The cottage was a charming plantation cottage as pictured. We enjoyed being in a place with some history, and that one could tell had been built for the tropical climate - with the doors and windows open it had very nice cross ventilation. The cottage also had some supplies (cooler, umbrella, etc) for beach going.
There is beach within a short walk (not more than 5 minutes) from the cottage where we strolled every morning. The public beach in Kekaha is just a short drive away and is a very nice, long, sandy beach that was never more than sparsely occupied.
We really liked this part of the island - it seemed the the most off-the-beaten-path part of the island that we visited, but all the basic conveniences (grocery, shave ice) were just a short drive down the road in Waimea.
The only "challenge" - and this is common to many (most?) places in Kauai - are the neighborhood roosters.