Everything we wanted and more

Guest: Merve (Boston, MA)
Date of Stay: 07/02/11 Review Submitted: 08/12/11

What a perfect spot to get away without being too far away. We were thrilled to be able to rent the cottage! It was exactly as described and just what we wanted. The amenities were recently updated and tthe codition was excellent. It appears the cottage has had some recent renovations and they were done with care. The owners were easy to work with and fed me well at the restaurant next door that they own. The real charm is the location however. It couldn't be any better quiet after hours but lively during the day. We walked to Bar Island and the Carriage trails of Acadia Park were less than five minutes away by bike. If I needed anything Bar Harbor has it as far as shopping goes. Nice Place! Nice Owners! I would recommend this place to anyone who wants to be in Bar Harbor.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway.

Great location

Guest: Sir Larry (Warren, Ohio)
Date of Stay: 07/02/11 Review Submitted: 08/10/11

My wife and I just spent a week here and found the place to be perfect for us. You're about a block from the center of town and a couple of blocks from the harbor. The owners have obviously done a lot of work on the place since last year and we found it very comfortable and cozy. They were very helpful with advice and requests. We had about 16 friends and family in Bar Harbor that week and we were always meeting some of them for a meal. I consequently got to taste (mine and others in our group's) food and can honestly say that of the 6 or 8 lobster rolls I had a bite or two of around town, none were even in the same league as the rolls from the owner's Side Street Cafe next door. When we return, not only will we stay there again, but I'll not waste my time looking for restaurants. The Side Street Cafe is open year round and caters to a LOT of locals. They really care about the quality of the food they serve. We had a great time in Bar Harbor and owe most of it to the owners of this cottage and their restaurant next door.If this place is available when you are going to be there, stop looking and book it!

Recommended for:Girls getaway, adventure seekers, romantic getaway, age 55+, tourists without a car, sightseeing.

Great location!

Guest: hiker911 (Boston)
Date of Stay: 10/29/10 Review Submitted: 02/01/11

I am so glad that I found this great little home away from home while vacationing in Bar Harbor. This "pied a terre" is in the heart of Bar Harbor which was a bonus (I never had to move my car!). Up and down the side street there were numerous options for dining too (bakery, cafe, Italian restaurant to name a few) plus it was so easy to jump on my bike and ride into Acadia National Park for the day. I wasn't spending very much time at the rental due to all the activities I was doing, however it was the perfect little spot to come home to at the end of the day.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, tourists without a car, pet owners, sightseeing.

Disappointed - Old and Dated

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 09/13/10 Review Submitted: 02/01/11

This property is presented as a quaint and cozy cottage. In reality, it is run-down and extremely dated. The floors in the kitchen and bathroom were sticky throughout. All of the furniture is of thrift store quality. The springs and fabric are worn out. None of the furniture, from the black plastic loveseat (not shown in pictures) to the lumpy bed, is comfortable. The plumbing fixtures are dated as well. The shower had a curtain on the inside wall so that you fought with dualing shower curtains when showering. The shower faucet hammered, the bathroom sink was backed-up (and had no pop-up drain) and the kitchen sink had a large hair ball in it. Though we booked this unit for 5 days, we only stayed for one night. We moved to a hotel for the remainder of our stay. Though we travel frequently, this is the only time we have ever vacated a property. We notified the owner immediately of our disappointment and he agreed to refund 50% of the full rental amount. However, the funds were never received.

Owner response:Thank you for your input. I'm sorry to hear about your unacceptable stay. My husband and I recently took over managing this vacation rental (in November) from the previous tenants. My parents own the building and we are looking forward to the planned updates that we are making in the Spring. We agree that this unit was in need of some important changes. My husband is a contractor and we have already made plans to freshen up the entire unit, replace the shower surround, and much more. We have a winter tenant living there right now, and we are not making the updates until he moves out in the early Spring. Once they are made, I will be sure to change our photos. The furniture that you spoke of belonged to the previous property managers, and we are already in the process of purchasing new furniture to be put in. I'm sorry that we can't refund the money that you were promised, as we weren't the ones to accept it, but if you ever choose to give our property another chance, we would like to offer you a free night's stay. I know that you will be impressed by the updates and changes that we have planned for the Spring. Again, thank you for letting us know about your stay so that we can improve for future guests. Jena and Jeff Young

Recommended for:

Convenient Location, very comfy bed!

Guest: carollyn50 (Mentone, Alabama)
Date of Stay: 10/09/10 Review Submitted: 10/19/10

My husband and I stayed here at The Humble Abode for a week. Everything was very neat and clean. The bathroom had a great shower, and plenty of light in there. The kitchen was adequate. We would have liked more pots and pans, but nowadays cooking at home is a dying breed. The appliances were in good working order. The bed was very comfortable which is a big thing for us! The ease of renting this place from Peter was great. Only a quick phone call with him and then a rental agreement in the mail was necessary. He then emailed me with information that was needed. I had a package delivered to the house before our stay and he was so kind to keep it for me and have it there in the house when we got there. The location of this place is SO convenient. We could walk to just about anywhere we wanted which was very neat. Now there is noise there from the town which was somewhat bothersome, but we are seniors and we normally live out in a very quiet rural area. So the town noises probably would not even be noticed by most people. We were very satisfied with this rental. The weekly rent was spot on and a great value for our money. Listing photos: exactly correct, what you see is what you get. The property was clean and well-maintained. The owner (Peter) was extremely helpful with answering questions and concerns. I would recommend the Morning Glory Bakery just a few doors down. Delish!! The Side Street Cafe is right next door and very enjoyable as well. If we had someone going to Bar Harbor, we would definitely recommend this property to them and would not hesitate to book this property again. We really enjoyed our stay there.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, age 55+, tourists without a car, sightseeing.