Oceanview, Handicap Friendly, Dogs & Babies Welcome. Watch the Seashore parade!

Cagasa Cottage is a friendly place originally designed for an inter-generational family with mobility issues and a dog. It is a sunny cottage with bright east and south light, ocean views from most rooms, centrally located and very joyful comfortable place to stay.

There are two bedrooms outfitted with queen beds, and a 'bunk room' that has a double bed with a twin upper bunk, and a free-standing twin bed. The cottage is appropriate for no more than 7 adults, but there is room for more kids on the upper twin bunk and in the 'Harry Potter Room. Right now we have a crib installed in one of the bedrooms. There is also a port-a-crib available.

Downstairs is a fully outfitted kitchen, freshly updated in 2024, with views of the ocean from the sink. Next to that is the enclosed sunroom with the dining area and a reading nook with a couch.

The 'Maine Room' behind that has a conversation area, card table for puzzles or games, a bar, a gas fireplace, a smart TV, and the special 'Harry Potter Room' under the stairs, outfitted with a twin mattress and bunches of pillows.

To the north of this room is a downstairs master bedroom with a queen bed. The adjoining bathroom has a 3'x5' step-in shower alcove with a bath chair and/or a wash tub for bathing sticky children.

Upstairs is a bright bathroom with a spacious shower stall. The ocean-view upstairs south bedroom has a queen bed and a writing desk overlooking the water. The east-facing bunkroom has two twin beds (including the top bunk) and a full (double) bed.

We've set up the place to be handicap friendly: there is a 30' metal ramp up to the front door. The downstairs bathroom has a step-in alcove shower and chair-height toilet. (Be aware, though, that there are some elevation changes between rooms of up to 2' in one place and doorways are too narrow to be ADA compliant.) It was designed for an elder who used a walker.

Dogs are allowed with an extra non-refundable cleaning fee. We provide food and water dishes, a crate suitable for a dog up to 90 pounds, and tie-outs in case you wish to secure your pet while you're away from the cottage. We clean carefully after pets, but people who are allergic to pet fur should look elsewhere.

Please no smoking in the house, but there's an ash bucket and seating on both the east and west decks for smoking outside.

A main attraction of Peaks Island is walking or biking or rollerblading the four mile loop around the island. It goes through the village but also around the Back Shore with views of other islands and the nothingness of the ocean. The south windows at Cagasa Cottage all look out onto the Seashore Road and you can make a sport of watching people even if you're not into doing the loop yourself.

There are a couple of sandy beaches and a lot of rocky ones within a five minute walk. Be sure to check out the 'sculpture beach' where people make rock towers that are quite ambitious sometimes... way better than sand castles.

There are two decks and a patio: the east deck is larger and acts as the front porch. We often take a cup of coffee out and sit on the steps enjoying the air in the morning. It's also a nice place to find shade in the afternoon. The west deck is in the small enclosed garden and has nice views of the ocean, including breakers off of Cushing Island. It has a round table with an umbrella for shade that seats five and a rectangular table that can seat six, so that's where we have our lobster feasts. The new stone patio is more public than either of those: a fine place to watch the parade of people going by on the Seashore loop, or simply enjoy the view of the ocean peaking through.

The special surprise deck, however, is kitty corner across the street on the back porch of 5th Maine Museum. We often bring a tablecloth and a picnic and eat lunch over there, hanging over the ocean with breathtaking views. It's 10 degrees colder there, so bring a sweater and please port your trash home and clean up after yourself. The museum is staffed by volunteers and runs by donations.

Amenities: wifi, gas grill, microwave, full-size oven range, dishwasher, toaster, Keurig coffee-maker, a drip coffee maker that uses #4 cone filters, pancake griddle, crock pot, cooking and baking utensils, bath towels, first aid kit, fire extinguishers and smoke detectors, handicap ramp, first-floor step-in shower, ground-level washer/dryer, remote-controlled gas fireplace, mini-splits for heating and cooling, TRX straps and dumbbells and various workout equipment in the walk-out basement, usually at least one bike suitable for a 5'10 man to ride, parking for one easily and more if crowded.

Linens - nice ones - are available for the linen service fee which includes making the beds and doing the laundry afterwards. Or you can bring your own - let me know when you book.

Things it does NOT have: no cable for the TV (it's a smart TV, though, and there's good internet), no landline (there is cell service), no bathtub (although there's a wash-tub for bathing sandy sun-blocked small children in the shower alcove.) We usually don't stock paper products like paper towels, plates and napkins, but there may be some left here.

Things you'll find stocked at the cottage: spices, soap, at least four rolls of toilet paper, gas for the gas grill, bedspreads and pillows (linens are available for a separate charge), the tools to make a lobster dinner, a dozen or so decaf and regular K-cups for the Keurig, tea bags, sugar, whatever condiments were left by the owner or previous tenants in the fridge (it's cleared out each spring), cleaning supplies, soaps, detergents, some first aid supplies and OTC meds (ibuprofen, aloe, band-aids), some beach gear (at least one chair), at least one mountain-bike, probably a few flashlights for exploring Battery Steele: this is a well-equipped family's vacation home we open up to guests for the summer months.

Other notes: The ferry costs about $63 to go over with your car and a driver on Mondays and Tuesdays, ($83 other days) and roughly $14/person ($7 senior) although you can buy a commuter five-pack at a discount. There's a store on the island that sells basic groceries and beer and wine, but you will probably want to do some menu planning and bring some of your own groceries. There is a Whole Foods Market and a Yelloh truck that deliver on the island but you'd want to order ahead for Schwan.

WE HAVE A SIX NIGHT MINIMUM: we want this to be a place families could come back to each year so we try to keep the place open for people who love the island and seek to return. Please do not inquire about nightly rates for week-ends: we drive 3 hours each way to clean between guests. We will occasionally do a 4 night minimum in the off season, but in July and August we have a SIX NIGHT MINIMUM.

We generally prefer to start the week on Sunday or Monday: the highways and ferry are really hard on Saturdays. We're flexible about arrival times and departure times; let's discuss.

Please feel free to ask if you have any other questions.

CaGaSa Cottage is registered as a Short Term Rental with the city of Portland, license #: STHR-006279-2024, Expiration Date: 12/31/2025

Keywords: 3 bedroom, sleeps 7+ in bedrooms, ground floor master bedroom, handicap friendly, dog friendly, ocean view