Beach House was perfect and had everything we needed and such a great area for walking and biking. The private beach was amazing, perfect at low tide to look for shells. Had the most beautiful sunsets. Can't wait to go back. Thank you Gene for being a great host.

Property was exactly as described and host was in great communication. This beach house is on a dead end street, very quiet, with 3-min walk to a small, scenic beach, plus views of a marsh with marshbirds. Short drive to town. Beach chairs, beach toys provided. Lots of books. Great!

Pillow cases stained,dead centipede found between sheets in one bedroom. Dishes in kitchen chipped and cracked.Did not see any smoke detectors in house and no fire extinguisher. Stairs are steep to second floor.Basement where laundry facilities are located is dirty. I swept part of the basement floor and swept the stairs leading down to basement. All appliances were in good working order.Mattresses were comfortable.

Easy, short walk to quiet beach. Easy access to great bike trail. House amenities nice-kitchen, etc. Don't have bring own linens or towels. 2 full baths a plus. Could use an enclosed outdoor shower and clothes line for beach towels. Stairs to second level (where bedrooms and one bath located) very steep and narrow. Unfortunately, my guest could not navigate the stairs (she walks with cane, slowly) so had to sleep on the couch. However, there is a full bath downstairs, so she was comfortable for one night. Parking is really tight for larger cars; I wish we brought the smaller car!

The house was cozy! The greatest advantage was the quick walk to a delightful sandy beach. Many beaches on the CT shoreline are rocky and this was not!! Everything is convenient. Great restaurants and shopping...including grocery, a short drive away! The only thing the house lacked was an outdoor patio or deck! But the screened in porch is nice!!

We had a lovely stay! Very close to the private beach! Would recommend. Gene is a great host! TL;DR: Things to bring: Bring a beach chair to have a spare or if you don’t like camp style chairs. (Only 2 available) Bring a beach umbrella Don’t bring beach toys; there are a lot in the basement. Bring your sunscreen! Bring water shoes - this is northern Atlantic and the sand is shell-y. Things to note: The house is a traditional older summer home, so the stairs are very narrow and a little steep. The washer dryer are in the basement, but you can’t get to the basement from the house, only the outside (no biggie, just FYI) The AC is window unit (they work fine) so if you don’t like the sound of that, you might be annoyed. If you bike, the trail is so convenient! So bring it along! We weren’t bothered by anything and were able to pick up anything we needed (like extra paper towels - toddler, ok?!) at the stop & shop about a mile away. Yummy laid back beach Restaurants are great and close by. Hammonasset is literally over the jetty. It was never super busy, which was nice. Lots of shells to discover. If you have an adventurous toddler, be sure to bring something to rope off the stairs (my little guy is not adventurous so he just needs a gentle telling). They located a crib for me for a small fee, which is great! I brought an inflatable crib mattress (hiccapop) and it worked great. If you want something super fancy, move on. If you want a little old school gem, stop here! Hope we can visit again!

Cute house in a very quiet location with private beach and very close to Hammonset State Beach as well as Route 1 and I-95

Our stay in Madison was great-location great-access to a great little beach and walking path to Hammonasset State Park close by. For the price I was expecting a little nicer but the house was comfortable and had everything we needed.

Everything was wonderful, the neighbors were extremely friendly, just the perfect vacation

My family and I have stayed here twice, and both times have been wonderful. It's a great house in a very nice location for a quiet get-away. I would highly recommend this house and this town as a friendly vacation spot.

Great house! Big. Clean. Has everything you need. A 3 minute walk to an awesome private beach. Great quiet neighborhood. We loved it. Will definitely go back!!

Gene is an excellent host. The house was very clean and had everything we needed for a week’s stay. Walk to the beach! Short drive or longer walk into town. Convenient to everything. First couple of days had lots of very tiny black flies but they disappeared after two days. Otherwise we loved the location and the house was as anticipated. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Thanks!

This is the second time we have stayed at Gene's house. The house was clean and there are so many amenities that made it easy to move right in. The beach was great and only a short walk away. Madison and Guilford are great and have that great beach feel as well as quaint New England charm! RJ Julia and the Guilford Lobster Pound....I think its even better than the Cape and for us it was only a hour away so we will be back for a third time! !

We were very impressed with how well stocked this house was, it had everything that we could have needed! House was very clean and comfortable. We enjoyed being able to walk over to the state beach during low tide and liked the private beach at the end of the road for just relaxing.

We had a wonderful time staying at this house. It was charming and pleasant, and felt very welcoming. The house was well laid out and we had no trouble finding everything we needed. The neighbors were very nice. It was a quiet neighborhood, but very close to so many fun things to do. I would strongly recommend this place to anyone looking for a quiet week away.

This is a nice beach cottage for families with young kids near a wonderful semi-private beach and wetland estuary. Great bird watching and shore life observing!! Cottage is older but has all necessities in this cute beach town!!

After spraying over half the bottle of Clorox clean up and scrubbing with a sponge, the shower finally was clean enough for us to use it. The beds were very uncomfortable. The mattresses felt awful. My husband went out and bought an air mattress to sleep on for the final week. The rest of the house was very nice. The close proximity to the beach was wonderful. I just wish the owner would take the time to be sure everything is clean and comfortable. My husband even fixed the back storm door that wouldn't close and he repaired the ripped screen. He also lubricated the squeaky doors and cabinet doors. This place could be a adorable with a little more TCL Nevertheless we had everything we needed to cook and serve our meals Whoever outfitted the kitchen, did a good job. And having a washer and dryer was wonderful.

House was perfect - exactly as described - has a lot of stuff that wasn't even listed in the kitchen - the walk to beach is a piece of cake - beach is beautiful - neighbors were friendly - a great rental - owners very helpful with rental info & incredibly fast response to emails - 5 stars !!!

We thought the house was great! We found the house to have everything as advertised. It was clean and neat when we arrived including the bathrooms. And, we left it in the same condition. The kitchen was well equipped. Bedrooms were neat and clean with pretty comfortable mattresses for a shore cottage. Plus there was enough closet and dresser space. There was a laundry, with almost new equipment, in the basement. And, there were extra beach towels and chairs in good condition. The house was large enough for us and our daughter, son-in-law and grandson, up from Virginia, not to be crowding each other. Plus, there was room enough for guests to visit and have enough space around the dining area table. The beach was wonderful, never crowded and only a short walk on a street with almost no traffic. Madison center offered a great variety of shops, a movie theater [good second run features] plus a large grocery store. We went out to local seafood restaurants [Lenny & Joe's in Madison and Rocky's Aqua in Clinton] and a pizza place [Grand Pizza] in Clinton. We felt Rocky's was good but the other two were a bit better. The only negative with the place is the lack of on-site parking [only two rear spaces, no on street parking and a tight, rear turn around area] which is at a premium at the back of the house's shared driveway. We solved the guest parking problem by leaving my car in a nearby parking lot where it didn't interfere with anyone; and, running a "taxi service" from the State Walking Trail parking lot which, unfortunately, closes at sundown. But, for the parking, I'd give the place a five star rating. If it was my place, and zoning allowed, one thought I had, after noticing one house up the road, would be to possibly put added parking spaces with pavers in place of the front lawn. But, it's just a suggestion because site design is part of what I do for a living.

My husband, our two children, and I stayed at the cottage for two weeks in July 2016. The house is clean, bright, and well ventilated. The AC was great when needed and works well. It is very close to the beach and to town as well. It is basic and has minimal extras, but for the cost in that location it can't be beat! Thanks again for a lovely beach get-away. We hope to stay again next year.

This was the third time our family has come to Madison, CT for a summer vacation and the second time we have rented this house. The owner is extremely nice and it is so easy to communicate with him. Our family of four absolutely loves this house! It is extremely clean and has all of the amenities that anyone would need while away from home. Our favorite part of the home is the porch, where we love to eat breakfast. The kids also enjoy the double art table and comfy couch for reading. Each bedroom has tons of space, and plenty of room to store your clothes. The outdoor shower makes it super easy to rinse before heading into the interior shower just off the back entrance. We also love the air conditioned rooms (if needed). The beach is only a short walk down the street. It is a perfect place to swim, especially for families with smaller children. The water is very shallow at low tide. My children love to look for shells, snails and crabs, all of which are plentiful on the quiet beach. The town of Madison has a lot of cute shops and yummy restaurants. We especially love RJ Julia Booksellers. If you love seafood, your choices are many! Lenny and Joe's Fish Tale is just down Rt. 1, past Hammonassett State Park, and Rocky's Aqua is fantastic, in nearby Clinton. Overall, you cannot do any better with a rental in this area for this price!

This was our third time renting from the Goodman's. Gene and Sue are the near perfect hosts. Everything is there and if you need anything they will make every effort to provide for your needs. Spring flowers welcomed us as did a beautiful array of song birds. We did get to see the bunny once again. He/She must be a full time resident! The beachside while a bit cool offered a tranquil reading place or easy to walk beach trails through the marsh. The sunporch, with all its warmth, is great for mid afternoon naps. The home is clean and very bright and it has a well equipped kitchen and great cabinet space as well as a large pantry closet. The bedrooms are large and comfy. The baths are well kept and warm when needed. The Internet is a bit slow but when you are on vacation, who cares? The village like center of Madison is always a treat to explore and the library will keep you busy for hours. Cafe Allegra and Bradley at Wall is a must stop for indulging your appetite. Hammonassett State Park is your backyard to enjoy. Take a drive north on US1 through Clinton, Westbrook and Old Saybrook. This is what New England is all about. Historic Guilford is just south on US1. I could go on but you must go and then you write the next review. As for Jack and I, we will be back again and again.

Great location, just steps away from the beach. Located in a quiet neighbourhood. Well maintained house and we found everything exactly as advertised. Great contact with the owner and we can do nothing but highly recommend staying here. A grocery store and coffee shops are just a couple of minutes away. Lots of restaurants and outlets are also close by. For those who have trouble with stairs, all bedrooms are upstairs, which would be the only limiting factor for not staying here. Everyone else looking for a great location at the Connecticut shore, book here !

Very cute and clean house- looks exactly like the pictures. It is in a great location on a quiet road that dead ends into a small beach perfect for kids. It's also a quick drive into town where there are plenty of cute shops and restaurants. The town is very well maintained and the people are friendly. The owner and his wife were very friendly and helpful. I would definitely recommend this house and would stay again if we go back for another visit.

Very comfortable house. Clean and cheerful. Good kitchen to work in. Air-conditioning came in handy and was a delight to have on certain days. The best was the wonderful location. Great private beach at end of little road. Very nice house rental - good for children /with the dead end street. Amy