With the exception of a few minor things, the stay was delightful. The positives outweighed the negatives, so I want to begin with those. To start, the condo is beautiful and the view is picture perfect. We saw seals and dolphins swimming and got great pics do the Malibu coast line. The decor is lovely. Nice combination of textures, woods, fabrics, and art. Great design, but cozy and livable. Feels like you’re staying at a friend’s vacation home - it has personality. The furniture is very relaxing and comfortable. The appliances are modern. The beds are VERY comfortable. Seriously, 5 stars on the beds. The bathrooms, while small, are gorgeous and spa-like. The shower in the master bathroom, in particular, is heavenly.
The few nits which I mentioned to the host:
- The condo key was not in the box at 4:00, when it was supposed to be. Our cell reception was AWFUL in Cali, so my attempts to message the host about the key on AirBnB wouldn’t go through. By 4:20, we were about to drive away to seek out a place where I could call, but luckily I saw someone approach the lockbox and they helped me to get into the apartment. This was probably an outlier situation, but just be prepared that you might not have cell reception and be able to reach anyone if there are issues.
- The parking garage entrance/ceiling is LOW. Unless you’re driving a small car or very small crossover, your car might not fit. Thankfully, we ours did, but could have been a real problem if our rental car didn’t fit. Street parking is not idea. It’s a crowded and very busy highway. I would not have wanted to do street parking. Full sized SUVs will definitely NOT clear it and many mid-sized ones won’t either. Think about this when choosing a rental car.
- The kitchen drawers and cabinets need to be cleaned out/disinfected and reorganized. One of the cabinets smelled like mildew. (By the beach, there's lots of moisture in the condo, so it probably just needs more attention than the cleaning people are giving it.) Also, the kitchen drawers had lots of plastic carry out utensils in them and other unsightly or old items. A minor thing, but just not what you'd expect to see in a high-end condo.
- The host scheduled an electrician to come out one day between 12 and 1 and we based that part of the afternoon around that. We didn’t receive any communication that he was running late until close to 5PM and, by then, my husband and I had left for our friend’s wedding. Our (big) kids were there alone and had no idea anyone was coming. They left to get dinner and came home to a man in the house which startled them. The guy showing up late wasn't the hosts fault, I just wish there had been better communication.
- The gas oven wasn’t working. The range was fine, but the oven wouldn’t heat up. My guess is that it's already been fixed.
- The condo has a pool. It is cute, but small and not deep. We didn’t use it, but only because we preferred to go off campus and explore the local beaches.
- The condo is literally on the beach, but there isn't really enough beach to lay out on because the tide comes right up under the house at times. If you’re looking for a place with enough beach to walk down, it’s great. But just understand that it’s not the size of beach where you’d camp out for the day, especially with kids.
Big picture, the nits weren’t deal breakers for us. The home is beautiful and comfortable.