Troy's place in Santa Cruz is really cool, perfect for our family of 5. It's a separate cottage in the back of Troy's main house but trust me, you are in your own world back there, the cottage is clean, nice and open with a cool loft with 2 beds perfect for the kids, and has everything you need to make dinner in (we grilled one night) and just relax if you want. You're right by the beach (literally a block, maybe a 3 min walk) which we hit each day (weather was amazing during our visit, and the ocean temp was pretty warm!). We also drove to Nisene State Park (10-15 min drive) which I highly recommend for a hike, it's beautiful. So the place is great and the location is great too if you're looking to relax by the beach in Santa Cruz. Bonus for us was meeting Troy and family who are truly nice and warm folks! Made us feel right at home.