We had a pleasant stay at the La Selva beach apartment (upstairs unit) on a recent trip to Monterey. The apartment is exactly as pictured, with a cute design, spacious bedroom, and updated bathroom with rain shower. There is not a dishwasher, but otherwise the unit had everything we needed. The place was very clean and the hosts (and their delegate, Eunis) were super responsive to messages. We tried one of the restaurants they recommended (Palapas) which was great. The apartment complex seems to be all Airbnb units and there was a shared bbq area, hammock, and seating areas for guests. It was generally pretty quiet, which we appreciated!
The unit is probably best for a couple, whereas we were two friends traveling together. My friend said the bd in the bedroom was very comfortable, but the mattress for the sofa bed in the living room was thin and there was only one blanket (no comforter) so I didn’t sleep well. It also gets pretty bright in the living room early, so if light wakes you, a sleep mask would be a good idea.
The unit is in a residential neighborhood, an easy 7 minute walk to the local beach. We loved the fact that the beach never seemed crowded. You do have to walk on the side of a road with no sidewalk, which was totally fine for adults, but I probably would not take kids on that route. The main drawback for us was that the apartment was kind of far from everything else. There was one great (but super pricey) bodega for groceries, a couple of shops, and a few restaurants nearby, but everything else was a 25 or 30 minute drive. For example, the Monterey Aquarium was 45 minutes away and the Henry Cowell state park was 30 minutes. You definitely need a car and I would not recommend relying on getting Lyft or Uber. Just something to be aware of when booking.
Overall, we had a good stay and I would recommend the unit to a couple looking for a quiet beach vacation.