All in all, this house was a great find.
The location is really convenient. We could easily walk to the farmer’s market, the harbor, to restaurants, or just explore Dana Point. The largest of the balconies is a delight to sit on and sip coffee in the early morning and enjoy the vegetation and the view. Parking was easy, even on street-sweeping days. The bed was comfy, and the shower was great. The whole set up was original, quirky, and fun. We would likely rent it again on a return trip.
We did, however, have some reservations.
Our first request for help from the manager was fulfilled immediately; our second was totally ignored; and for the third, we were given the obvious work-around but the problem (with the exterior lock) wasn’t resolved—and needs to be as we had trouble getting in one night — after which we locked only the door at the top of the stairs.
The lighting in both the living space and the kitchen leaves something to be desired. There’s not enough light for two people to read, knit, or do anything else that requires decent lighting in the living space. One person can just manage for a little while with the moderate light behind the large chair. And if you’re cooking after dark and want to tell if something is done, it can be hard to see.
Speaking of the kitchen, it is pretty well equipped for a rental, but lacked a few things that I could have used. If you’re planning to cook, check that you have what you need up front. Plenty of dishes and stuff. Do be careful if you use the oven not to take anything out of the drawer below it when the oven is hot without using the mitts. You can get warm (not hot) water at the kitchen sink only if you are running the dishwasher at the same time. A dish drain would be nice.
These were relatively minor inconveniences compared to our general overall satisfaction, but most would be easy to remedy and just make it that much better.