After spending a week at Starry Skies Sanctuary, our family of 4 (mom, dad, teenage boy & girl) agreed this was our all-time favorite rental property. We were looking for a remote, quiet escape where we could do some fishing & spend time together without distractions, & this beautiful home checked all the boxes & so many more!
There was quite literally nothing the hosts hadn’t thought of: well-appointed is an understatement! Every pot, pan, dish, condiment, spice, & kitchen gadget we needed was provided. There were plenty of beach towels; health & beauty items; detergents for the washer, dishwasher, & sink; blankets; books; board games; water toys (kayaks, paddle boards, small boat, canoe, floats, life jackets, scuba gear, 4 fishing poles & light tackle)... they really did think of everything! The home was extremely clean & smelled wonderful.
Sadly the cloud cover didn’t allow for us to have a clear view of the stars during our stay, but it was still so quiet and peaceful to watch the sunsets & enjoy the calm, breezy evenings on the beach (as long as there is no light... any light source - phone, flame, flashlight - immediately attracts mosquitoes). We loved listening to the loons’ calls.
The beach is fine, soft sand & is easy to walk on. There is lots of seating & opportunities to see different types of wildlife. We saw deer, various birds, monarch butterfly caterpillars, snakes, & minnows. The water near the bank is shallow, so it’s great for wading. You have to go out into deeper water to catch fish, though.
A few things we learned about the island: 1. Make sure you line up your transportation on the ferry with your arrival & departure dates. I would strongly recommend either bringing a vehicle or renting one as the drive to town is about 25 minutes. Bringing your own car carries extra requirements with the ferry company, so be sure to know those. (The people there are wonderful and easy to work with.) 2. The water on the island smells of sulfur, so we bought bottled water for drinking & cooking. 3. There are no local places in town which sell fishing licenses anymore; they will all direct you to the state website to purchase online. Our T-Mobile phones had almost no service on the island outside the house WiFi, so we had to drive around in town searching for a spot with service to be able to purchase the licenses right before our charter, causing us to be a few minutes late to our boat.
Overall, highly recommended! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️