Beautiful!

Guest: Adrianne (Dublin, CA)
Date of Stay: 07/02/11 Review Submitted: 01/06/12

My family spent a wonderful week here for the week of July 4th, 2011. Ideal location, beautiful house. Kids loved it! We will likely be back this year! My only recommendation would be that you bring your own wineglasses/barware. If I remember correctly, there were only a couple of plastic wineglasses, so we ended up buying some. Otherwise, the house had absolutely everything you could need or want, and we had a fabulous time!

Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with teenagers, romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, families with young children.

A real vacation....

Guest: Nel (Saratoga, California)
Date of Stay: 04/08/11 Review Submitted: 04/25/11

The view, the location, the comfort of the house was beyond our expectation. We stayed at the Harbor House for spring break week this past April and plan to come back as soon as we can. We have two small children and the house felt roomy, well planned out for sleeping, entertaining and just hanging out. I especially appreciate the thoughtfulness put into the decor and general interior design. It was one of the best and most relaxing family vacations we have had.

Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with teenagers, adventure seekers, romantic getaway, age 55+, tourists without a car, families with young children.

Walk to beach, food, coffee, drinks and sights

Guest: Swissnine (San Jose, CA)
Date of Stay: 03/31/11 Review Submitted: 04/08/11

The location of the harbor house was really perfect for my week away with friends. It's literally across the street from the beach (two lane street that hits a sort of cul-de-sac at one end, so a bit less through traffic than you might imagine) and within very short distance of coffee and two restaurants with bars. A half mile walk brings you to two other harbor-side restaurants, a lighthouse, and a eucalyptus-lined path along the boat harbor. The location is also nice in that you can hear the ocean, but it's not so close that you are overwhelmed by the wave sounds. The house is remodeled, very cute and clean. The common areas look out on the beach, so you can be inside and feel as if you are outside. The deck just off the living room and kitchen is a lovely spot to sit, sip coffee or a cocktail and just enjoy being at the beach. The house is so cute, and the layout is a bit non-traditional. Two bedrooms have queen or double beds (one also has a sofa sleeper), and two have single beds, both of which are trundle beds, but one of those is just off the front entrance and has tile floors and no closet in the room. Two other living rooms have couch space to sleep at least 2-4 people. I mention this just for those folks who are traveling with non-couples and who want to offer each person a separate room or sleeping space. I would stay here again in a heartbeat and my friends and I discussed coming back again next year. We stayed in early April 2011 and had 5 days of glorious weather - around 70 to 75 degrees and blue skies. We had one semi-foggy day and it was all but gone by 5 PM. If you stay here, go to the Kind Grind for coffee and wireless. As of April 2011 the harbor house does not have Internet access! On Saturdays the Santa Cruz Ukulele Club meets on the beach at 10 AM rain or shine just outside Kind Grind on the beach to play and sing as a group. It's fun and very Santa Cruz! Here's a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80xTSGdXqUk&feature=related The Crow's Nest and Johnny's Harborside have good and great food and drinks respectively. A short walk across the harbor brings you to Aldo's. I recommend eating on the deck there. Friends and I have experienced crawly critters when eating inside at Aldo's, so I just avoid it. Hey, it's the beach, people. The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is a mile or two from the house, too. This is a great spot for surfers, paddle boarders, runners, cyclists. There are lots of fairly flat oceanside runs and rides.

Owner response:Dear Future Renters, Just a correction on the beds..there is 1 King in the Master on the 1st floor, 1 Queen w/ sofa bed on the main level (2nd floor), 1 Twin w/ Trundle on the 3rd level, and 1 Twin Day Bed w/ Trundle on the main level w/ soji blinds. Thank you.

Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with teenagers, adventure seekers, romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing.