My husband and I had been looking forward to our first trip to Maine for a long time. We were not disappointed. We like to rent with VRBO, and this experience was a good one. We stayed in the third floor apartment. The stairs were a bit tiring, but we needed the exercise and the view from the top is amazing. If I had done nothing more than sit on the balcony and gaze at the harbor, the trip would have been a success. The owner Tom greeted us cheerfully shortly after we arrived and gave us many helpful hints to make the most of our stay. It is so nice to have the advice of a local. The apartment itself is very clean and roomy. We only ran the air conditioner a short while. We slept with the doors open and drank in the ocean breezes. It was quite comfortable. Amazingly, there was little noise overnight even though we were right in the center of town. The sun comes up early in Boothbay Harbor, so be prepared to be an early riser. You will want to get up and get started on the many things to do and see in the area. My favorite thing was the sailboat ride. We just walked across the street and booked the ride as well as a trip to Cabbage Island for a lobster bake. We enjoyed shopping and browsing the Boothbay Harbor shops and eating in the local restaurants. The library was across the street and hosted a local arts and crafts fair as well. We visited the botanical gardens which were lovely. We drove to nearby sites such as L. L. Bean and Bar Harbor. There was so much to see and do in this state that we wished we could have stayed much longer. The only thing we did not enjoy was the whale watching/puffin excursion. It was too expensive for just brief glimpses of whales and tiny puffins flying in the distance. Plus, the boat goes far out in international waters which were choppy and made many people on the boat sick. We would highly recommend BoothBay Harbor and this property to anyone who wants to have a genuine Maine experience. The only drawbacks to the property were minor ones. Get ready to sleep in twin beds if you are a couple, and be prepared to wear wrinkled clothes. Even though the description says iron and board, there is none. There is a washer and dryer on site with detergent; this was quite helpful since there were only two towels to use all week. I want to end this review by saying a big thank you to Tom for being such a friendly and nice person. It was so nice meeting him and listening to his accent. Thanks!