My family of 3 stayed for the month of Dec as our winter getaway. Hermosa beach is a fantastic spot to spend the winter and this house is in an excellent location. Because this listing is for a minimum of a month, I'll be specific and list the pros and cons of our stay:
PROS:
House is appx 1000 sq feet, 2 Br, 1 3/4 bath on one level. The house is between two streets with entrances from both the front and back. The garage has ample space for one car (we had a large SUV). There's an apartment above the garage (neither garage or apt are attached to the house) with a nice shared patio between the spaces. We were fortunate enough that the apartment was empty until the end of our stay, so we didn't have to share the space with anyone.
The kitchen: is nice--white cabinets with marble counters and the standard 5 piece stainless steel appliances. The stove top and oven both work great.
Bedrooms: both have queen sized beds, but only the BR with attached 3/4 bath has a closet or dresser. Not a problem for us because our LO didn't need much space for his clothes. There is a built in bookshelf in the 2nd BR that we used as a closet for him. The mattresses are fairly new and soft. If you prefer a firm bed, then you likely will not sleep well. For us however, we slept really well.
Bathrooms: The 3/4 is pretty small with a small shower (we are not big/tall people), but has everything you need. We used the full bath for showers because it had more space, but they were both clean and in good condition.
Living/Dining: The great room includes a round glass dining table with 4 chairs and the LR has a couch that can comfortably sit 3 people. There is a large round coffee table, but nothing to prop your feet on or additional seating. There is however, a 2 person (maybe?) bench underneath the front windows that you could use for your feet (we did) while watching TV or for extra seating. The TV is huge and has a great picture. There was cable, but if you have Apple TV or Roku, I highly recommend bringing it.
Location: This house has an AMAZING location. It's exactly 3 easy downhill blocks to the beach, where you can run/bike/walk the Strand or hit the sand. Right before the beach there are 2 restaurants (both great) and a little corner store that has most of what you need. We recommend Martha's for breakfast and lunch and the Bottle Inn for dinner. The main drag (Pier Ave) is about 12-20 min walk from the house (depends on your pace) and has loads of restaurants, Vons/Safeway, post office, shops etc. It's easy to get to the PCH (highway 1) and then on to most freeways.
CONS:
The kitchen supplies are pretty basic and lacking some necessary items, which we had to buy. I gave our list to the house manager though and I'm sure she'll add them. If you're really into cooking, bring your own knives. There are only a few paring knives and only one of them is good. There is also no grill, if you are a griller.
The house was built in 1920 and has likely been painted several times, so when you open the windows for fresh air, they stick and are difficult getting up or down. The front door is also a barn door (great to open the top for fresh air) ,but the bottom lock didn't work and would just open by pulling the door. A safety issue if you have little kids.
There really is limited seating in the LR (see description above).
The heater wasn't working right, so we had to have it replaced (which Julie took care of right away. After that, it worked great)
Plan on bringing or buying house supplies. Nothing was provided--tp, dish soap, d/w soap, garbage bags, spices, etc.
The apartment above the garage has an outside light that shines in on the master BR, making it hard to sleep when it's left on.
Overall, we loved our stay. The house is really great and new to the rental market, so I'm sure the issues listed above will be addressed. Julie the house manager was lovely and took care of all my crazy texts/issues (sorry Julie :) )
Thanks to Christie and Julie for a lovely stay! We hope to be back!