Your Guide to The Best Vacation Home Rentals in Maine
Maine Private Home Rental Houses offer direct home rentals from owners and rental agencies. Renting a private home in Maine is a great way to vacation with your family or friends. You have the spaciousness and amenities of home, in an exciting new setting, like the waterfront in Kennebunkport or ski in ski out at Sugarloaf.
House rentals are available along the Maine coast, in towns like York, Wells, Kennebunkport and Old Orchard Beach, as well as further Down East. If your travels take you into Maine’s western lakes and mountains, you will find lakeside camp rentals, chalets and ski houses for rent near Sugarloaf, Sunday River, Saddleback and Shawnee Peak.
Legacy Properties Sotheby’s International Realty offers an extensive variety of Luxury Vacation Rentals in Maine.
Imagine arriving at your house rental in Maine, a true home away from home. You have the convenience of a full kitchen, and the comforts of a living room, patio, outdoor area, the privacy of multiple bedrooms and baths. With more space than your typical condo suite or hotel room, you and your family can spread out in your home rental.

House rentals also provide the opportunity to travel with extended family, bring the grandparents, siblings or close friends along to share the cost and the fun of the house rental for a vacation. Of course with any activity whether it’s dining out, kayaking the coast, hiking a mountain, the more the merrier.
Whether you rent a private Maine house for a week, a month, or an entire season-long rental, you can make day trips to explore Maine and return to your rental property at the end of the day to enjoy the spaciousness and comforts of home without the stress of packing up or being squeezed into a small hotel or motel room. You can even run a load of laundry, take a nap in a private bedroom, or play on your private lawn. If Maine is nicknamed “Vacationland”, then consider renting a vacation home in Maine for your homeland and enjoy all the amenities of home away from home. Old Orchard Beach rentals are among the more popular vacation stays for families on the Maine coast.

A word of caution: Please be aware, as very few vacation home rentals have their own websites, you will find listings for rentals on various websites including Craig’s List. Any vacation home rental promoted on Craig’s List may be a scam with false advertisements or no legitimate rental properties. Be sure to seek vacation rental directories like VacationHomeRentals.com or visit the vacation home rental’s website to see photos and contact the owner or rental agent directly for details, address, and assurance that the property exists.
All vacation home rentals listed on our Maine Vacation Rentals have real properties, and legitimate websites, so its a good place to start planning your Maine vacation.
As you plan your classic Maine vacation, you may decide that renting a house, a cottage or a condo is preferable to staying in a hotel, motel or inn. Vacation home rentals in Maine offer great flexibility. You have the benefit of added home amenities like a full kitchen, living room, family room, fireplaces to gather round, outdoor patios, decks and private bedrooms, and you can accommodate your family or friends so it often provides savings over that Maine hotel room.

Vacation homes in Maine for rent range from oceanfront mansions to cute cottages and camps or condos. You can rent a cabin on a lake or on a mountain in Maine’s ski country. Most Maine vacation rentals are typically available by the week, but some cottages rent nightly or for a weekend, cabins and cottages can even be rented for an entire season. Imagine renting a beachfront cottage for the summer in Maine. You can even renta houseboat in the mid-coast of Maine. Pretty dreamy, especially when you have all the comforts of home but a view that’s out of this world.
Tips for Finding the Best Vacation Rental in Maine
Tips for finding the best Vacation Home to rent in Maine:
1. Location, Location, Location
When you are browsing for a vacation home rental in Maine, first consider where you would like to spend your vacation in Maine. The Southern Maine Coast has beachfront cottages and home rentals in close proximity to the waterfront, beaches, within a short drive for day trips to amusements parks, golf, boating excursions from York, Ogunquit, Wells and Kennebunkport, and of course lots of great restaurants and outlet shopping.
Large waterfront homes, like 82 Ocean in Kennebunkport for example can be historic, spacious and just steps to the beach and some of the best restaurants in Maine. If you prefer a quieter more rustic vacation rental, then Maine’s lakes and mountains are peaceful, and prime for a cabin or cottage rental. Ski resorts in Maine offer condos, cabins and private homes for rent often on the slopes so you can ski in – ski out at Sunday River, Sugarloaf, Saddleback and Shawnee Peak.
2. Size of house rental
Maine house rentals can be cute one-room cottages on the beach, or expansive 5-6+ bedroom mansions and estates on the water or on the slopes of a Maine ski resort. If you are vacationing in Maine with the family, you will want the spaciousness of a home away from home, so a private house rental is ideal. If you just need a small house rental on the coast, there are all shapes and sizes of housekeeping cottages to rustic elegant cabins within a luxury resort that offer room service, dining, spa treatments, you name it. Traveling with the family, staying in a house rental may be a better option than staying at an all suite hotel, you will have private bedrooms, more than one bathroom, living and dining space and often a quieter setting than a hotel.
3. Season
Vacationing in Maine is a treat in all seasons. Deciding when to rent a home in Maine depends on what activities you long for. Renting a vacation home in spring offers un-crowded beach walks and beautiful budding gardens along the coast, for far less money than peak July and August in Maine, though maybe not swimsuit weather. Summer in Maine is the best for boating, beach days, hiking in the mountains, kayaking and canoeing on Maine’s pristine lakes and ocean. Maine winter brings snow and fantastic skiing and snowmobiling – perfect when you have a private home to return to after your day out exploring the wintry trails and cozy up next to a roaring fire.
4. Services
Most vacation home rentals come full equipped with pots, pans, dishes, utensils, linens and towels. Other rental homes and cottages are more rustic, you may be asked to bring your own linens or towels for example. At some home rentals, you are welcomed by the owner or rental agency, toured around the property and provided all the amenities you will need from linens to beach passes. Maybe even access to an area pool or fitness facility. Renting at an RV park or campground, or a house boat, you may have to bring your own supplies, but the activities and entertainment for families is non-stop and super family-friendly.
5. Security Deposit
Vacation home rentals in Maine, whether through an agency or a vacation rental by owner generally require a security deposit. This refundable security deposit is usually based upon the value of rental home, and can range from $250-$3,000. The security deposit is collected by the owner or Maine home rental agency prior to your arrival and refunded only after you have checked out and the owner, housekeeper or agency has inspected the property to assure you left it as instructed, clean, no damage, etc. Leave the home tidy and as you found it and you should have your security deposit refunded in full.
6. Maine Home Rentals direct from Owners
Some house rental owners go through a rental agency to market and manage rentals for the property. Of course, agencies take a commission from the rental, meaning these homes may rent for a bit higher price. You may choose to can seek vacation rentals by owner to get a better deal for your vacation stay, hence the term – VRBO – but you may not have the full service of an agency. Be sure to ask the owner questions, like if they include housekeeping or an individual to contact in the area the event of an issue.
See our list of Maine Vacation Home Rentals to begin your search for the perfect home away from home for your Maine cottage, home or cabin rental. Once you have found the ideal Maine property to rent – with just the right location, number of bedrooms and deck with a beautiful view, be sure to ask what is included in your home rental, what time is check in and check out, and what the rental policies are so you know before you go. Enjoy Vacationland in your Maine vacation home rental.