Margaret was a lovely host who greeted us warmly and made sure we had what we needed, and then also left further interaction up to us. We came and went as desired and whilst the property occupies the lower part of the house, it felt very private.
The location is ideal for anyone wanting to be close to San Francisco or who needs to head south towards Silicon Valley but wishes to also get the beauty of the ocean and wildlife at their doorstep.
I routinely travel to the area for medical care at Stanford and typically stay closer to Palo Alto or south towards San Jose so I wasn’t sure how this location would work out.
With off-peak times for my appointments and being so close to 280, it worked out really well and gave us the chance to enjoy the ocean, amazing sunsets, stars at night, and proximity to the beautiful coastal drive of Hwy 1, without a laborious commute. Though we didn’t have time to go into the city this trip, it’s also very close to SF and would have been a great place to stay if you wanted to spend time in fabulous San Francisco.
The space itself is nice, the bedrooms are lovely and comfortable. We didn’t spend much time in the living room nor cook much; there is no microwave but rather a hot plate and full refrigerator. There is a grill on the patio.
For anyone with mobility or accessibility issues, as Margaret’s description states there are two stairs to navigate between the front and back of the living space which divides a bedroom and kitchen from a bedroom and the living room/front door.
The stairs go up and down on both sides to get from one space to another and I found it a bit challenging as there isn’t a handrail. It was workable as I just stayed in the front but if stairs or balance are hard, it’s just something to consider. I’m not sure there was space for a walker - we didn’t bring mine out of the car as I didn’t otherwise need it.
The view from the patio is amazing - you can see the ocean and we were able to catch a sunset two of the three nights we were there.
It is fairly elevated on a bluff so you’re not beachside but I believe you can hike down to an area that is closer to get a closer view of the ocean or if hiking isn’t possible, as in my situation, we were able to drive down and sit closer above the ocean and even saw many whales and birds.
The patio furniture appeared well-loved and as such a bit worn but we weren’t sitting out for hours there so not an issue. As Margaret notes she’s trying her hand at some gardening and we could see those special efforts underway!
Overall, this is a great location that is convenient to multiple parts of the Bay Area and affords guests an amazing view of the ocean in all its splendor and the amazing wildlife.
Additionally, Margaret is an attentive host and I felt confident she would assist us as needed while respecting our privacy. Great stay!