thought imaginable, including remote accessible beaches and good restaurants. The home is furnished beautifully with modern appliances including a stereo with speakers on the deck. Very impressive and clean home! We wholeheartedly recommend the Orchard House for a worry free and fun stay in Downeast Maine. It was the vacation of our dreams at a very affordable price. Thank you Sally and Sean!

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• Wonderful place to stay!

  Wonderful place to stay!

  • Guest Sally
  • Date of stay 09/02/11
  • Review Submitted 09/05/11
  What a beautiful home and fantastic owners! Sally and Sean have done a fantastic job of making every guest feel very welcome, and informed about places to go and things to see. The kitchen is amazing - didn't want to eat out! The home was spotless, with wonderful light and made you just want to relax. The house is beautiful! The outdoor activities in the area are plentiful. Holbrook Santuary - kayaking over to Castine. The islands off Deer Isle...beautiful! Listening to the Loons - fantastic! It was always nice to come home to Orchard House after a full day's activity. I would highly recommend visiting Orchard House. I can't wait to go back!

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• Gracious Owners, Lovely House...Go and Relax!

  Gracious Owners, Lovely House...Go and Relax!

  • Guest Heather W.
  • Date of stay 08/06/11
  • Review Submitted 08/25/11
  Don't get me wrong...the house is wonderful. But it's the owners and the way they manage the house and the process that makes renting this house a five-star experience. From the initial response to my inquiry (friendly and super fast) to the directions and "what-to-do binder" that everyone talks about (informative and thorough) to help with and follow-up on a (very minor) issue we had upon arrival ...Sally & Sean were the most extraordinarily gracious and thoughtful hosts. As for the house itself...the pictures pretty much speak for themselves. It's lovely (hand-built by Sean...see the photo album) and spotless and proved to be a warm & cozy "home" to return to after our time out & about during an often rainy week. We didn't know the area at all and found that we were a little further off the beaten path than we expected. But, given the fact that we were just looking to relax, the area proved to be perfect (when the weather cooperated) to just head out and see what we could see. We loved mooching around in Blue Hill and made C Shells our go-to spot for breakfast and lunch (try the lobster roll - 2 full lbs. of lobster meat - yum!). We also have to give a shout out to Morton's Moo in Ellsworth for fresh, homemade ice cream. It is a hike (though on the way to Acadia/Bar Harbor) but its owners are so delightful and the treats so tasty that we ended up planning a night's dinner in the area just to go back a second time!

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

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• Beautiful home in Maine!!

  Beautiful home in Maine!!

  • Guest Theresa
  • Date of stay 07/30/11
  • Review Submitted 08/09/11
  My family of 7 recently stayed at the Orchard House for a week. We had a great time and found Orchard House very relaxing and comfortable. Very clean, organized and plenty of room for our 5 children. We played soccer and football in the yard. We enjoyed visiting Acadia many days and returning to Orchard House for an enjoyable evening. Sally, the owner, was extrememly helpful and pleasant to work with. We loved having the windows open and breathing that cool mountain air. We would highly recommend this vacation home to families and those wishing to visit Maine. Thank you Sally and Sean for opening your house to us...we all have truly wonderful memories of our stay at Orchard House.

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, sightseeing.

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• The perfect Maine vacation!

  The perfect Maine vacation!

  • Guest Chris
  • Date of stay 07/23/11
  • Review Submitted 08/05/11
  My family and I (wife and two children, 12 & 10) could not have been happier with our first vacation in Maine, and no small part of this awesome week was due to the Orchard House! Being a family that likes to cook (and eat), we found the kitchen to be perfect. The island was great for reading, playing games, watching tv and of course for the big end of the week Lobster dinner! (You HAVE to get your lobsters at the Stonington Co-Op! Directions are in the book on the coffee table of course.) We did some fishing down at Walker Pond and like the last reviewer, I saw the Eagle too. The Eagle had more luck than I did that morning unfortunately. We also saw the family of turkeys and the deer. Sitting out on the deck at night and enjoying the absolute quite and the stars was a nice way to relax after a busy day. The bed in the master bedroom was so comfortable, and with the windows open and the cool air coming in we slept better than we do at home! Sean & Sally provided incredible information on local places to eat, shop and sight see. Included in the information were addresses, phone numbers, websites, menus and directions from Orchard House. I recommend Bagaduce Lunch, El El Frijoles and the Barncastle for lunch or dinner. All were great. We visited several places in Blue Hill. Blue Hill Books, the Blue Hill Co-Op and the town park. The kids enjoyed the rocky beach at low tide. We recommend reading through the big book of info on the coffee table and the guest book. The only things we knew we wanted to do in Maine was visit Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor. Everything else we found was listed in these books. The Orchard House is a place I could have stayed at for MUCH longer than a week. I would recommend it to anyone and would certainly stay there again!

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

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• Wow! We loved this place!

  Wow! We loved this place!

  • Guest Sam
  • Date of stay 07/16/11
  • Review Submitted 07/27/11
  The description of this house was spot on and we found it super clean and ready for us upon arrival. Sally/Sean were great hosts, from the well stocked kitchen to the beautiful spacious home, great sound system and comfy bed. Sally provided great "things to do" in the local area and the information in the home was very helpful in steering us toward some great places to eat and shop. This was the perfect quiet setting for our honeymoon and a great stay in Maine. It is convenient to Blue Hill, Ellsworth, Castine, Stonington and Acadia National Park. The lake setting was glorious, with sightings of an eagle eating a fish on the rock on the shoreline of the property, turkey in the yard and deer roaming the property. We rented kayaks and paddled the lake every day. The outside shower was a great addition to this home…the setting was private and we loved showering there every day at least once. The indoor shower (with the heated towel rack) was great and we also enjoyed it once or twice as well This is a beautiful place to stay and I would recommend it to anyone wanting a great location, a beautiful setting in the best of what Maine has to offer. RENT IT NOW BEFORE SOMEBODY ELSE DOES!

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, families with teenagers, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

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• We had a fun week at Orchard House

  We had a fun week at Orchard House

  • Guest Chris
  • Date of stay 07/09/11
  • Review Submitted 09/07/11
  My family and I (wife and four children 17, 15, 13, & 11) found Orchard House to be a very nice vacation home. The open floor plan, the comfy furniture, the eat-in kitchen, the deck, the woods, the pond, the solitude; were all very relaxing. Additionally, the attractive décor, the well stocked kitchen (w/ lobster pot), the large side-by-side refrigerator, the grill, the stereo (with indoor and outdoor speakers), the large variety of books and videos, the large laundry area, the ceiling fans, and windows on every wall of the house that can be opened up to let the fresh air in, are some of the things you don’t necessarily see in the pictures, that make Orchard House special. The local information provided by the owner was appreciated as well. We very much enjoyed El El Frijoles, the Stonington Co-Op, and especially Barncastle Pizza (with blueberry wine). My wife and daughters also loved the many cookbooks provided. Besides the recipe for steaming lobsters (which was very helpful for us Ohioans), we tried several of the desert recipes. All were excellent. We found plenty of nearby beaches and lighthouses. We went to Sand Beach in Stonington, Sand Beach in Acadia, the Beach at Echo Lake, Causeway Beach, the beach in front of the Pumpkin Island Lighthouse, Bass Harbor Head Light, and Dyce Head Light in Castine, not to mention swimming in Walker Pond 3 different times. My girls found many interesting and colorful stones, seashells, and bits of sea glass on the various beaches, and made their own jewelry on the lone rainy afternoon we experienced. Our stay at Orchard House was definitely a comfortable, memorable, and enjoyable vacation.

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, families with teenagers, romantic getaway.

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• what a getaway

  what a getaway

  • Guest Lisa
  • Date of stay 10/02/10
  • Review Submitted 10/19/10
  The Orchard House is both luxurious and comfortable. If you are looking for a getaway tucked into the woods but very near the Maine coast, look no further. The kitchen is outstanding. Loved the deck - great for star gazing, cook out, reading a book, or just hanging out. And that shower!!! For a long stay, you can't beat that huge utility room. Can I just move in? To future guests who might have trouble maneuvering stairs, keep in mind that the living area is on the second floor. Which makes the deck so much more enjoyable.

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

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• Orchard House - Memories for Life!

  Orchard House - Memories for Life!

  • Guest Lisa
  • Date of stay 08/02/10
  • Review Submitted 09/11/10
  Our stay at the Orchard House was in August 2010. We traveled with our three Teen/Young Adult Children. What a wonderful trip! The Orchard House was clean, beautiful and spacious. Our children enjoyed having their own private spaces(something they are not use to in the travel trailer)! The home was clean and the furnishings were top notch! We thought the photos showed a beautiful home, but in person it was magnificant. We especially enjoyed the kitchen area where we could cook together and played many games at the counter/table! The kids favorite activity was purchasing lobsters off the dock at Stonington Coop and cooking our own lobster dinners at the Orchard House. Yes... the library had a cookbook we found very helpful! We appreciated the book put together by Sally and Sean containing information on places to eat and attractions to visit. Thank you to Sean and Sally for sharing their home that allowed us to have the "Best Vacation Ever"! (quote from the 20 year old) We tell everyone what a wonderful rental place we had and would recommend it to our very best friends!

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, families with teenagers, sightseeing.

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• Wonderful Way to relax after touring Maine

  Wonderful Way to relax after touring Maine

  • Guest Charles Winters
  • Date of stay 07/17/10
  • Review Submitted 08/06/10
  By the end of a typical vacation the lack of creature comforts associated with your home makes one yearn to return. This is NOT the case at Orchard House. I slept better than I do in KC - the king bed in the master bedroom is very comfortable and the temperatures at night are perfect. By the end of the week the only reason I wanted to return was because I was missing my pets. Knowing that I had such an oasis of comfort and charm made me more willing to explore Maine and drive the wild and wooly roads (ME-15, ME-175, etc) at night... I knew that once I got back to Orchard House I would sleep the awesome sleep of the tired and wake in the morning as refreshed as ever. Having the kitchen that was so easy to use and worked so well allowed me to cook my pancakes and eggs for the kids in the mornings (and have my coffee!). I could spread materials out and make an omelet with crab meat or lobster meat. The kitchen was easy to clean, too - and the materials available were excellent... In the evenings we would use the Weber grill on the deck. The ability to eat in is something that really helps to establish a comfort level. The house was big enough to easily accomodate my family (wife and two teenagers) and then my parents stayed with us for 3 nights and it was still very roomy. The owners have videos and books available. I found this very helpful as I prefer to read prior to sleeping and had neglected to bring my book for the week. The owners leave brochures and descriptions from more attractions than you could hit in 3 weeks. We got to Bagaduce Lunch (yes, try the Haddock Sandwich, it is awesome), Deer Isle (just outside of town, try Nervous Nellies), the Holbrook Sanctuary, Blue Hill (there's an Ocean Studies Place in town, a good grocery and a good library where my wife could work on her masters projects that were due that week), Castine and all its stuff, Acadia National Park and its MANY attractions... we even did a whale cruise - and EVERYTHING that we found had information available in the awesome white binder the owners leave you. I look forward to happy returns. I hope to have several.

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, sightseeing.

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• • Guest David Donson
  • Date of stay 09/01/09
  • Review Submitted 09/01/09
  This house was an awesome place to stay with my family! It is more beautiful that the pictures suggest and Sean and Sally are great people to rent from. They provided everything we could possibly need to make our vacation perfect. It is certainly a place we would stay again. - The Donsons

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• • Guest william m.
  • Date of stay 08/26/09
  • Review Submitted 08/26/09
  What a treasure! The house was better than what was described in the pictures. Sally and Sean have a beautiful rental home! It was a one of the most pleasant vacations that I have ever experienced. For starters, the directions were perfect. We entered the home and Sally left a manual loaded with suggestions of places to visit, restaurants, etc. The kitchen was so lovely, that we ended up eating in every night. The deck was a wonderful place to relax at night and listen to the loons and spot shooting stars. Hopefully I can stay two weeks next year. (I wanted to keep this place a secret, but it's only right to let others know)

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• • Guest Kelly 12
  • Date of stay 08/18/09
  • Review Submitted 08/18/09
  Nice house, very comfortable. We had a great time and it is easy to get to a lot of wonderful locations. Nice yard we brought badminton! Walker Pond is great for the kids. We would highly recommend and will come back on our next trip to Maine! The big kitchen island was great.

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