SUMMER COTTAGE BY THE SEA
Want exclusive deal alerts, booking reminders, and quicker checkout?
Log in now
→
Overview
4 bedrooms
2 bathrooms
6 guests
Minimum stay varies
The minimum stay for this property changes depending on the dates selected
House Rental
Fern Cove is a beautiful summer cottage on a small, quaint island off of Acadia & near Bar Harbor. The Swans Island Ferry, from Bass Harbor, transports you into this gorgeous, tranquil paradise for a wonderful vacation by the sea. The decks overlook the ocean where you can enjoy your morning coffee or afternoon cocktail. Enjoy a wonderful book on the porch swing or sun bathe on the open deck.... the house is very secluded & private. Fern Cove is surrounded by a grass yard (ideal for kids & pets) and sits on 3 acres in a community called Island Retreat. There is a clubhouse and a communal dock.
The house features a king-sized master bedroom and en-suite bath, a bunk room with 2 single beds (plus a loft single), a den with a queen-sized futon and the cozy green room which has a single bed...
House Rules
Pets not allowedKid friendlyNo smoking
SUNDAY TO SUNDAY RENTAL ONLY
4:00pm check in
10:00am check out
Bedrooms
1 Super King1 King1 Bunk1 Single
Bathrooms
1 Full bath1 Attached (ensuite)
Contribute
Reviews (4)
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
If you have submitted a review for a holiday rental property, we may also ask that you provide us with proof of your stay to ensure that your review is attached to the correct rental property.
Holiday rental reviews collected via the VRBO website (formerly Homeaway) and syndicated to the Tripadvisor website are not currently subject to Tripadvisor’s standard moderation processes.
Learn more about our review moderation.
Kelly L
1 contribution
Perfect pet-friendly family escape. Like being in a treehouse overlooking the changing tides.
If you are looking to get away from the rushed pace of the daily grind, find your anchor on Swan's Island. Fern Cove is a spectacular secluded and spacious cottage surrounded by all of nature's splendor! A place to unplug and reconnect with family. Judy was wonderful to work with and the accommodations were perfect! Nature is your amusement park here, and the locals are amongst the friendliest, most easy going people I have ever met! No traffic, no busy restaurants...no fuss! Drive up to the dock and pull your dinner straight out of the ocean! Come and just be!
Visited July 2018
Written 8 August 2018. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
jay04kay
You were a wonderful guest....thank you for enjoying our very special place!
Written 9 August 2018. This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Mike41754
Orange, MA2 contributions
Utterly Lovely
This house is so well cared for. It is comfortable, clean and welcoming. The decks are spacious, also with comfortable furniture, and perfect for morning yoga! The view, well, the view is spectacular. We and our dogs spent much time on the deck just gazing, reading, more gazing, more reading. We thoroughly enjoyed our week here.
Visited July 2018
Written 6 August 2018. This review is the subjective opinion of an individual traveller and not of Tripadvisor LLC nor of its partners. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
jay04kay
Thank you...I am so glad you were able to enjoy your week of serenity....come back!
Written 8 August 2018. This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
teamz2016
2 contributions
A lovely escape from the grind
My husband and I needed a vacation. Not a "go visit the family" vacation but a true "unplug and unwind" get-away. Enter Summer Cottage by the Sea on Swans Island, ME. The drive up was lovely (we live in MA) and the ferry over to the island was relaxing. After a 10min drive, tops, we arrived at this little gem which is tucked away from the road and surrounded by wild ferns, lilies, columbine, bee balm, etc (can ya tell I like flowers?). While some may feel this place is too big for 2 folks (sleeps, at least, 6), we loved having the space all to ourselves. However, most of our time was spent on the wonderful porch which spans the back of the house. It looks right out onto Black Cove and the breeze was always perfect! From an amenities perspective, this place was spot-on: decent size kitchen, 2 bathrooms, sitting room with a DVD player, outside shower (LOVED!), small charcoal grill, games, fans, canoe / rowboat, etc. There is no Wifi and no cable tv; we didn't miss them at all. When we needed to stretch our legs, we drove around the island, walked to Fine Sand Beach, checked out the clubhouse, toured the lighthouse, and got to the know the lovely folks at Tims Island Store. We arrived home feeling relaxed, refreshed, and ready to go. A great vacation, soup to nuts!
Visited July 2018
Written 23 July 2018. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
jay04kay
Thank you for this great review....we love everything that you mentioned too🌅🌿🚣🏼♂️...for 40 years!
Written 6 August 2018. This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Nancy S
Adairsville, GA13 contributions
Laid back alternative to touristy Down East towns
Years ago I stayed at Fern Cove Cottage (the year the library burnt down — the new one is lovely) and returned again last August with my boyfriend. We reserved a spot on the ferry for our car so we could bring our bikes, my art supplies, and his fishing gear! I had forgotten how perfect the location is: the harbor is one of the prettiest in Maine, and the views off the cottages new wrap-around decks were incredible.
Every morning we watched the sunrise with coffee and then would go on a walk along the road or off into trails. Frank would go off clamming in the cove, fishing in the harbor and even went deep sea fishing one day. Most of the time I was painting the water view from the deck, although twice I went “plein air painting” around the island (I now have plenty of reference photos of lobster pounds, the lighthouse and other sites.) One day we took out the canoe spotted osprey & an eagle!
The seafood was dynamite. We couldn’t get enough lobster. Although peace and quiet was our dominant theme, we invited some other visitors over to enjoy our fire and ended up finishing a jigsaw puzzle together! We appreciated all the improvements and upgrades making Fern Cove a charming, classic cottage, that is so, so comfortable. Our only disappointment was we didn’t know about the Sweet Charity Music Festival that we just missed. We will be back, but want to remember to book reservations around that event to see what it is like.
Visited August 2017
Written 25 March 2018. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Showing results 1-4 of 4
What this rental offers
Location info
- Kid friendly
Kitchen and dining
- Cooker
- Grill
- Microwave
- Refrigerator
- Toaster
Outdoor amenities
- Private yard
- Deck
Indoor amenities
- Fireplace
Scenic views
- Waterfront views
- Ocean views
Services
- Housekeeping included
Additional amenities
- Boat available
Entertainment
- DVD player
- Television
Location features
- Waterfront location
Bathroom and laundry
- Linens provided
- Washer
- Dryer
- Towels provided
- Iron
Map
Getting there
Bangor Intl Airport
48 mi
Bar Harbor Airport
20.1 mi
Restaurants
Carrying place Take Out
7 min
Swan's Island Fisherman's Co-op
1.7 mi
Coffee Love
2.9 mi
Attractions
Swan's Island Historical Society
15 min • Speciality Museums
Swan's Island Baptist Church
2.1 mi • Churches & Cathedrals
Swan's Island Church of God
2.2 mi • Churches & Cathedrals
About the neighbourhood
There is a general store on the island that stocks all of the essentials and many gourmet items. This is a dry island, so you will need to import your spirits from the mainland. The island also has a small take-out establishment where you can enjoy some of the ocean's bounty as well as many luncheon & dinner specialties. The lobster co-op is down by the pier so you can pamper yourself with a "Downeast" dinner.
There is a Post Office & Library (both have internet service).
The Quarry is a fresh water swimming area and offers a beautiful view from above the cliffs.
Visit the Swans Island Lighthouse for a beautiful view of the harbor.
Getting around
You will need a car on the island. There is a rowboat & canoe on the premises.
There is a free Island Explorer bus (www.exploreacadia dot com) on the mainland that meets the ferry and travels through Southwest Harbor to Bar Harbor.
Access
Car required
How to get there
Swans Island Ferry from Bass Harbor
http://maine.gov/mdot/ferry/swansisland/
About this property
- First, check the Availability tab on this page to see if your dates are available. If they are, contact the owner via the Tripadvisor Rental Inbox to confirm availability.
- If the owner has provided contact information, you may contact him or her directly. If not, you can contact the owner via the Tripadvisor Rental Inbox. This inbox is created after you send your first message or booking request to the owner
- You can send another message via the Tripadvisor Rental Inbox to check if the property is still available. If the owner has listed a phone number, you can also call to follow up. send enquiries to other properties. If you still don't hear from the owner, Tripadvisor recommends that you send enquiries to other properties.
- If the owner approves your stay, he or she will let you know which forms of payment are accepted. This owner does not currently accept payments via the Tripadvisor inbox. You can ask him or her to sign up; payments made via the Tripadvisor Rental Inbox are covered by our Peace of Mind Protection.
- If you would like payment protection, ask the owner to sign up to accept online payments on Tripadvisor. Payments made via the Tripadvisor Rental Inbox are covered by our Peace of Mind Protection.
This property is affiliated with 
All bookings are direct with the owner
All bookings are direct with the owner Property #FKN2228570914
Frequently Asked Questions about SUMMER COTTAGE BY THE SEA
- SUMMER COTTAGE BY THE SEA is able to accommodate up to 6 guests. See all property details.
- SUMMER COTTAGE BY THE SEA has 2 bathrooms available. See all property details.
- SUMMER COTTAGE BY THE SEA has 4 bedrooms available. See all property details.
- Stays at SUMMER COTTAGE BY THE SEA must last at least 7 nights. See all property details.