To start, love the home, the owner Deb, and the neighbourhood.
Myself and two boys travelled to LA just before Christmas and stayed here for 7 days. We wanted to stay in a neighbourhood that was close to the coastline and north beaches (Venice, Santa Monica, Malibu) but not too far away from the city (Crypto.com) and northern LA county (Universal Studios). This was the perfect spot for us.
First, Deb is amazing. She's like a personal concierge. She had a snack tree for us with chips and cookies, stocked the fridge with some basics to get us going (milk, eggs, cream, water, drinks, yogurt, coffee) and provided us with a list of her favourite restaurants. The bathroom was the same, from shampoo, conditioner, body washes, toothpaste, and most importantly wonderfully smelling super soft towels (ask Deb for her secret). She was intent on making sure we had everything we needed. The kitchen while small works really well and is outfitted with excellent appliances and everything we needed (gas range, small dishwasher, toaster, coffee maker, nexpresso type of machine) .
The suite is the upstairs of the home with separate access up a spiral staircase overlooking a cute backyard. It is spotless, bright, charming, and well suited to a couple or family of four with young kids and it also worked well for the 3 of us (boys are 17 and 20). Trees line the kitchen window but are cutoff at the perfect height to give you privacy but allow sunlight and blue sky in. There are two outdoor patio areas that are nice to sit on at different times of the day. The shower is awesome.
What impressed me about the neighbourhood was how all the homes and yards are so well kept and this applies to other adjoining neighbourhoods. There is definitely pride in ownership. It's also strikingly quiet on weekends and weekdays. It feels really safe and families walked the streets after dark.
For local restaurants we went to Akasha in Culver City for Californian cuisine (get reservations) and Paco's Tacos for authentic Mexican, which is just around the corner, was excellent. Lemonade on Abbott and Kinney is excellent for lunch. Yardhouse was decent but not great value, there are definitely better options. Other evenings we ate outside the neighbourhood.
Locations we enjoyed that may not be on your radar: Zuma Beach and the drive up coast, 3rd street Promenade for shopping in Santa Monica, Abbot and Kinney boulevard for shopping and eating, and the Getty Villa.
Thanks Deb!!!
