We feel so lucky to have found Ellen’s place. It’s a beautiful balance of restoration and renovation to a historic Pacific Grove home literally just a few doors from the ocean. The front door is new but true to character with a great lock that’s smooth working and inspires trust. You enter the gem of the house--the enclosed sunporch with an ocean view. We enjoyed this space immensely, night and day. The moment you walk in the door you can smell the mix of ocean and wood in the air.
Ellen’s home is airy, bright and comfy. Every evening after dinner we would hang out in the living room and just talk and read. It was as if the room was designed for gathering in comfort. Personally, I think what makes the house special is the raised ceilings, the extra height makes every room feel spacious yet intimate. The renovated bath features a stunning clawfoot bathtub with a new retrofitted shower. The kitchen, also renovated was well-equipped with anything you might need. We were profoundly surprised to find that in her wisdom, Ellen had supplied the one item we often wish for but never find in an Airbnb in any country: luggage stands!!! On our first night we also made good use of the robust heating since we’re from SoCal.
The sun-filled dining area has a bookshelf filled with old awesome books that were fun to flip through although some were quite delicate and made me wish for some cotton gloves to insure their safety. There’s a beautiful built-in cabinet that I would admire/envy every morning when I ate breakfast.
Each day we would discover some new little joyful detail, like the succulents hanging in the tree in front, the garden on the side, Apple TV, wavy glass in the windows or the birds calling at night. We’ve been coming to the Monterey area once or twice annually for 25+ years and this is one of the rare occasions we haven’t stayed at a hotel. I think our hotel days are over.
p.s. Our college-aged son asked me to mention the wi-fi "rocks it".