Loved Our Experience!

Guest: Bob (Mt.. Shasta, CA)
Date of Stay: 09/01/11 Review Submitted: 10/01/11

This VRBO property is a clean, quiet, well-appointed, perfectly located cottage in Santa Monica. My wife and I rented for two weeks in early Sept. 2011 and had a fabulous time. This was our first VRBO rental, so we weren't entirely sure what to expect. Chris and Jenny, the owners, live next door and they couldn't have been more helpful and welcoming. Chris was an excellent resource in terms of our questions (e.g., what's the scoop on the farmers' markets?) and he maintains an up-to-date resource book in the cottage that was invaluable. The cottage is located on the ground floor, with two tenants living upstairs. The folks upstairs were very nice and super quiet, The ground floor aspect was wonderful for managing bikes in and out, as well as grocery bags, etc. Parking, which is on the street, was never a problem. You are not always able to park right in front of the cottage and you do need to move your car for two hours on street cleaning days, but this was never an issue. The location is perfect for anyone who wants to hang out on/near the beach, visit the 3rd St. Promenade, ride bikes/walk on The Strand, go to farmers' markets, dine at some cool places, or just relax, read, and renew. Santa Monica presents a wealth of fun and interesting options, but if you did want to venture out we'd recommend the Getty Villa, located about 20 north on Hwy. 1. Spend 3-4 hours and do not miss having a meal at their cafe (excellent!). You will need tickets (free) in advance and available online. We also went to the Huntington Museum and Botanical Garden in Pasadena which is about 50 minutes from the cottage. Truly beautiful; take the free guided tour of the gardens. Venice, just 2 miles south and accessible by walking or driving is a kick, with loads of off-the-beaten-path stuff...also, some incredibly fun people watching if you're into that. I cycled the length of The Strand a couple times, which was very fun. I rec. doing this on a weekday and starting early in the day. Cycling on the street of SanMo is a bit too dicey for me, but many folks do it. We loved La Vecchia Cucina for dinner and Urth for breakfast (both close enough to walk)...we hope to try Axe Restaurant on Abbott Kinney in Venice next time...heard lots of good things. Our SanMo cottage experience could not have been better and we look forward to more visits.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, people with disabilities, sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children.

Perfect Location

Guest: Courtney (London, UK)
Date of Stay: 02/11/11 Review Submitted: 03/15/11

We recently spent over 10 days at this property and loved it. I am from Santa Monica but now live in London so I am very particular about where I stay when I come back for a visit. This is my favorite location - walking distance to the beach, downtown, main street, cafes, etc... The house is very well stocked. The kitchen had tons of useful items, which is often not the case with holiday rentals. We got very comfortable there and it started to feel like it was our own house! We traveled with our 6 month old baby and other than missing a bathtub - the house was great for her. There is no crib in the house, but we just rented one from a local company for the time we were there. If you are not familiar with Santa Monica beach houses - just be aware that they are mostly old wood structures and will have some character and some creaks and groans. And if you need the heating, you will need to get used to the pings and pops that the gas wall heaters can make. Pretty typical of the area, and nothing to worry about. We would definitely return!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Love to go back soon!

Guest: Sharon (Lac du Bonnet Manitoba)
Date of Stay: 08/20/10 Review Submitted: 09/25/10

Our group of 5 adults stayed here for 9 nights. Great location; easy walking distance to Third St. Promenade, Santa Monica Pier and Venice Beach. The best equipped apartment we've ever rented with a full range of cooking utensils as well as lots of spices and kitchen basics (and beyond basics). Bathroom was roomy with a huge shower. The hair care products were a nice surprise. We all made use of the varied book collection; some very informative Santa Monica tourist info as well as a range of fiction and nonfiction for lazing on the porch. Beds were very comfy and the whole apartment was clean and well maintained. Street parking was never a problem, no matter what time we got 'home'.

Recommended for:Tourists without a car, sightseeing, families with teenagers.

Great Santa Monica accommodation!

Guest: Victoria (Australia)
Date of Stay: 06/02/10 Review Submitted: 06/30/10

We stayed 5 nights in this lovely Santa Monica duplex and couldn't fault a thing. As a group of 3 adults, the house contained everything we needed to ensure our stay was comfortable, and the convenient location meant that Santa Monica's attractions (Third Street Promenade, beach, the Pier) were only a short walk away. The owners, Chris & Jenny, were great to deal with and always responded promptly to any email enquiries. I would happily stay here again and have no hesitation in recommending this property to friends or relatives.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Guest: CathyRS (Winnipeg, MB, Canada)
Date of Stay: 01/02/10 Review Submitted: 01/02/10

Our family of 5 (with 3 kids aged 20, 18 and 16) had a lovely 6 day stay at this home over the Christmas break. The location is great--a quite neighborhood close to the oceanand a short walk to the great 3rd St Promenade shopping in Santa Monica. A greater master bedroom, two twin beds for the girls, and our son slept on the futon in the living room (with the TV set, so we was happy. The kitchen is large and well-equipped, and the washer dryer was great to have! Wifi was also critical to the kids' happiness. The owners were good to work with and we'd stay here again!

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Guest: Catherine Bellemere2 (Nantes, France)
Date of Stay: 09/10/09 Review Submitted: 09/10/09

Great location near the beach, restaurants, shops,very very quiet street with trees and flowers,easy parking, all the comfort in this ground floor of a nice house. Large kitchen, best shower in town, laundry facilities in the appartment, huge refrigerator, nice guests. Easy access to the freeway. Easy to find. We'll come back (we were a family of 5, with 3 teens).C'est l'endroit idéal pour un séjour à Santa Monica, le quartier le plus agréable de Los Angeles quand on n'est pas une star de ciné (Venice est bruyant et surencombré, Beverly Hills inabordable, Hollywood au bout du monde). A cinq minutes à pied de la plage et de la piste à velos, rollers, etc, à deux minutes en voiture du centre ville pour les paresseux, à une dizaine de minutes à pied de la rue piétonne 3rd street ou des restaurants de Main Street, dans une charmante rue non passante pleine de verdure, avec un permis parking pour se garer juste en face de la maison. C'est le rez de chaussée reposant d'une maison agréable, avec tout le confort souhaité, machines à laver et sécher, douche incroyable, grande cuisine. On se sent chez soi pour moins cher qu'un hôtel. Les hôtes sont très accueillants. Accès très facile à l'autoroute, à vingt minutes de l'aéroport. Très facile à trouver sur la carte et dans Los Angeles. Nous étions une famille de 5, avec 3 ados ravis. On reviendra ;)

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Guest: Catherine Bellemere1 (France)
Date of Stay: 09/10/09 Review Submitted: 09/10/09

GREAT! C'est l'endroit idéal pour un séjour à Santa Monica, le quartier le plus agréable de Los Angeles quand on n'est pas une star de ciné (Venice est bruyant et surencombré, Beverly Hills inabordable, Hollywood au bout du monde). A cinq minutes à pied de laplage et du chemin à velos, rollers etc..., à deux minutes en voiture du centre ville pour les paresseux, à une dizaine de minutes à pied de la rue piétonne 3rd street ou des restaurants de MainStreet , dans une charmante rue non passante pleine de verdure, avec un permis parking pour se garer juste en face de la maison. C'est le rez dechaussée reposant d'une maison agréable, avec tout le confort souhaité, machines à laver et sécher,douche incroyable, grande cuisine. On se sent chez soi pour moins cher qu'un hôtel. Les hôtes sont très accueillants. Accès très facile à l'autoroute.Great location near the beach, restaurants, shops,very very quiet street with trees and flowers,easy parking, all the comfort in this ground floor of a nice house. Large kitchen, wonderful shower, laundry facilities in the appartment, hugerefrigerator, nice guests. Easy access to the freeway. Don't hesitate, come here!

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Guest: Ellen McElyea & Bobby Dyer (-)
Date of Stay: 07/29/09 Review Submitted: 07/29/09

We very much enjoyed our stay - great location, outstanding beach, plenty of room for two parents and 3 teens. Thanks so much.

Recommended for:

Guest: Francie Salle & Brad Widelode (-)
Date of Stay: 07/12/09 Review Submitted: 07/12/09

We were so comfortable here for our beach week! The house was so comfortable and had everything we needed. This is the best stocked vacation rental we've every stayed in. Thanks for creating such a welcoming environment.

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Guest: Don & Maggie Phillips (-)
Date of Stay: 06/09/09 Review Submitted: 06/09/09

We loved Santa Monica, great location midway between Venice and SaMo & easy access to Beverly Hills & Hollywood & airport. Plenty of shops walking distance but location is also nice & quiet. WiFi much appreciated as was the basic provisions in the pantry. We were secretly pleased that the TV was not working for 2 nights & really enjoyed the compensating cookies which were quickly devoured after a long day at Disneyland.

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