Vinita's beach cottage was great for our family vacation to San Diego. I did a ton of research and read so many reviews before deciding on Mission Beach and Vinita's rental for our stay (myself, husband and twin 3-year-olds). The location is directly across (diagonally) from Belmont Park, which has a handful of amusement rides, games and a few shops and dining options. It is a quick walk across the street to the beach/Boardwalk and easy access to other San Diego neighborhoods (about 15 mins by car to North Park, Liberty Station, Old Town, La Jolla to name a few of our favorites). It's also just a quick two mile trip to up to the heart of Pacific Beach with tons of dining, bars and entertainment options.
For our family, this location worked out great, as we were out of the hustle and bustle of the main PB area yet close enough to enjoy it if we chose to. From the cottage there is a cute little cafe around the corner (NOW Cafe, get the avocado toast!), a nice sushi bar, a craft beer/American food restaurant and more all within short walking distance - convenient for parents who want to have a drink or two with dinner and not worry about driving or skip out for a quick breakfast to take back and enjoy on the patio (and all the places nearby were pretty kid friendly). My husbands surprise favorite spot was Cheesy Express right next door with their decked out grilled cheese sandwiches, 😂 don't let appearances fool you... This place is worth trying!
The unit was clean and modern, there were plenty of towels, blankets, pillows etc. The bed and sheets were super comfy. My toddlers slept on the sectional couch which had an ottoman you could put together to make a small "bed". There was also a roll away cot and foam mattress provided for us and I noticed a pack n play in the closet. There were also beach chairs, boogie boards, pails etc for use in the closet, sunscreen in the bathroom and plenty of toiletries.
Check in was very easy and Vinata offered some nice recommendations for us as well. The access to the unit is by keypad-code, so we didn't have to worry about having a key which was nice and simple. Wifi was fast, cable in the living room and smart tv in the bedroom worked great. My girls enjoyed the patio area to play while I sat outside and had my Starbucks in the morning (which is also right next door!)
Parking was a bit of a hassle, the street signs were not well marked and we got a $50 ticket our first night, over the weekend it was tough to find a close spot but weekdays were much better. That was really our only inconvenience and not necessarily Vinata's fault as it is clear in the listing that parking is not included. There were also TONS of Bird and Lime scooters nearby, I think this is common in San Diego, but they were everywhere so even if you had to park a bit away you could hop on one of those and be back to the unit in no time.
Overall the place was exactly as described and we would definitely stay again! I wanted to write a thorough review so travelers with kids would know what to expect, because I know when I was looking, I didn't want to take any chances on ending up somewhere that wasn't truly "kid friendly"- this spot has all the amenities parents might want (maybe with the exception of a bathtub since it is a shower only and no washer/dryer). Mission beach was a little more rowdy over the weekend, but I never felt unsafe or out of place with my kids in tow. We routinely travel to urban areas and big cities, so this was no biggie to us.
Thanks again for a wonderful stay! We would absolutely recommend this rental to anyone looking for a beach house!