Vacation Rentals by Owner

Great Stay

Guest: carol (alloway)
Date of Stay: 10/01/11 Review Submitted: 10/11/11

I stayed at the Bass Harbor house last week. It rained the entire time, but the place was lovely. My husband, my parents (77 years young and I didn’t let the rain stop us). We shopped in Bar Harbor, ate more lobster than I knew possible. Took a ferry ride, went to Acadia Park and were close to everything. It was like our own little oases. I would recommend this place to anyone. Art, Carol, Norm and Marge South Jersey

Owner response:Carol and her family treated and cared for our house as it were their own. They are welcome back any time to our Bass Harbor House or any other properties!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, pet owners, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Delightful Bass Harbor Retreat

Guest: Timothy S. (Portland, Maine)
Date of Stay: 07/02/11 Review Submitted: 07/12/11

I've rented many houses/apartments/condos over the years, but this house was truly the best of them all, something that the pictures can't fully convey. It's a startling case of the reality transcending the pitch. The owners anticipate literally everything that you might want, and the house itself is wonderfully comfortable. You'll bliss out in the screened arbor, surrounded by a lovely garden. When you tear yourself away to go back indoors, you'll fantasize yourself at home, if you lived with no clutter and tastefully appointed furniture in every room. Cooking was a delight in a kitchen with beautiful marble countertops and high-end appliances. The master bedroom bed has one of those independently adjustable matresses for couples with different firmness preferences. What can I say, you'll have trouble tearing yourself away on the final morning. Bass Harbor itself is one of the best, most authentically Maine villages on Mount Desert Island, with good local restaurants and the more varied offerings of Southwest Harbor only minutes away. I'm already making plans to return.

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, girls getaway, pet owners, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

BBQ, Hot Tub and Lobsters!

Guest: The Rogers Family, Brooklyn NY
Date of Stay: 09/17/10 Review Submitted: 09/21/10

Shawn & Brian - Lovely house. A much needed getaway for a family of four. BBQ on the deck, hot tub out back and lobsters at Thurston's down the road. Woo-hoo! Thanks for all.

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Our honeymoon couldn't have been better

Guest: Beck & Mike Hess, PA
Date of Stay: 09/12/10 Review Submitted: 09/21/10

This cottage is absolutely amazing! It is more beautiful than I could have imagined, and the drive up along the Atlantic Coast was immaculate! Thank you so much for your helpful suggestions and instructions. Thank you as well for the champagne. Our honeymoon couldn't have been better. We will definetely be back again and recommend this place to family and friends.

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The perfect place to spend our anniversary!

Guest: Britt & Jon - New Jersey
Date of Stay: 09/11/10 Review Submitted: 09/21/10

Dear Shawn & Brian: W What a great week he had here in your terrific house. It was the base camp we launched bunches of adventures from. The perfect place to spend our anniversary! Thanks for all your suggestions and help in making this last week totally amazing.

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Great place to wait out Hurrican Earl

Guest: Jon & Britt, West Orange - NJ
Date of Stay: 09/07/10 Review Submitted: 09/21/10

What a cute little place on the river and a great place to wait out Hurrican Earl. Thanks for the short notice accommodations! Looking forward to your Bass Harbor House next!!

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Exquisitely furnished & well-equipped

Guest: John, Eric, Delaney & Sean, Holmes NY
Date of Stay: 08/28/10 Review Submitted: 09/21/10

Exquisitely furnished & well-equipped. Your home helped us feel at home the moment we walked in the door. Your attention to detail, both in and outside the house made it a wonderful place to spend time. A quiet, cozy location really made it feel like a great getaway. Thanks so much!!!

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Great Location!

Guest: Dan & Andrea, Southwick MA
Date of Stay: 08/27/10 Review Submitted: 09/21/10

Shawn & Brian - you have a beautiful place! Thank you for your thoughtfulness and extra personal touches. Great location! We hope to come back soon!

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We love it and so do our dogs!

Guest: Georgia & Lisa, Cleveland Ohio
Date of Stay: 08/13/10 Review Submitted: 09/21/10

Hello! Shawn & Brian your cottage is so beautiful. Thank you so much for all your thoughtfulness. We love it and so do our dogs!

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Your house is welcoming and comfortable.

Guest: Gervaise Family - Deux Montagnes, Quebec
Date of Stay: 08/12/10 Review Submitted: 09/21/10

Dear Shawn & Brian, Your house is welcoming and comfortable. We really enjoyed our stay. It was our second time to Maine and everything we see is so nice that we always say we are coming back. Thank you for your hospitality and your suggestions.

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We truly enjoyed our stay in your charming cottage

Guest: Gomez Family, Wellesley MA
Date of Stay: 08/07/10 Review Submitted: 09/21/10

We enjoyed our stay in your charming cottage. The wine & flowers were a nice touch. Our kids loved the yard to run around in and all Maine has to offer. We hope to come back soon.

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It was well worth the trip for us

Guest: Morris Family - Hong Kong
Date of Stay: 08/06/10 Review Submitted: 09/21/10

Shawn & Brian, We swam in the river outside the house. It was lovely when you're mid stream, but a bit of a chore to get out there when you are not in shape. The best place to swim is Newbury Neck Beach in Surry. The cottage really grew on us over the last 2 weeks. We always looked forward to sitting in the hot tub at the end of each day. Thank you very much for the use of your house. We've enjoyed Maine. It was well worth the trip for us.

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Cottage was welcoming the moment we walked in

Guest: The Hay Family, Cranford NJ
Date of Stay: 07/30/10 Review Submitted: 09/21/10

Your beautiful cottage was welcoming the moment that we walked in and every day after that. We enjoyed all of the artwork and your interior design talents. The kitchen was great...we love to cook...especially our fresh caught fish and the great Maine lobster. We love Acadia!!! It is so relaxing and refreshing after dealing with a hot summer in NYC. See ya next year. Thanks again for a great week!

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Dinner, Movie & Hot Tub

Guest: Cammack Family - Waltham, MA
Date of Stay: 07/24/10 Review Submitted: 09/21/10

We have never rented a cottage before...this was a wonderful way to see Maine! We enjoyed movies and dinners (and the hot tub!) in the evenings together and loved all the sightseeing in Acadia NP during the day. We had a lovely time.

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We felt at home each night

Guest: Anne & Marty, Latham NY
Date of Stay: 07/10/10 Review Submitted: 09/21/10

Thank you very much for sharing your comfortable house with us. We had a great week here on MDI and felt at home each night. This is a beautiful spot to relax and enjoy nature. We watched a deer behind the house and listened to the birds. We look forward to meeting you both on our next visit.

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Peaceful, private and close to everything.

Guest: Mark & Peggy, North Carolina
Date of Stay: 09/09/09 Review Submitted: 09/21/10

Kindred spirits live here - your Mexican tile was in our first Florida house - Mark said we've had every one of these colors in our homes - the woodstove was a test run for us - we'll buy one for our mountain home in NC...better than expected. Peaceful, private and close to everything. KUDOS to you both!

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Not Quite Like Home

Guest: Matt & Salina (NYC)
Date of Stay: 08/02/08 Review Submitted: 09/15/08

We had been to MDI many times prior to our last visit in August of 2008. Everything about the house was quaint - a bit smaller, but quaint enough. Owners left a basket with a roll of TP and similar bath accessories along with a nice note, which is usually the case. the big upset was that a portion of our deposit was kept because of damage done to a table we were not responsible for. I understand it is a "your-word-against-mine" situation, but these owners did not have the decency to return our calls or email so that a discussion could take place. we are a family of four (two babies) who saved up for the year to make this vacation happen. we were ignored and wrongly accused. I did not even mention to the owners that cobwebs were everywhere, including dead insects and that some renovations were completely cosmetic. also, one day we came back to the house in the late afternoon to find a "for sale" sign on the property - we had not been warned that someone would be on the premises while our belongings were there, unsupervised. a simple phone call would have been nice. we have a long history of renting and not once have we ever had a problem. not once have we been treated this way. shawn/brian: I went out of my way to meet you briefly; i bought coffee from you. I wanted to happily meet your acquaintance. people do not deserve to be treated the way you treated us.

Owner response:We have been doing vacation rentals for over 10 years now. It does not make good business sense to withhold a renter's damage deposit unless there truely was damaged caused by the renters as we welcome back repeat business. We personally cleaned this house ourselves this year. The house was always spotless upon a renter's arrival. Not only did this couple damage our coffee table they left the house an absolute mess and did not follow our check-out instructions. This couple was informed immediately via email about the damage we found and the dirty condition the house was left in. This couple emailed us back and denied all of it. Now they are obviously trying to paint a bad pictures of our property instead of taking responsibilty for their actions. Regaring the real estate sign. A sign was put at the edge of the property at the road. The renters makes it sound like someone was roaming the property and entered the house while they were away. We do wish this couple all the best, however, we would not invite them back to any of our rental properties.

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