This is a great place. No problems with the place or the hosts. Very responsive. I've done some pros and cons for information.
PROS:
First of all... as everyone has said, you can NOT get a better view of the ocean than this unit! And to be able to fall asleep and wake up to the sound of the crashing waves is amazing! We were lucky to have perfect weather and could have the windows open the whole time.
The place was very clean and set up nicely for our visit. Obviously recently remodeled.
The beds were very comfy!
In the MBath, there is an amazing rain showerhead along with a nice handheld sprayer which works great. Also, very cool storage in the vanity!
Close (walking distance) to town/restaurants and also some small food markets. OB is the people's beach - not pretentious and an old school surfer vibe.
We were visiting with my son and his wife and 16 month old so we really appreciated the high chair and there was a pack and play in the closet. We didn't use it since they brought their own, but it was there.
There were some sand toys and also 2 beach chairs and 4 beach towels available.
It was a blessing for my son's family to have laundry in the unit!
I asked if there was a blender for me, and they made sure to provide one. They also have a Keurig, toaster, hot water kettle, microwave and a full size fridge.
CONS: and these are very minor, but just may be helpful to prepare.
Number one is to be prepared - even though the ocean is right there and beautiful, access to a beach is not easy. It is walkable, but not a quick jaunt. My husband and I walked along the sea wall to Ocean Beach - but it has deteriorated in places and so it can get a bit hairy - some narrow dirt paths and one area where you are walking over lots of broken concrete pieces and large rocks. Certainly not doable with small children, so my son and family had to drive to the beach. I'm sure you could walk along the streets and then come down to the beach if you have stroller and wagon-type thing to carry stuff. But either way it is at least 20 minutes to get to either Ocean Beach or Sunset Cliffs. In the house manual in the unit, it mentions there is a small private beach to the left of the building, but when we tried to go there, it was all rocks and then access was closed off to go any further. I suppose we could have tried heading out to the street and back down further along, but we didn't take the time.
Even though the place is recently remodeled with fairly new furniture, it is IKEA-like cheap stuff. Not that this is a bad thing for a rental unit, but just not luxury. The stools out on the balcony had broken foot rests and the plastic chairs in the DR were already losing footpads and were creaky. Nothing that
affected our stay, however.
There were no blinds of any kind on the sliding doors to the balcony and when the sun is going down, it is quite blinding. Yes, most of the time, you want to see the ocean, but we would have liked that option at certain time of day.
The rest of these are really minor and may not affect most, but thought I would mention because all the little details are what makes a place a 5-star standout.
There were no tissues anywhere that we could find
There were no extra towels in bathrooms. Only one per person (plus hand towels and washcloths).
Kitchen - they are truthful that the only spices or condiments are salt and pepper and olive oil. The olive oil was a small gift bottle which came in handy since I forgot to bring mine. The salt and pepper were not only in cheap plastic shakers (and basic table salt and pre-ground pepper) but they were not close to full. So if you plan to do any cooking, you will need to bring all your own herbs and spices.
Knives were very dull. Luckily, I am used to this in rentals, so I brought my own.
Overall, we loved our stay. But as far as value for the money is concerned, I was slightly disappointed. We have stayed at other beach areas in San Diego for a bit cheaper and the beach is right there. We payed a quoted $575/night but with the cleaning fee, service fee and taxes it racked up to $778/night when all said and done. But if your top priority is view and crashing waves, this is the place!