So sorry to read about your disappointment with both your trip to Shelter Cove and to the Inn. I just wanted to note that management changed not long after this posting back in 2012. There is no reason, any longer, for a guest to walk through the laundry area to approach the front desk as we have created a cozy lobby complete with fireplace, bookshelves (upon which sit books and dvds to borrow) and an ocean view. While we can't do anything about the twisty road to Shelter Cove, nor the occasional "smelliness" of black sand beach (about a mile from the beach that our Inn sits above), we can say that most of our guests believe accessibility to wildlife and the natural beauty of Shelter Cove to be well worth the drive. It sounds like you had a negative experience, but you would find us a much changed place were you to return.