Across the road from Pemaquid Beach: a 4-bedroom Maine home built in 1920

Room for nine, a wood stove for cool nights, and the beach right across the road.

Laughton House sits directly across the road from Pemaquid Beach. On hot summer days the beach lot fills by late morning while everyone else circles for a spot. You just walk across. Head over in the morning, come back for lunch, go out again once the afternoon crowd thins, and leave the car parked the whole time. (You`ll still want it for getting around the rest of the peninsula.)
Pemaquid is a sandy crescent on Johns Bay, sheltered and calmer than the open ocean, with tide pools to poke around in and a snack bar right there. It`s an easy, much-loved beach for families.

The House:
Built in 1920 and once run as an inn, Laughton House is a classic Maine home with clapboard and shingle siding and all the character of an old coastal house. Four bedrooms, two baths, sleeps nine, with a bunk room the kids tend to claim first. There`s a game closet full of board games and a living room to spread out in, and on cool evenings you can light the wood stove. The kitchen is set up for feeding a crowd, with a five-burner gas range and the pots and serving pieces to match. Out back there`s a grill and a picnic table. Out front, the two-story porch gives you a balcony upstairs and a porch below, both good places to sit with coffee. Parking fits four cars, and the WiFi handles streaming. The living room has a window AC unit, every bedroom has a fan, and there are ceiling fans, so with the coastal breeze the house stays comfortable most of the season.

Laughton House isn`t just a summer house. It stays open after the cabins and cottage close for the season, and in the fall the beach is quiet, the light turns golden, and the wood stove makes evenings cozy.

Getting Around:
- Fort William Henry and Colonial Pemaquid: about 0.3 mi, an easy walk
- Maine Kayak, for kayak and paddleboard rentals: about 0.5 mi, walkable
- C.E. Reilly & Son, the village grocery: under a mile
- Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, the one on the Maine quarter: 3.5 mi, about a 10-minute drive
- New Harbor, for the Monhegan Island ferry and Hardy Boat puffin watches: about 1.5 mi, a short drive
- Damariscotta, for oysters, bookshops, and a Hannaford: about a 20-minute drive
- Boothbay Harbor and the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens: about a 45-minute drive

For dinner, locals would point you to Shaw`s Fish & Lobster Wharf and The Contented Sole. For breakfast, the Starboard Cafe in New Harbor (the old Cupboard Cafe) still makes the cinnamon rolls and sticky buns people have loved for years.

Two of our own favorites are worth the drive. Waterstruck Wellness in Newcastle is a beautiful Nordic-style spa tucked in the woods, with a wood-fired sauna, an outdoor hot pool and a cold plunge, about 25 minutes away. It`s the coziest way we know to warm up on a cool day. The Alna Store, named one of The New York Times` 50 favorite restaurants in America in 2024, is about 35 minutes away in Alna and well worth the trip.

Good to Know:
Laughton House is part of a small, family-run property. If your group is larger, you can add the guest cottage or one of our three cabins, or book the whole estate, listed separately. There`s a Level 2 EV charger on site for a fee, so you can top up at the house instead of hunting for public charging.

Unfortunately we can`t accept pets, owing to allergies, insurance, and the shared property setup. ADA service animals are welcome with a heads-up before you book.
Thanks for staying with us. Please read these house rules before you arrive.

GUESTS AND VISITORS
- Maximum of 9 guests, including children and infants.
- Please don`t sleep in the living areas. The daybeds and futons are for lounging only.
- You may have up to 2 day visitors at a time. Visitors must leave by 9 PM, can`t stay overnight, and can`t park on the property.
- No parties or events.
- No commercial photography.

NO SMOKING
- No smoking or vaping of any kind anywhere on the property, indoors or outside. A $250 smoking fee applies, plus the cost of any extra cleaning or repairs.

PETS
- No pets or emotional support animals.
- ADA service animals are always welcome, with no pet fee. Please let us know before you book, since the property is shared.
- If a pet is brought without our approval, a $500 fee applies, plus the cost of any extra cleaning, flea treatment or repairs.

QUIET HOURS
- Please keep noise down between 9 PM and 9 AM. Other guests stay in the cottage and cabins nearby.

CHECK-IN AND CHECK-OUT
- Check-in is 4:00 PM and check-out is 10:00 AM.
- Early check-in from 2:00 PM or late check-out until 12:00 PM is $100 each, when the schedule allows. Ask us by the day before and we`ll confirm in writing by 4:00 PM.
- Arriving early or staying past 10:00 AM without a confirmed request is charged $150 for each hour or part of an hour, with no charge within the first 15 minutes. If you`re still in the unit at 1:00 PM, or arrive before 1:00 PM, we charge one extra night instead, if that`s more.

PARKING
- Park in front of the `Laughton House` sign on the left side of the shared driveway (2 to 3 cars, one behind the other). One more spot is in the parking area to the left of the house, in front of the `#4 Main House` sign.

GRILL, FIRE PIT AND BALCONY
- The grill stays where it is, behind the house and at least 10 feet from it. Clean it with the wire brush while it`s still hot and turn off the gas at the tank after each use. A $50 fee applies if it`s left dirty.
- The shared fire pit by the cabins is open to all guests, and it`s the only place for an outdoor fire. Keep it small, never leave it unattended, and drown it with water before you leave it or go to bed. We don`t supply firewood, but C.E. Reilly & Son sells it.
- Please enjoy the balcony, but no more than 8 people on it at a time, and please don`t lean on the railing.

WOOD STOVE
- You`re welcome to use the wood stove in the living room. Firewood isn`t provided, but C.E. Reilly & Son in the village sells it.
- Before lighting, turn the knob on the front of the stove all the way open so the fire gets plenty of air.
- Burn only dry, seasoned hardwood. No pine, painted or treated wood, cardboard or trash.
- Keep the stove door closed while the fire is burning. Open it only to add wood, and never leave a fire unattended.
- Let ashes cool for at least 24 hours, then put them in the metal ash can by the stove. Never put ashes in a trash or recycling bin.
- If you hear a roaring sound in the chimney or see sparks from the top, get everyone out and call 911.

FIRE SAFETY
- No candles, fireworks or other open flames indoors. Battery candles are fine.
- Fire extinguishers are in the kitchen, to the right of the sink, and upstairs to the right of the bathroom.

HEATING AND COOLING
- Nest thermostats are in the dining room (downstairs) and the main bedroom (upstairs). Please set them to Eco or 60°F when you head out.
- On warm days there are window and ceiling fans, plus an AC unit in the living room. Please set the AC to Eco or 75°F when you go out.

WATER AND SEPTIC
- The property runs on a well that can run low in late summer, so please go easy on water. The showers at Pemaquid Beach are a great way to rinse off.
- Please flush only toilet paper. No wipes, even `flushable` ones, and no feminine products.

TRASH
- Trash and recycling pickup is Tuesday. Please bring the bins to the curb Monday night or early Tuesday and bring them back after pickup.
- If the bins are full, take extra bags to the Bristol/South Bristol transfer station at 1 Transfer Road, Pemaquid. Never leave bags next to the bins.
- If we have to take trash to the transfer station because it was left outside or next to full bins, a $50 fee applies for each trip.

BEFORE YOU LEAVE
- Please load your dishes into the dishwasher and start it before you go. No need to wait for it to finish or empty it. Hand-wash and put away anything that doesn`t fit. A $50 fee applies if dishes are left dirty.
- Put your used towels in the laundry basket.
- If there`s detergent in the laundry room, please start a load of towels in the washer before you go. No worries if not.

CAMERAS
- There are no cameras inside any unit. Two exterior security cameras on the front of the main house cover the driveway and parking areas.

DAMAGE HOLD
- For direct and VRBO bookings, we place a $1,000 hold on your card about a day before checkout. If all is well, it`s released automatically, usually within about 7 days.

Direct and VRBO guests also sign a rental agreement with the full details.