Cottage in Portsmouth

Only 30 minutes on a ferry ride from the downtown Bristol but a world apart in a secluded and peaceful island. The island is a hidden gem that many Rhode Islanders have heard, but have never visited. A modern, updated cottage with all the convenience of home life, yet literally minutes walking distance from the beaches and nature. You decide if you want to completely unplug and enjoy the outside air on the deck, enjoy the beach, nature hike, etc. No bridge to island. Consult ferry schedule. The space The access to the island is via ferry only. There is no bridge to the island. If you are considering our cottage as a place to stay where your main goal is to visit Bristol, Portsmouth, Middletown or Newport, it will not work for you because of the ferry only access to the island. We want to be transparent and tell you that our cottage is NOT directly on the bay or have gorgeous view of the water. However, the nearest beach is within a short walking distance. If you desire a direct access and view of the bay, this cottage is not it. However, instead, we offer value for 4 people, and maximum of up to 6 people. Your access to the island is only via ferry. No land access via a bridge. If you can fly, then Newport is only 5 minutes away from the island, but if you drive, it will take an hour to get to Newport, including the 30 minute ferry ride. If you are thinking about spending time in Newport or nearby areas, this island retreat will not work well for you because of the limited access to the island via ferry. Ferry runs regularly from Bristol to Prudence Island. However, you must plan your visit so you do not miss your ferry either coming or going. Typically, the last ferry going in either direction is around 6:30 PM. Once you arrive at the island, it is a very short drive to a small but cozy 3 BR cottage nestled in the norther part of Homestead area of Prudence Island. Separate bedrooms - one large with queen bed, two smaller bedrooms with twin beds. The large couch in the living room is a full-size pull out sofa bed. We also have an air mattress in one of the closets for another person but will have to sleep in the living room area. Our cottage is in an easy walking distance to the nearby pebble beach where Lisa and I go for a stroll or just sit and relax in our beach chairs. That beach is where we launch our kayaks. If you bring your 4x4 or AWD vehicle, then you will have access to some incredible sites and sights on the northern tip and the southern tip of the island where there are no houses. You also want to check out the beautiful sunsets on the western shores of the island. Our favorite spot is a little side detour called “Chase Way”. That is marked by a post that says Chase Way off of the western drive (dirt road). You can drive along the road with some open access to the beaches to look at the sunset. Sandy Beach is also a short driving distance away from the cottage, in the northern part of the island. The 85% of the island is nature preserve so you will have plenty of places to explore once you are on the island. The living room and kitchen are combined in an open area with lots of windows. Bright and cheerful in the common area for entertaining and family time. The summer time living is easy and no fuss at this cottage. Bring your family, bring your pets, and friends. It is not on a direct view of the ocean, however, you are about 100 yards from the beach front. Walk and take your beach chairs to the beach, sit and relax. Guest access The guests access the cottage via smart combination locks with keypad. Once your reservation is confirmed and ready to arrive, the lock code will be provided to you before your arrival. If the electronic lock fails, then there is a spare physical key in a lock box. The lock box code will be shared with the guest should you need it. The lock combination changes every time a new guest arrives for safety reasons. There is a SimpliSafe security system with exterior cameras that monitors the house. The check-in process is a self check-in most of the time - occasionally, Lisa or I may greet you to open the door for you. Our co-host may also greet you to make certain that everything st your stay is in good working order. There is no camera inside the house for obvious privacy reasons. Other things to note The Internet service is provided by a line-of-sight radio frequency airwaves. We have an antenna on the roof for the bidirectional communications. Please note that the radio waves are often subject to interference and affected by the weather. You will not have the same level of reliability as the cable or fibre. It is hard to get Internet service on the island - we are fortunate to have any service and give you the basic speed of service. On a good day, our experience have it at about 40 Mbps download, and about 10 Mbps upload. It is good enough for email and short video - probably not suitable for hi-def video and video conferencing like Zoom or Facetime. Please do not expect to be able to do long hours of Zoom calls with your friends and colleagues. But hey, why are you trying to work, instead pf chilling? LOL. But do try enjoy the peace and quiet of the island. We have beach chairs for the guests to use. If you would like to use them for your own enjoyment, please let us know. They are stored in a storage shed. Please be kind and respectful of them, and return them to the shed after your use, so that other guests can use them. Please report any missing or broken equipment immediately so that we can take care of them for the next guests in a reasonable time frame. Parking your car on Bristol side of the ferry - there are no designated parking spaces for the ferry across the street. If you park in the spaces directly in front of the ferry dock, you will get a $25 per day ticket. You see the sign that states Harbor Master permit parking only. If you stay on the island for a weekend, it can potentially cost you $50 or more if you park on the permit parking space. The town is pretty aggressive about it during the summer season. We have witnessed some cars getting towed from the restricted parking area. This space is patrolled by the harbor master all the time. You will have a better chance of not getting the ticket by parking on Thames Street, or nearby streets even though the streets are supposed to be for residents of Bristol only. The daily fine is $25 if you get tickets by parking on the street. Registration Details RE.01108-STR