We had a very good time in Narragansett these past two weeks. This house has more pros than cons, as detailed here:
Pros
-Great, residential location-quiet, family-oriented
-Beach passes to the town beach. Frankly, it was what sold me because Narragansett charges $12 per person (yes, person, not car) and that is on top of out-of-state parking $10 weekdays, $15 weekends
-Fun beach decor. Everywhere you turn, there is a lobster, an anchor, a mermaid. Really fun.
-The outdoor shower is fantastic.
-The yard has an expanse for a fire pit, which we used twice over the two weeks.
-The giant room downstairs. Our daughter and her friends claimed it immediately, and it was good separation of the generations.
-The back deck is well-appointed and is a great place to enjoy coffee in the morning and view the sunset in the evening.
-The beds were super comfy. There is a good mix of plush/firm to accommodate any mattress preference.
-This home (as of summer 2021) provides linens. This is not the norm when renting in RI, so I definitely appreciated not having to stock up on my own sheets prior.
-WiFi was fast and unproblematic.
-Dana checked in occasionally, but mostly left us to ourselves (my preference!)
-Neighbors were friendly.
-Access to the kayak at the Narrow River beach (We called it the "baby beach" because it was small), but just the thing after the crowd at Narragansett. Also a great place to view the sunset.
-Appliances were new and gave us no trouble.
-Rental instructions were clear.
-The extra half-bath in the main bedroom was a plus.
-Beach chairs and floats for the lake were available in the shed.
-Nearby Wickford and Wakefield offer some fun shopping options, if that is your thing.
-Window air conditioners did the job and kept us cool and comfortable on hot summer days.
Cons
-As a prior reviewer noted, the house looked like it could use some overdue maintenance. It was absolutely clean, actually--It just shows a lot of wear-and-tear that is not apparent in the photos. The house photographs beautifully, but a fresh coat of paint and replacement of broken tiles is definitely in order.
-The property line is really close. Neighbors on that side are friendly and quiet, but close.
-The house is generally well-appointed (even has a crock-pot!), but was missing a cookie sheet and was short on serving bowls, a minor annoyance, but it did factor into meal prep and serving.
-There was some confusion before checkout when the owner's daughter showed up at 10:30 to take the beach passes from the house. This made us very uncomfortable, because we had no warning that someone would come by to take them, and we were warned that the replacement cost was high upon checkin. Eventually we handed them over and confirmed with Dana that it was OK. The owner's daughter was less than understanding.
-A personal preference, but there is only one large TV in the living room, and a really small one in the basement room. This meant that only one generation at a time could watch a movie on a large enough screen, and was the cause for some tension in the family. If TV is your bag, you might want to know this ahead of time. Also, there is cable but no streaming device, so you may want to bring your own Roku.