Help - two rental houses to choose from!

Hello, my husband and I are coming to Boothbay Harbor this summer and we have two summer rentals to choose from, one is on Western Avenue in West Boothbay (1/4 mile from Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club) and the other is on Ocean Point. The West Boothbay one is absolutely lovely, renovated, very warm and comfortable, yet still with its historic charm. The house on Ocean Point looks at least in the photos, to be a real %26#39;grand dame%26#39;. Description says the family has spent over 70 years in the house. Location is fantastic, but I am not crazy about the living room decor. I know it sounds a bit picky and we really aren%26#39;t, but we have rented several places both here in the USA and Europe on the internet on the basis of photos and we have disappointed with a couple, so we are a bit hesitant. I even did a Google Earth search of both addresses and certainly Ocean Point has an incompoarable location. Any opionions will be gladly welcomed. We spent a wonderful visit Downeast/Acadia last year thanks to TripAdvisor recommendations, so thanks again in advance!!

Help - two rental houses to choose from!

Hi Mukki,

I would choose Ocean Pt. regardless of your distaste for the living room decor. Here%26#39;s why...

Western Ave in WBBH is also route 27 and a main drag. Though it might overlook Mill Cove or parts of the Harbor, there%26#39;s nowhere really to walk, sit, or relax to enjoy the views with cars whizzing by. Plus Mill Cove and the views though okay, are nothing spectacular. Overall it%26#39;s just not a great area for a vacation rental. Most likely you%26#39;d get there and then check out Ocean Pt and wish you chose Ocean Pt.

Ocean Pt. has one of the most beautiful locations on the Maine coast. People from all over come to see it, walk it, sit on the rocks with lunch, to watch the waves crash, windjammers glide by, or the sun set. Then in the evening you can enjoy the views out to 4 lighthouses twinkling in the night.

So even though you%26#39;re not nuts about the living room decor, I think the location will more than make up for it. Plus you can always add flowers or temporarily move the furniture around :).

If you like, post more about the OP cottage and I might be able to give you more info about it as I%26#39;m very familiar with the area. Are you renting through the Cottage Connection of Maine? Or one of the local realtors?

Bottom line is I would heavily recommend choosing Ocean Pt over Western Ave. It%26#39;s what I%26#39;d go with regardless of the decor. Of course that%26#39;s only my humble opinion and to each his own!

Good luck and let us know what you decide and if you%26#39;re happy with the choice :).

cozyharbor

Help - two rental houses to choose from!

Hi Again,

Another thought.

If you%26#39;re not using Cottage Connection or one of the local reattors in town re: rentals, then check them out and they may have something else at Ocean Pt that%26#39;s more appealing. Or in other locations. Parts of Southport Island are gorgeous as well as Spruce Pt. and a zillion other spots. Though it%26#39;s late in the season and you can%26#39;t be too picky or you%26#39;ll end up with nothing, it%26#39;s worth a shot seeing what else is around. But don%26#39;t wait too long!

Again, good luck.

cozyharbor

Thanks so much cozyharbor, you are the best. Here is the post of the OP House: homeaway.com/USA/…p100258.htm -- through HomeAway.com. Thanks again and we won%26#39;t wait long, that%26#39;s why I decided to write to this Forum, I knew I would get good advice.

One other thing i mean to add cozyharbor: we will also be spending a week in Harpswell, then coming up to BBH. Not that that makes a difference as to where we stay in BBH, just thought I would mention it! Thanks again!

One final thing: The address is 243 East Shore Road. Ocean Point. Thanks.

Hi Mukki,

I checked out the rental at Ocean Pt. and I can see why you%26#39;re not too crazy about the living area decor :).

That being said, I know the exact location of the house and it%26#39;s excellent. You have to realize that many Maine cottages are funky, sometimes eccentric, and often short on modern amenities but loaded with charm. They are also meant to be comfortable where you can put your feet up and relax and not worry about spilling a drink or if Martha Stewart would approve, lol. If you keep that in mind, you%26#39;ll do fine with most rentals, especially if the location is a good one.

Re: the Western Ave cottage. It%26#39;s not in a bad location. In fact it%26#39;s lovely, but it IS a main street with cars speeding by and just doesn%26#39;t compare to Ocean Pt for sheer beauty and location.

In any case, good luck with whatever place you choose.

cozyharbor

Thanks so much cozyharbor, will let you know what we decide. :) :)

Hi Mukki,

Out of curiousity, where are you staying in Harpswell? I went through the same decision-making process as you, but back at the beginning of the year. I ended up getting a rental in Harpswell from rentalo.com (direct from owner) but I don%26#39;t know that area very well at all. As an aside, I totally agree about scrutinising the decor! I think it makes a huge difference to my enjoyment--and you have to picture worst-case-scenarios of a week of fog and rain--is the place salubrious enough to stay inside for seven days?!

OH Man!!!

Thanks for the link to the listing. Ocean Point would be my choice. What a location! This is a dream Maine vacation location, sitting high on the rocks overlooking the water. I can see what you mean about the decor, but I would agree with cozyharbor - funky, comfy, relaxed, it may not be perfect, and if you cannot handle imperfect, old fashioned, quirky, that may spoil your enjoyment. But if you are flexible, you will likely be rewarded. What a cool looking place.

Hello all (cozyharbor, phillyuk and NextStopis), Well, we have finally decided and it is, as they say, none of the above. I contacted someone who had a classified ad in a magazine that I read and lo and behold, it is in Harpswell and right on the water at the end of Long Point Road, near Orrs and Bailey Islands. I drove up yesterday to look at two properties in Harpswell, as they are available during the week in August that we have decided on, and this one on Long Point Road is fantastic. The fog was rolling in as I left and it was quite mysterious. It will take us about 5 minutes just to get off the peninsula but who cares? And the rate is very reasonable ($1799 per week). I feel we are very lucky. While we are up there, we will certainly go to BBH and visit Ocean Point, but that house it turns out was not available when we wanted it anyway. Thanks as always to all for your wonderful advice. More later.

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