All the great reviews are accurate. Shelley's place is adorable and she does make it so inviting with providing you wine, juice and coffee. It was great to have private parking as well. Santa Monica is a great place to stay. However, if you want to be walking distance to the beach this is a little far. It took us 40 min to walk to the beach but we had a car and so it was very easy to get anywhere when we drove from Shelley's place. There are great restaurants nearby. We found this great casual Mediterranean place called Z Garden that I loved. Shelley and Alec are wonderful host that will make you feel at home. And if you get a chance to see Shelley's one woman show you should. She's great!