This house is even prettier in real life than in pictures. Well-decorated and felt larger than we expected. The house has three levels: a lower level with two bedrooms and a large, full bath; a main level with family room, kitchen, dining area, full bath, screened porch and opening to a large deck; and an upper loft with master bedroom. The yard is large, with a fire pit, grill and outdoor furniture, surrounded by tall trees. Very quiet and peaceful area.
A couple of caveats if you are considering renting this property:
- If you can't navigate stairs, this 3-story property probably isn't for you. The stairs leading to the upper level master were slightly short and also had a turn in the landing, so that you had to go up and down with your feet somewhat angled, which left me with sore knees. The master is not walled off, but open to the main level, and does not have its own bathroom - you have to go down the stairs to the main level to use it. This bathroom, by the way, features a jetted tub, but the water when we were there was somewhat rusty (which I'm told is very common in rural Maine) so I didn't use it.
- It's a relatively new rental for the current owner, so it was missing some things we tend to expect in VRBOs - basic condiments like salt and pepper, sugar for coffee, corkscrew to open wine. The host, however, is very responsive to texts and calls, so will bring items upon request. Also, when we were there, the visitors' manual wasn't yet available, so we had to figure out things on our own, such as the heating system (which appeared to be linked to the fireplace in the main level). If we'd had trouble, I'm sure the owner would have been happy to help.
The property is located in the Southwest Harbor area of Deseret Island, near Acadia National Park. We previously have stayed in Bar Harbor when visiting Acadia, which has more lodging, restaurant and shopping choices. However, the weekend we were there - first weekend in October - both Acadia and Bar Harbor were packed with visitors, so we were glad to be staying in Southwest Harbor, which is also known as the "Quiet Side." We enjoyed Quiet Side hiking trails, harbor views and restaurants located within a couple miles of this VRBO. We were very pleased with this choice for our northern Maine vacation!