GETAWAY 2023 ~Visit Acadia Park & Bar Harbor by day & stay here at night. Our 1.4 acre shore-front family retreat began an 18 month renovation Fall of 2018 & only opened recently - Dishwasher, new beds, Hi-speed Internet no data limit. We fell in love with this quiet coastal sanctuary, the perfect place to reconnect with nature while staying on grid. ☪ At night you'll experience deafening silence under the natural light of the stars. High-speed Internet keeps you connected We closed our cottage in Fall of 2018 and began an 18 month renovation & reopened July 2020. Here is a list of what's new: - A newly constructed 2 tiered stairway leading down to Flat Bay. - High-speed unlimited data Internet (up to 25 mbps) allows for media streaming - 10,000 watt backup generator - Movie projector with smartphone mirroring & wifi streaming - New beds and mattresses - New flooring - Interior & exterior paint - Stainless-steel appliances - 2 net flat-screen smart TV's - Dishwasher (we got tired of hand-washing dishes) - Kitchen cabinets and counter top I don't normally recap our reviews here because you know where to find them, right? But here's what Rachel wrote on November 4, 2018... “This place has a fantastic view! It has a wood burning stove which it fantastic! The house was extremely clean and comfortable! We would stay there again!.” If you are looking to explore Acadia National Park by day and sleep away from the tourist crowd, this is your place. We are located approximately 26 miles from the Schoodic entrance of Acadia & 46 miles from the Bar Harbor entrance. Bar Harbor gets the most tourist traffic. Schoodic Peninsula is also spectacular but less visited. Our retreat is in a quiet location on Flat Bay. Tides come in & out twice a day changing the water level by 170". Our girls love to swim in the bay at high tide and then explore the exposed bay floor at low tide. It is a remarkable phenomenon to witness if you've not seen it before. Bring your kayak or paddle board to explore the bay. If you need a dock, there is a public one in Milbridge but not in our backyard. You will often have the entire bay to yourself. Bring water shoes if the coastal shoreline is an issue for bare feet - our kids wear them, I can go either way. The walls and floors in our home are relatively quiet and two of the three bedrooms have doors that open to the Bay. Early risers can get up and out pretty easily without waking kids/guests sleeping in the other rooms. We are dog friendly. Housebroken/well behaved dogs are welcome. Please keep them off the furniture, though. Nearby (in miles) ✔ Groceries/restaurants 6 ✔Robertson's Sea Tours 4 ✔ Gordon's Wharf 2 ✔ Milbridge Farmer's Market (Saturday AM, in season only) 6 ✔ McClellen Park 9 ✔ Chipman's Wharf 6 ✔ Down East Sunrise Trail 10 ✔ Ellsworth (chain stores) 37 ✔ Bar Harbor 49 ✔ Acadia Park Schoodic 26 ✔ Petit Manan Wildlife Preserve 13 You have the entire home to yourself. We are available by phone or through AirBnB. Our caretaker, Mike, lives less than a mile away and is also available 24/7 by phone. He's a great guy and will help you with just about anything. We were social distancing before it was a thing. Our town's population of 1265 is spread out over 73 square miles of land & water. That translates to 3 people every 100 acres. You are not isolated but everyone has their space! Our neighbors are artists, university professors and lifelong Milbridge residents. The draw for us the unique combination of solitude and amenities. Our kids love to swim in Flat Bay. We often have the entire bay to ourselves. The coastal landscape is stunning but the best thing about our community is that the people are very friendly and will go out of their way to help if you ask. Coming from a larger suburban area, this can be a bit of a culture shock. Parking is in the driveway. Distance to airports (miles): Bar Harbor Airport 37 Bangor International Airport 63 Portland International Airport 190 **Acadia National Park covers 14,000 acres and has multiple entrance points. We are 26 miles from the Schoodic entrance. The Bar Harbor entrance will take you twice as long to get to ** Acadia National Park is part of the National Park system. If you have an "American the Beautiful Park Pass" at home, bring it with you! If you're over 62, I think a lifetime pass costs $10. If you have a permanent disability, they are free. Our retreat is two levels and has stairs leading to the lower bedrooms. The back yard leading to the bay is natural and sloped with trees & vegetation. Please take this into consideration if there any mobility issues in your group. If WiFi is important, read this.... We have high-speed internet that is capable of streaming (up to 25mbps) . It's not cheap but we need it for our business. Additionally, there is no data limitation. Many hotels and AirBnb's in rural Maine have substantially slower Internet that will not allow much more than email transmission. In 2022, travelers like us use the Internet for Netflix, Hulu, social media, YouTube and other media-heavy applications. Whether you stay at our place or somewhere else, always ask if the Internet is fast enough to stream (if that is important to you.) Flat Bay is ideal for canoe and kayak launching at high tide but not motorized craft. There is a deep water public launch site in Milbridge. Anywhere within the New England states, bugs can be an issue. Usually this is limited to the spring/early summer months. Bring bug spray. You may not need it but bring some anyway. We are on the coast which helps but it is a natural phenomenon that we cannot control. We live most of the year in Southern California where we pass 7 Mexican restaurants per freeway minute . To our complete amazement, Vazquez Mexican Takeout (probably the only Mexican restaurant in a 100 mile radius) is really good. They even stayed around to cook us a meal one night after closing. That is Milbridge hospitality! "Incredible Edible Milbridge" is series of public vegetable gardens and education initiatives designed to promote healthy eating. The produce at the 24 free pick-your-own raised bed vegetable gardens throughout town and the 14,000 sq. ft. Market Garden at the Red Barn Motel are free for everyone. Our family loves the ocean and the outdoors. This retreat is our 1408 sq ft sea-side home base. It's open, comfortable, functional and a great fit for our needs as an active homeschooling family. If Marriott-style amenities are important to your stay there are other AirBnB listings in the area that may be a better fit for your family. Thanks for reading. Feel free to message us anytime with questions - Stephen & Heidi