Is Shipshape, next door to Sand Beach in Stonington pet-friendly?

Yes, pets are allowed at this property.

Shipshape, next door to Sand Beach in Stonington Reviews, Deals & Photos 2026

Q: Where is Shipshape, next door to Sand Beach in Stonington located?

Situated by the ocean, this cottage is within 3 mi (5 km) of Stonington Opera House, Blue Heron Gallery, and Art By Katy Gallery. Stonington Sea Products is 2.7 mi (4.3 km) away.

8/10 Good

Patricia H.

Oct 3, 2025

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Private; nice view; pet-friendly; laid-backNearby market and seafood places

Stayed 14 nights in Sep 2025

10/10 Excellent

Melissa G.

Jul 25, 2024

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

A true gem!

This property had so much character and the location can't be beat! Thank you for a wonderful stay. We will be back!

Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2024

10/10 Excellent

Angela G., Michigan

Jul 30, 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

A True Maine Experience

The cottage is so unique and right on a large ocean front property with rock ledges and small private beach. My kids caught crabs every day and we paddle boarded to nearby islands. Stonington was 1.5 miles away where we went to eat and shopped and yalked to locals. My kids are ages 9-14 and loved every minute here. The cottage itself was very clean when we arrived and we were in love from the beginning with its private feel. The views are stunning. The bunk room not pictured is in a very small room and more rustic which we didnt end up using. By the end of our trip the twin bedroom was getting a little 'damp' and the it began to feel like a cottage in a rustic landscape. But we loved it here and would definitely go again!

Stayed 6 nights in Jul 2023

8/10 Good

Kimball S.

Oct 3, 2025

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Other than a slow draining shower it's a great place.

Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2025

10/10 Excellent

Elizabeth Q.

Jun 14, 2024

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Love Ship Shape

This is a wonderful place to stay.

Stayed 6 nights in Jun 2024

10/10 Excellent

Elizabeth Q.

Jun 13, 2025

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

This was our 3rd yr staying at Shipshape and we just love it. It feels like home away from home, minus the TV! It is truly magical. Feel truly blessed to be able to get to live there for a week. Thank you to all who make that possible.

Stayed 6 nights in Jun 2025

10/10 Excellent

Martin N.

Jun 27, 2020

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Nice location, great view

Just what we needed

Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2020

8/10 Good

Kimball S.

Oct 14, 2024

Liked: Location, listing accuracy

Disliked: Communication

Great location. Only gripe is the rental company insistance to go through Vrbo, which adds a lot to the cost. But, we'll keep coming back.

Stayed 5 nights in Sep 2024

8/10 Good

Scott L.

Jul 13, 2025

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great location, cottage but cottage had not been cleaned when we arrived. We called and they sent someone over Sunday. All was good. I would rent this cottage again in a heartbeat!

Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Nicole K.

Oct 6, 2022

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

We fell in love with this property. Love the artwork from Janet Moore, the house has a story!

The house is wonderful, the location is unsurpassable. Such a great and beautiful experience. We felt so lucky to have the privacy and the view! The fog horn is there but I grew to not hear it. At night use a fan as white noise. Loved it!

Stayed 4 nights in Oct 2022

6/10 Okay

Lauren M.

Jul 11, 2022

Liked: Check-in, communication, location

Gorgeous view but that fog horn and musty smell…

The location, view, and yard were amazing however it was overshadowed by the foghorn and musty smell in the back bedrooms. Renters should be aware that the fog horn blows every 15 seconds 24hrs a day. It was ok on days when the wind blew off shore but on most days it was loud enough to be bothered all day and tough to sleep even w the windows closed. I suppose some would just get used to it over time but for us it was a bit maddening. The other challenge was the musty/mildew smell. The main bedroom and living area were great w no issue but the back bedroom w the twins and especially the bunk bed area were damp and mildew/must smell. Rather than feel damp and musty we all piled into the main bedroom and pull out in the main living area. A couple days into our stay we had another two joining us and it wouldn’t have worked well w all of us so the rental company switched us to a different unit (farmhouse on Caleb’s Lane at the end of Dow rd which was AMAZING!). We were very thankful and the rental company was extremely accommodating. All in all, if there wasn’t must and the crazy fog horn the location and house would have been great.

Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2022

4/10 Poor

Michele M.

Sep 26, 2021

Liked: Check-in, location

Disliked: Cleanliness, communication, listing accuracy

Disappointing

The property is beautiful. The house needs a thorough cleaning. The floor was dirty. We found medication and personal items on the floor and in the garbage. There were three threadbare towels for the four of us to use for a three night stay. The washing machine and dryer both had wet smelly towels inside. The property manager is very difficult to get ahold of. It took more than 14 hours to hear back about the wet towels. No answer when I called the office and no return call. The entire house was extremely musty and moldy smelling. Disappointing.

Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2021

8/10 Good

Kevin S.

Sep 24, 2021

Liked: Check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Disliked: Cleanliness

Jaw-dropping views w/ foghorn ambiance.

Overall, this is a beautiful property. There are some things you should be aware of and get in touch with the real estate agency about before renting though. PROS - The view from the house is stunning – it looks like it came straight from a post card! - A private path means you’re only steps away from a large sandy beach - The property feels very secluded but is conveniently located. - Nichole (one of the property manager) was responsive & kind :) - The interior of the house has a cozy wood cabin feel - The kitchen/main room, reading room, and primary bed room are very spacious - Plenty of cookware - Impressive library & board game collection - Updated bathrooms - lots of sleeping space (primary bedroom, futon, 2 twin beds, and a bunk bed in a converted walk-in closet) CONS Unfortunately, a few aspects of this property kept me from giving this a 5-star rating THE FOGHORN When you arrive, you’ll quickly notice that a foghorn off the coast blares every 15 seconds. Continuously. Around the clock. Despite how clear/foggy it is. It’s surprisingly loud. Even with the windows and doors closed, it’s audible. If you’re sensitive to sound or looking for a quiet location, think twice about this. After some research it appears that this foghorn has a broken sensor, which is no longer manufactured, so its been in default “blare every 15 seconds mode” for a while. I came to this property looking for a quiet getaway to record music, so this was a particular issue for me. It should be noted that I contacted the property manager, who was very kind and offered to help me figure out alternative arrangements. However, the day after I arrived the wind was blowing offshore which greatly reduced the noise. I told the property manager it would be fine, but then the rest of the stay the horn blared as loud as it had when I arrived. It’s a bit maddening. (If I had to guess, I’d say the horn is roughly around 40 decibels with the windows open.) HOUSE NEEDS UPDATING The house’s water well is on its last legs. The drinking water was brown, so I had to use bottled water throughout the stay. A family of mice was living in the ceiling and walking around. Luckily they kept to themselves. The towels and blankets were in rough shape. One blanket smelled like someone’s dog lived in it, and the towels were scratchy & stained. The wifi works but is slower than your average connection.

Stayed 5 nights in Sep 2021

8/10 Good

Berit T.

Sep 24, 2021

Liked: Check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

$1,000,000 views from a rustic cabin

The property is simply amazing. The views are so that you don't even want to go anywhere else. The property is large and you can walk directly to the waterfront where there is a small private and a larger public beach. The seating area in front of the house is just so lovely. The property managers were responsive and let us check in early. When it came to the cabin, I think it depends what kind of person you are. I thought it was earthy and cozy and looked a little lived in. My mom who prefers to stay in high(er) end hotels or rentals was struggling a litte. She said it was a bit dirty and run down with too much stuff in it. So assess your comfort level. The kitchen had all you needed to cook including a big pot for steaming lobsters. Other notes: the internet is not good enough for zoom or google meet. It has a download of about 10 Mbps and an upload of only 0.8 Mbps. It's ok for emails and webpages but that's about it. Bring bugspray. There were some housekeeping issues. We found green moldy coffeegrinds in the coffee maker and old potatoes that approached liquid state in one of the cupboards. There were only two towels, one in each bathroom when we arrived, and no others to be seen. We were just two people so didn't really care. When we then did a load of laundry, we found lots of towels wet in the dryer. Turned out the dryer was broken and didn't produce any heat. The hairdryer was broken but we found a second working one. There was only 1 wine glass and two other glasses, the rest were plastic cups. All no big deals, but together just added to a sense it could be managed a little better. The island is a delight, I would absolutely come back to the island and also stay again at Shipshape cabin, which I thought was good value. My mom is a yes to the island and a maybe for Shipshape. :-D

Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2021

6/10 Okay

Andrew S.

Jul 6, 2021

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, location, listing accuracy

Great Spot

We really enjoyed our stay - the location and view are spectacular. The stay was marred by issues with the septic tank backing up and the water supply. Since the septic was pumped maybe that issue is cured.

Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2021

Shipshape, next door to Sand Beach in Stonington

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