I want to start off this review by reinforcing that the location and proximity to the water are lovely. The area is very quiet and peaceful, which make for a relaxing vacation. There were some issues that we encountered during our stay that I think future renters should know about.
Firstly, the cottage was quite dirty when we arrived. The floors didn't appear to have been swept at all, my socks were black on the bottom after one walk to the back of the cottage. All of the couch covers and rugs also felt really grubby like they had not been washed in a very long time. Additionally, there are very visible mold spots along the ceiling in the back sitting room, and the entire cottage has a musty smell. We were expecting the late check-in time to be for cleaning the cottage thoroughly and were very disappointed, especially with the high cleaning fee.
Someone was supposed to meet us at the cottage for check-in, but they could not make it which was fine. They came around 7pm instead and told us to be careful on the beach because there are sharp shards of metal. When we went down to take a look it was quite shocking - there are metal bars sticking up out of the water a few feet in, some protruding from the beach, and giant slabs of rusty metal all over the place. I would not feel safe with children on the beach at all.
The stairs down to the beach are also much longer than pictured - about 4-5x more than shown in the photos. Someone with mobility issues would not be able to get down/back up. I think this should be added to the listing so renters are informed.
The beach itself was nice besides the metal. The beach is fairly rocky as is typical, so I would recommend water shoes if you want to swim. We had a few very calm water days which were perfect for kayaking, though you will have to carry your kayak up/down the many stairs.
The BBQ only has half of the burners working, and they appear to be a little inconsistent. The top rack also was not screwed in well so it fell off and we had to re-attach it while cooking burgers. The bottom oven handle also fell off when we used it and we had to re-attach.
Overall, the place is quite peaceful, but I do think some maintenance is required to bring it back to the place it was in the photos for the listing. In particular:
- metal should be removed from the beach
- better cleaning practices or fee removed
- trim back bushes for a better water view
- address mold spots in back sitting room