The Rice Cottage featured in Country Living magazine

This cottage is located in a nice small quaint downtown area where you can walk to pick up some groceries and cook in or go out for a satisfying meal. The cottage has a mix of an antique and modern feel with all the comforts of home including some thoughtful decor. You can easily take a short drive to reach the carriage road trail heads for biking/walking or the mountain trail heads for hiking. We did some biking while there and loved the carriage trail system. We'll have to come back for some hiking next time:) Bar Harbor is approximately a 25 minute drive. My husband, two teenage boys and I had a wonderful stay here! Thank you!

The Rice Cottage is lovely and Southwest Harbor is the perfect location for a visit to Mount Desert Island. The house (actually two conjoined buildings) has been in the owners' family for over a century. Although the structures are old, they are immaculate, with beautiful antique furnishings and high quality linens. Also, the owners are actively improving the house - as our stay ended a truck arrived with a load of new tile for the upstairs bath. The house is tucked behind the Kingsleigh Inn and a little hard to find on GPS. The on-line photo of the cottage is the back entrance. It is also of a style typical to the island so you won't readily recognize it. However, the owners provide turn-by-turn directions and, if you follow them, you won't go wrong. Additionally, Southwest Harbor is a small, quiet village with good restaurants and a market and all the amenities you might need. It is not so busy or touristy as Bar Harbor, but only 20 to 25 minutes away and even closer than that to the national park. The Rice Cottage would be a 5 star in my book except there is really no water view to speak of and some of the adjacent homes between the house and the water do not add positively to the view. Nevertheless, we would certainly stay there again should we return to MDI.

Hydrangea's hide the cottage from the road and line the entrance way, providing a great privacy barrier. Once inside, we felt right at home. The interior is a wonderful mix of old and new, which has been beautifully arranged. Everything was extremely clean and fresh smelling, but not overpowering. I have allergies to perfumes & dyes, so I run from too much potpourri. There is a working fireplace, but it was too warm to use it during our visit. We could only imagine how nice it would be to return after a hike and have a fire in the fireplace and a refreshment in hand. The kitchen is well stocked with most everything needed to prepare a gourmet meal, and the Wolf stove was a treat to cook on. There is a beautiful back yard meadow view from the kitchen window, with a gas grill on the deck and picnic table for dining as well. We had a little laugh about some of the negative reviews and all agreed that we would love to return.

Great location in Southwest Harbor and a great place to stay when visiting Acadia. Even though it is steps from the center of town you don't even notice the neighboring buildings when you are in the house. The house was beautifully decorated with antiques in every room. This was a little daunting at first because of our two young boys but we just moved the most fragile items out of reach and settled in comfortably. The in-law suite was great because we were staying with extended family. It is the coziest room in the house and also had the TV. The kitchen was well stocked with cooking supplies. Chairs outback were great for star gazing and you can see a LOT of stars. The owners were really helpful and easy to work with.