Cozy garden retreat in the Western Maine foothills

Enjoy a peaceful mountain getaway in our newly renovated basement apartment located in the foothills of Western Maine. Our Garden Retreat is the perfect place to relax after a long day of fun whether you’re traveling solo, with a group of friends, as a couple, or as a family. Start your day watching the sunrise from an Adirondack chair, listening to the birds celebrating a new day. Take in the beautiful views of the distant hills while bees hum through our pollinator garden. Then after a fun day enjoying any of the nearby outdoor attractions Western Maine has to offer, curl up on the couch with a book or your favorite TV show, or relax in the hot tub and watch for shooting stars. Finally, retire for the night in one of the Retreat’s comfy beds, and repeat!

The Garden Retreat is located a short seven minute drive from downtown Farmington and the University of Maine at Farmington. We are also approximately 50 minutes from Sugarloaf ski area, approximately one hour from both Saddleback and Sunday River ski areas and approximately 90 minutes from the coast to the east and the Canadian border to the northwest. We are also only five minutes away from our local ski area, Titcomb Mountain, which also offers mountain-biking and hiking trails in the non-snowy months.

We are about 15 to 20 minutes away from Clearwater Lake, Wilson Lake, and Porter Lake—all excellent choices for swimming, kayaking, or paddle boarding!

If you like to hike, we're within 30 to 45 minutes of Bald Mountain, Tumbledown, Mount Blue, and entrances to the Appalachian Trail in Rangeley or Carrabassett Valley. There are also tons of local hikes within 15 minutes from the retreat--check out our Welcome Guide or message us for recommendations!

We’re thrilled to provide a welcome basket to each of our guests which includes a loaf of freshly baked sourdough from our in-house cottage-licensed bakery, Stellawood Provisions. If you would like to order additional loaves of sourdough or other baked goods, message us, and we’ll send you our pre-order bakery menu.

If you’re an early riser, you will likely spot deer (or even moose!) or wild turkeys crossing the yard (sometimes they come right up to the windows, looking for bugs in the gardens!). at night we will often hear barred owls calling to one another, or coyotes howling downhill. Sunrises at the retreat are gorgeous and ever-changing. Moonless nights offer fantastic opportunities for stargazing. The Northern Lights have been photographed many times just a few short minutes drive to the north of the retreat, looking out over the Sugarloaf Valley.

There are several bird houses on the property, and we have been happy to host bluebird, house wren, and tree swallow families! Please do not go near or disturb the boxes, and enjoy watching them from a distance. If you’re a bird watcher who wants to chat about the birds in the area (or have questions about which birds are living in the boxes during spring and summer), feel free to reach out anytime! Two of the boxes closest to the retreat have Ring cameras installed inside that we use to monitor nesting activity, and we will very excitedly show you what’s going on in there if asked.

We do have a dog and we live in the main home, so no pets are allowed at any time in the Garden Retreat. Also, no smoking or vaping of any type is allowed anywhere on the property. Thank you for your understanding!

Please note that we are located at the top of an uphill private gravel road which itself is accessed by a town-maintained steep uphill road. In the winter months, having an AWD or 4x4 vehicle is *required* to ensure easy and safe access to our Retreat.

A few other house rules:

* Maximum of four guests
* No parties or social gatherings
* Quiet hours between 10 pm and 6 am (no need to whisper, just no music outside or loud music inside during those hours)
* Please clean any dishes used, but otherwise leave the cleanup to us and relax!