FYI, If not for the location, our review would have been 1 Star.
Our 2-night stay ran $930+. Here are the issues we encountered. You may not find any of them a deal-breaker but we certainly did. It is unfortunate for us because we had really hoped this might be our Go-to for short Santa Cruz getaways.
PRO
Location: it is, indeed, steps to the beach.
JUMP: there are bikes all over Seabright.
Rental: The front room has expansive windows which lends great light to the room throughout the day.
Street side upstairs bedroom has a new-ish bed which was comfortable though the World Market bed frame was stained (No idea on pillows as I brought my own).
Linens (sheets) were clean.
CON
Rental: The place is REALLY rundown.
a) Bathroom sink was slow to drain first day - did not drain at all next morning.
b) Oven seal torn - interior very dirty - when turned off kitchen filled with burn-off fumes.
c) Stair treads completely worn down to bare wood and splintered.
d) Floors were dirty - bare feet got dirty walking around inside before we went outside.
e) Couch completely worn out & chairs uncomfortable - not conducive to extended sitting. Chair upstairs were children sized.
f) Living room floor fan - FILTHY - accumulated dirt/dust hung inside the wire basket; all 3 speeds did not function and oscillated like a drunken sailor.
g) No fan(s) upstairs & Ceiling light shade was a broken Japanese paper lantern.
h) First floor bedroom window had to be propped open with a book. No screen. Could reach out window and touch tiny home parked adjacent (caretaker "cottage").
i) NO window screens anywhere with exception of the elongated drop down window on east side wall downstairs.
j) Tub slippery.
k) Window curtains were simply kitchen towels that clipped on loose bamboo shoots so when attempting to open or close the bamboo would fall off the open hooks - even on kitchen door to deck.
l) Spiderwebbed debris piles between deck and the tiny home back wall.
HOUSE RULES --
Clearly stated the neighborhood is touted as quiet so 10pm was the deadline.
The neighbors immediately to the west did not get that memo. Their get-together extended into the wee hours, involved copious amounts of alcohol and devolved into loudly re-told graphic stories about a variety of voluntary and involuntary sexual incidents.
Despite being told there was no A/C in the home, in fact there was A/C (or at least cold fan mode) as discovered on Day 2. Had we known this we would not have spent the better part of the first afternoon searching for a fan (College town during fall semester move-in).
We communicated with Sabina before our arrival our intent to bake each day & we found the oven broken/unusable. No apology or accommodation extended despite the fact she knew we wanted to use the oven daily.
The response from Sabina to our notifications of the clogged/unusable bathroom sink necessitating our use of the kitchen sink to brush our teeth and the broken oven seal was unacceptable. She stated these were the two things her cleaner would not catch.......how does a cleaner not catch the sole bathroom sink not draining and the oven being dirty and broken?? Clearly no cleaning occurred involving the bathroom sink or stove - clearly the Host's responsibility. Again, no apology or accommodation for the failing.
We discussed leaving a review at all but in light of the per night fee/cleaning fee being charged to stay here we felt obligated to share our experience. The fees from our stay alone would resolve many of the issue we have touched upon. We would not recommend this rental to anyone.