Good Beach Getaway

Great location near Coupeville easy access to mini beach and wood walks. Lovely waterfront with stunning views.

Location, cleanliness, available room

Broken appliance (dishwasher) and lack of basic amenities like battery for flashlights, poor quality dishwashing liquid/cooking utensils/blankets that are itchy

This little gem is was super affordable, impeccably clean, and in a great location for visiting the entire island. The house itself is actually an artfully remodeled "double-wide" manufactured home, but it feels very much like a beach house with fun decor and beach art motifs and a deck right smack-dab on Penn Cove. A shellfish company operates a couple properties down, but they were surprisingly quiet (like, not at all an issue), and it was interesting to watch boats come in an out. We had our regular seals who came for us to watch every afternoon, and at high tide there were crabs, halibut and other fish visible right from the deck. The house is well-appointed with modern fixtures and appliances, and there's comfortable indoor and outdoor seating. There are also fun touches like a phonograph player and some old albums, which the kids were intrigued by, but the music selection was also, and it was fun to listen to LPs making dinner, playing a game, or eating. There are board games and a dedicated game room. The Roku streaming device worked well; its guest mode automatically resets based on your departure date you enter when you start it the first time (never seen that before), so log in to any services you subscribe to (AppleTV+, Disney, Netflix, Max, etc.). The bathrooms were immaculate and supplied thoughtfully. The heat worked FAST, good on chilly mornings, and there was plenty of hot water. The beds were comfortable and new, and the view from the master bedroom was really nice. Off-street parking is under a carport or right next to the property. The location is 8 minutes from Coupeville, 15 minutes to Oak Harbor, 20 minutes to Deception Pass, 15 minutes to Fort Casey and Fort Ebey, and about 15 minutes to Langley. Really very central, and with the site right on Penn Cove, you can't beat it.

Everything was great, but just a couple of tips. The half-wide mini dishwasher works best with a dishwasher tab (and not gel) set to the pots and pans cycle, even if it's not pots and pans (otherwise it leaves residue on some dishes). There was a small whiff of mildew around the laundry area, but the washer and dryer were clean and not leaking and laundry came out perfect. Last, the toilets tend to run after they fill, so jiggling the handle is important. Last comment: trash is picked up on Tuesdays, but we put the trash out at the street the night before and it was not picked up, so maybe clarify with the property manager where exactly the trash goes on Monday nights. One last tip: To lock the door when you leave, press the Schlaege button on top, wait a second for the tones, and then turn the deadbolt (we're dumb and it took us a long time to figure that out). These are nitpicky critiques, though, right? The place was awesome. One of the best we've stayed at in the Puget Sound region.