We had SUCH a great stay and hope to be back at some point. We stayed for four nights over New Years and it was coooooold outside and started off a bit rainy. It was spacious enough that our 1 year old and 5 year old could stay entertained, and the garage/game room was also a nice bonus. I know in a few more years the kids would spend even more time in there. Here's a summary:
PROS:
- Location! It is literally a 5 min walk to the Boardwalk, which was perfect for our little kids so we could just pop there and back and not feel like we needed to stay for a long time to justify parking fees. It is also a half block from the river. I took one of the beach cruisers from the garage and my son rode his bike that we brought and we rode all along the river to the Santa Cruz "main drag" (you could also drive there in 5 min). It's only 12 min drive to Natural Bridges SP and about 15 min to fancy food in Capitola. The neighborhood feels safe and has enough density that it feels 'lived in' and not like a ghost town, but is not at all loud or crowded.
- Backyard: with a hot tub, game room (with pop-a-shot!) and great patio furniture, we enjoyed the space. If the weather had been warmer we would've spent more time out there.
- Amenities: fully redone kitchen with appliances that work well and all the pots and pans you need to do basic cooking. And nice, coordinating, dishes...plenty of water and wine glasses...knives that are sharp and actually work, etc. Also a washer and drier that work well and we ended up using a few times due to our wet and muddy clothes from adventuring. The towels are very cozy and still manage to dry quickly. Internet was fast and reliable. Also, i loved the shampoo and conditioner!
-Hosts: David, Anja and Evan were all very nice and extraordinarily responsive.
CON:
-Backyard sun: I'm not totally sure if this is just the season (late Dec) or the hotel that is in the final stages of being built next door, or both, but the backyard did not get much direct sun. I'm imagining when it is hot out that is actually a plus, but we didn't hang out there as much as we imagined. However, the front porch gets great sun so we took some chairs out there to catch our Vitamin D.
We appreciate the care that the hosts put into the unit - they had beautiful house plants and cozy throw blankets and clearly care about the place. We would definitely stay there again. It was the EASIEST trip we'd taken in ages.