I was looking forward to staying at Mary Ellen's place for August. I saw the property prior and it was an outdated beach house with an unbeatable location, so I decided to book. When I arrived, I found that the kitchen was filthy, in the drawers, on the shelves the pots, spices corroded. I had to clean everything myself, but didn't want to make a big deal out of it because the location was great and I wanted a quiet escape on the beach. I put the dirty stuff in bags and put it in the garage and bought new pots. Overall, the home needs a DEEP clean, new pots, general upkeep especially if there is consistent turnover/wear and tear. Regardless, I was making do. I wound up sleeping on the sofabed because of the damp carpet upstairs. As a host/property owner on another platform, I know that regular maintenance and upkeep is required, and did not see this during my stay. Still, I continued to make the best of it. Then almost 2 weeks into my stay, noisy construction started on the house next door. There were 15-20 men there. The house has NO blinds, I was alone and didn't feel safe at all. The noise was deafening. I chose this area because it's gated. Mary Ellen didn't tell me there would be construction, and from my understanding later on, they are required to tell the owners. The construction crew needed to put ladders on the side of the house, so with no blinds and being a woman alone, while men are around the house, I didn’t feel comfortable or safe. I reached out to her to explain my concerns. After a few messages, she wouldn’t work with me. I wanted to leave, since the drilling and construction was all day. I rented the home to have a quiet vacation on the beach.I sent her messages but there was lack of response. When I sent her a video of the noise she replied "I don't understand why you sent me this”.As a paying guest, I felt that she had no consideration for the disruption.I contacted VRBO, who saw the videos and said it was inhabitable to live with that noise and not feeling safe and they wanted to relocate me. I have traveled the world and rented homes, and understand that not every place is perfect, and trying to work it out with her she responded,"why should I be responsible if my neighbor wants to make home improvements".This was massive construction at a beach home during peak time/prices, she should have worked with me to leave early but she refused. Overall, it is a great location, but the house needs general upkeep and to be cleaned.

We had a great family vacation at this beach house. It is literally on the ocean with beautiful views. The weather was perfect. The amenities were great. The bedrooms were very nice. We certainly appreciated all the towels and linens and the washer and dryer in the garage. The kitchen was great and there are a number of grocery stores close by. Mary Ellen was fantastic. She was very helpful with everything in the area. We would certainly recommend this lovely beach home. Thanks for a great trip.

Had a wonderfully relaxing stay in this fully equipped house. Very conveniently located, lots to do & see nearby. My favorite part was just walking up and down the beautiful private beach. House had everything to make our stay comfortable & owners are great. We grilled several times & loved the back patio & upper balcony. There is view in front bedroom as well as master is full oceanfront. The community is in a historic village (surfside) that is gated & lovely to walk or bike. Enjoyed reading about the community & had great books to read at house! We left you a few that we finished while there too! Hated to leave!!! We will probably rent next year if schedules allow. Thank you for opening your home, Mary Ellen & Bill!

Without a doubt Surfside Colony is an amazing private beach gem not to be missed. This home is charming and filled with love. We have spent the last month waking up to the sounds of the ocean on our private beach, surrounded by a fun community, enjoying the festive Labor day weekend and lots of great memories. We can not wait to come back and would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a respite from their daily grind. Thank you MaryEllen and Bill for sharing your family home with us. We are eternally grateful.

Without a doubt Surfside Colony is an amazing private beach gem not to be missed. This home is charming and filled with love. We have spent the last month waking up to the sounds of the ocean on our private beach, surrounded by a fun community, enjoying the festive Labor day weekend and lots of great memories. We can not wait to come back and would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a respite from their daily grind. Thank you MaryEllen and Bill for sharing your family home with us. We are eternally grateful.

We chose this rental as a week away before my oldest son goes off to college. It was very comfortable and and clean. We enjoyed the location it is very close to Disneyland, Queen Mary and many other Southern California attractions. It was especially nice to wake up to the sound of the ocean. Mary Ellen is a joy to work with and our stay was all that we had hoped it would be..

We stayed here with a 1.5 year old and a 3 month old and it was a perfect place to have a beautiful view of the ocean from the living room/kitchen to the glassed in porch or two steps away on the sand. Sleepy family friendly beach with some serious July 4th parties! House has EVERYTHING you could need, down to booster seats and a fabulous jacuzzi, master bedroom has beautiful view and another deck overlooking ocean. Everything thoughtfully put together, from condiments in the fridge to nice towels, sheets, etc.

Everything was perfect in this home. We were pleasantly surprised that all the descriptions were accurate along with the previous reviews written by others. We had 5 adults and one child and were very comfortable in the home. The home was stocked with everything. The private beach was the best part, we had the whole beach to ourselves. The suggested eateries were spot on and we found a few on our own too. We look forward to returning to this property and dealing with MaryEllen was very easy. As I said, it was PERFECT.