Established in 2006 through the renovation of six vintage bungalows, Blue Heron Cottages anchors the corner of Cable Street and Santa Cruz Avenue with one-bedroom, one-bath cottages arranged around an enclosed central courtyard. Each cottage ships with a fully stocked kitchen down to the dish soap, a self-catering format that makes Poma's Italian Deli on Bacon Street the resupply stop of choice for sandwich lunches and prepared antipasti. A shared gazebo, BBQ grills, and a nine-seat shaded table turn the courtyard into a property-wide gathering space the individual cottage layouts don't support on their own. Dog policies allow up to four dogs per cottage, with a wash-down hose at the front gate for sandy paws after Dog Beach runs and Shore Thing Pet Supply a short walk away for treats and replacement leashes most multi-dog guests eventually need. Complimentary surfboards, bikes, boogie boards, and beach carts eliminate most rental stops, and the Santa Cruz Cliffs stairway at the end of the block opens a less-crowded ocean entry than the pier-side beaches. Whole-property buyouts of all six cottages plus the courtyard host the highest-value bookings, structured for extended family reunions and small destination weddings rather than single-unit weekend stays.