Entire home

Island Paradise: Historic Cottage, Waterfalls, Great Swimming!

Island Paradise: Historic Cottage, Waterfalls, Great Swimming!

Photo gallery for Island Paradise: Historic Cottage, Waterfalls, Great Swimming!

Exterior
Exterior
Property grounds
Living area
Restaurant

Overview of Island Paradise: Historic Cottage, Waterfalls, Great Swimming!

Reviews
8.8 out of 10 Excellent
2 bedrooms1 bathroomSleeps 6102 sq m

Popular amenities

  • Pet-friendlyPet-friendlyPet-friendly
  • FireplaceFireplaceFireplace
  • KitchenKitchenKitchen
  • Barbecue grillBarbecue grillBarbecue grill
  • Free WiFiFree WiFiFree WiFi
  • Air conditioningAir conditioningAir conditioning

Check out the area

Map
Parsonsfield, ME
  • Popular LocationOssipee Valley Fairgrounds6 min drive
  • AirportFryeburg, ME (FRY-Eastern Slopes Regional)27 min drive
  • Popular LocationStone Mountain Arts Center28 min drive
  • Popular LocationSebago Lake30 min drive

Rooms & beds

2 bedrooms (sleeps 6)

Bedroom 1

1 Queen Bed

Bedroom 2

1 Queen Bed

Bedroom 4

1 Single Bed

Convertible bed(s)

1 Queen Bed

1 bathroom

Bathroom 1

Bathtub · Toilet · Shower only

Spaces

Porch or lanai
Kitchen
Outdoor play area
Garden
Dining Area

About this property

Island Paradise: Historic Cottage, Waterfalls, Great Swimming!

Enjoy your own private island get away! This 1.8 acre island in the middle of the Ossipee River is yours's for a week or the entire summer. Drive across the sturdy cement bridge and feel your cares slip away. You can fish for Bass, kayak or canoe up to the Parsonsfield/Porter Covered Bridge, walk to the local donut shop or ice cream hut or attend an auction in the village of Kezar Falls.
This historic c. 1924 John Calvin Stevens cottage has original doors, woodwork and stained glass. Built for the local mill owner's family as a getaway, it still has a lot to offer. There are sweeping cathedral ceilings, a fireplace for ambiance.. a woodstove for comfort, and a heat pump for easy heat and cooling. . Have morning coffee in the cozy breakfast nook overlooking the waterfalls. The modern kitchen has a microwave, coffee maker and all the dishes, pots and pans you will need. The large bath room has a separate tub and shower. There are two queen sized beds, one double bed, a sofa bed for 2, a folding cot, plus a blow up bed for company if you need it. Bring your own linens and towels or use ours; there's a laundromat close by. Relax in the rockers for Happy Hour on the large screened porch or have a nightly campfire at the outside fireplace, fire wood provided.
You can fish, swim and boat in the clean Ossipee River. And it is actually warm as it comes from Ossipee Lake! Bring your own kayak or use ours. On the north side of the island the sound of the waterfalls will lull you to sleep! On the south side you may see almost perfect reflections in the water although it does have a gentle current. Use our inner tubes and just float for hours, and the village church bells may wake you every morning. There is no beach or shallow entry for very young children.
There is very little TV reception so we over 200 DVDs and VCR tapes, I hope you like the oldies. We also have cards, puzzles and board games and an assortment of books. Outside is badminton or horse shoes.
Enjoy a church supper nearby. Drive 4 miles to Cornish to visit 12 Antique shops. Fine dining are close by in picturesque Cornish village. The White Mountains and major outlet shopping in North Conway are 30 minutes away. Ocean beaches and Portland, Maine's largest city, are a one hour drive. LL Beans in Freeport is an hours drive. Come visit our island paradise! You'll want to return.

Keywords: historic bungalow, private island with bridge, walk to village amenities, sleeps 6

Property manager

Jim Hanscom and Linda Griffin

Amenities

Kitchen
Pet-friendly
Free WiFi
Air conditioning
Outdoor space
Water view

House Rules

Check in after 4:00 PM
Minimum age to rent: 25
Check out before 10:00 AM

Children

Children allowed: ages 0–17

Events

Events allowed: family gatherings

Pets

Pets allowed: dogs and cats (limit 3 total)

Smoking

Smoking is not permitted
Absolutely no smoking on the island
No smoking on the property!!!! Anywhere!!!!

Damage and incidentals

You will be responsible for any damage to the rental property caused by you or your party during your stay.

Important information

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
Parties and events (including family gatherings) are allowed on site. Maximum attendees: 30
Host has not indicated whether there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property; consider bringing a portable detector with you on the trip
Host has not indicated whether there is a smoke detector on the property
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher and a first aid kit

We should mention

A car is required for transport to and from this property

About the area

Parsonsfield

Located in Parsonsfield, this holiday home is on the waterfront. Stone Mountain Arts Center and Conway Station are cultural highlights, and travellers looking to shop may want to visit Settlers' Green Outlet Village and Northway Plaza Shopping Center. Travelling with kids? Consider Fryeburg Fairgrounds and Pirate's Cove Adventure Mini Golf. Make sure you get close to the area's animals with activities such as game walks and birdwatching.
Map
Parsonsfield, ME

What's nearby

  • Ossipee Valley Fairgrounds - 6 min drive
  • Saco River - 14 min drive
  • Stone Mountain Arts Center - 28 min drive
  • Sebago Lake - 30 min drive
  • Ossipee Lake - 31 min drive

Getting around

  • Fryeburg, ME (FRY-Eastern Slopes Regional) - 27 min drive

Restaurants

  • Dunkin' - 6 min drive
  • Strike & Spare - 13 min walk
  • Fairgrounds Pizza & Pub - 6 min drive
  • Bay Haven Lobster Two - 7 min drive
  • Krista's - 8 min drive

Frequently asked questions

Is Island Paradise: Historic Cottage, Waterfalls, Great Swimming! pet-friendly?

Yes, this property allows cats and dogs (limit 3 total).

What time is check-in at Island Paradise: Historic Cottage, Waterfalls, Great Swimming!?

Check-in begins at 4:00 PM.

What time is check-out at Island Paradise: Historic Cottage, Waterfalls, Great Swimming!?

Checkout is at 10:00 AM.

Where is Island Paradise: Historic Cottage, Waterfalls, Great Swimming! located?

This family-friendly Parsonsfield holiday home is located on the waterfront, 7.3 mi (11.7 km) from Saco River, and within 16 mi (25 km) of Stratham Hill Farm Park and Lovewell Pond. King Pine Ski Area and Stone Mountain Arts Center are also within 16 miles (25 km).

Reviews

8.8

Excellent

Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
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Rating 10 - Excellent. 25 out of 42 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 11 out of 42 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 2 out of 42 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 3 out of 42 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 1 out of 42 reviews" "

7.0/10

Cleanliness

10/10

Check-in

10/10

Communication

9.2/10

Location

9.2/10

Listing accuracy

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Lori R.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Our own Island!
It should be on everyone's bucket list to rent an island! This one use to be the town park with weekly concerts at the bandstand. The stained glass windows in the spacious cottage were beautiful! The bedrooms were comfortable, and the breakfast nook adorable. The property was well maintained and we thoroughly enjoyed spending our evenings by the fireplace or on the wonderful porch.. We were lucky enough to stay during peak foliage. We have amazing pictures that we'll keep forever.
Stayed 7 nights in Oct 2022

8/10 Good

Stephanie H.

Liked: Check-in, communication, listing accuracy
Disliked: Cleanliness
pretty island
The island is very pretty, there's easy access to the river for swimming and kayaking (I put in to the right of the bridge by the trees with faces and paddled upriver). The riverbottom is rocky / muddy, water shoes recommended. We saw lots of trout and a few turtles in the river. There is at least one hummingbird who visits the flowers on the island. Our dog passed away between booking and the trip happening, but he would have loved it. The house has some quirks, the furniture is older, and there are signs there is maybe a renovation being planned (what I assume are test tiles leaning against the wall of the bathroom). I'd advise you bring your own linens and if you like to cook, bring a knife. The kitchen has a stock of vintage cookbooks, we spent a couple hours trying to find the most bizarre sounding recipe. The hosts were responsive, we discovered the grill was out of fuel one evening and they had a canister delivered the next morning. I wasn't going to say anything about the cleanliness, the floors and tables are clean and it's a dog friendly house on the water so I don't expect much more but I just saw the review from Jul 28, 2022 and the host response. I checked in July 31, 2022. The assertation of 15 hours of cleaning in the week before I checked in boggles the mind. There were cobwebs in the windows and some of the corners, a layer of dust on the knickknacks on display and the tops of the mirrors, the baseboards and ceiling fan likely haven’t been cleaned in years.
Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2022

4/10 Poor

Martha L.

Liked: Check-in, location
Disliked: Cleanliness, listing accuracy
Vacation
We were disappointed. The house was unkept. There were unecessary cob webs that could have / should have been taken care of. It was dusty. We ended up leaving early due to 2 of the guests having medical issues. Thank you.
Stayed 14 nights in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

Robert B.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Historic Cottage Getaway....Must See....When you go to Maine
We had a wonderful time in Parsonsfield ME.....We had not had a vacation in 3 years and we benefitted from the time away. Jim and Linda were wonderful hosts.....Were very helpful finding things.... We loved our surroundings in the Cottage at the Island and in Parsonsfield.....What blew me away is how our Dog Daisy reacted from the start till the last day For the first time I saw my dogs real smile.....She was the one I think who benefitted the most from our stay.... If you have a dog and your dog is like mine (a country girl from Tennessee), your will find out real quick how much they really enjoy to island....Daisy had no anxiety and was extremely calm the whole time...She loved the island....explored and was very tickled by not being on a leash at all..... I was so grateful to provide my family and our Daisy the time away to re-connect and for Jim and Linda for being good hosts
Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

Christopher N.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Wonderful
Great place to stay. There is some road noise during the day, but we had left to go sight seeing so this was not an issue. Conveniently located making it a short trip to the mountains or coast. We really enjoyed coffee on the shore of the Ossipee river every morning. The cottage has everything you need to cook, grill etc. The hosts could be reached easily, and everything was answered when we needed to contact them.
Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2022

About the host

Hosted by Jim Hanscom and Linda Griffin

Host profile image
We are both local real estate brokers specializing in antique homes and homes with character. Jim also has a handyman business so he has done most of the repairs to this cottage. He took off 6 layers of linoleum and plywood to get back to the orignal wood floors in the kitchen. He took a small storage closet and added 2 large windows to create a breakfast room with a view of the waterfalls. We went to local auctions and found some antique furniture for this special cottage. We have really enjoyed our work weekends here and the more we were here the more we decided to keep and enjoy this property for a long time.

Why they chose this property

I grew up in this village of Kezar Falls and used to ride my bike to this island for weekly Girl Scout meetings on the large front porch. My family now lives nearby in Cornish so it is a chance to reconnect with them. We also had a get together for my 45th high school class reunion here and had 35 visitors comfortably for a great evening of reminiscing. We even strung Christmas twinkle lights on the bridge railings. In the fall on a warm sunny October day we gave a suprise 60th Anniversary brunch for my mother and father and all their friends. It was alot of fun. This cottage was on a house tour as a fund raiser for the local historical society and we got great reviews!!

What makes this property unique

We enjoy the peace and quiet...privacy and relaxation...warm water to swim in, fresh tomatoes at the door and a delightful place to entertain. At the end of the season we ended up with five bottles each of mustard and rellish because of all the friends who came for a cookout and brought things! The quiet, the privacy, the underlying hum of the waterfalls...a unique vacation!!!
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