First I would like to say that Kennebunk is very nice if rather quiet, with plenty of local amenities. It's very pretty, and everyone was very friendly. The house is within 1-5 minutes of all the amenities.

Secondly, the house is beautifully appointed. It has been recently been refurbished to a very high standard and to exquisite taste. Eveything you could hope is there down to high end toiletries. (apart from the all important corkscrew! which i suspect someone broke and did not tell Shelly)

However our stay was marred by ongoing construction work by a demolition company in the lot directly behind the garden. The noise varied throughout the day starting approx 7:45 am until around 4pm. When we arrived at the property the noise was particularly bad with a digger loading masonry into a dumpster. We contacted Shelly who was very pleasant and apologetic stating that she had not thought this would be an issue and so had not felt she needed to inform us in advance. Having travelled from the UK for our annual vacation we would certainly not have stayed here if we knew there was to be contruction work. We specifically chose the property as it had a garden (yard) as we planned to spend some time relaxing in the fresh air. As it happened we hardly used the screened porch or the garden before 5pm. I asked Shelly if we could have a refund so that we could stay elsewhere however she refused. Sorry Shelly, but I feel that you did nto handle this well - To claim that this is normal "town noise" and that you didnt feel you needed to inform us in advance is disingenuous at best. We were not even offered any financial compensation, and homeaway/VRBO insurance specifically excludes construction.

I realise it is not the owner's fault when a neighbour undertakes noisy work, but at a minimum i think you should contact renters and inform them - offering them a change to cancel and rebook - or agree to a reduced rate.

We will come back to Maine but sadly not to this property.