Mike, everyone has their two cents so hears mine:
Our pond is NW-SE oriented with the dam on the south end of the pond. It is about 11 acres. The cabin is on the NW side of the pond and gets a lot of early morning sun from the pond. It does not bother us as we love the view. As for the house, when we build, it will be on the south west corner of the pond oriented so that the family room will look north, down the length of the pond. The side windows will look out on the little pond as well. I plan on putting the master bedroom above the family room to have the same views. Because of the small hill, we will have the house about 100 feet from the big pond and about 150 yards from the little pond. Our cabin is about 60 feet from the water on two sides and we have no problems and love the placement.
As for the humidity, I do see a lot more fog in the fall due to the ponds, But it looks great, except during deer season and duck season.
I also agree that you should try to place the house near the utilities. But only if the view allows. In the end, you only have to pay for them to be put in once, but the view is there day after day....
In short, go with the best view after considering all four seasons and your needs.
