This was the second year that we’ve stayed at Shannon’s cottage. It was just as good as we remembered! It is a charming home, well stocked with thoughtful touches and it is immaculate! The photos are accurate and Shannon is a pleasure to communicate with. We loved having direct waterfront - expansive views, refreshing breezes and spectacular sunsets - usually without another soul in sight. This property is truly remarkable. I recommend water shoes - West Island is full of pebbles/larger stones at the shoreline and I would suggest a beach umbrella or portable canopy for some shade for the back yard as it is sun drenched. We look forward to returning to this beautiful rental.

Shannon's cottage is amazing! It was immaculate and we felt right at home as soon as we walked in the door! The layout is perfect and I love the open feeling of the living area. Love the sunsets on West Island and got to watch them from the comfort of the outdoor seating!

The house is even better in real life. It feels very spacious inside, there is a lot of light and a great view of the water. Shannon was a wonderful host, she responded right away to my questions. The house is a ten minute walk to the beach. There is a very comfortable big couch in the backyard along with a lounger chair. We had a great stay and we reserved the house for next year,

Our family loved West Island and this home! The house is right on the water and we loved to see the sunsets, look at the stars and get our feet wet in the ocean. The beach is wonderful for swimming and walking. We also enjoyed driving into historic New Bedford for meals - there are so many great spots & lots of variety. And the communication with Shannon was terrific. There was a tropical storm that passed by and she was so helpful with the logistics of our stay. Great summer vacation week!

We have just returned home from a relaxing, restorative week at Shannon’s amazing waterfront cottage. The cottage is exactly like the photos. It is bright and airy and was immaculate. It was well stocked with everything needed for our stay. I loved the option of using the efficient, quiet air conditioning or leaving the sliders and windows open for the incredible breezes. There were also fans in each bedroom. As lovely as the cottage is inside, it really was all about the oceanfront location for us. I wish I could post photos of the constantly changing moods of the ocean and sky taken from the seawall. We had times where the ocean looked like a lake - not a ripple on the surface - a few hours where the wind whipped and there were whitecaps and hours and hours of just enjoying the ebb and flow of the tides. There were stunning sunsets right from our own backyard and in the morning, from the front yard, you could watch the sun rise above the wetlands/trees. I love photography and it was amazing that I didn’t have to jump in the car to try to capture these moments. There is a good sized lawn behind the house and comfortable lawn furniture to enjoy the view and sun. I had chatted with Shannon ahead of time so I knew there was no shade and no picnic table so we brought our collapsible table and used our beach umbrella and fully enjoyed the space. There were lawn games in the shed as well as two retro touring bikes. We had a blast on those bikes! It was so much fun to ride around the neighborhoods and we even took them on the nature preserve trails out to the stunning secluded beach. Shannon was wonderful to interact with - from the very beginning when we were just starting our rental search, right through to checkout. I highly recommend this rental. General thoughts: scenery is stunning, it’s breezy & comfortable even when the mainland is hot & humid. Beaches: easy access, stunning views, bathwater temperatures, no crowds! You need water shoes & bug spray (flies that bite)

This was a wonderful family getaway. The island was quiet and peaceful. As a family of four, with a 3.5 year old and a 10 month old the house was comfortable and had just about everything we needed. We enjoyed walking the island, watching sunsets, collecting shells and sea glass. We felt like we had the beach to ourselves most days. Truly a place to come unwind and enjoy family time. We would love to visit again!

I've been coming to West Island in the summer for my entire life. It's a quiet, lovely laid back place that means a lot to my family. This is the first year we stayed at this property and absolutely loved it. The cottage is just as it looks in the pictures and very clean when we arrived. Check in was easy and Shannon was a very responsive host. Beds are comfortable and kitchen is well appointed for most meals. But the stand out feature is definitely the living room with it's many windows. Even though the weather was cool and rainy for most of our stay, we were able to enjoy lounging there with a fantastic view across the water, including quite a fireworks display on the 4th. The beach is a short walk or drive away, and you can easily take a dip in the water right at the house. Just bring some shoes for the rocks. We look forward to coming back next year!

This was our second stay at this lovely property. We couldn’t wait to come back and were not disappointed. Perfect house and property. The house is clean and comfortable and the location amazing. Enjoyed being able to go to the beach down the street a couple times but mostly enjoyed being right in the backyard, relaxing by the water. Can’t wait for our next vacation here :)

The cottage was clean, well-laid out and well appointed. The views and the light and the location were fantastic. This is a great place for a quiet seaside escape.

Our stay at this lovely little cottage on West Island was terrific. The home is small, but lives very comfortably. It's perfectly positioned on its lot and affords wonderful views. The neighborhood is quiet and excellent for walking. We didn't even know West Island existed until this vacation. Shannon was excellent to work with and very responsive - though we really didn't need anything once we checked in. There are no amenities on the island, but restaurants and shopping are only a short drive away. All in all, it's pretty perfect oceanfront cottage.

This is such a beautiful, well designed getaway for us. This home has wonderful fit and finish with a fantastic back yard water view. It has perfect indoor and outdoor space to relax and watch the ocean. Even though their are neighboring homes, it feels private and special.

Super clean property and great communication. We loved every minute.

This was our second stay this Summer at this property. The house is very comfortable and the view is beautiful. We highly recommend.

We loved our stay at the Balsam St cottage the owners were great with communication. The house is direct waterfront and we loved every minute of our stay. Would definitely do it again.

House is modern, clean and view is amazing. Owner very responsive. West Island beach is one of favorite places. Nice family vacation.

This cottage was really well designed, modern with great views of the bay and very close to the beach! We loved it!!

We had a great week in Fairhaven. The cottage was lovely inside, and a real ‘home away from home’. We were only an hour or so drive away from where we live but we felt like a million miles away. Fairhaven is a sleepy town, and set the stage for our week to unplug and unwind. Shannon was a great host and couldn’t have made our stay more accommodating.

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We had a wonderful visit on West Island. Great location, beautiful cottage and incredible sunsets!

This cottage is very beautiful and clean. We enjoy everything right from the backyard with private access to the warm beach.

We returned to spend our second July 4 week in the Waterfront Cottage and again had a wonderful time. The cottage is very well stocked and loving maintained. It is so light and airy. The location is simply marvelous, right on the ocean. The sunset views are amazing! We spent so much time on the beach (which is just a super short walk away) and sitting in the garden or on the sea wall at all times of day. The town beach was clean and pretty quiet, even during the holiday week. The cottage is such a treasure in a lovely location. Shannon remembered us from three years ago and was just as responsive, helpful and friendly. Highly recommended!

We just got back from a week long vacation at this beautiful West Island rental. The house was just as pictured and very clean , modern and comfortable. The location is breathtaking! It was the perfect spot with the ocean right out your back door. We enjoyed mornings and afternoons on the rocks in front of the house playing in the water with our son. The evenings were our truly special time enjoying sunsets and the cool ocean breeze. We did venture out a couple times for bike rides around the neighborhood and walks down to the sandy beach but nothing matched our time we spent at the house and their spacious lawn right on he water. The kitchen was well stocked and allowed me to cook all our meals easily and added to my stress free vacation week. We really lucked out finding this spot!

Very clean home! Shannon is just an amazing host! Communication 5 stars! The island is beautiful the house is perfect! Hoping to be back soon!

great location, seafront property

This house has been beautifully renovated and tastefully appointed with very comfortable furniture. The interior living space is clean, simple, elegant and spacious. The location is a quiet neighborhood just a short walk to the town beach with a backyard that ends at a sea wall where high tide presents itself twice each day. The views across the bay are captivating and the sunsets are amazing.

What a wonderful place to stay for a week. Amazing sunsets and ocean views.

Four of us -- two couples -- spent a very enjoyable week at the cottage on West Island. We had other family staying elsewhere on the island, who joined us in the comfortable living room for games and in the lovely back yard with views of the bay and access to the water. We took full advantage of the local restaurants and great seafood! The owner is very nice and was easy to contact the few times that was necessary.

Thoroughly enjoyed our stay and would love to do it again, hidden jewel!

Beautiful home, beautiful view, great town! Overall first impression of area=we will be back!!!!