What a great adventure Playa del Rey! I arrived late on a Friday evening and after calling Rebecca (the local host and all around great resource), she invited me to join her for dinner if I was hungry. I felt at home immediately because of Rebecca's welcoming spirit. Making reservations and ironing out the details were easy with Shelly before we arrived, so there was nothing to do but arrive and have fun.

Safety is a huge issue with me and this is a very secure condo, from the 24 hour guard at the entrance/exit, to the keyed entry from the outdoors into the building to the locks on the unit, it was secure. The condo is on the second floor and looks out over the pool and hot tub where some of the residents gather at night and visit.

Inside the condo, it is obvious that Shelly is a world traveler and the unit is tastefully decorated and welcoming. The hard wood floors and the warm area rugs were great for my sons to lay on and watch tv or just crash for the day. The TV has Direct TV so there was plenty to watch at night.

The kitchen is well stocked and is very much like being at home in your own kitchen. Rebecca brought over some eggs and orange juice and there was plenty to munch on and enjoy. Nearby are several smaller groceries, but just over the hill and up the street a bit is a Ralph's which was easy to pick up some supplies.

The pool is clean and inviting. The boys loved swimming because most of the time, they were the only ones in the water. It is a large pool and has two hot tubs to relax. There were also tennis courts behind the building.

Our parking space in the garage was steps from the lower entry into the building. We ran into several other folks in the garage coming in and out and it was very much like a small town atmosphere. Lots of hello's.

There was plenty of sleeping room for all of us and the master has a private bath. If I could of brought home any part of the condo, it would of been the shower (and Rebecca, she would be a great neighbor anywhere). It is like standing in the rain forest and is perfect. There was also some liquid soaps and shampoos which made it easier to check our luggage flying because those supplies were already on site.

This is a great location, we went to Hollywood one night, Beverly Hills, Disneyland, the beach, Brentwood, Chinatown, Venice Beach, and to a Dodger's game and getting to the freeways was easy and other than a few slow spots, we had no trouble.

In my final words, Shelley, thank you for letting us stay in your wonderful home and thank you Rebecca for not only being our host next door, but being a wonderful person to us all!!