Ocean View Beach cottage - 1/2 pâté de maisons de la plage!

I love to travel and am always looking for new places to explore. I find that there's no better way to truly experience a place than to step into someone's home. And I've been doing just that for about twenty years. At first, before sites like this were popular, I used to use a "home trader" and switch off vacation days with people across the country and across the world. It just made sense to me and it felt right to travel with my children all under the same roof (and sometimes on the same pull out couch). My family and I love sharing our home with those visiting Laguna Beach. Casa Lagunita was my first "dream" home and I loved living here. My daughters and I spent many summer days walking down to Diver's Cove and and many nights taking the free trolley to the Sawdust Festival. Though we've since left Casa Lagunita for a home just up the street, I love that it's still in my family and that we're able to share it with new family's coming to visit Laguna.

The location of Casa Lagunita cannot be beat! It's so close to everything yet just outside of the traffic bubble that surrounds down town. I grew up coming to Laguna every weekend with my parents. We used to BBQ in Heisler Park and my dad would play the mandolin as the other Italians in our group sang and strummed guitars. Living so close to this fairytale of a place was a dream of mine. And though BBQing on our deck is a bit different than doing so in the park, the magic of Casa Lagunita is just as intoxicating. You'll see how easy it is to fall in love with Laguna and with this home.

Our home is in a quiet, family-oriented neighborhood. Casa Lagunita is just a five minute walk to Diver's Cove beach and the start of Heisler Park where many of our neighbors walk their dogs, run, or enjoy the sunset from the cliffs. In the summer there's often free events held here, like concerts, yoga or sound baths. The house can be accessed from the alley behind Beverly street where we have one parking spot in front of the garage and ample street parking located at the top of the hill. At the bottom of our street is Husky Boy Burger which is a fast-casual beach grill, along with a pet store, Coast Pets. One street over (and a two minute walk from the house) is Pavilion's grocery market which has just about everything you need – including a Starbucks! There's also UPS store, a cafe, and a Mexican restaurant. Walk just 15 minutes along one of the most beautiful parks in the world and make it to Down Town Laguna Beach to window shop, grab a coffee or enjoy a community art festival. If you've had enough walking, there are several free trolley stops near the house and you can easily make it back along one of their seasonal routes.