A relaxing stay right on the beach where you hear the waves crashing upon the shore 24 hours per day. If you're really lucky, you'll also have an evening of rain which creates a fantastic resonance of the pitter patter of droplets throughout the residence. Our trip was just a couples' retreat with our small Havanese puppy. We didn't overly enjoy Malibu as a location, unfortunately, but won't let that affect the review of the property itself.
Pros:
* Right on the beach with direct, private access.
* Small "communal" beach (aka an empty lot's beach) is steps away.
* Larger public beach is also a walkable distance.
* Walking up/down the beach is great. Be sure to respect other peoples' private property, though! Stay below the high tide line when possible.
* (mostly) Very safe neighborhood (see first "area con").
* Met a couple actual neighbors while dog walking. They were really nice!
* Check-in was a breeze with the keypad entry.
* Bumped into the host, Luis, a couple times - really pleasant guy!
* Air conditioning is a plus - works very well.
* The bed is extremely comfortable. We own an expensive setup ourselves and it was quite comparable.
* If you're a Tesla owner, there are two Supercharger locations a few miles away.
* Stargazing on the deck is fantastic. We brought our "quite large / barely portable" telescope and had great views of Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, and the Andromeda Galaxy for notable ones. Note that you can only see about 30% - 40% of the sky from the deck itself due to other obstructions like adjacent homes / roofing.
Property Cons (struggled between three and four stars due to these line items):
* This may be due to COVID-19 disinfecting protocol with antiviral treatments, but just to be aware: barefoot walking inside the property quickly resulted in dirty feet. Can also notice a dusty/clouded film on/in a glass bowl decoration - this prompted us to just wipe down all countertops / tables with the provided cleaner. This immediately made things not feel very clean. We prewashed every dish before using it as a result, too.
* There's virtually no private beach space during high tide. You'll need to travel a short distance in order to "set up" for a day at the beach.
* The hot water takes a very (VERY0 long time to warm up - resulting in a significant amount of wasted water.
* Some of the beach chairs onsite should probably just be thrown away. Very rusty and dilapidated. We brought our own, thankfully.
* Stepped in some type of tar/oil substance on the passageway leading up from the beach back into the property. This was an odd one.
* You cannot see the actual sun set as there's a property blocking the view. The sunset itself is still beautiful, though.
* The actual property feels more "homey" than it does mid/higher end as the photos depict. The photographer of the property photos is/was fantastic.
Area Cons (none of these affected our rating of the actual property itself):
* Like many areas of California, coyotes are present. If you have a small dog, be sure to keep them leashed and near you at all times when walking them. Heard them during one of the nights and one of the neighbors warned me that she'd seen them on the other side of the road but never on the side of the road that the property is on.
* (for the dog owners) I suspect this is due to disrespectful short-term renters, but nearly all empty lot areas are quite laden with dog feces. This includes the nearby "communal" beach area. When you take your dog out when it's dark, be careful where you - and your furry friend - are stepping. Also, please pick up after your pet so everyone can have a better experience.
* You'll need to drive to get any supplies. There's a mid-sized shopping area a few miles away but don't expect to walk a few steps to get morning coffee at a cafe or anything.
* Seemingly everything (except a nearby grocery store) closes at 9pm -- some as early as 6pm. Plan accordingly!
* Malibu as a whole was a bit disappointing; we wish we had done more research before booking any property in the area. If you're expecting an experience closer to what you may find in Maui or many locations in Brazil, we don't personally feel as if Malibu is going to meet that expectation. It feels much more like an area that people from L.A. swing by occasionally on a weekend when the weather's nice but otherwise just overrun by RV campers along the PCH with a few folks hanging out at the amenity-less public beaches.