It had been 35 years since the last time my wife and I were in Monterey. We met each other while in the Army studying foreign languages at the Presidio. I was looking for a special place for us to enjoy our trip back to celebrate the 75th anniversary of DLI. Barb's lovely villa in Pacific Grove proved to be the perfect choice! Everything was in working order and clean, and there were no funky smells either. The pictures are accurate but the place looks even better in person. I could move into the home tomorrow and not change a thing. It is gorgeous. The living room was comfortable and we got a good night's sleep on the beds. The private courtyard out back is beautiful with gas grill, wood burning fire pit, dining table and chairs and extra seating. We enjoyed spending some time out there. The kitchen is fully stocked with everything you would need to cook a full blown dinner or big morning breakfast. And there was a full size coffee pot!

Barb wasn't able to meet us when we arrived, but she provided the code to the key lock box and we had no problem getting inside. When we had questions about something she was always very responsive and easy to contact either by phone, text or email.

The house is in a great spot, very close to the bay and the walking and bike trail. We felt very safe there, but then again, I don't know if there are any bad neighborhoods in Pacific Grove, we didn't see any! We explored the entire Monterey Peninsula and Barb's home was a great base, right in the middle of everything we wanted to see - whale watching, Monterey Aquarium, Fisherman's Wharf, Lovers Point, Monarch Butterfly preserve, Asilomar Beach, 17 Mile Drive, Pebble Beach, Carmel, Big Sur.....WOW!

We like renting houses/condos vs. hotels. I don't need my bed made for me everyday and I can go a few days without having my towels replaced. If we want some coffee in the morning, in a hotel you usually have to get dressed to go find some. We could just crawl out of bed here and pour a cup and sit around relaxing in our pjs! Another party travelled with us so splitting the cost made it cheaper than most hotels in town. And while we didn't make full blown dinners(too many wonderful places to eat nearby), having some breakfast food on hand helped us save time and $$, further making our stay affordable.

To sum this up, Barb's place is wonderful. It is as advertised and in a superb location (parking is easy) and now that we've stayed there, we wouldn't hesitate to go back...and neither should anyone considering her property.