Inn Bliss

We loved Newport, but our week at Inn Bliss for a friend's wedding was much more do-it-yourself than we'd expected, and we didn't like how the owners treated us. We were a nice, respectful group, busy with wedding festivities, and didn't want to spend vacation time cleaning or doing laundry. Privacy wasn't explained clearly before we booked. The so-called living areas were small rooms off the main rooms without doors, and the upstairs bathroom had no door either. We were traveling with several couples who wanted privacy, so that was disappointing. There was also trash left by the previous tenant, even though it was a holiday week and trash pickup had been canceled. I think the owner should have cleared it out, especially since we paid good money to rent the house. The hot tub was one of the things that appealed to us, but it didn't work. We should have been told before arriving. The owner's excuse was that it was “beach weather,” as if that made a difference. A hot tub would have been lovely at night when we weren't at the beach. The owner accused us of breaking a mirror, though we hadn't, and admitted a previous tenant could have done it. We were also criticized for using the “wrong dishware” and leaving it in the wrong places. Apparently some plates weren't meant to be used, but if guests are staying and cooking for themselves, why leave those dishes in the house? We weren't given extra towels. After nearly a week, when we asked for fresh ones, the owner snidely sent us to a laundromat. I don't think asking for a couple more towels was unreasonable. We were expected to scrub counters, sweep, strip beds, run the dishwasher, and do other cleaning, despite paying a $300 cleaning fee. We did what we could, but we shouldn't have had to do the housekeeper's job for that price. The town was lovely, but the stay felt unlike a hotel or B&B, and the cleaning and laundry were the last things we wanted to deal with during the wedding week.