Our family was tired of heat, traffic, ambient noise and television, so this lodge seemed like the perfect antidote. It was. The remote setting guarantees that stars will be blindingly bright on clear nights and the cries of the loons will be the only thing you hear over the sound of the breeze in the pines. The cabins are spacious, virtually new in appearance and comfortable. The lack of electricity is a plus, and the cheerful glow of a propane wall lamp is plenty when you’re trying to get ready for bed. Propane also heats the water at each cabin so don’t worry about being stuck with cold showers.

The lodge is set up very well for families with kids. There is a sandy beach with kayaks and paddleboats so the kids can swim and boat whilst the adults occupy the reclining beach chairs and supervise. On our visit (our first), there were enough kids of approximately the same age as our daughter to keep her more than entertained, and the parents were friendly, pleasant and equally concerned about the kids being safe and including everyone in the activities. For our daughter, the other kids were probably the best thing about the experience. I might add that there were a good percentage of the guests who did not bring kids, so it was a nice mix.

The scenery is beautiful and can be enjoyed from the front porch of your cabin or from a small aluminum fishing boat powered by a 4 hp outboard which you can rent for a modest fee. We observed eagles sitting in a tree at the neighboring island, but we were not able to catch a glimpse of a moose, though most of the other guests managed to do so.

The food (included in the daily rate) was good, especially the outdoor cook-outs. The owner and all the staff were friendly and helpful, and seemed to always be available if you needed anything. They even arranged for the kids to make smores on the fire at the beach in the evenings.

If you really want to get away from it all without roughing it, this is a great way to do it.

This is our most favorite spot in the world. This year will be our 6th year (out of the last 7- only taking a 1 year break to visit the Grand Canyon) to vacation at Attean Lake Lodge. We started when our kids were little and then added my wife's parents and her sister and family. Our kids are now teens/pre-teens and we all still love our vacations to Attean. Our kids have already said they will vacation here when they are married with their children.

The previous reviewers have done an excellent job in describing a vacation here. The quality of service, food, accommodations and cleanliness is outstanding. When I first suggested this vacation to my family, the kids asked what they would do without tv, internet, xbox and all the electronics they are accustomed too. They found that swimming, boating, fishing, playing hide and seek, playing tag, playing a board game, playing horseshoes and reading can be just as enjoyable. Whether it's sitting on a comfortable chair on the beach reading, hiking to the top of Sally Mountain, sun bathing on swimmers/slippery rock, moose watching at the inlet, hiking to one of the remote ponds or fishing for trout in the narrows this place has something for everyone. I have never had such a restful sleep - the call of the loons is hypnotic - we almost slept through the breakfast service several times! Star gazing is unbelievable - no light pollution or smog from nearby cities - the milkyway is breathtaking .

There is much to do - including doing nothing and just relaxing we almost never leave the island. Our first year we did venture out to go white water rafting and hiked to Moxie Falls. The year it rained a lot we took a ride to Moosehead Lake but other than a couple of trips into Jackman for bait or more Moxie we spend our time enjoying the island.

Thanks to our hosts; Brad, Andrea and Barrett, Attean Lake Lodge has become a family tradition for us as it has for the many families we have met there. It truly is a perfect and unique vacation spot.

Attean Lake Lodge is on an island in the middle of a gorgeous lake far, far away from anything in Maine. The lake is big, dotted with islands, and improbably scattered with lovely little sandy beaches.

The cabins are simple and rustic but spottlessly clean - the housekeepers (thanks Elise!) keep an eye out for you to head to breakfast and they go in and clean while you are in the dining room. Cabins have no electricity, but they have woodstoves (your woodbox is kept stocked) and karosene lanterns for evenings. They are all right at the water's edge, and all have front porches which we loved hanging out on, watching birds, reading, etc.

You get breakfast (you order - pretty basic eggs, pancakes, cereal and usually a delicious homemade pastry of some kind) and dinner (choice of three entres) in the lodge dining room and the pack up a lunch for you to take with you on your day's adventures. The food is not fancy, but really tasty. It's good old American 3-square meals style - the lunches are like your mom used to make you. This is definately the best food north of Brunswick.

The people and the service are terrific. This has been the Holden's family business for three generations; and generation #4 is at work too. Everyone is very friendly. You have the same waitress most of the time, so it really feels like you get to know people a little, which is nice (thanks Michaela!). We felt like they really took care of us - Bennet (the Holden's son) picking up some bait for fishing when he went into town, Andrea giving the kids some bubble wands on a rainy day to play with - that kind of thing was great.

Things to do are all of the outdoorsy variety - swimming (the lake was really swimable, even in June - refreshing for sure, but I thought it would be frigid and it wasn't!) boating, fishing, hiking, looking for wildlife (we saw 9 moose!) It is perfect for a family who wants to be active and has kids that like to get out there and play and have adventures. Every day we'd wake up, go have a nice hearty breakfast, pick up our picnic lunch, and head off on the adventure of the day. We'd come back just before dinner, have a nice hot shower, enjoy some wine with dinner (often sending the kids outside to play while we lingered over dinner/drinks and relaxed) chitchat with other guests, and then put the kids to bed. Evenings we'd maybe read a little and then crash nice and early - I haven't gotten so much comfortable perfect sleep in years. There is nothing to do at night except relax, and the air is so fresh and crisp - makes me sigh just writing about it. The whole week was just what my family needed and wanted - relaxation with none of the usual high-tech distractions; just relaxing, being together, getting lots of fresh air and exercise, great food, and restorative sleep. We may have to go every year.

This is not a budget vacation. If you compare it to camping, it seems incredibly expensive, and if you are just as happy sleeping in a tent and cooking your own food over a camp stove; then think about one of the (fabulous) campsites on the lake. If you compare it to renting a house almost anywhere though, this comes out even or ahead when you consider that all your food and activities are included - and there is nothing "extra" here to spend your money on.

If you are looking for a place to relax, get outside, and make your life easy for a while, this could be it.

I think 2010 will mark our 11th year in a row for coming to Attean. The prior posters all described Attean very well. What's funny is seeing first timers come. There's the rare ones who you know will never come back. Attean's not hard to figure out, but some people just don't get how to relax, or at least channel their energy by kayaking or hiking. We love coming back every year and seeing the same faces, young and old. Every year feels the same, but there's always something new to experience. Some of my favorite times are very early boat rides in search of moose. Persistence pays off every year or two in seeing moose. The times we've watched the beavers have been amusing. We keep discovering the secret spots on and around the lake. Brad, Andrea and Barrett run a great show. We know we're in safe hands in a remote spot.