172 - Cove Cottage

Overall it was ok. I was disappointed there wasn't a garbage disposal or dishwasher. The shower setup allowed water to come out and cause water damage to the wall and floor. The driveway is narrow, not a lot of room to turn around. Good thing I didn't drive my full size truck.

The reviews on this place were true! The picture of it doesn't do it justice. Although it is a little dated inside, it was very clean and comfortable.
The kitchen was well stocked and the oven worked wonderfully! The TV could be bigger, but the wifi was great and nothing can beat the view! Sitting in the hot tub and looking at the water and all the birds was just the relaxation that I needed. We bought some sugar and made hummingbird food to fill the empty feeder because we saw a hummingbird hanging out nearby. He was gulping it down the next day! I left the sugar and directions for the next guests, hoping that it will stay full :)
I would highly recommend this place and plan on returning as soon as possible.

Manager's Response

The property was clean and we loved the location. Hidden away in the trees, but with a beautiful view of the cove nearby. As another reviewer mentioned, you cannot get directly to the water from the house, but the view was still worth it. Our family would stay there again.

Manager's Response

The Pros: The Vacation Prperty Managers, Tara Properties, did a great job. We arrived on a Sunday and the previous tenanats had not taken out their trash, so we took it curbside for Monday morning trash pickup. To our surprise, someone from Tara properties was nice enough to stop by to make sure the trash had gone out - had we not done it. Very kind! The view is amazing, we watched two Sea Lions swim all week in the water just outside our window! While the property is nestled between two other cabins, we never saw another neighbor, and the tranquility and natural beauty was very easy to appreciate. The cabin was very clean, just very dated. The furniture is very old, and theres basic pieces of cookware and cutlery missing. The entire silverware set is a hodge posher of mixed camp utensils and spoons, and theres no baking sheets, definitely not a chefs kitchen. If the owners would invest a tad bit of money to update furnishings - it would easily rent for much more, in my humble opinion. We never once used the hot tub. The thought of using a hot tub other guests use frequently honestly grossed me out - we never even opened the lid. I feel its a beautiful property and a perfect gem of a find - just really dated.

Manager's Response

We loved staying at this cute cabin in the woods. We loved how secluded you felt nestled in the forest overlooking the water. Was just what we were looking for. Thanks!

Manager's Response

Great spot in a beautiful little slice of heaven.

Manager's Response

This cottage was perfect for us. It was centrally located ( Coupeville ) on the island which made exploring anywhere very easy. It is a modest but well appointed with everything you need. Having two bathrooms was a real plus. It is right on the cove so the view from the living / dining room and the deck was just what we came to Whidbey to experience. Sitting in the hot tub in the evening with a glass of wine watching the boats in the cove was wonderful. We came from Georgia and we reserved online. The folks at Tara were wonderful to work with. They had everything under control and were very solicitous of our needs. The whole experience was perfect, and everything went just as planned. I will definitely stay here again if I get to come back to Whidbey. We were visiting a family member who lives and works near Coupeville and she was amazed that we had found such a perfect little spot that was within our budget.

Manager's Response

We enjoyed our stay at Cove Cottage. Very quiet and private.Good views of the water and and sun rises.
easy access to Coupeville and Oak Harbor. The weather was perfect.easy access for handicapped.

Manager's Response

The cottage was as described. Plenty of bedding and towels. However- I chose a cottage/house so I would have a kitchen to use. The utensils and Hobbs were a little sparse. And one of the toilets leaked.

Manager's Response

Loved our stay and want to come back here. Had a very cozy comfy home feel and very quite. The views are wonderful, just wish there had been a way to the beach.

Manager's Response

It was just what i wanted..
nice and quiet and get in the hottub.. Thank you very much!

Manager's Response

This was a fantastic cute little house with great views and a great hot tub. We loved it!

Manager's Response

The house is in a great location. You have a great view of the cove and in walking distance to Captain Whidbey Inn if you want to get dinner or have lunch one day. Coupeville water front is less than 10 minutes away.

The interior is rustic but with modern appliances. It is a nice place to stay.

Only a few of minor issues. The driveway is narrow and very hard to turn around and park. Also there was a musty smell in the home. If you do want to watch TV you might need to sit close because the TV is only 17". There is room for a little larger TV.

I would recommend this home if you are looking for a quiet place and off the beaten path.

Manager's Response

Great for adults; we have Grandsons for whom we were concerned due to the drop off between the house & Penn Cove... once we gained access to the beach, the boys had a ball. Lovely view, cozy, great bargain. Needs new deck chairs, pillows. I would book it again.

Manager's Response

All in all we had a great time. Right on the water(Penn Cove). Slept like a log. Everything worked the only thing is everything is getting tired. Parking was tough but we managed. Do it again if it were refreshed

Manager's Response

Location was incredible! The views of Puget Sound from inside the home were breathtaking! The beach was very close, though tricky to get down to. (keep close eye on your kids when outside - the small cliff with overhanging dirt is dangerous) There's a fine dining restaurant within a beautiful quaint lodge you can walk to along the beach or road. The home was clean and organized. No dishwasher but rest of kitchen was awesome. Coupeville was beautiful and the restaurants we tried were seriously good. Very peaceful island. I miss it already.

Manager's Response

We had a great new years at this cottage. The place was cute and had a great view of the water. It was clean and the property management company was very responsive. The hot tub was hot and the wifi password available.

The reason I am giving it four stars is because both the large living room windows and the windows on the front door didn't have any curtains. It got dark early and we felt like we didn't have a ton of privacy. There is one more house located right next to this cottage so we decided to put up sheets across the windows.

Also the hot tub is right on the front porch in plain view of the neighbhors house, which made it less enjoyable.

It would be nice if the owners could install curtains and put some kind of patio wall where the hot tub is for greater privacy.

Manager's Response

Very peaceful place.Great kitchen and comfortable beds. The shrubs at the deck block the view of the water and there is no access to the beach unless you use the neighbors steps.

Manager's Response

We absolutely loved the house, the privacy, and the view. It was everything that you advertised and perfect for what we needed.

Of all the communities on Whidbey we like Coupeville the best so this cottage was well situated. Close to town but not in it, right on Penn Cove. While we didn't need it the fact that it is ADA accessible is a big plus. It was clean and very comfortable. Appears to be in the middle of an upgrade which is a good idea. We loved our stay as it was private and quiet, yet right close to the Captain Whidbey Inn where we had a wonderful dinner.

The rules are funny . . . take the sheets off the bed and place them next to the bed, wash the dishes in the dishwasher that is not there. AirBNB could teach.

We spent 6 days in this cottage at the end of August 2012. We are the family of three adults and love to be close to water and nature, but appreciate luxury of a city life. This place perfectly match our criteria and expectations. Location is great: being on an island and being in close proximity to all the points of interest was exceptional. The cottage located on a high beach shore and provides remarkable view on a cove. Seals came to greet us every morning and we never heard our neighbours during our stay, so this is a pretty secluded location. The old world style decor of a cottage creates great atmosphere. Bedrooms are big and mattresses are super comfortable. Property management was in permanent contact with us and was very responsive. There were not any problems with the place. The hot tub was not in use at that time and maintenance fee was reimbursed immediately. hot tub was at the bottom of our "must have" list, so we did not really care about having it. Internet and TV worked perfectly well and we were able to plan our days after quick Internet search and visit number of places easily from this location. Kitchen is well stocked and convenient for cooking. Overall, that was a very comfortable leaving space and we rate it high in our long list of rented cottages in both the USA and Canada.

My Uncle passed away recently and my Aunt and I needed a place to stay for a week. I booked this location and it was great. It meet all of our needs. If we had to book a hotel we would had spent a lot more money. We each had our own bedroom and bath. We we able to enjoy the luxury of a home with a beautiful view. With all the planning and arranging we had to do this place met all of our needs. We will need to come back to do some work with the estate and we hope to book this same place again.
There is a wonderful hotel with a restaurant a short walk down the road with great food and lemon drops.
Our cottage was clean, quiet and very comfortable. Our overall experience was very satisfied. We had only one very small problem with the toilet in one of the baths. (very minor) Very happy with the location. The place was clean. The Property management was very nice and attentive.
If anyone is looking for the perfect place on Whidbey Island I would highly recommend this cute little cottage.

Stayed here with some buddies before one moved across the country. The cabin was really comfortable and the beds were great. The pictures don't the kitchen but it's very usable. Frig is small, about half normal size, but bigger was not really needed and stores are super close. It was nice having Coupeville so close for exploring. The only disappointment was that the hot tub had some trouble and never managed to get hot. Stayed about 60 degrees despite all our attempts to increase heat. The controls were basically an on-off switch and temperature dial so there wasn't much to screw up. Suspect heating element was failing. Not being able to use the hot tub was unfortunate since that was a draw, but none the less we enjoyed our stay

Manager's Response

great hot tub, need baking pans, nice bedrooms and bathrooms, toilet in 2nd bathroom runs and needs fixing, need screen door esp when cooking to get more air.coupeville is great location with lots to do.

Manager's Response

We only used it once a day or so, but it was really nice to end the day in our own hot tub. The only problem we had when we got their was a slight fishy odor which was coming from the frig, which had been turned off for a while and had lots of water in it. Also, the coffee pot had old coffee left in it, growing mold on it. These were oversights in cleaning and the manager promptly refunded $45 of our cleaning fee. Otherwise our stay was wonderful.

Great, quiet location on Penn Cove. would be classified as waterfront, but there are some trees that block the view. One downside was that everytime we walked into the house, the smell of the chemical cleaners overwhelmed the point where I didn't want to be in there. We built a fire, which burned up the smells, and then it was cozy.

The cottage is great and well supplied. However, phone service was off as was internet and cable service. Tara reps were minimally responsive. We paid for advertised amenities that we did not receive. Disappointing. I would otherwise recommend the cottage itself with a caution about the integrity of the management and owner.