A wonderful stay in Santa Cruz! The home layout is great for groups as the main kitchen and living room are upstairs while an additional kitchenette and living space are near the downstairs bedrooms. We stayed in the upstairs bedroom with the young kids while grandma and grandpa slept downstairs. The back deck looks over the tidal creek in the back yard and it is a short walk to the closest beach. Plenty of appliances and utensils in the kitchen to make most of your food in the home. The upstairs deck is a delightful place to have a meal and the outdoor space heater keeps it comfortable on chilly nights.
There is no baby gate for the stairway if you have young ones, but we made due with one of the chairs that fit that space well. The Keurig machines were our preferred choice for coffee in the morning and the combination toaster/toaster oven was very useful for breakfast. The TVs in the living spaces have the necessary applications for watching Netfilx, HBOmax or Disney+ as you prefer (BYO account). Plenty of blankets and towels are available.
Almost accidentally we discovered that Santa Cruz is a great "home base" to see this part of the Northern California coast. You are an hour from Monterey and Carmel -by-the-Sea, An hour and a half from San Francisco, 25 minutes from the Henry Cowell Redwoods and close to many state park beaches. Don't forget to visit the picturesque Capitola, enjoy fine dining at ShadowBrook or go surfing while you are in Santa Cruz!