My family and friends and I had a wonderful stay in Don's home.
1) The house - the house is a perfect lakehouse. Two hours from Boston, close to Portland (though we never left the house and lake!). Beautifully decorated, great kitchen, amazing views, hammock, dock, everything you need to relax on the lake. Being so close to the lake was perfect for our large group with lots of kids (even if a 5 minute walk to the water sounds short, moving anywhere with a bunch of little ones becomes such an inconvenience). At the same time, between the house, the backyard, the porch, and the dock, there were enough spaces for our group to spread out and still get some peace and quiet. The basement bedroom functioned more like a suite which worked well for our group so some could get a bit more privacy. We were the first to rent his home after recent renovations and I know Don is planning a few more upgrades, so any minor issues we encountered will be irrelevant. We thought this house and experience was a great value for the price.
2) Lake/Neighborhood: The house is located on the southern tip of Highland Lake and we found the water to be incredibly calm (like glass most days), clear, and warm enough for perfect swimming and kayaking daily, and made kids kayaking safe and fun. The house was on a private wooded drive, beautifully shaded, and with lovely friendly neighbors.
3) Owner - From the moment we booked our trip, Don has been incredibly easy to work with, flexible, and clearly focused on doing whatever he could to ensure we had a wonderful vacation. When he found out we had a 2 year old, he purchased a toddler life vest for her, and arranged extra kayaks with his neighbors. He also made sure to fully child-proof access to the lake to help keep our group having a great time, and not being stressed about safety at all.
In summary - we had a perfect new England lakehouse experience, great value and look forward to coming back next summer with our family again!