The private mountain cottage was well-decorated, clean and in an excellent location. I enjoyed the simple decor, and the amenities provided were perfect for one person - and possibly more. I loved the location across the street from Topanga State Park, and enjoyed a morning hike - although did not have a trail map and so felt my way around a bit. Regardless, it was excellent to have the access so close by. The location was quiet - with the exception of a neighbor's dog who yapped a bit early in the morning - around 7am, but what to do about that? It was easy access to the town of Topanga, Malibu and a great little beach at the end of canyon road. I loved that.

I should note that Topanga State Park is NOT dog-friendly, nor is the beach at the base of the canyon road, so if I were to have had my dog with me, I would have felt challenged as to where to exercise her in the area, and suspect I would have spent more time driving to do so. Alas, thankfully I left the dog at home on this trip.

The only other drawback to this property is the very small roadside parking spot. I was thankful to have had a smaller car with me, and would not have felt comfortable trying to park my SUV on the roadside.

I would recommend the private mountain cottage to a friend!