Our stay at the Birdhouse was as expected. The space was pretty small, with a private bathroom, kitchen/eating area, and steep staircase that led up to an open attic with the bed. It was a little dusty and the furniture/household appliances is older and dirtier, and the apartment is old too so expect a lot of creaking as you walk around in the night. One issue we had was with the summer heat, there were not many windows so it was difficult getting fresh air circulation, even though there were fans provided (no AC though). During our stay it was incredibly hot and humid in the bedroom and we struggled in the first night to sleep, even with the front door wide open. The second night however we had some rain so it definitely helped to cool things down. The bathroom was great, we had hot water and a great shower at all times.
In terms of location, the Birdhouse was pretty much walking distance (15-20 mins) to everything we needed. It was great being able to just walk to the harbor and not have to deal with parking. Car park around the Birdhouse wasn't an issue either.
Overall the heat made our stay somewhat uncomfortable, would definitely recommend visiting when it is a little cooler. We booked through Airbnb pretty last minute too so paid a premium, and in hindsight and with better planning I think we would have preferred to stay elsewhere. Nevertheless, we had a good time in Newport and we're grateful we were able to find a place to stay.