Perfect getaway spot to explore Santa Cruz (20 minutes) or Monterey (65 minutes) and charming and relaxing in its own right!
Came down via the coast from Bay Area in pouring rain storm and worked our way to the house following the back routes, but the access to and from Santa Cruz is easy. Five minutes away from Roaring Camp railroad, the house is on a quiet street, with neighbors across the way, but good privacy and absolute silence at night.
Massive yard leading down into a watershed, the dogs loved every part of it, including the deer and turkeys who learned to stay away pretty quickly. The yard is not fenced, so pets can roam if your not paying attention and it is mountain lion country same as the rest of California, although I didn’t hear any coyotes so small dog shouldn’t have an issue (still probably safest to keep them leashed are night or hang out in the yard when they are outside exploring)
Hot tub is set off the back deck, sheltered from the street and absolutely fantastic to relax in at night and soak up the heat, silence, and in our case, rain.
Too wet to spend time outside enjoying the yard (outside of the hot tub) but even in the rain it’s beautiful, with a lower seating area and lots of space for kids to play or adults to relax/read/drink wine etc etc.
The kitchen is good sized and well laid out. We didn’t end up cooking, but it has everything you’d need (spices, oil, etc).
Living room is small and cozy. Two nice couches and a couple of comfortable chairs, with a small tv on the half wall separating it from the kitchen.
WiFi was fast and constant, and cell (Verizon) reception was also good.
First bathroom has a big open tub, master bathroom has a nice walk in shower, with great water pressure.
The middle bedroom (unused) looked nice, with a queen bed, which we snagged some smaller pillows off of. We slept in master (also queen) which was was comfortable. Master bedroom has a large sliding door leading out onto the back deck, where the grill sits along with some nice outdoor chairs. A few steps down towards the rear yard is a second landing with access to the hot tub.
There is an out building set about 100’ away into the side yard that the hosts are building into a detached office. Workers showed up Monday morning early but were for the most part quiet and we barley knew they were there.
Communication with the host was fast and efficient. They offered a ton of tips on the local area, places to eat, and emailed offering early check in the day we headed down, which was also really nice!
They walked us through the house via the phone once we arrived, explaining light switches and details of the house to be aware of, and were extremely friendly and gracious.
Can’t recommend this place enough, especially for getaways from the bay area to explore all sides of the Monterey Bay.
It’s an easy 20 minute drive down to Santa Cruz, about 40 minutes to the Elkhorn Slough, and just over an hour to get to downtown Monterey. We didn’t make it to Point Lobos state park this trip, but hope to come back again and again.
Thanks so much for hosting us!