Maine has hundreds of summer vacation cottage rentals available for a wide range of prices. If you're staying for a week, a cottage rental may be less expensive than other lodging, especially if you have kids. Cottages with shared beaches generally cost more than those with private beaches, and the shared beaches tend to be less crowded than public beaches.
Narrowing Your Maine Vacation Rental Choices
Once you've decided what part of the state you want to stay in, the next decision is whether you want a waterfront cottage, and if so, whether you'd like it to be near the ocean or near a lake or pond. Next, decide whether you prefer a home-away-from-home with all the modern features and amenities, or a rustic getaway. How do you decide? Consider which of these scenarios you find more appealing.
For oceanside rental cottages, you can probably expect:
- More crowds
- Cottages more exposed along the ocean
- Closer to towns and amenities
- Long stretches of sand for walking or jogging
- Noisier if along a public beach
- Going to sleep by the soothing sound of the surf
For lakeside rental cottages, you can probably expect:
- Fewer people in the immediate vicinity
- Possibly more privacy
- Most likely a wooded location
- Going to sleep by the haunting cry of the loons
These are generalities, and there are always exceptions.
What Questions To Ask Before Renting a Maine Summer Vacation Rental
Be sure to ask questions before you make a deposit. For example, if you have your heart set on staying close to the water, make sure you ask for a detailed description of the setting. How many feet from the water is the cottage? Are there houses, cottages, or other buildings between the cottage and the water? How close is the nearest house or cottage? If the cottage is "within walking distance" of the water, just how far is that? One block, two blocks, or a bus ride away?
Maine summer nights can be chilly on occasion, so if you're cold-blooded, ask if there's heat. Don't even assume there's running water or electricity. If the ad doesn't specifically say so, ask! Cottages range from rustic, one-room camps with no utilities to gracious, spacious, beautifully appointed homes, and everything in between.
Finding a Maine Cottage Rental
There are several ways to find a rental cottage in Maine: (1)through a cottage rental service that lists numerous cottages and handles the rental process, or (2) contacting individual cottage owners directly one at a time.
You can find rentals listed in newspapers and magazines, or you can use the Internet, which will give you the widest choice and allow you to see photos, ask questions via email, and sometimes go on virtual tours of the cottages and their settings.
Maine Vacation Rental Listings
One of the best vacation rental services is offered by Krainin Real Estate in the Sebago Lake region of Maine (about 25 miles from Portland). They have a large inventory of rentals (over 250) on over 30 lakes and ponds in the area, ranging from rustic camps and log cabins to cottages, fully furnished summer homes, and a few condos.
CyberRentals has a large selection of cottage and house rentals listed by Maine town or region.
The Maine Resource Guide's Maine Vacation Rentals connects rental cottage owners with potential rentals via its Web site.
10KVacationRentals.com has a limited number of Maine cottage rentals by town. If you're looking in Ogunquit, check out Ogunquit Rentals.