Seaside Cottage - Bodega Bay Bright Beach Cottage with Ocean Views & Fireplace

Start in the dining bay. It is glass on three sides, and you look out past the rooftops to open ocean while you eat. A freestanding stove sits on a red tile hearth beside the round table, and the cushioned banquette under the windows is where the first cup of coffee goes and the last glass of wine ends up. You will spend most of your indoor time in this one corner. White plank walls and vaulted ceilings run through the rest of the cottage and make 786 square feet feel like more. In the living room, a sofa, a love seat, and a wooden rocking chair face the TV, and bamboo blinds take the glare off the windows late in the day. The kitchen is a galley with a window over the sink: a range and oven, a full-size fridge, a microwave, a toaster, a coffee maker, and no dishwasher. Buy crab at the harbor, boil water, and the cleanup is one pot and six plates. OUTDOOR LIVING The back deck has a bench and chairs and looks onto the lawn, where the white Adirondack chairs and the cornhole set live. Past the lawn there is a tunnel through the cypress that small kids treat as their own. Out front, two yellow Adirondack chairs sit on the porch beside the yellow door, behind a white picket fence, and that is where you sit once the fog has lifted. It is a small house, and it is built to push you outside: to the beach in the morning, the harbor for lunch, and back to the stove by dark. SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS The cottage sleeps 6 across 2 bedrooms and a loft, with 1 full bath. -- Bedroom 1: a queen bed under a vaulted beamed ceiling, with a closet, a dresser, and a porthole mirror. -- Bedroom 2: a double bed with floral linens, a white dresser, and whale art on the wall. -- Loft: up a ladder, a double bed set low under the eaves, with a reading lamp and a railing. The low ceiling is exactly why kids want the loft. -- Bath: one full bath with white wainscoting, a single vanity, and lighthouse and sailboat accents. PROPERTY AMENITIES -- 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, sleeps 6; 786 square feet, everything but the loft on one level -- Ocean views from the dining bay and living room -- Fireplace (freestanding stove on a tiled hearth) -- Full kitchen: range and oven, microwave, toaster, coffee maker, full-size fridge; no dishwasher -- Washer and dryer -- WiFi and TV -- Back deck, lawn with Adirondack chairs, cornhole set, front porch -- Heating -- Street parking out front plus a small lot up the road -- Bed linens and towels provided Prefer to book direct? This home is also available at searanchsonoma.com/homes/seaside-cottage.

The whole cottage is yours: both bedrooms, the loft, the kitchen, the deck, and the yard. Casago sends your keypad code before arrival, and you let yourself in through the yellow door. Park on the street out front; there is also a small lot a short way up the road. Everything but the loft is on one level.

Keefe Avenue sits on the hill above Salmon Creek at the north end of Bodega Bay, which puts you about 1/2 mile from Salmon Creek State Beach: nearly two miles of sand, surfers when the swell is up, and a lagoon that forms when sand closes off the creek mouth. Walk it in the morning before the wind comes up. Sea Flower Cafe, about 1 mile south on Highway 1, does espresso, pastries, and breakfast burritos; Pelican Plaza Grocery, about 1 1/4 miles, covers groceries. Terrapin Creek, about 1 mile, is the place for dinner; book ahead. The harbor is about 1 1/2 miles: Spud Point Crab Company for clam chowder and crab sandwiches at the picnic tables across from the boats, Ginochio's Kitchen for brisket and chowder with a bay view. Keep going out Westshore Road about 4 miles to Bodega Head, where gray whales pass close to shore December through April. Doran Beach, about 3.5 miles south, is the sheltered beach on the harbor side, the one for small kids and kites. Sebastopol, with the nearest full supermarket, is about 20 miles inland.

Bodega Bay is about 1 1/2 to 2 hours north of San Francisco: Highway 101 to Petaluma, then west on the Bodega Highway through Sebastopol to Highway 1. Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport (STS) in Santa Rosa is about 45 minutes. You will want a car. The beaches, the harbor, and Bodega Head are all a few minutes apart, and the drive between them is part of the point.

The loft is reached by a ladder, not stairs, and the ceiling up there is low. Kids love it. Anyone who would rather not climb should plan on the two bedrooms. One bathroom serves the whole cottage. With six people, plan your mornings. There is no dishwasher. There is a washer and dryer. No air conditioning. The ocean keeps the cottage cool most of the year; open the windows if it is warm. Exterior security cameras face the front and back of the house. The TV runs on your own streaming logins, so bring your passwords. WiFi is in the house, but it can drop out here, and cell service fades in and out on the coast. Download maps, shows, and work files before you arrive, and do not plan a video call around it. Summer mornings often start in fog, and the fog usually clears by afternoon. Evenings are cool year-round. Bring a layer. Gray whales pass Bodega Head December through April. The headland is about 4 miles away; bring binoculars. The nearest full supermarket is in Sebastopol, about 30 minutes inland. Pelican Plaza Grocery in town covers the basics. Stock up on the way in. Deer and raccoons live on this coast and come through the yard. Keep food inside.

Permit info: LIC25-0368