To protect all members of your party (especially children and dogs) from accidental harm.
To protect our neighbors from inappropriate annoyances.
To protect Frenchman’s Bay from pollution.
To protect Sound of the Sea from inadvertent and costly damage.
No Smoking AND No Vaping The only place smoking is allowed is on the driveway alongside the Cigarette Butt Urn. All butts (cigarette, cigar, etc.) must be thoroughly extinguished and then placed in the urn. Neither vaping (e-cigarettes, etc.) nor any vaping equipment or supplies are allowed anywhere on the premises.
This rule will be strictly enforced.
Water Use We have plenty of water, and a sophisticated septic/water treatment system. However, there is little soil on top of the granite, and a nearby ocean. That means we need to not overload the septic fields with a high daily volume of water. Luxuriate in the showers, but to the extent compatible with your enjoyment, please avoid any unnecessary water use. For example, run the dishwasher only once a day, and if possible accumulate a full load before using the washing machine.
Nothing in Toilets Except Toilet Paper We have a state of the art septic and sewage treatment system, to protect the purity of Frenchman’s Bay. Flushing anything but toilet paper creates high risk of malfunction, which can be extremely expensive to fix. The Lessor is responsible for actions of all members of Rental Party.
Leave Indoor and Outdoor Furniture Where It is Placed Every room has been thoughtfully furnished. Please don’t move furniture from room to room. Our cleaning staff has a great deal to do, in a short period, to prepare the house for incoming guests. This also applies to the hammock, picnic table, benches, etc. that are outside.
Don’t Use the Fragile Window Grills For Opening or Closing Windows They will break (as has happened), and you’ll lose money from your deposit. Please use the top or bottom of the window (part of its structure) rather than the grill to lift the window up or down.
Understand and Observe Safe Use of Propane Stove and Oven If you’re used to an electric stove, please be aware that propane burners can fail to light, or flicker out at low settings. If so, turn off the gas to the burner, and restart it.
The oven can get extremely hot while you’re using it. Please keep young children (and dogs) safely away from it when in use.
Use the Exhaust Hood in Kitchen Whenever Cooking
Don’t Adjust Settings on the Refrigerator It’s an excellent refrigerator, but Samsung has included an absurd “retailer” setting that can be activated in error. This turns off the cooling! And it’s tricky to restore the proper setting. The cleaning staff will have checked to ensure that the refrigerator is set to the optimum settings; please leave them there!
Respect “Private” Signs Generally, closets that store Lessor’s personal belongings, and materials for the Cleaning Staff to use, are locked. However, they may not be locked; also, there are some shared use areas. Please respect the privacy of these few areas marked “Private”.
Do not bring or store materials that are poisonous to children or dogs. We (and our staff) are very careful to securely store the few materials needed to clean the house, etc., that would be dangerous to children and dogs. Please help us in this regard by not bringing such items into the house, or leaving them outside where children or dogs will inevitably find them. (This is why we prohibit vaping supplies (highly toxic) anywhere in the house or grounds.)
No Use or Storage of Illegal Substances on Premises, And No Excessive Noise or Similar Disturbances to Neighbors By all means, enjoy yourselves… and our neighbors are a good distance away. But please act as if our neighbors are your own neighbors!
Drive Carefully and Slowly on the Road Leading to Our Property We have young children, dogs, and a beautiful red fox family, all of whom may be unexpectedly encountered on the road.
At all times drivers on Sols Cliff Road must drive in a safe manner respectful of the rights and safety of young children, pedestrians, bikers, dogs, and wildlife. This requires:
Speed does not exceed ten MPH.
No use whatsoever of cell phones during the five minutes or less that you’re on Sols Cliff Road.
STOP upon sighting a child, pedestrian, biker, dog or wildlife in or near the road. Observe hand signals from pedestrians or bikers. If he or she signals for you to remain stopped, remain stopped. This will enable them to gather up an infant or safely secure children or dogs. Remember, there are no sidewalks to which they may safely retreat! Then proceed cautiously once he or she signals that it is safe to proceed. If he or she fails to signal within a reasonable period of time, then proceed with caution.
By observing these Rules during each and every trip on Sols Cliff Road, not only are you adhering to our House Rules, but you may save a life!
Prior renters of ours have sometimes driven with no sense of safety whatsoever, so we are emphasizing that this simple act of consideration for the safety of children and dogs is a term of your rental agreement with us.
Eat Only in the Living Room, Kitchen or Screened Porch. Unfortunately, we have had far too much damage done and excessive cleaning required when people (usually kids) take drink and food to bedrooms and other rooms. Coffee stains on staircase walls; unremovable blueberry stains on comforters that had to be replaced; food imbedded in couches; liquid stains on bedroom furniture; spills and stains on floors.
So regretfully, we finally have had to add this new rule: Please do not take food or beverage outside of the Kitchen, Living Room or Screened Porch. If adults (21 or older), would like to enjoy their coffee in their bedroom, please discuss ahead of time with Nick or Ned for an exception.
FOR GUESTS WITH DOGS:
We very much welcome dogs to Sound of the Sea, and hope that their vacation at Sound of the Sea will be as joyful as their humans’ vacation! Please follow our rules related to dogs, observing both the letter and the spirit of these rules.
If Dogs Are Present, Keep the Dog Covers on the Furniture If you’re bringing dogs, the staff will place protective covers on certain of the furniture before your arrival. Please be sure these covers remain in place.
Pick Up After Dogs, On and Off Our Property A scooper and pail, as well as poop bags, are provided for this purpose. Please bag and dispose of the individual bags and/or the contents of the pail, placing the larger bag in the outside garbage can by the parking area. If, due to the weather or darkness of night, picking up is impractical, please be sure to cover it and clearly mark the spots you’re your later pick up. The waste bags are excellent for this purpose.
Our land and shorefront and Sols Cliff Road provide much of the enjoyment of our guests’ vacations, as well as our own. They and we expect these to be totally free of dog poop, wherever we may walk. We know that it is sometimes tempting to leave poop if it’s off the beaten path. DON’T!
Failure to clean up thoroughly will result in a $200 cleanup fee.
Leash Dogs When Walking Them on the Road Leading to Our Property Not only are there residents who are not as enamored of dogs as we, and who are uncomfortable meeting dogs off-leash, but there are other dogs on the road. Though all of them are friendly, it’s always best to have them meet and greet on leash, before letting them play with each other off leash.
Walking with Your Dogs at Little Long Pond Nature Preserve The Rockefellers very generously make this gorgeous nature site open to use by dogs, horses and people. They provide bags with which to pick up after your dogs, and in years past, have been disappointed with compliance. We urge you to visit and enjoy this site (your dogs will love playing there with other dogs!); and to fully comply with the request to pick up after your dogs.
Accidents Happen… That’s why we have the protective covers for various furniture. And why we have an ample supply of Nature’s Miracle available. Please be familiar with the locations (Pantry and Laundry Room) and proper use of Nature’s Miracle ahead of time, and use it promptly to disinfect and deodorize any dog-related accidents.
Dogs in the Car Please be aware that there is little shaded parking in the village of Bar Harbor, so be prepared. Feel free to call us and we probably can guide you to the rare shaded parking. Also be aware that the weather changes in minutes, so it is easy to leave the car when it’s cool, and it can be an oven 30 minutes later.
Dogs in Town Some stores, with the best of intentions, leave water bowls out on the sidewalk. Your dog(s) will lunge and drink out of these bowls before you know it. Dozens of dogs from all over the country have also drunk from this water, which becomes an excellent way of communicating viruses prevalent in different parts of the country. It’s not a good idea for your dog to drink from these communal bowls.
Water Bowl at Sound of the Sea The water bowl in the kitchen has been scrubbed after each dog departs, and filled with clean, cold well water a few hours prior to your arrival, for your dogs’ enjoyment and health.
Stuff They Might Eat and Drink Down by the Water Your dogs may drink from the tidal pools, and they surely will eat the various crab and lobster shells left for them by the seagulls. Our experience is that none of these delicacies are good for their digestive tract.
If You Leave Them in the House by Themselves… Please leave them where you know they will best behave, and limit them to one room, with a water bowl.