I joined my family (all adults) for what was to be a fun 4th of July week-long break from the hectic NY/NJ area. What a mistake that was...

We made plans to stay a week in one of the cottages, and we ended up in one near the front of the property (i.e. not near the bay). It was described as a 2 bedroom cottage. As we walked in, we were greeted by the 1970s decor and a faintly dank smell. The couch and draperies matched in their mustard & brown color, synthetic, tweed-like glory. One bedroom was so small you could barely walk around 2 sides of the full-size bed. And when I say barely, I mean you had about 12 inches of floorspace to walk. The "2nd" bedroom was in what looked to be the breakfast nook; and again, it was pretty tight space-wise. The windows were all reasonably small, and draped with the thick tweedy stuff, so the place stayed pretty dark and gloomy even with lovely outdoor weather. The bathroom was the size of an RV bathroom - no more than one person could stand inside. The floor of the cabin was so unlevel, if you set something lightweight or somewhat rounded down, it would literally slide around.

The saving grace of this place was the reasonably sized screened in porch; however, it wasn't completed sealed, so my father literally had to repair it to keep out the killer mosquitos. Thank god for duct tape. I would say that watching the fireworks over Boothbay Harbor on the 4th was nice, and they do allow pets (another up-side), but alas we decided to leave 2 days early because we couldn't stand the depression.

We stayed in the Admiral's Quarters. The owners have certainly put some money into fixing up this particular cabin but it is still outdated. On the plus side, there was a new refrigerator and the kitchen was fairly well stocked. The view of the bay was magnificent and we enjoyed drinking coffee on the pier. On the negative side, the cottage was infested with ants, the mattresses were lumpy and uncomfortable and the reception on the TV was poor, even though there was cable. The shower door was broken and didn't stay closed. They do not have daily housekeeping for the cabins, so you are reponsible for getting clean towels from the office. This wouldn't normally be a problem except that there was never anyone in the office to get the towels from. There is no place to go kayaking or swimming on these premises. Lobster traps are placed very close to shore and the beach is lined with lots of algae. I will certainly find another hotel/motel when I stay in Boothbay next year.

The cottage we stayed in was moldy, dank and depressing. We spent every day away from there and only returned to sleep which was difficult with the mold and mildew and the bedroom with no heater. All the outlets required an adapter and there was only one so we had to keep switching from the refrigerator to the coffee pot. All of the cottages are falling down except for the admirals quarters which overlooks the bay. We left a day early because we could not bear to stay in that depressing place one more second.

At Waters Edge in East Boothbay features a modern motel right on the quiet bay , but a better choice is to book one of the cottages also on the grounds. We stayed in the Admirals Quarters which had a screen porch directly overlooking the bay ; the cottage was well stocked with housekeeping items, and although simple , was very comfortable and quaint. We would love to returen there on a future trip - a warm and relaxing place that you will not soon forget!