Southwest Harbor, Maine
Starboard II Cottage is an exceptional rental experience.
This waterfront cottage has two stories with an interior connecting staircase to the upper level. It offers a total of four bedrooms. The first floor includes: Master Queen bedroom with a connecting door to a full bath, a bedroom with two twin beds, kitchen, and living room with sliding glass doors to a private patio with harbor views. The upper level has a King bedroom with a connecting door to a full bathroom with tile shower, a queen bedroom, full kitchen, dining/livingroom with fantastic views of the harbor, and a 14' x 11' deck.
Included are complimentary kayaks for use in the harbor, beach and dock access.
The recreational, cultural, and dining offerings in this area are incredible with the fantastic Acadia National Park at your fingertips and Bar Harbor just minutes away by car or the FREE bus transportation system available just steps from the cottage door!
Starboard II is nestled with three other cottages in a quaint residential neighborhood on the shore of Southwest Harbor and in the midst of an interesting variety of boating activities. From the second floor deck check out the ferry which goes to some of the outer islands passes several times a day to the Upper Town Dock (within view); lobster fishermen moor their boats right off our dock who 'work off' the lobster wholesaler's docks (within view) just to the left of our property on the shore. Across the harbor is Great Bay Marina hosting commercial fishing boats and several world class pleasure yachts during the summer.
Acadia National Park, with its nearly 32,000 acres of land offers unequaled beauty and ocean front access. Over 55 miles of carriage trails were created and gifted to the people by John D. Rockefeller provide easy hiking and biking to the summits of nearby mountains with vista of unrivaled beauty.
In spite of all the physical beauty and charm of the 'Island' we hear most from our newer guests that they were most impressed with the friendliness of the community and the people of Southwest Harbor. Most are anxious to make a visit to Southwest Harbor an annual affair!
Keywords: Shorefront Cottage, Great View, Deck, Kayaks, beachfront, beach, Bar Harbor, Southwest Harbor, Acadia National Park, dock, canoe, patio, boating, ocean, waterfront, Mount Desert Island
Great location in SW Harbor with great deck view of harbor. Access to water along pier. Short walk into town for good food and cute shops. Comfortable beds in apartment, and great for amily with a few teenagers, since each can have their own room.
Enjoyed our stay; nice to be on the quiet side and right near town. Appreciate flexibility with regard to number of people. Could use a little cosmetic touching up.
Wonderful location towards the quiet side of the island. Walking distance to good restaurants and the small town of Southwest Harbor. When we return to Maine we hope to stay there again. Perfect location on the harbor. We know the owners, wonderful people. Maury and Nancy
Beautiful!
Owner/ landlords are the best and the cottages are great. Charming town and lots to do in the area. This was our 8th year to stay here and we are always happy to return.
We love Southwest Harbor and this property was absolutely perfect. It has views of the harbor and kayaks available for use. The property is well maintained with lovely gardens and has a private dock which was ideal for viewing the fireworks on July 4th. The Starboard 2 where we stayed had both an upper deck with the harbor views and a private downstairs patio. It has two equipped kitchens upper and lower with two bedrooms and a bath on each floor this made traveling with family much more comfortable. It is walking distance to town which we enjoyed taking morning trips to Sips Cafe for coffee. It is close enough to walk in for dinner, ice cream or shopping at the market. There is a bike rental in town and several great hikes one our favorites is flying mountain. The owners were very hospitable. The quiet side of the island is amazing and this property is a great way to expierence it. We hope to be back soon!
The spot was terrific, and the space was clean, comfortable, bright, cheerful, and had everything you would need for a comfortable stay--from extra blankets in the closet to a fully equipped kitchen. The owners were available to answer questions and very responsive. This was a perfect getaway on the quiet side of the island, and near a number of great hikes with gorgeous views. Nearby markets and made it easy to find anything one would need. Highly recommend!
There are three(possibly four) condo units available in this small, neat complex that is close to downtown SW Harbor. We stayed in Starboard II, with four bedrooms and two kitchens. Our living room was on the upper floor and the entire south wall was windows and sliding doors overlooking SW Harbor. Location: Our condo was a six minute walk into SW Harbor, with its shops and restaurants. There are some very nice restaurants there, a bakery, small grocery/liquor store, hardware store and a seriously decadent ice cream parlor. You can easily get everything from a quick sandwich to a full course dinner. Going the other way, you are a five minute walk to Beal's Lobster Pound, which is right on the docks and snuggled up against the Coast Guard Station. If anyone in your group likes lobster and seafood, be sure to to go there at least once during your stay. Accomodations: Our unit had a King sized bed, two queens and one bedroom with two twins. Our King sized bed (upstairs) was very comfortable and firm. The living room was comfortable and the view splendid. I am an amateur photographer and as the light changed over the course of the day, I was constantly stepping out onto the deck and taking more pictures. (The harbor is full of sailboats and lobster boats, plus small ferries to the outer islands chugging back and forth.) The late afternoon sun on the water and boats was perfect. We were also lucky enough to have a nearly full moon, and the moonlight on the water and boats was spectacular. The upstairs kitchen was fine and we prepared there or four dinners there without any problem. Plus, there is a washer/dryer unit on the bottom floor, which was very handy. I must mention the dock. The dock is immediately off the back of the property. There are kayaks and canoes you can take out if you like. My wife and I went out on the dock most afternoons with a drink and snacks and just sat and watched the world go by. Also, each morning my wife would take a cup of coffee and sat on the dock and just look. Very soothing. Location within the Acadia area. SW Harbor is a short ride from the entrance to Acadia National Park, from Northeast Harbor and from Bar Harbor. Bar Harbor tends to be touristy and crowded, but it is fun and there is a ton of shops and stores of all varieties. We highly recommend this condo unit. Nancy and Jon Dawson were great to work with and very pleasant.
We have been visiting SWH for 15 years and this cottage is our favorite yet. Wonderful views of the harbor, well stocked kitchen and great location for walking to town restaurants and shops. Southwest Harbor is the perfect location for people who want to explore all that Mt. Desert and Acadia have to offer. It is much less crowded on the quiet side of Mt Desert and provides close access to Acadia's hiking trails, carriage roads and the island's good restaurants. We will be back!
We had the pleasure of staying in Starboard II on our first visit to Mount Desert Island. Having rented with VRBO over 10 times, we count on these reviews in our decision-making. This is a candid and unbiased review. My family (two adults and three children ages 10 - 16) and our friends with children the same age (10 in total) rented in July on our first trip to Maine. We chose the Southwest Harbor to have a more authentic Maine experience, away from the crowds in Bar Harbor. It was a great decision. This lovely home is right on the water. In addition to being bright, spotless and surprising roomy (I feared from the photos that it would be too tight for our clans), the outdoor space (patio, deck, yard and dock) were delightful. Everything exceed our expectations. We had coffee on the deck every morning before a stunning view, including the boats in the quiet harbor. When the teens woke, we would use the owners kayaks around the harbor and then walk to one of several excellent breakfast spots. Starboard II is a short 20 min drive to Acadia, Bar Harbor and Northeast harbor. The house is FULLY stocked with everything we needed. It was so convenient to have a large washer/dryer and two kitchenettes. Within walking distance of this lovely home are fantastic restaurants (including one of the best lobster spots on the island), bakeries, an ice cream parlor, bike rental shops, fantastic bars and boat/ferry docks and rental shops. Instead of renting bikes in busy Bar Harbor, we rented them in town and drove all around Southwest Harbor, including a scenic trip along the water to a charming lighthouse. Perhaps the highlight of our trip was a private, sunset lobster boat charter from a dock that we WALKED TO from Starboard II. We found the brochure amount a large basket in the sunny Starboard living room. Our kids delighted in the captain's stories and we even pulled up his lobster traps to find several good catches inside. The owners (who live in an attached, but separate part of the residence) were in no way intrusive, but only helpful -- especially when helping us locate a packages of belongings left behind on our trip that were shipped to their residence. When you rent a home, there is almost always something you discover that disappoints. That was not the case at Starboard II. Everything from the water pressure in the showers to the comfort of the mattresses/sheets, surplus of towels, etc. exceeded expectations. We will always remember our stay here.