Vacation Rentals by Owner

Visitor

Guest: Kay (Huntsville, AL)
Date of Stay: 04/26/12 Review Submitted: 05/06/12

The house has incredible views. Weather was a little cool to sit out on the porch as much as I would have liked to. Road was in good condition to the house. The house was a great location for day trips to the Pacific Crest Trail. Small but awesome Outfitters store at Mt. Laguna. Julian is a quaint little town with lots of shops. Good restruants and the best apple pie at Julian Pie Company. One of the best stocked tea rooms that I have ever visited (and I have been to a lot across the country). Great antique shops close by in Wianola, Saint Ysbel, and Ramona. Temecula ia also close for a day trip to enjoy Old Town. I would visit again and stay at the Julian Cuyamaca House. Great vacation.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Weekend retreat

Guest: Gordon G (Orange County)
Date of Stay: 01/06/12 Review Submitted: 01/09/12

Very clean, well decorated, excellent beds. The views are wonderful from the master bedroom or especially from the large wrap around porch. I'll be coming back.

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

Best views around

Guest: kcherry (San Diego, California)
Date of Stay: 08/27/11 Review Submitted: 08/31/11

We loved our stay over two nights. The views (day and night) are outstanding. The house is very comfortable. Don't let the 2 bedrooms put you off. The second bedroom is huge, with two twin beds. Plenty of room for an added airbed if you want (or 2). The living room has both a futon and a couch. AND there's an unfinished basement for kids to play in if you need more room.

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

P & G & Family

Guest: Pat & Gloria (Lakewood, CA)
Date of Stay: 07/31/11 Review Submitted: 08/06/11

Our family has stayed two times at this house. We spent 5 nights in August of 2010, and we just got back from 5 nights this August (2011). Our family and two dogs thoroughly enjoyed our experiences at the Julian-Cuyamaca House both visits! The views, fresh air, and tranquility of the house helped make our stays enjoyable and relaxing. The house was clean and well equipped. All of us slept soundly and comfortably with the breezes that cool the mountainside down in the evening hours. We made two trips down to the lake daily for walks around the lake. My wife and I enjoyed slowing down, and soaking in the peacefulness of the surroundings. Our college-aged kids relaxed too, and found that the drive down to San Diego for a Padre game or dinner didn't take that long. We do recommend this house for people of all ages. We have found that the owner is available and responsive to questions/concerns. We plan to return again next year.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, pet owners.

Great views and relaxing atmosphere BUT...

Guest: evd (San Diego, CA)
Date of Stay: 07/11/11 Review Submitted: 07/14/11

I understand the great reviews of this place. The views are gorgeous, it's relaxing and nice and quiet. My review isn't so much about the location or the house but the state the house was in, how virtually nothing was done about it and how we were treated by one of the employees. To start off the house was dirty when we got in. Two of the kitchen chairs were broken and the fridge was filthy. The carpets upstairs were stained and dirty, we could not find extra towels, dishes and other kitchen accoutrements to clean with, there were no extra garbage bags and after some looking around we found all the dishes were in the dish washer and all the towels were in the dryer in the basement. There were other things that were dirty and broken as well. If it were just a couple of these issues that we had problems with I would not have even said anything, it's the fact that there were MANY issues that has caused us to have a problem with it. My husband had to fix the Directv himself because nothing was done about it. After a call to our contact, we learned there had been other complaints about the cleanliness of the house. Our contact stopped by the house to drop off an almost empty bottle of dish washing detergent and small sandwich bags. We showed her the carpets upstairs and gave her a list of things were were dirty or broken. Once again, it's not that a few things were forgotten about it's that multiple things were messed up. She said we could stay in the house free for one night but we had to decline because we needed to get back home. She also mentioned that she would bring our issues up to the broker. She seemed concerned but in a hurry to get to whatever she was doing next. After her visit we heard nothing more from her or the realty company that she works for. When my husband called them to confirm we had left the house and the keys were where they were supposed to be the lady on the phone attacked him saying, "Who goes on vacation to pick apart a house?!" and "I don't know what you're trying to get out of this." My husband told her it's not that we're trying to get something from the company, it's the level of customer service was low. I do not believe our expectations in coming to the house for our first year anniversary were unrealistic. When you go on vacation you expect where you're staying is clean and necessities are available to you. The house itself was nice and again, the views are great but what happened to us was very disappointing.

Owner response:Although we appreciate, and even encourage, good, honest feedback made in good faith, we strongly question this one. The owner has now personally inspected the House in order to confirm the various items about which the renter complained. This was a back-to-back booking, and the renter had arrived before the 4 p.m. check-in time, so the cleaning crew had not yet completed its work. The DirecTv unit works great, and simply had to be "re-set" as we sometimes have to do at out own homes. The wall-to-wall carpets were in fact overdue for a steam clean, and this has now been accomplished. We have had nearly 300 bookings over the past 4 years, and this is the first major complaint we have received. Rest assured that had all of the complaints been true as represented, we would have swiftly replaced not only the cleaning service, but our property managment complany as well. If in the future if you as a renter perceive a problem upon check-in, please email me or call me directly, and I will make it right for you. My email address is kgreenfield@gjblaw.com, and my office tele number is 858.675.0301. Thank you to the hundreds of people who have enjoyed the Julian-Cuyamaca House over the years and the many who love it so much that they have re-booked several times each!

Recommended for:Age 55+, sightseeing.

Beautiful Place

Guest: Jazz (Menifee, Riverside)
Date of Stay: 07/12/10 Review Submitted: 07/18/10

This is the most phenominal house. It's the first place I've stayed in that made me feel "at home"; like it was my own place. It was so peaceful and relaxing we booked it right away for next Thanksgiving to have my whole faily there. I never wanted to leave and dealing with Ken, the owner, at the time, was so easy and very pleasant. I know we'll be back there many times. Thanks Ken for making your beautifu; home available to us.

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

Beautiful Private Home!

Guest: Happy Campers! (Chula Vista, CA)
Date of Stay: 07/07/10 Review Submitted: 07/12/10

My husband and I truly enjoyed this lovely home. The view is amazing, with lots of star gazing at night. We saw deer right on the property! The fishing was great, and the Cuyamaca Lake Restaurant has a great all you can eat fish fry every Friday night. The home was very clean and well maintained. Ken, the owner was extremely nice, and very helpful. We look forward to coming back. Thanks again!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 11/10/09 Review Submitted: 11/10/09

My wife, the dog and I loved the Julian-Cuyamaca home. Perched on a hillside, above the lake this home offers up many absolutely incredible views. Set on a private road this peaceful getaway was just what the doctor ordered. Thank you Ken for making it so easy to stay at your wonderful home. Three nights was not enough so we hope to stay a week next time.

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Guest: Rick Krahenbuhl (-)
Date of Stay: 11/02/09 Review Submitted: 11/02/09

This is an AWESOME house! We had such a nice, relaxing weekend!!! Went hiking around the lake on Saturday & drove into Julian for Pie..returned & enjoyed the amazing sunset from the porch. We plan to make it our getaway house every fall!!!

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Guest: Genie D. (United States)
Date of Stay: 10/27/09 Review Submitted: 10/27/09

Beautiful porch, birds, sunsets, stars at night.

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Guest: Anita & Larry Stewardson (El Cajon, CA)
Date of Stay: 08/13/09 Review Submitted: 08/13/09

We had a wonderful stay. So quiet and relaxing. The sunsets were awesome. We had a full moon that weekend. So glad we stayed 4 nights. Close enough to the lake that the teenagers camped down there. I will try to post some pictures. Very nice home Ken. Thank you.

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Guest: Karen & Vern Schad (Lakeside, California)
Date of Stay: 08/07/09 Review Submitted: 08/06/09

Wow, this house is amazing. Pictures do not do it justice. Awesome views, breeze, wraparound porch, sunsets and beautiful home. Totally exceeded our expectations. Very clean and new. House has complete feeling of peacefulness and calm. Very kid, family friendly. We had family game night both nights. Kids did not want to leave. Would definitely love to return. Ken, the owner, is awesome to work with.

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Guest: DMC and EFC (San Diego, CA)
Date of Stay: 06/24/09 Review Submitted: 06/24/09

My Dad and I stayed here over Father's Day Weekend and really enjoyed our stay. The house is beautiful inside and out with spectacular views off the wrap around deck, kitchen, dining room, master bedroom and bathroom. Our main goal was fishing! Rented a Motor boat at the lake and fished from sun up to sun down both days and caught some trout and crappie. We saw a deer on the property in the morning, lots of birds and wild turkey by the lake. A very serene and quiet place. Make sure you don't miss the stars you can actually see the Milky Way! Beautiful sunset and sunrise! We would recommend this place to others. Owner was great to work with, Thank you!

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Guest: Wayne & Sharon (Fountain Valley, CA)
Date of Stay: 05/05/09 Review Submitted: 05/05/09

Had a wonderful stay for 2 nights in April. Wind was cold and biting in the evenings, which made it nice to snuggle up to the TWO fireplaces! Caught our limit the first day at the lake.

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Guest: Cathy77 (San Diego)
Date of Stay: 12/17/08 Review Submitted: 12/17/08

This was our 2nd visit to this property and it only got better!! We had snow on Sunday but were cozy and warm inside. The house now has phone service and satellite tv, both bonuses. All of the amenities of home and none of the hassles. We'll be back in the spring!

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Guest: Jacquey (Calgary,AB Canada)
Date of Stay: 11/16/08 Review Submitted: 11/16/08

The views were spectacular. I enjoyed having a radio! The weather was even great. The dogs loved being able to just go out & wander around the property!!

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Guest: Ken & Sharon Liebman (Long Beach, CA)
Date of Stay: 08/30/08 Review Submitted: 08/30/08

My husband and I were the first to honeymoon at the house after our wedding in Julian. We loved the quiet and serenity of the house as well as the views, especially at sunset!

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Guest: Cathy75 (San Diego)
Date of Stay: 08/02/08 Review Submitted: 08/02/08

My husband and I stayed here in May 2008 with our two small Spaniels. What an incredible weekend. The house is beautiful and the views were wonderful. The house was nicely equipped. We throughly enjoyed ourselves and can't wait to come back in the Fall.

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Guest: Jonathon and Julie Goodman (Surprise, Az.)
Date of Stay: 07/01/08 Review Submitted: 07/01/08

The house was beautiful. It was so peaceful there. The kids kept asking if we could live there, LOL. It felt like home (I, Julie, grew up in nearby Ramona). We definitely plan to return.

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Guest: Mike & Jenny Vanderzee (los angeles)
Date of Stay: 06/24/08 Review Submitted: 06/24/08

The home is beautifull inside and out and was so clean,lots of room. The area was so peacefull at times you heard nothing highly recomend will definately be back. Thanks Ken

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Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 01/24/08 Review Submitted: 01/24/08

We had a wonderful time; the view was absolutely breathtaking! The house was the perfect size for us and I loved having access to a washer/dryer in the basement. The granite work throughout the house is lovely. Tips: Cell coverage available through AT&T at the property (can get a "Go Phone" from Walmart/Walgreens for apx. 20.00 if you don't use that carrier); We were able to use our Verizon and Sprint phones in town. Several places in Julian with Wy-Fi internet access if you need it including 2 restaurants - "Lou's"(by the gas station) and Ma's bakery by the Chamber of Commerce. Vet & MD are local (with restricted hours); property owner, Ken, and Nancy at the Julian Chamber of Commerce very nice and helpful. Keep a close eye on your pets; Rattlesnakes & Mountain Lions in area during certain times of the year. Don't miss eating at Romanos! Anonymous

Owner response:The property has been owned by the owner since 1991. One Mountain Lion and one Rattlesnake has been sighted on the property. The Rattlesnake was seen in May of 1993. A Mountain Lion was seen passing through the property in the afternoon during the summer of 2007. Mountain Lions prey on Deer in the area.

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Guest: Valerie & John Goetz (Orange, CA)
Date of Stay: 09/10/07 Review Submitted: 09/09/07

What a lovely home and relaxing, beautiful area in which to stay. You could not ask for a more awe-inspiring view from the wraparound porch area, stunning sights in literally every direction in which we looked, and the evening sunsets were sensational. The stars seen at night from the porch made for magical, serene evenings and took us far away from the stress of city life. Truly our long weekend here was an oasis of peace and beauty. The house was so comfortable and absolutely everything we needed was thought of and provided. Thank you for sharing your wonderful home with us. We would love to visit again! Blessings, John and Valerie Goetz

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Guest: Suzanne Cory (San Antonio, Texas)
Date of Stay: 08/22/07 Review Submitted: 08/22/07

Not only is the house wonderful -- spacious, beautiful view, quiet and peaceful location -- the owner is a dream to work with. We all had a wonderful time and can't wait to return!

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Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 08/06/07 Review Submitted: 08/06/07

Beautiful home. We had a great time.

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Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 06/21/07 Review Submitted: 06/21/07

We were fortunate enough to stay during Memorial Day Weekend. Weather was awesome! Great Fishing! Cool critters and birds. The house made the whole trip most enjoyable and comfortable and the owners were very accomodating.

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Guest: Vince S (Austin, TX)
Date of Stay: 05/18/07 Review Submitted: 05/18/07

This is a GREAT house. Awesome kitchen and gas grill, with everything you need to have good eats. Fabulous wraparound porch/deck with superb views. Nearby lake with paddle boat and rowboat rentals. Very private. Fireplace in living room and bedroom. Very relaxing, very highly recommended. And even pet friendly (but is so new and kept up, can't tell a paw has ever set foot inside). If you want to "get away from it all", this is the place to be.

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