This large property seems more unfinished than just rustic. You can see through some spots in the walls, and the sliding screens had large gaps that let in a lot of bugs. Also, the sparse furnishings were dirty and uncomfortable. On a positive note, the location was very private with a beautiful view of the lake. This would be a better choice for a bunch of guys on a fishing trip.

We had a very nice stay steps from Great Pond! Simple but roomy cottage with a very nice deck and dock on great pond! We really enjoyed our stay.

Listing was exactly as advertised, perfect for a fishing weekend.

Fair. A few things didn't work. Beds, just okay. Other than some stains on the couch the place was clean. Shower enclosure floor was very slippery, no mat.

Comfortable, well equipped, and clean. Great location on a lake. We had a wonderful weekend.

We had a great time at the house. Liked that it is relatively new with simple furnishings and lots of space. The dock area is great and we spent a lot of time there with our dog. nice for sunsets. The lake is beautiful and the water was warm and clear. It is rocky at the shore, but fine for swimming. The adjacent houses were empty so it was very quiet. Bed was very comfortable, shower was good, everything worked well, kitchen could use a few more supplies but it was fine for us. Overall a good place and we enjoyed our few days there.

Had a great time at this property! The house was clean and was perfect for a week on the lake. The start of the week was very hot and humid but the AC in the house kept us nice and comfortable. The house listing is accurate, we had no surprises while we were there. We brought our boat, there is a nice public launch nearby and the mooring at the house worked out very well. Overall a great place to get away!

Great location. Perfect party to relax and have a good weekend.

House was nice. Could use a few minor upgrades, but overall would definitely stay again

We all had a wonderful time. The house was open and airy, with lots of windows and an amazing deck that looked out onto the lake! There is even a piano which was an extra treat for those musically inclined. There is a picnic table down at the dock and the lake water was crystal clear. The owner, John responded to all my questions about the house in a timely fashion. The walk down to the lake through the woods is steep. This did not affect our stay. Just a warning for others if walking is a problem. If you decide to come, hope your visit will be as great as ours! Cheers!

We came to Gables End for the first time this year. The road was absolutely fine (we passed two other vehicles easily during our stay) and there have been improvements since last year with a microwave and dishwasher: everything worked fine. The house was spotless when we arrived, although you could tell that the owner is continuing to work on the place. We enjoyed sitting on the deck and having our coffee in the morning and the stove and oven (electric) made dinners a breeze. One night we cooked steaks and corn on the gas grill. The walk down to the lakefront was easy enough, although the less steady among us tred gingerly. The Persied meteor shower was happening while we were there (first and second week of. August) and we spent several hours on our backs on the dock watching for shooting stars. The water is exceptionally clear and there were a few floats left for our use, but we had to bring our own kayaks and managed to rent a boat for the week, Fishing was good and my brother-in-law caught a 2 lb smallmouth bass from the dock with his first cast on the first morning! After that, we hired a fishing guide to take us out for half-a-day so we could learn the ropes. Very fun! Opportunities for improvement: There is only one bathroom and that took some getting used to and some accommodation. The exhaust hood on the kitchen was not hooked up yet. And the internet service in the neighborhood was being repaired the week we were there so we never got solid wifi service, although our phones worked fine when needed. But these were minor to us and did not interfere with our fun.Highly recommended

We came to Gables End for the first time this year. The road was absolutely fine (we passed two other vehicles easily during our stay) and there have been improvements since last year with a microwave and dishwasher: everything worked fine. The house was spotless when we arrived, although you could tell that the owner is continuing to work on the place. We enjoyed sitting on the deck and having our coffee in the morning and the stove and oven (electric) made dinners a breeze. One night we cooked steaks and corn on the gas grill. The walk down to the lakefront was easy enough, although the less steady among us tred gingerly. The Persied meteor shower was happening while we were there (first and second week of. August) and we spent several hours on our backs on the dock watching for shooting stars. The water is exceptionally clear and there were a few floats left for our use, but we had to bring our own kayaks and managed to rent a boat for the week, Fishing was good and my brother-in-law caught a 2 lb smallmouth bass from the dock with his first cast on the first morning! After that, we hired a fishing guide to take us out for half-a-day so we could learn the ropes. Very fun! Opportunities for improvement: There is only one bathroom and that took some getting used to and some accommodation. The exhaust hood on the kitchen was not hooked up yet. And the internet service in the neighborhood was being repaired the week we were there so we never got solid wifi service, although our phones worked fine when needed. But these were minor to us and did not interfere with our fun. Highly recommended

First we were disappointed that the futon was not in the room as shown in the picture in the King room. The two twin beds in room #3, while the mattresses may be ok for small children are unusable for adults. We had to go and purchase blow-up mattresses. The shower stall in the bathroom leaked something awful thus has created large amounts of black mold along the wood floor and under the vanity. Upon arrival it was discovered the refrigerator was extremely disgusting and needed a good cleaning before we could use it. I say these things as constructive criticism for the owner to improve issues he may not be aware of. Other than that the house and location were great and the dock and swimming area were great. All in all we had a great time and made memories for a lifetime. The Belgrade area is an excellent area to vacation. With these easy fixes I would recommend this place to anyone.

The cabin is a newer build in a traditional Maine camp style. Great location on Great Pond with a private dock and mourning. John is very responsive to any needs or questions about the area. Perfect Maine getaway.

We have been renting homes in Maine each summer for past 4 years. We have never had a bad experience so far. This property did have a few surprises for us, however, John was extremely efficient in taking care of each and every request graciously. The home was not as equipped as we are used to renting, as it is a work in progress. Parts of the home are not yet complete. That being said, we were very comfortable and had a very relaxing family vacation. The deck was our favorite place to sit and have coffee in the morning and a glass of wine in the evening. Beautiful and peaceful. If you have a very large vehicle, one thing to keep in mind.... the roadway to the property was a bit of a challenge. It is only one car width wide. It has a lot of blind curves.... you need to go very slow. That is the trade off if you are looking for a secluded rental Maine! We enjoyed our stay at Gables End Cottage.

We have been renting homes in Maine each summer for past 4 years. We have never had a bad experience so far. This property did have a few surprises for us, however, John was extremely efficient in taking care of each and every request graciously. The home was not as equipped as we are used to renting, as it is a work in progress. Parts of the home are not yet complete. That being said, we were very comfortable and had a very relaxing family vacation. The deck was our favorite place to sit and have coffee in the morning and a glass of wine in the evening. Beautiful and peaceful. If you have a very large vehicle, one thing to keep in mind.... the roadway to the property was a bit of a challenge. It is only one car width wide. It has a lot of blind curves.... you need to go very slow. That is the trade off if you are looking for a secluded rental Maine! We enjoyed our stay at Gables End Cottage.

Very large home right on the water. Check in process was great as well communication with owner. Comfortable beds, but do opt for the sheets and towels with the rental. Only things we missed were a washer/dryer, microwave and the ability to have a camp fire which we are used to at other weekly rentals.

Staying at this property was a terrible experience for us. We have 15 years of experience staying with VRBO and other vacation rentals and by far, this was the first time we walked away feeling like we were robbed. - The owner was unresponsive and RUDE - The property was VERY dirty, unclean - The back bed does not have a frame, it is just laid on the plywood unfinished flooring. (NO BED FRAME?) - The only bathroom is unfinished, painted plywood floor, there is mold because the owner has not fixed the water leaking issue and it is causing wood rot and mold. The bathroom has no mats or even one facecloth dry the leak from the shower. You'll have to use your own towels to do this. - The wood frame inside has not been cleaned or wiped down with a rag in a year. Very dirty. Dead bugs and dirt on every window frame. WE arrived to the property and found there were NO SCREENS on the four deck doors so we could not keep the doors open to have airflow. It was 80-90 degrees all week so we actually went out and purchased two screen doors and installed them. Owner said he would reimburse us but he has not responded in two weeks. The owner did not provide any floor fans in the house to help with circulation so renters need to buy them or bring their own. There is VERY LITTLE circulation in the house, especially with no screen doors. (we left the screen doors so now they have them) Day 2 started out with raw sewage overflowing from the septic tank. took an ENTIRE DAY to have the sewage company come out to pump the tank. We could not take showers, use the toilet, run water, and the smell was overpowering inside the hosue. Owner said to suck it up and would not give us any discount due to being greatly inconvenienced by this experience. - There is a one to two mile drive into the house from the main road and there are only one or two spots to allow you to pull over if another car is coming from the opposite direction. It is nuts to have to reverse for half a mile to let another car pass you! Try doing it in a class B RV. NOT FUN! - The walk down to the lake is pretty steep, tiring coming up from the lake a few times in a row. - The kitchen is nice BUT the refrigerator is on the fritz and does not keep its cool on hot days. - The dishwasher is broken and if you open the door, the plastic dish racks fly out at you and the heavy door slams down. - There is NO microwave. - There are very few electrical outlets in the cabin,

this is the second time we have stayed here and thoroughly enjoyed our stay once again!

We stayed at John's cottage the 2nd week of July and I can not express how perfect it was for our family. We came home to visit my family who is still in the area, we wanted our own space but still be close to them, it fit our family of 6 (plus our Bernice Mountain dog Max) perfectly. Everyone had their own place to sleep, we loved the openness of the main floor the 2 french doors that opened to the deck was amazing. One night we heard barn owls and the stars by the lake were truly amazing. Some people may think the walk to the lake, maybe a 100 feet would be a problem but it didn't slow us down at all. We used the lake every day to wakeboard, kneeboard and use paddleboards, the lake is so clean and clear you can see right to the bottom, absolutely loved the place. John was great as well, very quick to respond when we had a question or two. When we go for another visit, I will certainly look to stay there again. Thanks for a great stay!!

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay! The swimming area was perfect for the kiddos with plenty of shallow & sandy swimming and jumping off the end of the dock (and plenty of privacy). The cottage does sit back from the water a bit but sitting on the deck you can still view the lake & swimming / dock area. You have to walk down a path to get to the lake and though it’s a little steep, it really was no big deal to any of us. We welcomed the little bit of exercise :) The kitchen could use a few more essentials to make cooking a little easier, but we made do with what there was and still prepared some great meals! We were glad we brought a couple fans with us to move the air around for comfortable sleeping (one suggestion would be to install a ceiling fan in the downstairs living/ dining area and add screen doors to the French doors going out to the deck.....it would help with some air flow on warmer days) We also enjoyed being able to watch a few movies during our stay with the movie selection that was readily available on the tv (Roku). We brought plenty of our own folding chairs which was good as there were only two Adirondack chairs on the deck (again, no big deal). We enjoyed many sunsets out on the deck during our stay! The cottage was nice & clean when we arrived. We did start to see ants in the kitchen area about midweek but we got some ant traps and that took care of the problem! The owner was very attentive & quick to respond when we reached out to him with a concern and he was quick to resolve the problem. Our family LOVED our vacation and we made tons of memories ! We completely enjoyed our stay here, and are hopeful to be back next year!

This is a stunning location, the house is pretty with great potential. Unfortunately, there are heaters in only two bedrooms, no insulation, and the temp in early summer dropped from a warm day in the 70's to 44 overnight so the house was in the low 50's by the morning and I have an infant son. I went to get comfy in the master with a heat source but kept hearing scurrying and then saw a mouse run up into the roof line so we didn't use one of the heated rooms. Further, The bathroom floor is plywood and the shower seemed to leak a little but this was minor since we weren't in there long given that I could only get the water all hot or all cold, in the middle there was no blend, it just turned off. I think a lot of these issues could be easily addressed making this property lovely and I hope that happens as I love exploring Maine and hope others will do the same and I wish the best to the owners despite these problems.

this was a "bare essentials" cottage that we rented for our daughter's college graduation; it was wonderfully located on a lake with minimalist decor but plenty of what we needed for our group the shower did leak but the owner (John) tried to help us repair it, and we managed to work around that I would recommend this cottage for those who enjoy woods and naturalist lifestyle; it was peaceful and quiet and secluded

Barley furbished. Particle board floors No window shades. Shower leaks. No TV. Beds horrible. Exterior walls are cheap pine with literally holes that we plugged with toilet paper. Barely any lighting. No usable yard. Steep walk to water. Small dock. Worst place I ever rented.