It just feels so warm and inviting, so homey! Can't I just live here?" Has been the comment I have heard most often from visitors and guests. In this ultra-stressful environment where smelling and tasting comfort food just feels like a big hug, similarly having a warm, welcoming and home-feeling place to come back to while having a get-away can feel stabilizing and reassuring as well. And on that note, the kitchen is very well-equipped for cooking meals. We had a November 25th guest who cooked an entire Thanksgiving meal for her family there.

My goal for this apartment was to spare no expense in creating an environment very different from the typical vacation rental that I (myself!) seem to always end up staying in... Perhaps I have bad luck, or maybe my expectations are too high, but I feel like I pay good money and my experiences have all too often fallen short. Part of the problem is that I am a homebody and so the place we stay actually matters to me A LOT. Too often I have felt like I was given starkly furnished dorm-room feeling places albeit in good locations, but with haphazard thrift shop type wall hangings, rickety dining chairs, questionable linens, mismatched plastic cups that clearly were not supposed to be washed in the dishwasher, loose knobs or loose electrical outlets and bottom-of-the-line appliances such as coffee machines that don't pause if you pull the carafe out while the coffee is still brewing... My family has stay in vacation rentals in expensive places like Mammoth and Big Bear yet the words that seem to come to mind so often are "stark, dark, dingy, run-down, and/or deferred maintenance." It is from this perspective that I hope to deliver a different sensation, I want guests to feel like they are staying at a relative's home where they trust you not to destroy or steal their nice things and where they get pleasure in making sure that everything is 'just so' so that you can just hang out and enjoy yourself. Hopefully I have pulled it off to at least some degree!

That being said, this apartment is ideal for people who want to travel light, forgoing the whole liquid/baggage check process (and eliminates risk of leaked toiletries) for those wishing to avoid packing shampoo/conditioner/body wash/lotion/etc (and are not opposed to using other brands). There are "turban towels" for wet hair in addition to the normal bath linens. Included is a huge variety of single use (you take it you keep it COVID-aware disposable type) toiletries like disposable razors and hair bands on top of the basics. It also is stocked with easy to forget items like birthday candles, batteries, phone chargers, extension cords, Tylenol, cough drops, laxative teas, etc. It comes equipped with a well-lit bathroom, shower shaving mirror, and a small 10x magnification mirror for make-up. There are convenience items available for purchase such as postage stamps, snacks, refreshments, and rolls of quarters.

It is also ideal for people who are unstructured vacation non-planners; people who have a few ideas of what to do but for the most part let their vacations shape themselves. The living space was designed to offer many entertainment ideas/options at your fingertips. Spending quality time making memories comes naturally when there are lots of fun things to do together that you don't even have to go out of your way to plan. For instance, it is equipped with Wifi, board games, art supplies/sketch pads, puzzles, conversation starters, word/puzzle/adult coloring books, beach and snow equipment, bird watching equipment (there's a wetland across the street with benches and walking paths), literally dozens of books in a great variety of genres, ROCU TVs/DVD players/dozens of DVDs in both the living room and bedroom, kites, boogie boards, picnic equipment, backyard game equipment (like badminton), sporting equipment, and quirky things like a magnetic Scrabble set that hangs on the wall make them all the more fun. The patio is great for spending sunny days lounging in the hammock, sitting in front of the firepit, cooking on the BBQ, or just enjoying a meal and glass of wine out in the fresh air.

The apartment was just renovated from head to toe, inside and out so almost everything is brand new and state of the art. If you don't feel tech-savvy you will have no problem operating anything - basic functions are simple and even so there are directions for everything. However, if you enjoy getting all the bells and whistles, you will appreciate all the options, which also are explained in step-by-step detail. Things such as keyless entry, which is much more convenient than even hotel cards because you need nothing but to know your code to lock and unlock your door. I recall thinking to myself the first time "for Pete's sake you could be stark naked and still never get locked out...!" Wireless headphones mean that one person can watch TV while the other talks on the phone and neither interferes with the other. ROCU TVs allow you to watch a large variety of recorded and live TV and movies and also to use your phone as a remote and your voice to search for programming. The air conditioner and heater will have you nice and toasty (or ice boxed) in no time plus if you like, you can operate them remotely from your phone. (warming up your place while you are on your way back to the apartment)

Obviously COVID is top of mind for... well the entire planet! In the apartment you will find plenty of disinfectants, antibacterial hand soap and even masks. But you will also find that the linens have been washed in bleach and hot water and that every knob, remote and touch-point has been carefully sanitized.