Sleeps | 6 |
Bedrooms | 2 |
Bathrooms | 1 |
Property type | house |
Minimum Stay | 0 - 7 nights |
Welcome to the Crow's Nest, we'd love to have you join us to experience this special place.
Rates and availability are listed for the upcoming season.
We're planning some exciting renovations and updates in early 2018, to refresh the kitchen and amenities in time for the 2018 season. Current photos are of the 2017 home, keep an eye out as we update photos as they're available (in early Spring 2018).
Come rest and relax on the 'quiet side' of Mt. Desert Island with breathtaking views of Bass Harbor's lobster boats, resident bald eagles, and picture perfect coastal Maine beaches.
The Crow's Nest is a private hilltop property located directly on Bass Harbor and is the perfect vacation destination on the idyllic coast of Mt Desert Island. From the cottage you can quickly and easily access the heart of Acadia National Park by car or “Island Explorer” shuttle service right from the neighborhood. Staying close to home in Bernard and Bass Harbor offers meandering walks in Balsam Fir scented forests, rocky shorelines, and peaceful hikes on lesser traveled park trails and beaches.
If you’re feeling hungry you can wander across our the quiet street for a world famous lunch or dinner at Thurston's Lobster Pound. Thurston's is known for the freshest, same day catch lobster and is, by far, the best tasting Lobster on MDI. You can even pick out your own lobster! A short walk through the woods or along the rocky shore you will find beautiful Back Beach where you can swim, snorkel, or beach comb for sea glass. While away the days collecting sand dollars, shells, and starfish or just relax in the sun and enjoy the view.
Bring your boats or rent them locally as kayaking is a favorite activity in Bass Harbor. You can paddle among the working lobster boats to get a close up look at the day’s catch and the boat’s gear. At high tide you can Paddle 'up harbor' and ride the gentle rapid under a bridge into Bass Harbor Marsh. There you can encounter osprey, eagles, cormorants, ducks and other sea birds. You may be able to spot a kingfisher's nest in the bank further down the marsh or spot one perched on a tree limb high above the water or quickly diving into the water and catch his dinner! They are amazing birds to watch. Speaking of eagles and osprey, you will, without a doubt, see an eagle and/or an osprey every day you are here. They often land in the trees very close to Crow's Nest and will sit and preen. They are a most beautiful sight to see. Osprey were spotted in Bass Harbor in recent summers teaching their young how to catch prey. They will also hover above and dive for fish over the water by the marsh. As you watch the osprey fly away, take notice how they carry the fish they just caught. The head of the fish is almost always facing windward as it is tightly held in the osprey's talons.
Our family-owned cottage has 2 spacious bedrooms, a large living room with full wall windows overlooking the harbor, a cozy kitchen and dining room, and ample sleeping space for six. Curl up with a book in front of the gas stove or lounge on the wrap around porch to enjoy spectacular sunrises and sunsets over this picturesque harbor.
Front and back lawn areas are ideal for family fun and yard games, and you'll be within walking distance of the library. Visit nearby antique shops and beautiful Back Beach for a relaxing day in the sun. There is an historical society and museum across the harbor in the village of Bass Harbor. Sea life, ferry service to outlying islands & boat tours by water can be easily found leaving from Bass Harbor and Southwest Harbor.
You don't even need to leave Bernard to have a full day of fun and exploration! You can walk along the rocky beach, play Frisbee and other outdoor games on the lawn, or a game of fetch with the family dog. Plenty of room for everyone to wind down and relax.
High Speed Broadband Internet/WIFI access is available to you at the Crow's Nest as well as cable TV & a DVD player for a rainy day at home.
Several of our guests have returned to the Crow's Nest year after year, and we hope you will feel that way as well. This cottage has been in our family for over two decades and is a favorite spot for resting, relaxing and exploring, we look forward to sharing this magical destination with you.
Thank you for choosing the Crow's Nest for your family vacation!
This VRBO partner has demonstrated and is committed to fast response times, the best rates, and a great guest experience.
Our Grandpa, Dick Van Houten, bought the house in 1986 & spent 6 months a year here until his death in 2001. He was an avid seaman, sailor & builder of the model boats. Our family spent many sweet summer days here at The Crow's Nest and is happy to share this special place with your family.
Our family is spread from Alaska to New Hampshire to Washington to North Carolina to Mississippi, but we still do our best to make the trek up to the rocky shores of Mt Desert Island as often as possible to climb those beautiful mountains in Acadia National Park and watch the lobster boats roll in and out of 'our' harbor.
Susie and Skip, Dick's children, are both artists making fine art jewelry and sculpture work in their NH and MS homes. Grandchildren Kiera, Luke, Heidi, Isaac, Eva, and Hans are scattered about in Alaska, Connecticut, Washington, Illinois, Maine and Mississippi making art, pruning trees, building homes, playing music, and growing good gardens of fresh food. We spent many happy summer weeks visiting our Meme and Papa, racing lobsters and each other around the docks, picking wild blueberries, and looking for lightening bugs at dusk on the deck. Kiera spent a summer living in this home after she graduated from college in 2000 while working for the trail crew in the National Park Service. Take a leisurely stroll around Jordan Pond while you're in the park and walk on the trail she helped build!
Kiera Mulvey Bulan purchased this house in 1986
As an avid seaman, our Papa couldn't have picked a more ideal location for his retirement. He relished the salty spray of the morning mist and the close proximity to a working harbor. Tucked away at the tip of the island on a dead end street, The Crow's Nest is the perfect escape from the chaos of life. Balsam fir trees line the paths through the woods and brightly colored sail boats slide past well weathered lobster boats.
Our family always loved the park, the proximity to the vacation-style ice cream parlors of Bar Harbor and Southwest Harbor, and the secluded privacy of our secret hideaway.
We're planning some exciting renovations and updates in early 2018, to refresh the kitchen and amenities in time for the 2018 season, keep an eye out for photo updates as they're available (in early Spring 2018). The very best part (in our humble opinion!) of this very sweet cottage is the wrap around deck. You can catch these perfect views from any of the large living room windows to see the Lobster Fishermen at work...but, very little in this world can beat a cool Maine morning with a salty mist over the harbor as you sip your coffee and breath in the fresh sea air.
This rental is spacious and has a great view of the harbor. It sits on a good-sized piece of property with no immediate neighbors. It's just a short distance from an excellent and informal lobster restaurant. The kitchen facilities are fine, and the decor is pleasantly unpretentious. I really enjoyed being in a quieter corner of Mount Desert Island.
The house was the perfect size and well equipped with everything. The best part was the location and the view. We loved having our coffee on the deck while watching the lobster boats leave the harbor! Can't wait to come again.
Great spot on the quiet side of Acadia. Enjoyed seeing lobster boats in harbor. Nicely equipped home. Only negative is that bedrooms are upstairs and bathroom main floor. So you must go up and down stairs at night. Very good value. Responsive owners. Would consider staying again in the future.
You can't beat the location of Crows Nest - picturesque view of the bay and lobster boats and within walking distance of Thurstons Lobster Shack where we had some of the best lobster on our trip. Within 40 minutes of Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor and 10 minutes to Southwest Harbor which had everything you could need - grocery, liquor, bakery, pharmacy, restaurants. Photos give a good impression of the house although don't show the wear of the linoleum flooring in the kitchen, utility and bathroom. Bathroom was small and oddly located off the kitchen and utility room. The bedrooms were adequate, the best room in the house was the great room that overlooked the view - nice space to hang out. The kitchen was adequately equipped although could have used more pans and cooking utensils. The house was clean and the local contact, Deb, was great. Very responsive and helpful. We understand that the house will be under new ownership this fall and upgrades to the appliances with be made. Given the current condition, we'll give it a 3 stat rating. However, with the promised upgrades, this could easily be a 4 star+ house.
Enjoyed our stay at this cozy little house. Loved watching the sunrise over the harbor. Nice yard for our dog to run. Really enjoyed our first stay in Maine.
Though Bar Harbor has lots to offer, we found that we greatly preferred the "quiet side" of Mount Desert Island, and this is a very peaceful location for a getaway. It's a bit of a drive to get to some of the Acadia Park points of interest, but we found it so beautiful we really didn't mind. We especially appreciated the proximity to Thurston's Lobster Pound and watching the lobster boats in Bass Harbor. You can't beat the view! It's only a few minutes away from the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse, Ship Harbor trail, and Wonderland - all highly recommended. You can feel the stress melt away as you relax on the wraparound porch and enjoy a beautiful sunset over the harbor.
Acadia National Park offers casual strolls, scenic drives, and full day hiking. Bar Harbor and Southwest Harbor outdoor outfitters rent bikes, kayaks, rock climbing equipment and more to make the most of this awesome natural playground. Go on a whale watching tour, visit the historic shopping districts, charter a sail boat, or simply relax on your private deck overlooking Bass Harbor. The Crow's Nest has something for everyone.
Pet Fee | $50 |
Refundable damage deposit | $500 |
Tax Rate | 9.0% |