Frequently Asked Questions

Everett Cottage sits on protected Western Bay on the western shore of Mount Desert Island, about 15 minutes from Bar Harbor village. The address is 215 Higgins Farm Road (also known as Fire Road 844), Bar Harbor, ME 04609. The property is immediately adjacent to the Blagden Preserve, a Nature Conservancy property, and has no close neighbors.

Try the street address first in your GPS. If it can't find it, try "Fire Road 844, Bar Harbor, ME 04609." As a last resort, use coordinates: 44.38963°N, 68.37705°W. Without GPS: take Rt. 3 from Ellsworth, cross the bridge onto Mount Desert Island, bear right onto Rt. 102, take a right onto Indian Point Rd after 2 miles, then right onto Higgins Farm Rd after another 2 miles. About a mile in, look for a fork marked "215" — bear right and follow to the end.

Yes, we strongly recommend arriving before dark on your first visit. The road is easier to navigate in daylight. Also watch for deer, foxes, and wild turkeys on the road.

An SUV or vehicle with reasonable clearance is best. The access road is owned by The Nature Conservancy and is not fully maintained, so it has some potholes. Low-clearance sedans sometimes have difficulty. There is also space to park an RV in front of the property.

The posted limit is 15 mph — most guests keep it to about 10 mph. The road also serves as a walking path for hikers using the Blagden Preserve, who have the right of way. Please drive slowly and give hikers a friendly wave.

Deliveries can be tricky due to the dirt road. Many guests order from Walmart (which delivers to the address) or stock up in Ellsworth before arriving, where you'll find Hannaford, Shaw's, and Walmart with much better prices and selection than in Bar Harbor.

Check-in is at 3:00 PM or later. Check-out is at 10:00 AM or earlier. Please respect the checkout time — our cleaning crew needs the full window to prepare for the next guests. A $250 late checkout fee applies.

No — check-in is self-service. The kitchen door has a Schlage smart lock and your custom access code will be sent to you by email before arrival. The home will be ready and warm when you get there.

Please: (1) strip beds you used and start linens and towels in the washing machine; (2) place dirty dishes in the dishwasher and start the cycle — never leave dirty dishes, as this can attract mice; (3) turn off all room thermostats (baseboard heat is expensive); (4) return all kayaks to their racks in the garage and lock it; (5) take out trash; (6) lock the kitchen door on your way out.

The cottage comfortably sleeps up to 10 guests. The septic system is large and handles a full house without any issues.

There are 7 beds total: a king in the master bedroom; a king and a full in one loft; two fulls in the second loft; a twin in the sunroom; and a queen pull-out sofa in the family room. The master is the only room with full wall privacy — the lofts have privacy screens.

3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. One note: the downstairs bathroom shower is located inside the adjacent laundry room (both rooms have locking doors). The upstairs master bath has a full tub with shower.

There is a high-capacity window A/C unit in the master bedroom, and fans are available throughout the cottage for the handful of genuinely hot summer days.

The cottage uses baseboard electric heat with individual room thermostats, plus a wood-burning Vermont Castings fireplace in the living room and electric blankets. Please turn off room thermostats when you leave the house — baseboard heat is expensive.

Yes. Full-size refrigerator, stove/oven, dishwasher, garbage disposal, lobster pot (holds 4–5 lobsters), lobster cracking tools, and a Brita water pitcher. The tap water is from a well and safe to drink. During dry spells, please conserve water to keep the well healthy.

Yes — a washer and dryer are in the laundry room. Use HE detergent only (Tide Pods are provided). Leave washer and dryer doors open when not in use to prevent mustiness.

Yes. Bed linens, pillows, towels, and washcloths are all provided. Extra blankets and an electric blanket are in the master bedroom closet.

Yes — fiber optic with speeds of at least 250 Mbps up and down. More than enough for video calls and 4K streaming. WiFi credentials are provided in your booking confirmation.

The cottage has open lofts that pose a fall risk for very young children, and the rocky shoreline is slippery at low tide. We recommend it for children aged 7 and up with careful supervision. Cribs, high chairs, and stair gates are not provided — please bring your own if needed.

Yes — there are 4 kayaks (2 singles and 2 doubles) stored in the garage. Kayak use requires adding the kayak rental fee to your reservation through the "Browse Add-Ons" button in your Hostaway guest portal. You can add it any time before your first use.

Yes. Because the cottage sits on the rugged Maine coast, all guests — adults and minors — must be listed on a watersports and shoreline waiver before accessing the water or kayaking. Each adult signs their own waiver; minors are listed under an adult. Without a waiver on file, shoreline and kayak access is not permitted.

Yes — everyone must wear a life jacket while kayaking. Life jackets of all sizes (including for small children) are provided in the garage.

No. Federal and state law prohibit approaching resting harbor seals within 50 yards (they will stampede into the water if you get within 200 yards). However, at high tide when their resting rocks are submerged, you can legally paddle to that area — the seals are known to swim up and curiously investigate kayakers at close range.

No. The harbor seals rest very close to the property, and motorized watercraft disturb them. Please do not bring jet-skis or other motorized boats.

Yes. There is a stone fire ring on the beach and a masonry outdoor fireplace nearby. The cottage has a Bar Harbor campfire permit, but you must call the Bar Harbor Fire Department at 207-288-5554 on any day you plan to have a fire to get same-day approval. Flames must stay under 3 feet and fires must never be left unattended. Firewood is available at roadside stands on Indian Point Rd for about $4/bundle.

Well-behaved dogs are welcome on a case-by-case basis with prior approval. Dogs must be vaccinated (records may be requested), flea/tick protected, potty trained, and kept off all furniture. A pet fee applies and can be added through your guest portal. Cats and most other animals are not permitted.

Rates are per stay regardless of party size (up to 10 guests): May $399/night · June $699/night · July–August $899/night · September $699/night · October $599/night. A $195 cleaning fee applies to all stays.

Yes — 4 nights minimum. This is a Bar Harbor municipal requirement.

Yes. Weekly and monthly length-of-stay discounts are automatically applied. Returning guests can also receive a 10% discount — contact us directly to arrange a future stay.

May 1 through October 31, when the property has running water. Peak rental season is mid-June through mid-September.

Full refund if cancelled 60 or more days before arrival. 50% refund if cancelled 30–59 days before arrival. No refund within 30 days of arrival.

No — absolutely no smoking or vaping of any kind, anywhere on the property, inside or outside.

No. Fireworks are always illegal in Bar Harbor. Please do not bring them.

About 10 minutes to the park entrance and 20 minutes to Cadillac Mountain — the first place in the continental US to see the sunrise in fall and winter. The park offers world-class hiking, cycling on carriage roads, Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, and the scenic Park Loop Road.

For beginners: the Ocean View Trail from Sand Beach to Otter Cliffs (3 miles, level, passes Thunder Hole) and the South Bubble/Bubble Rock trail (1 mile, easy). For a moderate challenge: Great Head Trail (1.4 miles, sea cliffs) and Acadia Mountain (views of Somes Sound, the only fjord in the continental US). The Blagden Preserve trails adjacent to the cottage are all level and great for an easy morning walk.

You can swim off the ledges in front of the cottage at high tide. Other options include Echo Lake (large Acadia park beach, warmer water) and Long Pond (largest body of water on MDI, with canoe rentals). Always check for jellyfish before swimming in the bay.

For an authentic lobster pound experience, we recommend Thurston's (Bernard), Beal's (Southwest Harbor), or Downeast Lobster Pound (Trenton). You can also buy live lobsters and cook them at the cottage — there's a large pot and all the tools you need.

Yes — Bar Harbor village (about 15 minutes away) puts on a great fireworks display on July 4th at 9:15 PM. Arrive well before dark and plan to grab dinner there, as parking fills up fast.

Puffins nest on small offshore islands and don't come close to shore, but several boat tour operators out of Bar Harbor village run trips to see them. Whale sightings are also possible on these tours.

Harbor seals resting on nearby rocks are visible from the deck with binoculars. Bald eagles nest close by and are frequently spotted. Deer, foxes, and wild turkeys roam the property. Guests have even seen the northern lights from the deck on clear nights.