Vacation Rentals by Owner

family Thanksgiving getaway, 2011

Guest: momma (Pasadena, CA)
Date of Stay: 11/23/11 Review Submitted: 12/14/11

Our family has been renting large private homes over the past 6 yrs for our Thanksgiving gathering, and this home was one of the best. Both the owner and the property manager were good to work with, very responsive to a couple of small issues we had. The kitchen was well-stocked, with utensils and pots and pans in very good condition. There were plenty of linens, and lots of nice plates and cups. The kitchen is beautiful, and all the appliances worked well. Location is excellent, just walk down to the beach where there are tidepools, decent surf. The whole family, adult children, grandchildren and us, had a great time.

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

You'll be satisfied

Guest: RB (San Luis Obispo, CA)
Date of Stay: 09/22/11 Review Submitted: 10/11/11

This beach house is all as advertised. Very versatile sleeping arrangements. We did have 12 sleepers one night and all were comfortable. Crib was very handy for the little ones. Even had a nice Pac 'n Play. The home was well stocked from tissues to towels, soaps to shampoo. So even if you forgot to pack some of your essentials (i.e. hair blowers), before you drive off to Wallmart or Costco, look around and chances are Michelle has already thought of it and you'll find it in the house. All the kitchen appliances are upper end and worked well from the commercial range to large capacity washer and dryer upstairs. The hot tub, billiard and foosball tables were a huge hit and provided the necessary fun when the weather did not cooperate to enjoy the nearby beach. The owner is very accommodating and a phone call away. Thanks Michelle for providing such a lovely place for us. RB San Luis Obispo, CA

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children.

Beautiful property

Guest: D (NJ)
Date of Stay: 08/13/11 Review Submitted: 09/04/11

We had an amazing vacation, the house is spacious, very clean and well equipped for families. The owners were so thoughtful while stocking the house, a few examples are plenty of beach toys for children, boogie boards, abundance of beach towels, several Disney videos, well equipped kitchen and all bathrooms had plenty of towels, soap, shampoo and conditioner. The location is great, close to shops, Legoland, restaurants/grocery stores and easy access to Route 5. The state beach is right across HIghway 101 and several other beaches within a few miles of the house. My family and I had a wonderful, relaxing time, we would definitely stay here again!

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway.

Wonderful House, Wonderful Experience

Guest: Lou (Albuquerque, NM)
Date of Stay: 07/30/11 Review Submitted: 08/10/11

We recently celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary at this house with all our children and grandchildren. The House was very versatile in terms of various sleeping arrangements which was important to us because we had so many people and so many kids. There was much to do for the kids besides the beach: pool, games, hot tub. The house was very conveniently located: very close to the beach, to stores and restaurants, and still on a quiet, low traffic street. The owner was very responsive to our concerns and took the initiative in contacting us to see if all was well. We can't recommend any restaurants because we ate at the house which has a wonderful kitchen and a great outside grill! But we can and gladly do recommend this place for a wonderful family (or group of friends) vacation!

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children.

lisazemezonak@cox.net

Guest: Lisa Zemezonak (Cave Creek, AZ)
Date of Stay: 07/16/11 Review Submitted: 08/04/11

Loved the house, the location and the owners were very helpful. The kitchen was amazing....great appliances, working space etc. The furniture and decor reminded us of a home, not a rental property. The pool table was a hit with everyone and when we cooked dinner for 14, we put the cover over it and "had us a dining room table"!! :). When we arrived we realized they only had the basic television channels...and while we did not go to California to watch tv, it was the weekend of the British Open and the Womens World Cup soccer finals! After talking to the owners about it, they graciously offered to upgrade the package for the house. Finally, we were able to take advantage of the fitness center at the RCI that is just down the street at no cost which was an unexpected bonus. We will come back again. We have been going to California for summer holiday for last 13 years and this was one of our favorite houses.

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway.

Bad experience

Guest: Bwana (Sacramento, Ca)
Date of Stay: 06/25/11 Review Submitted: 07/24/11

Sorry have to give it an F - U grade. Was not allowed in at check in time, delayed by the cleaning lady who stated how dirty it was left by the previous renter. Sand on pool table, sand in hot tub, sand in washer, etc. etc.... helped her finish cleaning. Listened to instructions of how to reset breaker if hot tub didn't work. fountain didn't work. Lots of excuses . Beware it gets better (worse)! After our kids(adults) went into the hot tub our daughter suit smelled like mold. Her skin broke out in a rash. we called about the smelly water and a spa guy came out and drained and refilled the greenish water. Locks on the double doors broken so we couldn't lock up the house with our personal valuables so we asked if it could be repaired. Handyman came out ( The cleaning lady's husband) and said lock had been broken for some time and showed me the rust built up on the mechanism.After our stay ended we got a call saying we left the place dirty,sand in the hot tub, in the washer , on the pool table...sound familiar ???? yep same thing as renter before. also accused of having the police called to house. Sleeping in closet, because blankets on floor in closet. All lies in order to keep the deposit. Its left us with a bad time coming home with such a wonderfully grand vacation spoiled at the end by a greedy, deceptive staff AND OWNER. Too bad We would not recommend this property even though its beautiful on the surface its a money trap and does not deliver on its promises.

Owner response:This review is simply a cheap attempt at getting even for having to charge this crew an extra $200 for additional cleaning and necessary repairs. This group left our home in deplorable condition and our cleaning crew was appalled. There was sand in beds, futons, showers, carpet stains with mascara, a broken chair, door lock, as well as scuffs and gouges on walls. Apparently, they hosted an unauthorized party as well and when a neighbor asked them to quiet down after hours, they refused to do so. Our cleaning crew took photos of the condition of the home and informed us they will need to charge us additional for the extra work to clean which we had to pass along to this group along with the repair costs. The actual costs were much greater than $200 as we had to pay our property manager and spa crew to go out and respond to their many requests as well. All of this was done in a timely manner including responding tp their spa complaint which involved draining the spa despite weekly spa treatments and a recent thorough drain service. We have never had to charge our tenants extra or withold deposit monies in our rental history as we have always had grateful, courteous and classy renters until this last group. When we mentioned to this group that we had to charge an additional $200, this group responded by threatening us with a lawsuit and posting a negative review.

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Perfect

Guest: Cathy (New Braunfels, Texas)
Date of Stay: 06/02/11 Review Submitted: 08/02/11

This home was the PERFECT stay for our sons graduation at Camp Pendelton. We arrived a few days early and it was in the perfect location. The beach was across the street. The home was absolutely beautiful. It was full of all the amenities necessary for a family vacation. We had several teenages with us and the pool table and hot tub were great for entertainment. It was close to Camp Pendleton, Legoland, shopping and several great restaurants. I would highly recommend this property.

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Fantastic Location

Guest: Whitney (Phoenix, Arizona)
Date of Stay: 05/22/11 Review Submitted: 08/04/11

Would Highly recommend this property to anyone looking for a vacation retreat. This home had everything we needed for a comfortable, relaxing vacation. Home is phenomenal. We showed up stressed out from our daily lives and left relaxed and wanting only to return to this house as soon as we could. The location is Awesome, The Beaches are Absolutely gorgeous. My kids loved seeing the dolphins play in the distance...unbelievable sight. The Outlet Malls, dining, Legoland, surf lessons, all five minutes away. You can even take the coaster to downtown if you don't feel like driving. We had so much fun. Owners were very acomodating. I felt bad requesting help but they were super friendly and didn't seem to mind. Anyway, we would highly recommend this property to anyone.

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Beautiful Beach House

Guest: BigSquid (Thousand Oaks, CA)
Date of Stay: 04/08/11 Review Submitted: 04/17/11

This beautiful beach house was perfect for our family getaway. Cousins, kids, and Grandma all had a delightful stay. Walks across the street to the beach, with plenty of buckets, shovels, toys, and beach chairs supplied by the owners were perfect. Upon returning there is an outdoor shower to keep all the sand outside, big plus. The spa is very relaxing with a tropical oasis feel in the back yard. The home is well eqiped in all departments. The owners of this property are 5 star as well, very accomodating and prompt to answere any and all questions sent their way. The location, as noted by others, is central to Carlsbad as well...everythings close by...Hope to stay here again on future trips to San Diego County!

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Thanksgiving reunion

Guest: Gary (Port Angeles, WA)
Date of Stay: 11/20/10 Review Submitted: 01/06/11

We had a great stay over Thanksgiving week and the house was perfect for our 4 family reunion. The very well equipped kitchen was perfect for our gang of cooks and food lovers. The kids loved the spa and pool table as well as the beach. There was plenty of room for all and easy access to all the attractions in the area. Te hosts were very accommodating which made our stay all the more enjoyable.

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, sightseeing.

Guest: Suzanne14 (Johnson City, TN)
Date of Stay: 09/16/08 Review Submitted: 09/16/08

My husband and I rented this home to share for one week with my sister and her family. The home is lovely and even better than in the pictures. The kitchen was well equipped.The location in Carlsbad is across the street from the state beach. It is close to grocery stores and restaurants but not within walking distance if carrying groceries(just under a mile). I recommend this home for a large family who wants a lovely getaway vacation!

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Guest: Mary Ann4 (Spring, TX)
Date of Stay: 05/17/08 Review Submitted: 05/17/08

We had a huge family vacation at this home and it worked out perfectly. It was large enough for each of the three families to have their own private space, yet it had large enough open spaces downstairs for everyone to gather. The owners were specactular and very responsive. The patio with firepit and fountains was where we spent almost every evening. The view from the master can't be beat, although as soon as they build the house across the street, the view will be obstructed. The walk to the beach was short and there was a wagon full of gear for us to use. Loved it all around.

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Guest: Cindy22 (phx, az )
Date of Stay: 07/23/07 Review Submitted: 07/23/07

Our family enjoyed our stay in this tastefully decorated home. It had all the modern convienences of home. Our children loved the pool at the time share as well. The beach is so close my 2 yr old walked to it every day. We highly recommend this home if you are looking for a relaxing vacation.

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