Eco-Island Resort:14 Private Acres, 5 Unique Stays

Weddings, Retreats, & Family Reunions - Prepare for Adventure!
1BSI is a 14 acre playground for the naturally curious - A large treehouse, a tiny home A-frame, 2 glamorous tents, and a floating cabin/houseboat.
Remote & rustic doesn’t mean roughing it. Just bring clothes, friends, off-leash pups & coolers of food. We’ve got the rest: comfy-real-bed sleeping, cooking options, hot showers and super clean, Maine Guide hospitality since 2015. Away from the world, minutes to re-entry.
We supply everything you need for a unique Maine island experience. Just bring a cooler with ice, your favorite food and beverage, and your vacation clothes. Then prepare to unplug.

When you schedule your vacation for all of 1 Big Sustainable Island, you are getting all five of the unique living spaces (Tree House, Aframe, and Glamour Tents and floating cabin) as well as the privacy of the entire island for your guests (staff available and on-call to address any needs). We also have special optional programs available.

Sleep soundly in comfy queen size beds made up with extra blankets and a comforter. Our futon couches convert to full-size beds. Lounge in the indoor hammock that you can hang inside in front of the wood stove or move outside to the firepit. Amenities include: four compost toilets and hot shower (available as long as temps at night are above freezing) with towels and soap nearby. Island life is barely "roughing it", even though the electricity is battery limited and plumbing is eco-unconventional.

RETURNING GUESTS: We appreciate folks who return year after year. If you've misplaced the Island Withdrawal Syndrome coupon code, remind us of your last stay and we'll send you a new one. We can't have you suffering from IWS, now can we! Also, if you are looking for an exception to our minimum night requirements, please reach out.

COOKING OPTIONS: Cooking is easy, so pack light. We supply: kitchen utensils, dishes, pots and pans, French press, coffee, tea, sugar, salt, pepper, drinking water from our homestead well. Cook inside at the Oaktagon treehouse, or cook outside on a gas grill with a side burner, griddle, or over the fire pit. For large groups, the Oaktagon is well suited for banquet-style group eating and we can help get you setup, if that's what you've got in mind.

FREE STUFF: Every Maine Island adventure includes: camp chairs, unlimited firewood, lantern, fire starter, matches, canoe, kayak, or SUP paddle board with life vests and gear. Explore Annabessacook Lake! On the island there is a rope swing, a mile of walking paths, benches and hammocks.

VACATION WITH YOUR DOG? Send us a request! 1 Big Sustainable Island is pet-friendly for most of our furry friends. The dog fee is $30 per night per dog. Request permission by sending us a picture and brief description of each dog's demeanor toward other pups and humans. The good news is that when you rent the entire 1 Big Sustainable Island, dogs can be off leash without any worries!

LOOKING FOR A SHORT STAY OR WANT A SUPER DEAL?
So that guests looking for longer stays have options, our minimum night stay (MNS) requirements tend to start high in the season and then fade away. So if you've got a quick stay in mind and are surprised by our MNS requirements, please check back with us. The closer we get to an empty night, the more flexible we will be.

Same goes for our pricing: if you've got specific dates or stay in mind, book early for the sure thing. But if you're flexible on dates, flexible on which stay you want, and don't mind biting your nails while waiting for a price you like, then save the link and check back with us later. We have a first-come, first-served booking policy, but our pricing gets lower, the closer we are to an empty night.
The Free Island Ferry service for getting your crew and gear to and from the island runs at 10 am, 3pm, and 5pm. Special ferry runs are available upon request at other timers for a $60 one way fee till 8pm. After 8pm $100 and a cup of coffee. We are also happy to provide safe luggage storage so you can enjoy free early arrival or free late departure.

Island activities include:

Hiking or walking on more than a mile of trails
Swimming
Swinging off the rope swing at the lake's edge
Cooking over an open fire
Watching the sun go down from Sunset Rock
Resting in the island "emergency" hammocks or on the hammock swim docks
Fishing from dock or boat
Canoeing, Kayaking, and SUP
Sauna/Lake plunging

We are happy to provide safe luggage storage so you can enjoy free early arrival or free late departure. Guests can take advantage of the shared areas and activities either before check in or after check out.
Annabessacook Lake is our 1400 acre backyard of clear water, good fishing, and great neighbors. Whether they are year-round residents, summer vacationers, or visitors, most folks you'll meet will tell you that they have been coming here since they were a kid.
Getting to the Island: You’ve got check in options

CHECK IN YOURSELF by:

* Bringing your own boat or boat plane - we have a public boat launch, free parking for your rig at our place, and free island dock space available.
* Paddling yourself - Take one of our canoes or kayaks and paddle the 30 minute trip across the lake to your stay (weather permitting). We can shuttle your gear on the next ferry if you want. Or,

CHECK IN WITH FERRY SERVICE:

Free ferry service to the island runs at:
* 9:45 Early Arrival - We’ll shuttle you to 1 Big Sustainable Island early and while your stay is being prepared, you can begin your “Island Time” early. We’ll safely stow your gear and let you know as soon as your accommodations are ready.

* 3pm and 5pm - With the standard checkin ferry, we’ll move your crew and your gear to the island and help get you settled in.

Pre-arranged Ferry Service is available at other times for a one-way Fee. All paddled boats need to be off the water by sundown. Seats on all of our ferry services are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, so it's important to make your reservation early. We'll transport your gear and all your guests on this 10 minute boat ride.

FREE PARKING: Park in our private parking area for free. Cart your gear to our dock and begin your "Island Time" journey.
A private island experience with a variety of off-the-grid stays: a houseboat / cabin, a tiny home A-frame, a large treehouse , 2 glam tents. Amazing scenic views, beachfront, 1/2 mile from shore, all off-the-grid.

OUTHOUSAPHOBES: We're with you!
New guests might wonder about our island, off-the-grid bathrooms. Rest assured that our compost toilets are designed with usability in mind. They smell great!

We have all been to rural outhouses where this is not the case. It's the number 1 complaint (or is that #2?). Which is why, when we built each of our toilets facilities, we did something different. Through management of airflow, separation of liquids and solids, application of saw dust, and optimizing the force of gravity, we have a composting toilet system that has been in place for years with very little odor and maximum sanitation. So rest easy: if a member of your party is an "outhousaphobe", know that so are we!

CAN'T FIND THE DATES YOU'RE LOOKING FOR?
Check out all seven of our Maine Island eco-retreat listings at 1 Big Sustainable Island.

Packing Advice for glampers: PACK LIGHT!

WHAT SHOULD I BRING?
• Cooler with ice (We'll replace thawed ice for FREE)
• Favorite foods and beverages
• Charge cord for your cell phone (We'll provide the juice to charge it.)
• Sunscreen and bug repellent
• Layers of warm clothing
• Headlamp or flashlight with extra batteries
• Fishing permit, if you're over 16 and plan to fish
• Water shoes for swimming
• Curiosity and a good sense of humor

Our Rates include:
• Free canoes, kayaks, paddles and life vests
• Dock access
• Hammock
• Camp chairs
• Unlimited firewood
• Out door fire pit
• Indoor woodstove
• Adjustable grill for cooking over the fire
• Gas grill with side burner
• Pots, pans
• Dishes
• Utensils
• Biodegradable soap
• Sheets
• Towels
• Playing Cards
• Lanterns
• Dad jokes and exclamation points!

REMOTE WORK - Wifi, cell, and battery recharges
Cell reception registers 3 bars and 5G on the island . So, with any smartphone, you can work remotely. Bring your cord and we'll take phone and laptop battery charging from there. If you need our data plan, we offer a mobile hotspot upon request. There is a catch, however. We can keep a secret, if you need us to. Telling the office how easy it is to get work done on your island adventure will be up to you!