Rent your own 1 bedroom cottage in back of a cute house in Albany. The cottage has been completely renovated with new kitchen cabinets, granite, completely new faux finish walls with vaulted ceilings. COMES WITH IT'S OWN PRIVATE BATHROOM, Kitchen is stocked with a coffee maker, coffee and filters, microwave, condiments and lots of pots and pans and silverware and plates if you like to cook. The cottage is very quiet and cozy with a view of the backyard with exotic plants and a pond with a fountain. Access is through the side of the house on a level path tiled with terra cotta tiles. There is Internet access and also a 46-inch flat screen high-definition TV with a Roku with access to many movies and tv shows as well as a free Netflix and Amazon subscription.
The neighborhood is quiet and extremely safe, yet half a block away is Solano ave which is major street in Albany and Berkeley has dozens of international restaurants and shops of many descriptions. There is an extensive bus system on Solano and the subway or BART has a station ten to fifteen minutes' walk from the house.
The cottage is located in the backyard and is completely separate from the house in which I live. Yet close enough to the main house that excessive outdoor noise can be a problem. The backyard is beautiful, and I will probably be using it a lot during the summer. The deck in front of the cottage is designated for guests. The deck on the side is for residents of the main house. People really seem to like this place as it is spacious and beautifully designed.
The cottage sleeps two in a full size bed in the bedroom which is fairly small. The bathroom stands between the bedroom and the living room so please take note of that. There are sliding glass doors in the bedroom so it can easily be aired although there is a fence for privacy on the other side of the sliding doors. The sofa in the living room folds out to make another full size but very comfortable bed. For those brave enough to climb up a ladder there is also a loft that contains a full-size bed. There is even a twin size foam futon which can accommodate one more person so the cottage could accommodate seven people if two occupied the bedroom, two slept on the couch, two in the loft and one on the futon. But please note: the more people the more crowded it can get as the entire space is about 450 square feet. It will seem crowded if there are more than three people and yet it can accommodate up to seven.
There is only street parking but in Albany that is never a problem although beware of street sweeping on the east side of the street every third Wednesday and on the west side every fourth Wednesday.
Comes with two coupons for free appetizers worth $18 each at a local restaurant called skates on the Bay with a beautiful bay view.
Several guests have mentioned something it's fair to warn prospective guests about. Albany is a small town with small houses and the distance between the cottage and the main house is not very far. People might be using the backyard which borders on the cottage so if you want a place that is remote and private this might not be right for you.
