We had a wonderful stay at Christina's place!
The space:
The house is well laid out and well stocked with lots of thoughtful touches throughout. It really felt like being a guest in a home rather than being in a rental because of little things - like having plenty of bath and beach towels, sheets and blankets, and a kitchen that actually has the stuff you need, like good knives and a variety of pots and pans. Plus the fact that it is BOTH pet friendly and very clean was really wonderful (we've rented some places where pet-friendly apparently meant kinda dirty).
The large yard was loved by the kids for kite-flying and whiffle ball. The central air was a gift coming off the heatwave. The deck, the grill, the firepit, the outdoor shower... All the little luxuries that make for lovely summer days are there!
The area: In the best possible way, there is "nothing to do" in Little Compton. We spent almost all of our time outdoors - whether on the deck at the house, at South Shore beach or at the various nature preserves and farms. It was great. We didn't have cell service anywhere in LC which was a welcome break. We used wifi at the house for calling and texting if we needed to. The only time no service was tricky was trying to navigate to different places. We found the car's built in gps was more reliable than our phones, so good to make sure you have the address of where you're going before leaving the house. Parking at south shore beach was $50 for the whole week which felt like a steal. There isn't much beach at the highest tide but still enough to sit and enjoy and we were lucky with good tides during our trip. The waves were perfect for our beginner surfers. Other than the beach, our favorite place to go was Simmons Mill Pond area. Beautifully kept trails and pathways, a gorgeous large pond and not even a little bit crowded.
Restaurants and shopping in LC are almost nonexistent. In town there is a great general store, a classic diner for breakfast/lunch, a pizza place, a funky coffee shop/art space (Art Cafe), and that is kind of it. Most places are cash only. The general store takes cards but their wifi was down making it cash only 2 of the days. There's an atm next to it. We didn't need much more! We ordered instacart groceries to be delivered to the house and then supplemented with 1 - 2 trips to Lee's market in Westport (15 min drive). It is more like a real supermarket and has an attached liquor store.
On a friend's recommendation, we went to Groundswell in Tiverton (also about 15 mins). It's a lovely, kinda bougie spot with delicious food and a lovely space - including some outdoor lounge space on the grass that is dog friendly. Call me cliché but the avocado toast was amazing!
The best ice cream we tried (and we had a lot) was Gray's Ice Cream in Tiverton by a mile - it was truly awesome! Right across from groundswell. It is made on site and delicious.
We also went to Gray's Daily Grind one day for coffee and pastries. Its across the street from some water (a river? a pond? I'm not sure. I think a river) and there are picnic tables and grass there to enjoy the tasty treats. We went on a weekday and it wasn't busy at all. When we drove by on our way out of town on Sunday, there was literally a line out the door and well into the parking lot.
All in all it was a great trip to a great area staying in a great house. We had a blast and can't wait to return! Thank you Christina!