We had a wonderful family vacation at this property. Tiverton is a beautiful area, and the homes gardens are stunning - if you are lucky with the weather you will really get to enjoy them! Having said that, there were quite a few caveats that you should know if you’re going to spend nearly $7,000 on a house for a week. 1. The house does not have direct beach access. It's a short walk to the beach on a grass road and you have to pass three VERY AGGRESSIVE dogs which Jonathan warns you about in his welcome packet after you arrive (advanced notice would be proper). The dogs were always fenced in but their owner was equally as unpleasant. 2. Once you get there, the beach is indeed private but it is not soft sand. The beach is mostly seashells and sand flies, most people go to a different beach nearby which is not walkable but much nicer. 3. The house itself is a very cool converted barn with incredible potential. The finishings are very dated but the atmosphere created by the vaulted ceilings, lofted living room, and outdoor dining area create a great space for families to gather. 4. The owners personal possessions are everywhere and that results in the house lacking a 'vacation property' energy. You're very much staying in Jonathan's house. It seems as if he moves into the cottage next door while people rent out the barn. There are personal photos of the host and his family in virtually every room and on the kitchen fridge. I don’t think I’m overly particular but it really started to feel weird looking at this couple in their bathing suits on my dresser before bed. 5. Which brings me to the next point. When I pay nearly $900 a night I expect privacy. Jonathan wandered over several times throughout the week while my family and I were in the middle of breakfast, getting settled in, and once he tried to have a conversation with my cousin while he was naked in the outdoor shower (which is amazing btw). He did not call or text in advance asking if he could stop by. He also mowed the lawn at 7am which wasn't the most pleasant way for us to wake up on a well earned vacation. Jonathan seemed nice enough but I did not realize he would literally be on the property with us. I believe the listing was recently updated to acknowledge this. 6. Jonathan's dog. When we arrived the yard was freshly mowed which made it possible to spot 5 or 6 "land mines". I recommend cleaning up the owners dog excrement before letting the kiddies out to play. Also, the listing states that Jonathan "will also have a separated area for our dog, Liberty so any pets that you or your family may bring are free to roam". That's not entirely true but if you don't mind being surprised by a random unleashed dog on the property every now and then you should be fine. 7. The house is definitely not baby proof. It is kid friendly to an extent (there are baby gates, but the living room is full of eye level choking hazards and I caught my 11 month old son about to eat a metal piece of hardware with a screw sticking out of it). The garden, while gorgeous, has a roughly six foot drop from the top with no handrails. There was also ant poison in nooks and crannies all over the house (there is a slight bug problem) so you may find yourself pulling ant traps out of your babies mouth. I had thought since the owner had an 18 month old baby that it would be baby proof but that's not quite the case unless you're a very lassiez faire parent. After a week on vacation I’m exhausted. Just an FYI for families with young children. 8. Plumbing. I believe the barn was converted into a house in the 1970's so it shouldn't have plumbing issues. However, the downstairs sink simply would not drain the entire week we were there. It was impossible for multiple people to use the bathroom back to back without the sink nearly overflowing (and then needing 10-30 minutes to drain properly). 9. One bathroom doesn't have a door on it. If you're a pretty liberated group of people this might not be an issue but keep in mind that there are 2 bedrooms upstairs and only one bathroom up there. Whoever has the master bedroom is likely going to have people coming in and out to use the bathroom and, remember, there is no door on it. 10. The owners neighbors don't like it when you have camp fires so you can put the S'mores stuff away for the kids. We were able to have one camp fire at the clearly designated fire pit but Jonathan's neighbor complained and we were not able to have campfires for the rest of the week. 11. The "cross breeze" does not exist. The listing clearly notes that the house does not have air conditioning. We love camping and well designed breezy coastal houses with cross breezes... but the house gets incredibly hot and you can't open enough windows and doors at night to avoid waking up in a puddle. Not all of the "bedrooms" have fans either and those rooms get especially hot. 12. It's not really a 4 bedroom house. It's a two bedroom house with a downstairs living space and a downstairs office that have beds in them. The downstairs living space actually has convertible sofa beds, not actual beds, and they're not very comfortable. Give this room to the kids, someone without back problems, or someone you don't like very much. 13. The "ruins" really are ruins. I don't advise letting young kids play in there, supervised or not. They look very cool in the photos but could benefit from a loving restoration or removal....