Charming Carmel Cottage, 3 blocks to town and walking distance to the beach

The property is exactly as advertised: clean, with comfortable furnishings, good tools in the kitchen, and an unbeatable location for access to the downtown area. The host went out of his way to help navigate through some complications in the VRBO booking process. We absolutely would stay here again!

Loved staying here, and hope to again. The house is clean and comfortable yet stylish, and the location is not only beautiful but a relatively easy walk to downtown Carmel. The owners are a delight to work with, too, and helped us feel instantly at home here without diminishing the joys of a special getaway.

The hosts have thoughtfully provided everything necessary for a lovely vacation in this charming home. In addition, they generously offered us an extra day (at no additional charge) when our flight was delayed overnight. Definitely a 10 out of 10 rating!

When I was looking for a refuge from the heat wave and poor AQ in San Francisco, I looked to Carmel for some quality time outdoors. Because of the heat wave and smoke from the wildfires we've been experiencing in CA, I explicitly searched for a house with AC in case they migrated down south. This property cropped up in my search results. It was on the pricey side but since it purported to have AC and some other luxury features (towel warmer, radiant heating in tboth bathrooms, higher end appliances, etc.), it seemed reasonable. When I arrived at the property, however, I noted that vegetation was overgrown into the path from the driveway to the front door. I also noticed that there was some mold in the master bathroom. When I turned on the towel warmer in both the master bathroom and the guest bathroom, nothing happened. Also, I couldn't get the radiant heat to work in the master bathroom. I also noted that, when locked, both the the front door and the back door required a key to get out. I don't know the laws in this particular town/country but, having been given one key, I believe that that would be a fire violation in San Francisco. All of these would have been fine if Carmel by the Sea hadn't hit 90 degrees towards the latter half of my stay. When I asked about how to to turn on the AC, I was told that the house didn't have any. I double checked the listing to see that it was listed as an amenity. It was. I suggested that it be removed. I got a curt answer responding that they hadn't realized it was included in the listing. I was also told that the property management would been touch about possibly a fan. No one contacted me. Because the windows in both the living room and the dining room do not open, there was no cross-breeze that night and, as a result, I did not have a have a restful sleep. The next day, the smoke from the Glass fire had reached Carmel and the weather forecast suggested another hot day. Since I hadn't heard from the property management or the owner and since I have AC and an air purifier at my house in San Francisco, I decided to cut my vacation a day short and return home. I don't know if the owner or the property management were responsibility for the listing but it was clearly incorrect and, as a result, I had to find an alternative solution to dealing with the heat and poor QA. Also, as I noted, there were some maintenance issues.