We stayed in the downstairs apartment over New Years. Very cute decor and we were amazed by all the little details. When you like a traditional style, this is for you.
The only new item inside the apartment I noticed is the TV. The TV is a smart TV, very cool. WiFi works great as well.
We traveled with our 18 months old son, so we had to baby proof the place a bit, but it was doable. A little cramped with the baby bed inside the bedroom, but we managed. The traditional light fixtures did not allow for much light. Being downstairs, the rooms in the back are a very dark (bedroom and bathroom). The entire place cools down very quickly. I am sure this is very desirable in the summer time. We on the other hand to use the heater at this time of year. There was only one floor heater for the apartment, so the bedroom was always very cold while all else was super hot as we had to keep the bedroom door shut with the baby sleeping.
Baby also burned his feet on the floor heater, so that caused quite a scare, but luckily it was just a superficial burn and he was back to normal the very next day.
Putting that aside, we had a wonderful stay.
Annette is super responsive and sweet. Kitchen is equipt with some dishes and glasses, but it's small and we did not attempt to cook a meal, even though it was very tempting to use this amazing stove for more than just cooking water.
The location was perfect for us, Easy walk to downtown (we love walking), or to El Porto in the north. El Porto has many great breakfast places: Two Guns coffee is the best! Amazing pastries at Wild Cafe.
We ordered Pitfire Pizza at night. They do deliver and it's always amazing. There are sooo many great restaurants in downtown Manhattan Beach: MB Post, Little Sister, Love and Salt....
Super quick walk down to the beach, two short blocks down the hill. Annette offered us beach chairs and towels to use. We were also able to use the washer and dryer inside her garage. There is a parking spot available outside as well, which was a must for us with all our baby gear.
I would definitely recommend staying at Annette's place. Pictures are accurate. You get what you see.