The Home:
A fantastic 3 bedroom / 2 bath home built in 2022 in Old Orchard Beach. This home is perfectly set up for families looking for a place to stay to enjoy their beach vacation, friends who want to have a home base for their Southern Maine golf/fishing trip, or small groups looking to explore the amazing food and drink scene in historic Portland.
The house is located 35 yards from the 13th green at Dunegrass Golf Club, one of the best public golf courses in the area. You'll enjoy watching hackers miss 8 foot bogey putts or take 6 foot "gimmie" pars while sipping coffee at the 11 foot island or cafe-style work table near the 7' picture window. For groups that enjoy cooking for themselves, the house features a chef's kitchen with all the gadgets and kitchen tools you could need to make a gourmet meal.
With a huge sectional couch and oversized leather chair/ottoman, the living room is well apportioned for a large group to curl up to watch a game or movie on the 65" HD TV and surround sound system. The primary bed has a king sized bed and full size pullout couch to sleep up to 4, the secondary bedroom has a queen bed and ample space to set up multiple additional air mattresses for larger groups, and the third bedroom has a full size bottom bunk and twin top to sleep up to three. All told, the house can easily accommodate 10 - 12 people but is best suited for a combination of adults and children if this many people will be staying.
Final thing: the house is not fully ADA compliant but the doors and hallways were all designed to be wide enough for wheelchair access and the shower in the master bathroom can be wheeled into and has a bench so that a caretaker can help with washing if needed.
Things to Do:
In terms of things to do in the area, Old Orchard Beach is an amazing place to call home for a week. In OOB itself, there is a ton to do for people of all ages. The OOB downtown area is located ~20 minute walk from the house or a 5 minute drive / Uber. If you drive to downtown, expect to spend ~$10 to park unless you get real lucky with street parking. The downtown features a ton of activities - these include a very fun boardwalk with carnival games, rides, mini golf, and all the amazing fried seafood and lobster rolls you'd expect from a New England beach town. For the adults, The Pier in downtown OOB is a great way to set up an evening pub crawl.
During the day, outdoor activities in the area abound. First, there are several amazing beaches in and around Old Orchard. If you like the hustle and bustle of the downtown area, it does include access to Old Orchard Beach itself, which is sandy and often has enough surf for body surfing and skimboarding - do be aware that there is sometimes an undertow at all beaches in the area and follow the guidance of the lifeguards!
If you're looking for a quieter beach experience, Ocean Park Beach is located in a small community in the Southern part of OOB, is about a 8-minute drive from my house, and offers plenty of free parking on the street, even on busier weekends (this is my preferred beach). Pine Point Beach is about 15 minutes drive from the house and this neighborhood has some of the nicest real estate in the South Portland area and also has some amazing places to get fried seafood and clam chowder. Bayley's and the Clambake are institutions but you can't beat Salty Bay's outdoor setup and Pine Point Grille's more refined menu! All these places have awesome food.
Beyond the beach, there are a couple waterparks / small amusement parks just outside of OOB in Saco, the Saco drive in is a great way to catch a nighttime double feature, and Southern Maine is renowned for its parks and lighthouses. Additionally, the golf course is ~$90 per person but you can play for much less after 2:00 - check the website for most up to date details. I quoted a rate with a cart here which I highly recommend because there are long distances between some of the holes.
Finally, Portland is short 20 minute drive or train ride from either downtown OOB or the Saco station. VRBO doesn't give me enough characters to describe how amazing Portland is from late spring to late fall but suffice it to say that any kind of group should block a day or two off to check the city out AND should certainly eat a couple dinners up there. You may be able to tell from the kitchen that I'm a major foodie and I can promise you that on a per restaurant basis, Portland's food scene holds its own against any city in the US in terms of quality, experience, and artistry. There are several Michelin-star level restaurants at accessible prices in Portland.
I hope this write-up gives you a sense of what we have to offer at my home in Dunegrass. I'm very happy to answer any other questions you may have or provide specific recommendations to you and your group for how to spend your trip. Looking forward to meeting you!
-Rich