Willow Tree Cottage

Tucked on Chaumont Ave overlooking Aloe Bay, Willow Tree Cottage is a small, independently owned rental on Dauphin Island that has built a loyal following one couple at a time. Unlike most of the island’s overnight stays, which run through large vacation rental management companies juggling dozens of scattered houses, this is a single cottage with a single set of owners, Bill and Slavika Harper, who handle the bookings, the upkeep, and the guest correspondence themselves.

The cottage is compact by design. At about 900 square feet, it is set up as an open concept suite with one bedroom and a queen bed, making it best suited to couples rather than large groups. Natural pine floors run through the main living space, and the property description leans into the idea of privacy and quiet rather than resort style amenities aimed at a crowd.

What guests consistently mention is the view. The cottage looks out over Aloe Bay toward the Mississippi Sound and the Dauphin Island Bridge, and the large deck attached to the property has become the main draw for repeat visitors. Evening grilling on the deck, paired with the sunset over the water, comes up again and again in reviews as the reason people return. A fireplace inside gives the cottage a cooler weather option as well, useful for the shoulder season months when the Gulf Coast can turn brisk in the evenings.

The kitchen is fully equipped, and the unit includes a washer and dryer, cable television, and internet, positioning it as suitable for longer stays rather than a single weekend. The owners advertise both short and long term rental options, along with discounts for what they call snow birds, longer term winter guests from colder climates who come south for weeks or months at a time, a pattern common on this stretch of the Alabama coast.

Rates are modest compared to much of the island’s rental stock, running in the range of 130 to 150 dollars a night or 750 to 1,000 dollars a week, based on double occupancy, with additional guests charged a small nightly fee and children 12 and under staying free. A cleaning fee and pet fee may apply depending on the stay, and the standard Dauphin Island lodging tax is added to the total. Booking requires a one night deposit, and the owners accept credit cards, checks, or cash.

Because the cottage sits directly on Aloe Bay, wildlife is part of the daily backdrop. Guests report watching herons work the shallows and blue crabs along the shoreline from the deck, without needing to leave the property to see them. That kind of quiet, unstaged nature viewing is part of what separates a small independent cottage like this from a condo tower or a beach house buried in a rental company’s inventory, where the setting tends to be secondary to the size of the group it can sleep.

Location wise, the cottage sits close enough to the rest of the island that guests can reach restaurants and the public beach without a long drive, while still being tucked into a residential stretch away from the busier stretch of Bienville Blvd. The owners’ own materials point to fishing, birding, sailing, kayaking, biking, swimming, and jogging as the kinds of activities guests fill their days with, all accessible within a short trip from the cottage door.

Online reviews of Willow Tree Cottage skew heavily positive, with guests praising the Harpers directly for their responsiveness and hospitality, the cleanliness of the cottage, and the honesty of the listing photos matching what guests find on arrival. Several reviewers describe it as a honeymoon or anniversary spot, a reflection of the cottage’s scale and its emphasis on a quiet, romantic stay rather than a family reunion house. For visitors looking for something smaller and more personal than a rental agency’s portfolio can usually offer, Willow Tree Cottage remains one of the few independently run options left on Dauphin Island.