Review of shorebird 55 (Let me begin by saying that this review was submitted to At the Dunes…read morerental agency but never posted on their site.) Pros: *excellent beach access * lovely ocean view Cons: *furniture, towels, sheets in generally rundown condition *master bedroom has 1 bedside table and 1 lamp. I ended bringing in a small corroded outdoor iron table and moving a lamp from the second bedroom. * one floor lamp in the entire living room. Generally poor lighting. *Peeling paint in bathroom *mold in bathroom corners *uncomfortable living room furniture-outdoor wicker, way past it's comfort usage. No support. *unwashed sheets in second bedroom, unwashed towel in master bath. ( the rental agency was very responsive about this) In this time of Covid, these discoveries made our stay uncomfortable. Was this place really sanitized before our arrival? My point here is that a rental at the beach, for $400+/ night, should be comfortable in all aspects. This was not. For a total of $1800 for four nights, I would have expected much more.

Been coming here for quick getaways for more than twenty years. My parents became condo owners here…read moreperhaps a decade ago, and so I've seen how the rentals work from both sides - as a guest and as a owner. I won't talk about their rental since that seems too obvious a conflict of interest, but I would like to say that Pajaro Dunes is a very nice place to stay and recharge. Only about an hour's drive from San Jose, you can be away from the hustle and bustle in a matter of minutes. Parking is plentiful. They have carts you can use to haul your gear up to the residences. The dunes around the buildings are always kept up well and attractive. All of the rentals are just steps away from the beach and I believe all have balconies where you can lounge from the comfort of your place if you choose. Each rental offers different amenities; personally, I'd go for one with a jacuzzi, but that's just me! There's no need to venture anywhere when you're here (assuming you brought your food with you)... but Monterey is a short drive away and of course nice to explore. A great place to unwind! Love Pajaro Dunes!

Looking for a Very relaxing few days at Pajaro Dunes? We rented the beachfront home - 59 Avocet…read morefrom BestofDunes.com - light on the fees and heavy on the service. (So much more reasonable than other sites.) (before you pay the heavy prices at AirBNB or VRBO -reach out to Stacey at BestofDunes.com.) Walking into 59 Avocet could not be anything less than amazing! This place is incredible! Decorated with such care for the comfort of guests. I couldn't decide where to sit and watch the ocean - because not only is there Several seating areas - but each more comfortable than the next (my bad back was in heaven. ) Oceanview? Wow- just about anywhere you are in this house ! The giant floor to ceiling windows and open floor plan makes the views that much more Incredible. All I could say is - the photos don't do it justice. The deck with several tables, chairs and lounges had us out there Whale watching for hours. There's even a patio downstairs off One of the master bedrooms (yep there is 2 Master Suites (with Giant tubs!) If you want to get away for some chill time - THIS place is beyond Perfect - there was only two of us (myself and my Pool shark husband) yep - they have a pool table and a ping pong topper but 5+ couples could comfortably stay here (even more!) Perfect place for kiddies to play in a separate playroom, with a giant TV and a bazillion DVD's if that's your thing. I stopped counting how many TV's...and um 2 Kitchens? Yep, fully stocked with anything you want and too many type of coffee makers to mention (if you want to make a cake from scratch...even a mixer!) The only thing that stopped me from some moments of chill time was adventuring around this home, I kept finding more rooms and more special touches for guests! Tubs? Say Ahhhhh - cause there's actually 3 in this home! The stairs to get onto the beach are only steps away...but honestly - sitting out on the deck (or inside on one of the bazillion couches) ...well you just can't beat that. Yes, yes, you can rent this and other vacation homes at Pajaro Dunes from other sites, but I'm all about saving money and I love the secure feeling of a more personal touch when I rent vacation locations- BestofDunes.com gave me everything I needed (and more) for 3 days I will long remember. When I dream of winning the lottery, 'This' is the house I dream of buying the day after I cash my ticket in So future renters better be quick before it's mine ;) Until then -Definitely go to BestofDunes.com to rent at Pajaro Dunes if location and service is on top of your list! Thank you so much Stacey for making our stay special in this magical home possible-You Rock!! We Will be back!

Thank you Geneva for finding and returning my belongings that I carelessly left over 4th of July…read moreWeekend. I did have an enjoyable and relaxing time at Pajaro Dunes.

After disappointing stay, they reached out apologized. I appreciate your consideration and…read moregenerosity and when I can't return, I will one of my favorite places to go to nearby where I live in the Bay Area. The staff is always been great very helpful.

I love Pajaro Dunes! Beautiful location! Love hosting work events here. Pajaro Dunes team is great…read morewith communication and helping with room preparation.

Local Bay Area Getaway!…read more I recently found out about this spot during my friend's bachelor party. It's a very secluded neighborhood with a security gate for entrance. The unit they rented was had 4 spacious room. Upon entering, the first thing I noticed were these huge windows overlooking the Salinas River State Beach. I could not believe the view. The window view literally felt like I was staring at a Computer Screen Saver off a 8 feet x 4 feet monitor. It was amazing. It was September, so the weather was a good 55 at the lowest and 77 at the highest with a constant sea breeze air hitting my face. The best part of this place is getting up to the sounds of the waves gently crashing to the shore. I definitely have to come back and share this place with the fam. I know they'll love they'll love this little escape as much as I did.

I just wanted to amend my original review. My father passed away a few weeks ago not long after I…read morewrote my original review. Sadly, I'm not certain that we'll be coming back to Monterey Dunes (it might be a little hard to come without him)- but I'll never forget the family memories we built here on our family vacation every year. It's a great place to come for a relaxing and bonding time. I've added a picture of him and me at the beach from around 1994 (my aunt is in it too). I have great memories of coming here! Please read my original review to see what my family found so great about it.

I came here with my boyfriend's family for a one week getaway. It was a nice break from the outside…read moreworld, especially since the house was right by the place we were staying at! It was a 3 minute walk to the beach which is amazing. The house itself was wonderful and had amazing views. The neighbors and staff were very nice as well, which made the environment more welcoming. It was nice knowing that there are carts to haul your stuff to your place or car because the uphill climb is a bit tougher if you have to make multiple trips to your car. They also have pickleball, basketball, and tennis courts. I loved that they had a storage for the recreational area where you can borrow equipment. They also had a ping pong table which we loved. overall, I would definitely come back!

Beach condo located right by the beach. The owners provided all the kitchen and beach essentials we…read moremay need. The kitchen had a glass top cooking range, oven & microwave, every type of cooking ware. They also had extra storage that had things that maybe useful for the beach such as boogie boards, beach chairs. The only thing that the condo did not have was central air. We opened our sliding door and windows to let the air flow through.

This is a great vacation rental company to go through if you are planning a trip to the Monterey…read morePeninsula for either the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the 2010 US Open or any of the races at Laguna Seca. They rent out condos at the Monterey Dunes Colony near Moss Landing. If you can book #210, its got its own hot tub and sleeps 9 people! The prices are reasonable because many of the 4 bedroom units sleep 8 to 9 people. I take a yearly trip with some friends to the Pro-Am every year to watch our friend PGA golfer Parker McLachlin play in the tournament. Every time I go there I am amazed by the views and its proximity to everything in downtown Monterey and in Carmel. In the winter months there are few people around so you can have the place virtually to yourselves. Parking is never a problem and they offer a pool, saunas, communal hot tub, volleyball court, basketball court, and tennis courts as well!

Do not ever do business with this company. He has a horrible reputation in the area and stole…read moremoney from his clients. He has no morals or scrupples and will cheat you if he gets a chance. Since the amounts are so small he knows that you cannot get the money back through the court system so he will especially cheat you if you are out of state. DO NOT SEND HIM ANY MONEY from another client Take a second look at Monterey Dunes, we were given the keys to a home (#194) when I went to the Moss Landing building to pick up my keys. (this was instructed by the papers sent to me via mail). The lady passed the keys over to me and then took them back and put a sticky note on the papers that said to dial 500 at the gate and it would be opened by her. All went as planned but getting into the room early evening and looking around it struck me that this was a "bait and switch" home. The one I ordered on line was much more clean and modern. I left a message Friday night but no one called me back. I called two more times on Saturday morning long after opening hours. I then received a call back about 10:30 that morning in which I was told to get out of the 194 place because another family was moving in that afternoon. That was a surprise, i was then told to move to #260 where the keys were on the table and the place was unlocked. I was never told to go to this address, much less told that the keys were on the table and the place was unlocked. I had even mentions that I only needed two car passes for parking, as there were 3 given to me. She said that was OK, keep all of them for now. We proceeded to Monterey Dunes and after entering the gate, I said to my daugher driving that the lady had never told me the number of the house we were to occupy. My daughter told me the number was on the car hanger for parking, which was #194. Ok, I thought everything was fine until I noticed the home was not the same I saw in the pictures. It was dirty, had ants in the kitchen, the funiture was old, ripped, stained and the high ceilings were full of cobwebs and spiders, which made the first night miserable. When I was told to move the next morning, our plans were shot, it was my daughters bachorlette party and we were planning to have breakfast in Carmel but spent the the whole morning moving, I had my neice with me from Norway with her 5 month old son. Do you know how hard it is to move a baby and 5 adults to a new place?????? It took us all morning. The lady offered to give us the money back from the first night, I have not have any confirmation on this except she told me over the phone and also told my neice from Norway the same thing. That was Sunday morning, I have yet to hear from her, the office manager about anything. Beware of this company, if I do not get my money back from the fiasco, I will post this on every site I can, no one should have to go through this for 1,248 dollars for two nights. Mary B

Clean, quiet, comfortable, cozy, and intimate place for a relaxing getaway. I especially liked the…read moreproximity to the beach and river and gratis snacks.

Captain's Inn is a historic building that was once a chapel. People were married there. The Inn has…read morea breakfast room that is open 24 hours. The grounds feature a pond with turtles in it, a deck with chairs that gives a view of the water and maritime theme. The rooms have king sized beds. The Inn catchers to couples who desire a romantic getaway, offering flowers and candy that is placed in the rooms. It is quiet and near to where the wale watch boats are located.

Hidden gem tucked away unexpectedly!…read more Parking situation is small but then again, no one knows about it so a win-win for all. Came here horseback riding and only saw a few guys out fishing. Unsure why ppl keep saying it's a dog beach when the parks department says otherwise. "DOGS are not permitted on the beach or dunes." Maybe take another look - https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=572.

Free beach! It's a California State Parks Beach but there is no entry fee. Very small parking area…read more Very rough road to get in. But very few people there, mostly people fishing. It's a wide open, sandy beach. You can see south to Monterey and north to Santa Cruz.

River Failure Due to…read moreits "prime location" along the Pacific Flyway, this area (±367-acres) was founded in 1973 to preserve the wetlands for migrating flocks. The Good: *±1.25-mile loop trail that's fairly flat and easy to walk on. *Lots of protected species in the area so a good place for bird watchers. *Beach access *Bike rack at the foot of the beach access trail (which is very soft sand) *And speaking of the parking lot, it's not large but probably plenty big enough for this park. Oh, and it's free! My favorite price. :) The Meh: *Hunting in certain parts of the park, so be aware where you are located. *Not the most exciting beach. I mean yes, it's still a beach, but there are much more scenic ones around. But if you live close-by then it's probably just fine. *No restrooms The Ugly: *Have to drive in on a dirt road that I'd imagine gets pretty muddy during the winter. So if you don't have an AWD, and it's rained lately, then maybe best to skip out on visiting. Conclusion: Cool place for bird watchers, but not much else.

Wow, we came here to see the beach near Monterey. This amazed us since the beach trail is a direct…read morepath through the marsh lands. You get a great view of all the shore birds where fresh water meets salt water. There are fields of brush and rabbits run through freely. Unfortunately, there are no bathrooms and entrance is blocked so you must walk from parking lot to beach. Still, it's worth to see part of the lettuce fields as you come in and then the sand dunes at the end. Get there early and you can see the fishermen try their luck with shore fishing. A must for bird watchers and nature enthusiasts.

This was our 2nd annual girls trip in the Rancho Riposo unit. This year we had 8 women and 3 dogs…read more The unit has 5 bedrooms with a total of 7 beds and 2 1/2 baths. The huge totally fenced yard was perfect for the dogs and playing ping pong and other outdoor games. We're all friends through pickleball and hiking which we enjoyed one or both on our 3 night stay. We did most of our eating at the unit by assigning meals for each night... great food!!! The kitchen is well stocked making do with what we found. There's a nice big table in the dining room we could all fit around and the living room is spacious with an enormous couch. The staff is friendly and accommodating! For 8 women and 3 dogs I don't think we caused any trouble or were too loud... just the sound of laughter and fun! Hopefully we can make it a yearly event!!!

We returned to Andril Fireplace Cottages for the second time this year, we love staying there with…read moreour two dogs. We were in Casa Linda this time, a 4 bd/2ba unit, which was very comfortable for our group of 5 adults. The beds are very comfortable. We've always experienced clean units, a homey feel and very friendly staff there which keeps us going back. We love the location walking distance to the beach. Also enjoy the patios and the large common grass area with plenty of seating.