Jimmy and his wife Mona were EXTREMELY polite and kind to us. Aside from the usual, they offered to drive us if needed around the town and provided useful info regarding public transport. They also offered to give us fruits and home made sweets on a daily basis. All in all, very polite and kind.
As for the place itself, it has a great value. It is within a walking distance of a 3rd street promenade and Santa Monica Pier. Beach as well. In one day we visited the beach, pier, Venice beach, 3rd street promenade, Venice canals and Marina del Day. Granted, it was a lot of walking, but bottom line is that you can visit most of the highlights in Santa Monica in one single day.
The next day we took metro to down town (direct line, takes around 1 hour) and the day after it, direct line to Malibu as well.
We would definitelly come back to this place again, if we ever visited Santa Monica again.