BLUE PEARL COTTAGE, SACO MAINE, CAMP ELLIS BEACH, OCEAN VIEWS

rented this for several years on labor day week great location and view close to beach cottage was always clean! owner made improvements each year all my guests liked it the pictures show exactly how only reason im not back is I moved to south fla. where its always summer this place is the real deal got mad when I saw the one negative bogus review have rented others this is the best

My husband and I just returned from a long weekend at The Blue Pearl and had a wonderful stay. After reading a previous review I was a bit nervous about renting this cottage but all of our fears were put to rest. Sharon was wonderful to deal with and answered all of my questions and concerns quickly. We took advantage of the early check in and late check out that was offered for a small fee which I loved. The cottage was spotless when we arrived. It is nice and bright and the 2 large windows offer a breath taking view of the ocean. My husband loved the large screen Tv with cable and didn't miss his Patriot's game. There is also a DVD player that can stream NetFlix which was nice. I did bring my laptop to do some
work and I had no problems at all. The kitchen was well equipt, appliances looked new to me. I really loved having a washer and dryer. We got a great nights sleep and woke up to the most amazing sunrise. You can't take your eyes off of the water. There is an electric fireplace under the Tv which we enjoyed in the evenings. The beach was very quiet as it is January but great for a winter get-a- way. Another great perk at this cottage is that they do allow you to bring your dog.
We brought our English Bull Dog Truman who enjoyed himself as much as we did. I have already booked a week in July and cannot wait to return with our kids. They will love the beach and everything that the area has to offer.

Pros: beautiful views; close proximity to the ocean; miles of beach a few streets away; Wormwood's restaurant around the block; very nice Saco locals; pet friendly accommodations; centrally located to many of Maine's more attractive cities (like Kennebunkport and Ogunquit).
Cons: The most uncomfortable bed my husband & I have ever encountered while on vacation (we have been vacationing for over 16 years together); a strong petroleum type odor emanating from the laundry room; disconcertingly dirty upon arrival (had to scrub the tub, toilet, sink and had to sweep all rooms in an attempt to corral all of the dirt & sand); master bed was unbelievably sandy upon initial inspection and to our chagrin, the bed also contained the previous renter's dirty underwear; old hair and dust rolled across floors tumbleweed style in every room. Wifi was advertised as being available but it clearly was not and there was a handwritten notice near the router that said the owner was not responsible for renters not being able to connect to the Internet. The electrical integrity of this property is so questionable that I felt unsafe. While reading on the windowseat, a centipede about 6 inches long crawled out of the sill and onto my arm. That event made me so leery of our surroundings that we dumped all our luggage and bags out onto the hood of the car before departure to make sure we weren't bringing centipedes back home to our clean house. The broken window (clearly busted for some time as the duct tape meant to secure a piece of plastic onto it was old and weathered and the makeshift wrap was flapping in the breeze) on the front porch was fairly representative of the whole place not only because it let in birds & critters but also because it totally gave the sad first impression of an badly kept shack, not a 'cottage' as advertised. We figure the photos on vrbo are at least 8 to 10 years old because they look pretty and fresh but this place is sadly worn. Bottom line: we paid for a week and left after 3 days despite the fact that this was our only planned 'away' vacation this year. In speaking with other local renters we found that ours was, regrettably, a unique experience and most rental (managed by realtors) properties in Saco seem to be well maintained and clean. We have used vrbo in the past and had perfectly beautiful results but now we're reconsidering this way of doing business. We will likely only deal with rental agencies from now on. So sad...so sad.