These three cottages, available for rental as single units or all together, are directly on the shore of Frenchman Bay, Maine.
In the mornings, you can watch loons and lobstermen from the porches as morning fog dissipates; in the evening, the sun turns the sky brilliant colors while the tide changes. You can be as active and "touristy" as you like, or just sit and enjoy this quiet corner of Maine.
The cottages:
A week's rental at the Cottages is great for a couple's romantic,
rustic getaway; for families that would like some time together
without the noisy distractions of the city; for singles interested
in walking in the woods and on the rocky beach; for anyone who likes
nature and the ocean.
In addition to the natural attractions near the Cottages, car trips can easily be made to Acadia National Park, Schoodic Point, Bar Harbor, and other towns along the coast. There are historic houses and forts within daytrip distance.
The musically inclined can attend the Sunday and Wednesday concerts at the Pierre Monteux Memorial Conductor's School. People who like to eat will be enchanted by several excellent restaurants nearby, as well as traditional Maine lobster-cooking shacks.
Boat rentals, fishing excursion companies, and golf courses are located in nearby towns. Some of our guests have made arrangements for rental kayaks to be delivered to their cottage for use while they are here.
Each cottage is suitable for a family of four:
Each building is fully furnished, but you must bring your own linens (sheets, towels, etc). We have converted the street-side doors to pushbutton code locks; make sure to save the code for your rental to have on hand when you arrive. The oceanside door is still keyed. (We hope this will help the tenants that mislay their keys—a regular occurrence!)
Our season runs from June to September; be aware that it can be cold overnight in June and September, getting into the mid 40s (F, or 5-10C.)
Most of our regulars reserve by March for the coming summer, but contact us even if it is later in the year than that!
Rentals are for complete weeks only, and run from Sunday afternoon (3pm check-in) to Sunday morning (9am check-out). This is a change from our previous check-in day due to the ongoing tight labor market in coastal areas; about half the properties in the area have switched.
Sunday-to-Sunday rates are $1400 per week per cottage, plus the 9% state of Maine rental tax, for the summer of 2025. May, June, September, and October are $1000 per week per cottage, again plus the rental tax.
We request one half of the total rental charge when a definite reservation is made, and the remainder on or before arrival. Cancellations must be made one month prior to the reserved date if the deposit is to be refunded. The cottages usually are rented from Sunday to Sunday, but the day is flexible if there is no conflict with other reservations.
There are no phones or Internet access installed at the cottages;
however, we seem to have line of sight to the cell towers in Bar
Harbor, which gives us decent coverage on the carriers we've tried.
Most carriers have worse coverage, or none, in many nearby areas;
you may not be able to rely on smartphone services which require
data. For example, if you are accustomed to using Google Maps to
navigate, it may be wise to have it
download
maps of the area before leaving home.
Parties of any size need to be discussed with us ahead of time.
Please feel free to send email if you have any questions. You can also find us on Facebook.
Sincerely,
Cynthia and Karen Virtue
Send email to request more information
Dee Virtue has been the owner-operator-planner for the Sea Cottages for fifty years, but she has now decided to hand over all cottage management responsibilities to her daughters Cynthia and Karen, effective January 1st, 2022. You can reach them at cottages2@thibault.org.
If you are looking for rentals via any of the aggregator sites: Our long-term handyman told us that Airbnb scammers have come to Maine. One of the properties he manages had a group of friends from Pennsylvania get scammed out of $2500 due to a bogus listing on one of the vacation rental sites.
He happened to see the group standing around the building, and went to find out what was going on; they thought they had paid for a week and couldn't get in—but the listing was a scam. They showed him the listing, and it looked legit. They never spoke with the owner, just used the listings site.
We do all of our own bookings and money transactions. If you ever see Virtue's Sea Cottages on one of the Home-away, Vacation Rental by Owner (VRBO) or Airbnb sites, it is a fraudulent listing; please report it. Please let us know as well, so we can be aware.
This panoramic photo was taken near the top of Mount Cadillac. The cottages lie off in the distance, to the left of the largest island.
