My husband and I just returned from spending the month of April in Darwin and Sonia's beach cottage. We have stayed in many beach cottages, and have never had the PERFECT experience we had at this cottage.

First of all, the cottage is absolutely charming ... immaculate, with a beautiful beachy décor, light and airy, complete with ceiling fans, electric fireplace, a large living room with a separate area and desk for an office space, a fully-equipped kitchen, a separate dining room with seating for 4, and a lovely outside deck complete with BBQ grill.

There is also a PRIVATE GARAGE, complete with every beach toy you can imagine ... beach chairs, umbrella, surf board, boogie boards, children's sand toys, 2 high-quality strand-cruiser bicycles, and more. There is also a large, full-size WASHER AND DRYER.

Oh, and it's 2 BLOCKS FROM THE OCEAN, a very short walk to downtown Manhattan Beach ... restaurants, shopping, grocery stores, library, post office, churches, dry cleaners, and only 5 miles to LAX!!! BEST LOCATION EVER!

There was wine, a Kuerig with a generous supply of coffee & tea, chocolate and fresh flowers awaiting our arrival.

Sonia & Darwin thought of absolutely everything we could ever want in a vacation rental ... plush towels, linens, comfortable queen-size bed, office supplies, sewing supplies, iron & ironing board, hairdryer, toilet paper, shampoo, conditioner, soap, toiletries, paper towels, dishes, pot, pans, and every kitchen utensil you can think of, including paper plates and cups for the beach. There is protected wifi, cable television access, and a Samsung blue ray DVD player.

We had such a wonderful time, that we are returning for the month of September. This is a real HOMEAWAY from home, ONLY BETTER!

We will return at every opportunity.