We spent 5 nights at Kate's place. First off, the ocean views are out of this world and are the reason we booked this property. We spent many hours enjoying the patio, just relaxing, reading, and watching the surfers who gather every morning and afternoon, along with an occasional seal. Hands down, this is one of the best located properties we have stayed in, in terms of the view, the closeness to the ocean right below the patio, and nearby amenities (just a couple of minutes walk into Bird Rock where you'll find great restaurants, a Starbucks, local coffee house, and an excellent bakery).
However, the room itself was disappointing. This space is part of Kate's house and felt more like staying in someone's spare room. While the space is large - the bed is enormous - it's very oddly laid out, felt cluttered and not especially clean. The very large shower is located in the same space as the kitchenette and the toilet is separated by just a curtain. It wouldn't take a lot to elevate the space from OK to great - extra towels (only one bath towel each was provided that we could find), extra trash bags (again, we could only find one), updated furnishings and less clutter. The patio sofa on the front patio was filthy and we didn't use it, and there is no umbrella as depicted in the photos. We did appreciate the table and chairs and the second sofa to the rear of the patio, which is covered. The patio also sits alongside the patio serving the downstairs of the rest of the house, so is not completely private. However, Kate was away for most of our stay so we did have the space to ourselves. As others have mentioned, the bed was comfortable but the mattress (we stripped the bedding before we left as a courtesy) was absolutely covered in stains. We have stayed at many vacation rentals and while this one stood out for the views and price, the accommodation fell below the standards we have experienced in the vast majority of other places. It's not a place we would return to.