Charming 7 Bedroom Summer Home, Access to Sandy Cedar Beach

We loved the setting. The beach is a short walk. We also enjoyed the outdoor fire pit. Kitchen was big and well stocked.

This was our first "family" vacation that all four generations were in attendance. Parents, children, grandchildren, & great grandchildren. 20 of us to be exact, with five of those being under the age of 10. I can't say enough about Sarah and her willingness to help me plan and iron out details for this vacation. She was so kind and helpful throughout the nine month planning process. The house was more than big enough to accommodate our large group. We had evening meals in the great room with all 20 of us sitting around the two large tables. We came from Pennsylvania where it had been hot and typically 100% humidity. The relief of cool air, low humidity, open windows, and no air conditioning was a much welcome break for all us. The short walk to the beach was not an issue, even for my parents who are in their late 70's. The children all found sea shells, sea glass, sand dollars, and had so much fun walking out to the "island" when the tide was out. We walked along The Giant Stairs, visited The Candy Store, Land's End Gift Store, and were able to rent paddle boards for the week. There were plenty of sand toys at the house for the kids who had a fierce sand castle competition. The kitchen was more than adequately stocked with plenty of dishes, flatware, pots, pans, etc. There were two coffee pots, which was great for such a large group. The yard is extremely large and was perfect for the kids. The adults were even conned into a game of wiffle ball. If you want chocolates on your pillow, fancy restaurants, and high end shopping, this isn't the place for you. But, if you want a vacation where curling up with a book on a nice front porch, listening to wind blow through pine trees, and kids giggling in the yard is the ordinary day, this is your place. If morning walks on a quiet beach is more appealing than a bustling boardwalk, this is your place. We had a fabulous vacation. Thank you Sarah for help making that happen.

There were both positives and negatives to this house rental:

Positives:

First, the SETTING was amazing. The house was located in a secluded, woodsy area, within easy walking distance to a beautiful, fairly private, beach. Second, the FRONT PORCH was very accommodating and comfortable for a large group. Third, the house’s “GREAT ROOM” was huge, well-lit, and a “great” place for everyone to hang out. Fourth, the YARD was very large, so all the children could play in it. Fifth, the SIZE of the house could accommodate all 19 of us; 2 of us stayed in the adjacent apartment.

Negatives:

First, the rooms were VERY POORLY LIT; in fact, they were dark. Most of the rooms did not have overhead lights, nor did they have ceiling fans. The rooms, instead, had lamps, with low-wattage bulbs, placed in odd areas within the room, and boxed fans for the windows. If there was a light switch in the room, it was not right by the entrance, so they were hard to find. Second, the house was NOT VERY CLEAN when we arrived. Lastly, most of my disappointment comes from the ADJACENT APARTMENT where we stayed. The screen door basically fell off during our stay. The apartment did not seem like it had been cleaned from the previous guests; it was dirty! The back bedroom where we stayed was very dark, and the bathroom was very rustic and filthy. There was an inch of grime around the perimeter of the cheap, laminate floor.

The setting was beautiful. The house was perfectly sized for us. I loved how roomy the living room and dining area was. We spent a lot of time visiting there. The fireplace and fire pit were great. The kids lived the buckets and shovels. The beach was only a short walk away. The outdoor shower was great for washing off the sand. We loved that there was plenty of hot water for showers for all of us. I loved that there was a dishwasher and washer and dryer for us to use. It is an older place, though, with all that comes with that fact - less insulation, cracks and creaks. Internet was spotty, but every once-in-a-while you would get good access. The owners were very welcoming and great on communication with email and texts. Even though it was an hour out of Portland and a half hour away from Brunswick, there were restaurants and stores closer in and didn't feel that far away from it all, while still being on an island "away from it all". :) We enjoyed our stay and loved the downtime.

Had a wonderful stay, house and apt were great for the large group we had. It was great that we could all stay in one place and not feel we were tripping over each other. The pictures do not do the house justice, it was very roomy.