The owners, Gwen & Scott, met us at the house when we arrived and gave us a tour. They were fantastic through our stay, always responsive and helpful.
It turned out we were the first to go “full Bond villain” and rent the island for a whole two weeks. The house was beautifully appointed, having just been fully refurbished. High ceilings, great ventilation (thank heavens, given the temperatures we were nailed with), hard wood everywhere - the downstairs is a single, beautiful, huge room encompassing the kitchen, dining area, a full bar (!) and the largest TV I’ve ever seen (not that it got much use). In terms of “stuff for cooks”, there was simply everything you can imagine needing. The bedrooms were very, very comfortable and the two bathrooms superb. Overall I have to say that, in 15 years of renting houses via VRBO and it’s historic partner sites, this is simply THE best appointed house we’ve ever had the pleasure of staying in.
Now, onto the even cooler stuff … you’re on a private island on a huge lake, which is pretty neat in itself. Even better were the well managed trails, small (very private) beach and general outlook. This place is staggeringly beautiful. THE definition of quiet and relaxed. Swimming with the dogs (all 4 of them - plus Titan, Gwen & Scott’s beautiful dude came over to play), great selection of kayaks, canoes and body boards made things all the more special. Much fun was had by all, despite me becoming an “all you can eat buffet” for the bugs (that’s a ‘me’ thing - happens everywhere). On the bug topic, there is a truly fantastic “bug tent” on the front lawn, by the excellent grill - when we sat in there during the day, no bites! A really thoughtful touch … and, yes, I’ve already ordered one for home.
Local amenities are relatively simple, but much more than adequate - a great Hannaford’s, a large Walmart (with a great grocery section … and it’s a Walmart. You want it? They have it.). Other local places were also good - keep an eye on the side of the road while in the area; there are some little gems that don’t show in Google Maps …
We had a wonderful time and dearly want to go back (and very definitely didn’t want to leave).
Last point - the “Bond villain lair” is less than 10 minutes from the I-95 exit for Newport. Nice and easy … even with the hauler we brought about 2 tons of dog stuff in.
Just rent it now. There will be NO regrets.
Simply fantastic!!’