Wonderview Cottages — Hotel in Belfast

Like the majority of the folks who stay Wonderview Cottages, my family and I have been spending 4 to 5 weeks there every summer (usually in June/July) since the early 1980s and love it. (One regular summer cottage owner, a physician in his 60s, has been coming to Wonderview every summer since he was an infant.) There are two types of housekeeping cottages available for rent here in this family-oriented seasonal community of 20 cottages. There are still a small number of the rustic one and two bedroom "old originals" built when Wonderview first opened in the late 1940s that are all owned by Wonderview. The rest of the units are the larger, more expensive, fully modern (all built within the last one to ten years) that are all privately owned summertime condos but which can also be rented through Wonderview when not in use by their owners. We prefer the "old originals" in which we always stay (currently in #6). Although hardly "fancy", these cottages are comfortable, relatively well (but not luxuriously) maintained units that are best suited for those who like extended, self sufficient and do your own housekeeping "Maine rustic" (as opposed to "Florida modern") vacations.||||For those used to or wishing more up-to-date accommodations, they should stay in one of the newly built private condo units that can be booked through Wonderview. While I have always lived near Philadelphia, PA, I have been vacationing in mid-coast Maine (where I have also had family living continuously since 1759) from the time I was a youth in the early 1950s and have always loved the friendly, unpretentious, quiet, slow paced, "non-touristy" atmosphere of the Belfast/Searsport area. For those expecting "hand and foot" service, this is not the place to stay because that's not what it is for. Wonderview is instead a place for a week or more stays to take care of yourself without being bothered by staff unless requestd which is exactly why I have been going there for 35 years! Provides towels and washcloths but not maid service (these are housekeeping units), standard (not premium) cable...

We booked #6 for my wife's 80 year old mom to stay in while she visited from California. It did not go very well. When we arrived to get her settled in she was looking for cabin #8 because she had stopped at the office and there was a piece of paper with her name on it and the key for this cabin she did not reserve--they had moved her without notifying her. Upon entering #8 we noticed rotted siding by the door and some broken wood on the stair rail. Inside we noticed a very musty smell and a generally very dingy condition. There was no lamp in the living room, the furniture was very dusty, there were missing window screens, carpet not very clean.. A kitchen cabinet missing its magnet was held closed with a twisted drinking straw... Just generally poor. |My wife's mom said she'd try to make it work and told us the manager sent down the handy man who tried to take care of things like bringing down another chair for the porch and some window screens and a fan to air it out. But in the morning when she couldn't get the coffee maker to work, she'd had enough. The manager did promise a refund. So:|Pros: the location is great, right on the water. The manager and handyman apparently were responsive and tried to assist, and were fair about a refund.|Cons: understand that your accommodations could be very rustic (is a nice way to put it). Also, I can say the photos on line of cabin #8 did not reflect the condition or furnishings that we...

we reserved cottage 17 for May 29-june1. We paid by credit card in advance and the charge posted on May 5. We arrived to the cottage around 4pm on May 29 to find out that the owners are there. They claimed that the management never told them that the cottage was reserved. The manager claims he did tell them. Anyway, we had to go somewhere else to spend the weekend. We then contacted the manager who said we will be reimbursed and the charge on the credit card will be reversed. 10 days later we called back because the funds were not returned yet and he said he submitted the request. It has now been 24 days and no funds have been returned yet. We had to call the credit card to dispute the charge....