My family and I stayed in the back units for a few days while travelling through California on vacation. I have to admit that I was a little nervous about staying here. Booking a place sight unseen is always a little risky, but now that I have stayed here, I plan on coming back over and over again. I can't say enough about this place. My family and I loved this place for so many reasons. First off, the property is beautiful and well maintained. According to the owner's website, the buildings were built in 1928. The timber framing, solid plaster walls, and antique fixtures make this place far more interesting and unique compared to any of the other places nearby. I couldn't help but feel the history as I made my way about the property. From time to time I could hear the ghostly echoes of laughter from all the people who have lived and stayed here over the last 89 years. Sometimes it felt as though I had gone back in time. Other times, with the Spanish style stucco walls, Spanish tile roofs, and Saltillo like flooring, I felt as though I was transported to some seaside village located somewhere along the Spanish coast. Ahhh. The property itself, especially the courtyard area, is abundantly green with grassy lawn sections and various kinds of trees and bushes growing about the property. An extensive collection of flower pots line the walkways and stairways for a colorful and charming view that you would expect from a Spanish décor theme. Internally, the buildings are tastefully decorated with rustic wood ceilings adorned with rustic wood beams and columns. The flooring is also wood, although I believe other units may have Saltillo tile like flooring. The building may be old, but the units are equipped with basic modern day necessities such as satellite HD TV, refrigerator, range oven, and microwave. The kitchen comes stocked with basic cooking supplies such as pots and pans, plates, glasses, and even basic spices needed for cooking. Our unit had a kitchen table big enough for 6 people or more. I rented two units with three different beds and all three beds were comfortable, which says a lot, considering that I am accustomed to a $10,000 Tempur-pedic bed. I travel quite a bit and one of my pet peeves is poor shower and toilet performance. I am happy to say that the showers and toilets here performed adequately. The water pressure was good and the toilets flushed. One thing that I really liked about this place was how the windows opened. So many beach rentals have windows that don't open or are locked shut making for a hot and stuffy room experience. When I vacation near the ocean, I want to smell the air, feel the air, and hear the ocean and this place allows for that. As for the other things...what can I say, location, location, location. This place is built directly across the beach and also behind the San Clemente Pier. The beach and pier are literally seconds away. In addition, this place is located just seconds from various shops and restaurants, once you park your car, leave it, because there is no reason to drive anywhere here. There are about 6-7 restaurants on this little strip along with a supply store and coffee shop. The San Clemente Pier offers two seafood restaurants and both provide outdoor seating over the water for a spectacular view. If you want to cook your own meals while staying here, San Clemente offers a nice grocery store nearby with a decent selection of seafood, meats, and vegetables along with everything else that a grocery store normally provides. In addition to that, the City of San Clemente offers a variety of restaurants, gas stations, and clothing stores for all your needs. If you enjoy fishing, you can fish from the San Clemente Pier from early morning to midnight I believe. You can even rent fishing poles and tackle from the shop on the pier. Bait can be purchased here as well. San Clemente is known for its large waves and surfing. On any given day you are sure to find a good surfing show from anywhere on the beach. Maybe the show will inspire your to give surfing a try yourself. The downside with San Clemente is that the beach is somewhat rocky (smooth round stones) but I didn't find this problematic at all. There is still plenty of sandy spots to call your own, but just know that you are not getting pure sandy beaches found at other beaches along the California coast. Lastly, the other thing that makes this place so amazing are the owners, John and Karen. They were so friendly, informative, and accommodating, not to mention interesting, they inadvertently became a big part of our memories from this trip. I cannot speak of my vacation to San Clemente without mentioning them. We found many of the residents of San Clemente to be just like John and Karen, friendly, helpful, and unusually patient with tourist. I hope this place never changes. Please tell John and Karen that the Wynn's from Arizona sent you. read more