Authentic maine cottage with direct water frontage

a classic cottage with three bedrooms and a very well equipped kitchen. The wrap-around porch was an ideal spot morning, noon and night!

This rustic family cottage right on the ocean is the perfect spot for a simple old-fashioned Maine summer vacation (but with fast Internet). It’s in the best location on Bailey Island: walk to famous Cooks and other seafood restaurants, kayak rental outfitter, general store, post office, small beaches off the beaten track. But it’s also quiet and peaceful. Launch your kayak from the back yard, or just relax in the porch’s comfortable chairs, reading and watching the lobster boats work and the tide come in. I had a few Zoom meetings while watching the water from the porch! I found lots of good books to read in the cottage instead of books I’d brought with me. Lois is wonderful to work with. Neighbors are great. Cottage was meticulously clean and neat when I arrived for a month (my son’s family live nearby in Harpswell with a new baby). Kitchen has everything you’d need for cooking or baking. I miss hearing the waves as I go to sleep. My grown daughter loved spending one night in the twin bedroom and said it was like summer camp. I didn’t want to leave. Thank you Lois.

Washburn cottage is the best location on the island! So relaxing to sit on the porch and look over the water. The cottage is cozy and comfortable.

The property is nice. A few things my husband and I noticed: 1. The refrigerator was not clean. Vegetable bins could have been washed or wiped clean. 2. The microwave had what looked like butter splattered all over. Did not notice it until my husband went to use it on Thursday. 3. The shower is a bit small. 4. Need to post on bulletin where to find mousetrap. Noticed droppings on kitchen counter early morning and had to email owner to check if any mousetrap anywhere in the cabin later in the evening when we notice a mouse run behind the gas stove in the living/ dining room. These are minor things that most people probably overlook, but when I am spending quite a bit, expect at least the refrigerator/microwave to be clean.

Spent a week at Washburn cottage - so nice to go to sleep and wake up with the ocean waves. Lois was wonderful to work with!

As others have mentioned, Washburn Cottage was wonderful! We had great communication with Lois, the neighbors were great. The cottage was warm and cozy, we felt so welcomed and relaxed here. We had 3 small children with us and they loved it, there is something there for everyone. We played catch/Frisbee on the lawn, scoured the shore for cool treasures during low tide, swam during high tide and fished. My 6yrold was psyched to catch his first striper! The weather was fantastic, cool evenings and mornings, the only time it got really hot was when the sun was setting and the wind dies down. The cottage while hot during the day could off nicely for great sleeping (and that ocean air... Aaaahhhh) The kids thought it was great that the 'pirate' ship sailed by (schooner) and looked huge sailing by the dinning room windows. There is so much to do in the area, we loved checking out the local farmers market, but our favorite was reading, playing games and just relaxing at the cottage... Thanks so much Lois for sharing this very special place with us, we will be back next year!

I just returned from our week at Washburn Cottage. The weather was a little chilly, quite a bit of fog for the first few days and we had a wicked good thunderstorm. Some of our highlights were: The majestic Portland Head Light (1 hour) Freeport (40 minutes) Exploring Bailey Island (shops and Giant Stairs) Boothbay Harbor (1 hour) We ate in most of the time, but two notable restaurants were: David's (on Memorial Way in Portland) Sea Dog (in Topsham, 30 minutes) The best highlight was the cottage. Most of our time was spent on the porch reading. We found a lot of seaglass as well. The cottage is fully equipped with everything (but bring a towel for drying dishes). It was my friend's birthday so I made a cake and frosting from scratch. I had everything I needed - baking pan, mixing bowl, spoons, measuring cups/spoons even a hand-held mixer. There are plenty of plates, glasses, mugs and silverware. Go to the cottage before buying spices and things you might need. There is sugar, salt, pepper, oregano and other good things there. Remember how I said it was rainy and foggy? No big deal. There is a cd player, a tv and some movies to watch and plenty of different books and magazines to read. While you need to bring your own sheets, there are plenty of blankets to help stay warm. Even if it's warm during the day, the cottage cools off at night. We bundled up on the porch to read our books until we couldn't see anymore. Washburn Cottage has the best shore on the west side of Bailey Island. You can watch the tide go in and out and discover little friends the tide left behind. In the evening we were visited by a family of ducks and Harry (the Heron). Grab the binoculars and watch him hunt, the seagulls and other birds dive for their food and the ducks swim along. Though it's not wildlife, the seaglass on the shore is amazing. You can have your own treasure hunt. The pictures do not do the cottage justice, it is cozy and quiet. If you are looking for a sprawling mansion on the water, this is not for you. If you are looking for a place that's in the middle of it all with lots to do, it's not for you. It is a cozy cottage, wooden inside which a huge, covered wrap-around porch. It was clean when we arrived and we tried to leave it just as clean when we left. Lois is very easy to communicate with. I have recommended it to friends but I need to be careful because I want it to be available for me next year!

We have been staying at the Washburn Cottage for many years now. We look forward to our stay all year long, as it is the highlight of every summer for our family. Some of the best parts of our stay have been sunsets seen from the back porch, the access to the shoreline where we can walk along the water, the rustic, cottage feel of the Washburn and the central location to everything the island has to offer. We really enjoy visiting the restaurants in the immediate area, such as The Cribstone restaurant, BIGS and the Saltwater Cafe, along with many other restaurants in the surrounding Harpswell area. We have found many hiking and walking trails in the area, one of our favorites being Mitchell Field on Harpswell. But most of all, we just love being able to sit on the back porch at the cottage and relax without feeling like we have to go anywhere. In conclusion, we absolutely LOVE the Washburn Cottage and look forward to returning for many summers to come.

The cottage is better than imagined. It's cozy with it's wooden beams and fireplace. We loved the wraparound porch in case of rain. The bedrooms which are upstairs get warm during the day but cool off at night with the frequent breeze that streams through the cottage. It's a quiet neighborhood with friendly neighbors. We even found a banana hammock that the kids (18 and 16) enjoyed. I preferred the Adirondack chairs and wicker furniture on the porch. Didn't bring books? No need, there are plenty from many genres. The cottage was clean and the lawn was well-maintained. We had the best shore with easy access to the water for swimming and to launch the kayak. We found many treasures on the shores - seaglass, stones, shells... There are binoculars available but bring your own shampoo/soaps. The kitchen had every appliance/pot/pan/utensil we needed, but please bring your dish towel for drying. Small clothesline and clothespins for drying swimsuits and towels. Lois was very easy to work with and she was accessible via text/phone if we needed anything (which we didn't). We traveled to: Boothbay Harbor (shopping, lunch at Kahler's and boat excursions) Freeport (shopping, lobster grilled cheese and L.L.Bean). Favorite stores - Mangy Moose, Sherman's Bookstore, Cool as a Moose, Abacus, When Pigs Fly (homemade bread) and Wicked Whoopies (many flavors). Did I say L.L. Bean?! Reid State Park - sandy beach as well as a rocky beach. $7.50/person for non-Maine residents, slightly less if you are lucky enough to reside in Maine. Portland - shopping, Portland Lobster Company and Portland Head Light Across the cribstone bridge at Orr's Island - Island Candy Company (ice cream and homemade candy), Salt Cod Café (the best blueberry scones ever) and watershoes at H2Outfitters On the island - Morse's Cribstone Grill (drink bottled beverages, their water is not good), Land's End Gifts and my personal favorite, Seaside Creations for unique handmade gifts by local Maine artists. Buy and send postcards early. The post office has limited hours. The best activity was being at the cottage and just being. It was much better than the pictures! Will I recommend it? I already have and will be rebooking for next year. I wish we could stay for several weeks! Thank you, Lois, for the attention you give to this sweet cottage. It's not fancy, but it has everything we are looking for in a Maine waterfront cottage. Thank you for sharing it with us!

Our family had a fantastic time exploring Bailey Island and relaxing at the Washburn cottage. If you're looking for posh and fancy this probably isn't your style but if you want to enjoy some quiet, simple down time this is perfect. The cottage was very clean and had everything we needed and the owner was very attentive. We walked to the general store (BIGS) every morning for our coffee and swam in the sound off the back yard every day at high tide. We saw so many kayakers from our perch on the back porch that my husband and sons decided to give it a go for an afternoon and had a great time exploring the island's coast from the water. With fresh seafood available at the end of the street (Cook's Lobster House) or at any number of other spots close by and beautiful sunsets we barely wanted to leave the island. Portland was close enough that we couldn't resist catching a Sea Dogs game, which the kids always love, and Freeport was such an easy ride we did a little shopping as well. We also enjoyed a two hour ferry ride that left right from Cook's, which is an easy walk from the cottage, and took us around the many islands in the area during which we spotted an osprey and several seals (the kids were on seal watch all week and spotted several more from the back porch). It was definitely the most enjoyable week of our summer and we hope to return next year!