Vacation Rentals by Owner

Charming, warm home for family and friends

Guest: Tim A. (Orange County)
Date of Stay: 09/22/11 Review Submitted: 10/09/11

Beth: Thank you very much for sharing your home with our family! We really enjoyed the house and it was even better in person! Love the large living areas. The location could not be any better. Quiet, but close to that very cool market in town, Jack London State Park and the restaurants of Glen Ellen. Had a great time and appreciate the warmth of this wonderful place. The book you have put together is very helpful! Hope you enjoy the fruits of the 2011 wine season and cheers to you and your lovely home!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, families with young children, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Delightful

Guest: richard e.
Date of Stay: 07/20/11 Review Submitted: 08/29/11

We were delighted by the house, which has much character and a very pretty garden, and also by Glen Ellen. A peaceful and attractive location. Guests are made very much at home in the house. It is generously kitted out and very comfortable. Particularly enjoyed Jack London SHP (about 5 mins away), Bartholomew Park and the centres of Sonoma and Healdsburg. (Richard, Julie, Henry. United Kingdom)

Recommended for:

Perfect House

Guest: Michael W. (Bend, Oregon)
Date of Stay: 03/01/11 Review Submitted: 04/01/11

We just spent a wonderful month at this perfect house. We so enjoyed the fireplace on all those rainy March nights. Beth and Melissa are so easy to deal with and really helped to make us comfortable. You gotta love the outdoor cooking center! We enjoyed it so much that we have already booked another month in June!

Recommended for:Age 55+, girls getaway, pet owners, romantic getaway.

Highly Recommended!

Guest: Mike (Stewartville, MN)
Date of Stay: 01/10/11 Review Submitted: 01/25/11

My family and I found this Glen Ellen home to be the perfect place to stay on our vacation visiting my brother and his family in Glen Ellen. The house features all the comforts of home and the two large living spaces gave my young children plenty of room to spread out that a hotel simply cannot provide. The home was well furnished with many extras, including a DVD player, wifi Internet, and even a pack-n-play. The home owner was very friendly and easy to deal with via email. Glen Ellen itself is a nice little village and the home is within walking distance to most everything in town. I highly recommend this home and will definitely be staying there again the next time I visit my brother's family in Glen Ellen.

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

Spend time in a lovely little village

Guest: Marie (Washington DC)
Date of Stay: 12/18/10 Review Submitted: 12/26/10

This vacation home is good value for money, and was a good base for our visit to wine country. We greatly enjoyed the fireplace and the kitchen was decently stocked with olive oil and spices. Bring the flashlight supplied at the house when you go to enjoy the delightful Fig Cafe, just a short little walk down the street. The village not only has the Fig Cafe, but also the Glen Ellen Village Market, which is like a mini-Whole Foods. Also along the main drag are other restuarants, a quickie type mart and a tasting room. The neighborhood is very quiet, though you may hear the odd rooster or dog in the background. The caretaker is also quiet and we only noticed someone was there when seeing a light on from the bedroom window.

Recommended for:Families with young children, sightseeing.

Wonderful Stay! Will be back!

Guest: Ann (Los Angeles)
Date of Stay: 10/01/10 Review Submitted: 10/08/10

We had an amazing stay at this place. Spacious property filled with light and character. Backyard was beautiful though we didn't take advantage of it during our short stay. The location was great, a 10 minute walk to town with awesome restaurants (highly recommend the Fig Cafe & Wine Bar). I even jogged one morning to the state park nearby. The home itself was incredibly well-kept and had every amenity you could think of: working fireplace, music, wifi, bath products, games, towels, coffee, etc etc. Very charming and comfortable, and quiet! We loved it and will be back next year! : )

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

Lovely Glen Ellen Home

Guest: Missy (Santa Cruz CA)
Date of Stay: 07/16/10 Review Submitted: 07/20/10

A lovely house in Glen Ellen - spacious, airy, sunlit rooms, pretty garden, and well maintained home. There were 5 of us and the house was large enough for us to feel uncrowded and sleeping arrangements were comfortable. Nice tree shaded quiet neighborhood.The owner was friendly, gracious and responsive to our questions. I would definitely recommend this home stay to friends, relatives and anyone else who wants to stay in the area. We loved it!

Recommended for:Age 55+, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Glen Ellen Hideaway

Guest: Jerome (San Francisco, Ca)
Date of Stay: 06/11/10 Review Submitted: 06/18/10

Every time we have stayed here, we have loved the beautiful garden which is a central part of the huge backyard. It is truly a hideaway but at the same time its location is so close to shopping, wine tasting, spas, mud baths, and a wonderful park full of trails to hike in. The peaceful and serene environment it provides allowed us to relax and unwind from our busy city life. The moonlit nights are amazing, making for a romantic evening while sitting in the yard, surrounded by roses and lavender. Thanks so much for your hospitality; we definitely will recommend this place to our friends and family!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, people with disabilities, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, pet owners, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Glen Ellen Cottage is the best value in the Wine Country

Guest: venusinmarin (Mill Valley, CA)
Date of Stay: 05/21/10 Review Submitted: 06/12/10

This most charming & secluded Glen Ellen cottage is absolutely THE place you want to stay in Sonoma. I spent a most memorable birthday weekend here and will come back to rejuvenate & relax very very soon. For your money, you can not get a more private, luxurious and restful vacation spot. The living room has a wonderful fireplace & sofas , the main dining room with long table, chairs & abundant natural light is wonderful! The 2 bedrooms are well appointed & peaceful. We spent much time In the dining/familyroom reading the NY Times and enjoying the fresh cut roses & irises from the most abundant flower garden. Also, this cottage is nurtured with much love by the San Francisco owners who frequent their country jewel to tend to their beautiful flower & vegetable garden while enjoying the property with their family. You even have a freshly cut grass lawn, fruit trees, flower vines & chaise lounges to soak up the sun and enjoy the solitude -- no matter what the season. The kitchen is a joy to be in. The china & glassware is abundant and colorful. All appliances function perfectly. The bathroom is soothing, light-filled & clean. I would move in here and write my novel or paint my next solo exhibit. The outdoor summer house with furniture, cabinets, table, sitting area, twinkly lights & grill is wonderful for entertaining. I would ask the owners to have their cleaning staff brush off the outdoor dust before you do a serious party. This place is truly a gem. I will come back to enjoy it in all seasons. Glen Ellen's restaurants are so much more over-the-top than touristy Sonoma. I had a most enchanting, super delicious, fun gourmet dinner at The Fig Cafe -- and will be back for their mussels for sure. The gourmet market is a stone's throw from the house. You can get anything here for a reasonable price. No need to bring provisions. You can not find a better value in the Wine Country. I've lived in Marin for 30 years & travelled often to Sonoma & Napa for get-aways. This is a well-kept secret. You will be so lucky to have chosen this enchanting cottage for your special visit -- Helen & Ben in Mill Valley, CA

Owner response:I'm so glad you had a wonderful birthday weekend Helen. Come back anytime, we're always trying to improve the environment so you would see some changes even if they are small! Beth

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, people with disabilities, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, pet owners, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Visiting from Scotland

Guest: Scots Al (Stirling, Scotland UK)
Date of Stay: 07/31/09 Review Submitted: 08/11/09

We stayed here for 3 nights as a last stop on a 17 day vacation in northern CA. We needed to get to SFO for 9am on a Monday morning and did this in well under 2 hours without any traffic delays. The property is clean and well-maintained within lovey gardens, with outdoor seating and covered BBQ area. Inside we had everything we needed, including games and TV/DVDs to keep the kids amused (ages 11 and 9). In a very quiet neighborhood so maybe not suitable for those who like to party long and loud! Easy walk into Glen Ellen with a couple of very good restaurants - The Fig is lively, good food, and no corkage charge so take your own bottle and avoid paying $8 a glass! Surrounding vineyards (eg Benzinger) well worth a visit. Easy drive to Sonoma, and we also ventured to Russian River for canoeing (45mins). Overall, a lovely, peaceful spot. Only slight issue was the faint dog odour in the house - wasn't a problem for us but might be if you have allergies (from owner's dogs - pets not allowed). Also visiting from the UK it was a bit of a pain having to pay by check rather than credit card or pay pal. But these are minor matters - we had a great time and the house suited us perfectly.

Owner response:I am so glad to have feedback about the faint dog odor. No one has commented on that before and there have been many repeat visitors. It will be taken care of as I find it unacceptable to have even a faint odor.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Glen Ellen House

Guest: Flo (La Jolla, Ca)
Date of Stay: 10/26/07 Review Submitted: 11/12/10

We stayed at the Glen Ellen house for my birthday celebration in October (which is a lovely time of the year in that area) and found it most cozy and comfortable. We had a very good time. The house was exceptionally clean and well-equipped. We wanted for nothing. The village nearby (walking distance) was a delight with an very good restaurant. My husband and I would certainly stay there again in the future. I highly recommend it.

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