Our family and dogs had a great time especially on sunny days. We brougt our own kayaks. There are quite a few steps to water, we also used the paddle board on property. We also fished. Great time. The property is rustic and charming.

Amy and the property manager were very prompt in responding to any concerns. The house has a large yard with plenty of room for lawn games. It is set back from the road with lots of greenery making you feel like you are in the country, as well as giving you privacy. Yet there were plenty of stores nearby for any needs that arose. Porch was great for morning coffee while enjoying the river view. We did not use the fire pit, but it was spacious and nicely positioned overlooking the river. Having access to the river and use of the kayaks was great although there were more steps than expected to reach the waterfront. Looking at the posted picture I thought the water would have been closer. There were also many places to see within a short drive, Mystic Aquarium, Niantic boardwalk, etc. New London is close by and has a ferry to Block Island if you want to take a day trip. My family is tall and found the beds to be short and uncomfortable. Due to the footboard they had to sleep diagonally. The cottage is old and has quirks but, overall is a nice get away from the daily routine.

The porch was essential and the house was a beautiful with so much character. The paddleboard and kayaks were great fun. The only downside is that the neighbors' docks (on both sides) prohibits having a dock and limits the size of the waterfront. The views from the porch and the adirondack chairs are spectacular. We saw so much wildlife, from horseshoe crabs to tiny bioluminescent comb jellyfish (which do not sting) to osprey to bunker fish. The house and the river were truly beautiful! The property managers were great too! They reached out a few times, making sure that we enjoyed our stay. We would highly definitely recommend!!!

The house was so charming, the location was fantastic! The whole family was out on the river throughout the day. Location was 15-30min to many places we wanted to go, very convenient. Very delightful! Amy was always available and helpful, communication was great.

First walkthrough we were all a bit skeptical, however by night fall we were in love. As others have mentioned the ceilings are low and some doorways the guys had to duck down ~ we joke they left their DNA behind. It's a very unique set up and you can tell it has been in the family a long time. Definitely a place you never want to sell to outsiders. It certainly has history and many stories to tell Extremely clean! One of the best parts everyone agreed upon is that it reminded us of the camp our family used to own, nothing like a screen door closing behind you. Don't let the small amount of rocks/shells or floating greenery along the river fool you; walk out 10' or so and it's very sandy. Wish we had known this before we set out across the river to the small beach. Water shoes recommended, though we had no issues Only down fall were the beds; the guys in the family were a bit snug in the full/double beds, which is fully disclosed in the description. Absolutely would return if the beds were queen sized Highly recommend The Dock Reasturant ~ very simple with great fresh seafood

The house is exactly as advertised: unique and spacious. We found everything we needed ready to hand, and Amy’s friendly communication was top-notch. Great convenient location for visiting the Coast Guard Academy. As long as you’re OK with stairs and the quirks of an older house, highly recommended.

We really enjoyed the firepit by the river. Communication with the owner was great!

Quiet neighborhood in historic home. Beautiful view of Niantic river. Great fire pit and kayaks. Fans and A/C kept us comfortable. Beach took cash only ($35) but close to lots of things. Simple throw back to a time gone by

Great location right on the river. The bedrooms are all upstairs and the shower is downstairs, but there's a toilet upstairs, so no late night attempts at scaling the stairs were necessary. The kitchen is fully equipped and we really enjoyed using the outside space to grill and play. We kayaked and took advantage of the beautiful weather while we could. The house is quirky and the history of it is really pretty amazing. It does get a little warm upstairs when it's really hot outside, but the basin room has AC and there's a mini split in the hallways. Use the fans to move the cooler air around.

My family and I loved the home, it's spacious and welcoming. The view was fantastic & the surrounding area is full of things to do. The firepit at night was our favorite thing to do while reflecting on the day & making plans for the next day. Never got to the kayaks out, but next year for sure!

Amy was quick to respond to any inquiries, and was clearly invested in helping us enjoy the property! Firepit was our favorite spot!

The house had everything we needed, plus a river to explore and a chorus of birdsong in the morning :) Communication with the host was fantastic! Thank you Amy!

This is my first time renting a cottage/house. The house is described accurately in its listing. It has the quirks to be expected in an older house, but if you are okay with all the bedrooms on the second floor (ceilings are low and stairs are a bit narrow), you will fall in love with the charm. Thank you Amy!

My family and I had a very enjoyable stay at Amy's house. We live locally and stayed there because some work was being done at our house. The setting is great -- as a local I can vouch that it's very centrally located to many amenities/attractions/restaurants, and the house occupies a beautiful riverfront. It's an older house, but is charming and a lot of care has been taken to anticipate guests' needs. Communication with the host was prompt, friendly and professional at all times. Highly recommend.

We loved this house. It has so much character and was perfect for my wife, our two kids & I. I grew up in this town and was so exited to come back and spend time on the beautiful Niantic River. We swam and kayaked every day. The kids couldn't get enough of jumping off of the rocks accross the river. We loved it so much we booked it for two weeks next summer while we were there. Thanks Amy,

My family (my husband and I, set of grandparents, two kids 5, 4) created such wonderful memories at Amy's house. Communication with Amy was immediate, friendly, and professional. Check-in/out process was a breeze. The house itself is very old and historic, but provided all the comforts needed to enjoy a summer vacation for an active outdoor-loving family. Air-conditioning units kept things comfortable on hot days, but the breeze coming in from the LI Sound was enough to warrant sweaters in the morning! We spent 90% of the time outdoors and really appreciated use of the 2 kayaks, water toys, and life jackets. Kayaked right across the water to a small isolated beach, and also kayaked half a mile to another isolated beach. Location can't be beat - close to Niantic and Mystic. Really enjoyed visiting Harkness Memorial Public Park...gorgeous beach (no swimming allowed though). Spent one night making s'mores by the fire pit, and had countless cones at Cowlicks Ice Cream 5 minutes away. Cooked and ate most meals outside on the picnic table (kitchen is equipped with everything! and grill was very handy). Kids watched some Netflix when they needed some downtime, as adults did laundry in the cellar. Overall, Amy's house provided us the opportunity to have a special and comfortable vacation. Would not hesitate to book again.

This house was very comfortable we had four family members coming from Florida South Carolina and Ohio. Unfortunately the weather was not on our side but we managed to have a great time. My brother is a great cook and the kitchen was very well stocked with everything that he needed!!!! Amy the owner answered all my emails very quickly!!!! Great house for a large party. We would definitely stay there again. We all grew up in Mystic Connecticut and being there in Waterford just felt like being at home. Thank you again Amy for a great time😄

That was our second stay at this house during the July 4 weekend. I wrote a very elaborate review last year. Everything I wrote back then is still valid, so I won't repeat any - simply scroll down the history to read that review.

The owners were very nice to work with but the property is very old and even though you can sleep 8 you run out of hot water during the first shower. Bedrooms are up very steep steps and the shower is on the first floor. The outside is very nice with a beach and kayaks.

Great place, fantastic view very relaxing stay.

Very nice location. House was not too close to neighbors. View was excellent

Definitely old cottagey. Reminds me of a cottage that used to be in my own family. Very pretty water view.

My family and I really enjoyed our stay. We had plenty of space for everyone and the house had everything we needed. We loved sitting on the porch looking out at the water as well as having a huge dining room table for family activities at night. We kayaked across to go swimming or went to nearby Rocky Neck.

I had an absolutely lovely stay at this gem of a location. The view of the can not be beat. Sparkling water view from the back yard and bedrooms facing the back. The house has so much character! It’s a very old house with a great deal of charm. I adored the house. It is rustic, so be prepared for that and if you’re tall, you have to duck in many spots around, but we are a short family:) The back yard has a picnic table for picturesque meal times. The Adirondack chairs provided a comfortable place to sit and read with the river right in front of you. I brought my paddle board and went out for a paddle every single morning. With the kids, we journeyed across the river to a little beach area several times to swim and float. We made use of the kayaks and row boats available to us as well as the noodles and we left a couple of floats behind for others to enjoy. The beds were comfortable and the AC units worked great to cool the house with fans provided in the rooms for needed cooling at night (we had a steamy week!) There were plenty of towels for bathing and beach and the kitchen was equipped with everything we needed and we took advantage of the BBQ as well. There is a great fire out, but it was too hot of a week to use. The owners were available when needed. I hope to return to this spot in the future. What an amazing get away! There’s a lot to enjoy and explore in the area, but I never wanted to leave the river.

Nice clean relaxing

I'll begin with my son's review: "Fun house with lots of charm right on the Niantic River. We enjoyed having use of the property's two kayaks and short distance to local beaches. The river is also nice for swimming. The house also has a nice backyard porch, fire-pit, picnic table, and grill making for an excellent summer vacation." And another perspective: "Have you ever wanted to take a trip back in time? Then this house in Waterford is right for you! The house, the doors, the antique furniture, the traditional New England kitchen, and even the old books all surround you here and remind you that there was once a time where people lived without cell phones, televisions, and social media. This is a place where you can truly unplug. Get up early in the morning, stroll down the hill to the rocky river beach, watch the sunrise and let your eyes follow the slow river current. Take a kayak on a whim, and let the current bring you along down the river to the bay which opens to the sea. What a great way to take respite from your world and your problems. Enjoy it!" Now, my review is a lot longer, so if you're in a hurry, first book the house before someone else beats you... For a start, you can't beat the location. The house sits in front of the Niantic river. It's not just a magnificent view - you're just about 1 minute away from a dip in the water. Aside from the small strip of land by the water, you can walk to two other beaches, or you may use the house-provided kayaks (one is a one-sitter, the other is for two people). The Grimsey Beach has a picnic table but is smaller than the one (nameless) in the opposite direction. The latter is recommended as you may have more room to spread (hopefully Covid-19 won't be around for the long run). Grab the provided beach towels since these aren't sandy beaches. If you desire a sandy beach, there're many choices within 20 minutes' drive, but beware of the crowd and bring masks. The house has recommendations for dining/carry outs, but we opted to have all meals prepared by us. For meal preparation we used the functioning parts of the stove & oven plus the outside grill and fire pit. We ate them outside or in the dining room. The dining room table was large enough, so we didn't need to dismantle the 1000-piece puzzle. We enjoyed watching Hamilton on the large screen TV. The toddler-traveler enjoyed playing with the toys in the small "play room" adjacent to the bathroom.

What a find! Charming, well-stocked, super clean comfortable home. Perfect for summer grilling, relaxing, kayaking, morning coffee in the Adirondack chairs listening to the birds and watching the boats go by. Fire pit is great and the house is well appointed with everything you need. Fridge and freezer are spacious and shopping is nearby. Outdoor shower is a plus as is the many shells you'll bring home along with great memories. Owner is quick to reply and the check-in process was simple. Can't wait to return!

Had a great time. We were taken great care of.

The river front is definitely as described! Though the property beach was not swimmable (a bit too much late summer algae), we enjoyed the beach that was 1/2 mile away. Best fun, instead of walking, take the kayaks and a paddle board over to the quiet beach. Family enjoyed collecting seagrass for their next artistic project. Most evenings we relaxed by the campfire (stacks of wood provided!) and enjoyed samples of s'mores courtesy of my grandkids! Of course, attractions are many (aquarium, submarine, and lots of parks) but if your goal is lots of R and R, this home is for you. The owners are pleasant, personable, and quick to respond. True, this home has been a strong historical perspective, but you'll drive away after a week having created your own history. Delightful week! Thanks!

My family enjoyed another year at this house on the Niantic River. The area and house are beautiful. We had a great time kayaking, swimming and exploring the area. The house was clean and well maintained. It has all the amenities you need and the property owner is wonderful. She is prompt with responding and sincere. You can tell that she wants your stay to be everything a vacation should be. We love this place and look forward to renting it for many years to come as our kids get older.

Had an wonderful stay in a historic house on the Niantic River. Great value with a nice walk down to the river for kayaking or relaxing on the deck watching sunsets.

We had a wonderful week at the house. The water was wonderful, our dogs loved playing ball and swimming in the river. The markings around the house were super helpful to for locating items. Perfect home away from home. thank you.