Spacious Four Season Lakeside Retreat

Chemo Lake is very pretty. It was nice to be able to stay there. Overall we had a good time. There were a few things though that were a bit awkward aout the property. We didn't use the downstairs at all other than laundry because it smelled of mildew. The owner had air filters running down there, which I'm sure helped. The laundry was very difficult to reach. Its on a high platform. If you are well under 6ft tall, you need something to stand on. Be careful going down the stairs! They are easy to fall down, my partner and I both fell down them. The kitchen was great to have and we were able to make everything work. But some of the pans need replaced because they are all scratched up. I was very comfortable in the bed. It has a memory foam topper that is very soft. I did notice that the bedrooms get quite cold at night if you close the bedroom door.

We had a wonderful time on Chemo Pond in this fabulous lake house. We were two adults with two kids, 6 and 12. The house is extremely well-equipped. There are two massive flat screen tvs on two levels. But if you are like me, you might appreciate that the tvs, as massive as they were, were also unobtrusive and did not diminish from the gorgeous view out of every window on the lake side of the house. The fact that the tvs were on different levels meant that we did not all have to be doing the same thing, which was nice for a long stay. The kitchen is especially impressive for what I assume is a second home. We love to cook and it had everything we needed - including a lobster pot. We stayed for a week and appreciated having ample cleaning supplies in obvious cupboards so we could keep the place clean. The washer and dryer made our week extra easy, as well. But the very best part, of course, is the lake. The deck on the lake side of the house runs the entire length of the house and offers different seating options and a great table for outdoor dining, which we took advantage of for every meal. There are stairs off the deck that take you to a sloped, grassed yard down to the dock and water. We arrived during that torrential downpour in early July which added a full 6" to the lake so there was no "beach" when we were there. But normally there is a pebbled entry to the water next to the dock which matters if you have small children. But access to the water from the dock was easy even for our 6 year old who is still learning to swim as it is only a few inches of water at the edge. At the end of the dock, there is a ladder down to the water for general swimming/water entry. The swimming was glorious; the water just perfect. We also did some great day trips in the kayaks and canoes the owners provided. The neighborhood around the lake is very friendly. There is a great fire road on the other side of the lake if you are looking for a long run and the nearby Peaked Mountain is a short, family friendly, 1 mile hike to some of the most spectacular views I have seen, all blues and greens of Maine's lakes and wilderness areas. Finally, our interactions with the owners was just what you would hope. They answered every question quickly and kindly and otherwise left us to enjoy their beautiful home. I cannot recommend this place enough.

We booked this unit for a getaway that was planned at the last minute. The house is located on a beautiful property with good view of the pond and mountains. Close to everything. But I think the owners are new into renting business - if they are, they need to really invest into this place and it will be a priced location to rent out. If they are seasoned owners, they need to improve on how they treat their guests. There were cobwebs everywhere, especially on the deck, windows, deck door, lights - the beautiful views were blocked by the cobwebs on the windows and porch door and we could not walk on the porch without cleaning up cobwebs from our face. We locked the porch door on the first night and then realized there are no keys to open it, so it remained closed for the rest of our stay! We brought frozen food with us and arrived late night, to find a freezer that seemed not to have cleaned in ages! I took a pan from the cabinet to cook and found food debris leftover in the pan. There were some cold days - we could not figure out the heating on the wall unit. Then found a wood fireplace in the basement and found that there is no fire alarm or CO detector in the house. We know a family who unfortunately passed away in a rental unit from CO poisoning, so we are very picky about the CO detector. It was my fault that I did not check before booking this property. We ended up buying a CO detector from Home depot for our peace of mind during the stay. Water has a smell, which is a bit strong. We are used to river water, so was not a big problem for us. We bought bottled water for drinking and cooking. I suggest may be the owner should think about leaving bottled water for the guests to compensate for this inconvenience. There are also a few minor inconveniences like not enough seating for the family on the main floor other than an aged leather couch, dining chairs are covered with aged rag like covers, washing machine and dryer perched up on a platform that even my tall husband had trouble reaching for the controls and clothes in the washing machine. Positive points - a lot of books, games available. Easy drive to Acadia National Park and many trails. Communications were great with the owner, but no instructions or guidance ahead - so we had to email her very frequently, She was very prompt in answering and said she is working on printed instructions.