The actually property itself is located in the perfect spot: off a quiet street and right on the beach. It is a funky old house that you can tell has been remodeled several times. The sunsets, views, proximity to the beach and the rest of Laguna are what you pay for.

What we weren’t thrilled about was the lack of cleanliness in certain areas, particularly the kitchen. Several parts of the kitchen were sticky and dirty, and when we used Mr. Clean Magic Erasers (we bought after arriving) on the floors, countertops and fridge the result was disturbingly dirty (we took pics). We also came across several pots, pans, dishes, cups, utensils & other kitchen gadgets that were not clean and needed to be hand-washed or run through the dishwasher in order for us to feel comfortable using them.

The kitchen is pretty well equipped, but some of the appliances (coffee maker, blender) are older and the pots, pans, chopping knives have seen better days (dull, old knives + scratched, worn pots and pans). We also found that basic items were missing, like regular coffee mugs (the house basically just contained tea cups) or enough glass wine and water glasses. My husband and I slept in the upstairs bedroom which was perfectly comfortable, but the tub/shower situation was extremely difficult. The whole thing is jerry-rigged and really meant to be a bathtub only, as the shower pressure is limited and only the handheld head worked. It was not a pleasant experience so I used the downstairs one instead.

We did enjoy the house and property overall, and we had beautiful weather and sunsets every day so we couldn’t complain. We made good use of both the upstairs and deck fireplaces, the hot tub, loungers, grill, outdoor shower, beach access. It really is lovely and perfect for a getaway that feels like a vacation.

But for what we were paying it just seemed like the actual quality and cleanliness on the inside was lacking. Cleanliness is a basic requirement that all rental properties should come with, and given there is a whole cleaning crew that cleans prior to guests’ arriving, it is surprising how dirty parts of the house felt.

We also were surprised to only find 1 beach chair, but 10-12 beach towels which we made good use of. I would think there would be at least 6 chairs given the capacity of the house. We never figured out what the deal was with the grass umbrella on the beach below, but it drew a crowd everyday, so that wasn’t ideal to walk out to.