Over the Labor Day weekend, we rented this beautiful beach home for our family vacation and the whole experience was fantastic! The house is in a cul-de-sac and very close to the bay. At the end of the street there is a small garden with a seating area so you can enjoy the view of the bay.
My husband and I took the day off so we could leave San Diego early to beat the Friday/Labor Day traffic. Check in time is 4:00PM but I messaged Carmen to see if we could check in early. She responded and said that it would depend if the house was ready and would message me. Around 1:00PM, she wrote me and said that we could check in any time.
When we arrived, the instructions she emailed was spot on and we had no issues getting into the two-car garage (there is also parking in the driveway for one more car if needed). Of course, the first thing we did was explore the garage cabinets and it was filled with everything that one (in our case a family) would need for a day at the beach – three umbrellas, eight or so fold out chairs, sand toys, floats, two boogie boards and beach towels! She also had small Adirondack chairs for the kids which I thought was special. In addition, there is a full bathroom off the garage which came in handy to shower off the sand from the grandkids before they entered her beautiful home.
When you enter the house from the garage, you go through the 1st bedroom which has two twin beds and a walk-in closet. The room was clean and welcoming and didn’t have any breakables which makes it ideal for small children. The 1st floor also has a 2nd bedroom with a queen bed, a full bathroom, and a living room fully furnished with couches, coffee table and TV.
When we went upstairs, all I can say is wow! From one of the living room windows you can see the bay. I was worried that the home did not have air conditioning, but it has lots of windows for the constant cool breeze which kept the 2nd floor nice and cool so not an issue at all. There is a balcony off the dining room which was a great place to have tea in the morning and enjoy the quiet of the neighborhood. The master bedroom is also located on the 2nd floor with a comfortable king-sized bed and private bathroom complete with a tub and shower. I was pleasantly surprised that she provided extras like sunscreen, a basket filled with items one might have forgotten to pack like soaps, shampoos, shaving cream, etc. and even a small sewing kit! As a side note, there are also dispensers filled with soap, shampoo and hair conditioner in each shower.
The kitchen is beautiful and has everything you need. There are enough plates, dishes, and utensils to feed eight people (more if you use the little plates). There are pots, pans, and serving bowls to make meals. A coffee pot complete with coffee, sweeteners and creamers. A water kettle to make my tea. What I appreciated the most is that she had tea in her cabinets for the non-coffee drinkers which many hosts do not provide. Carmen also provides paper coffee cups complete with lids and sleeves to take your tea with you on those morning walks. In addition, it was stocked with plastic baggies, paper towels, trash bags, etc.,
We fully enjoyed our two days at the bay. The bay is a quick 1-minute walk from the house, so it made it easy to run back for forgotten items. We ordered pizza one day and carried it to the beach for lunch. The beach is clean and has lifeguards posted to keep a watchful eye over the swimmers. Since we went over Labor Day weekend, we were pleasantly surprised that it didn’t get as crowded as we anticipated. Most of the beachgoers were families, so it was very mellow, not any drunkards hanging about with loud music so very safe for children. We enjoyed the view of Naples Island and watching the paddleboarders and boats go by. One of the highlights is that you can buy ice cream on the beach from the vendors that walk up and down the beach with their carts. I recommend the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Sandwich with chocolate filling, perfect for a hot summer’s day.
Carmen is a marvelous host and very responsive and accommodating. Her instructions were well written and easy to understand. The house is well furnished with everything that is needed, clean and beautifully decorated. The neighborhood is quiet day and night, so it is peaceful and relaxing. If you are looking for an ideal place for vacation, look no longer this is a dream house and money well spent!!