Vacation Rentals by Owner

Wonderful house for a group of 10

Guest: Chris M.
Date of Stay: 03/08/12 Review Submitted: 03/20/12

We could not have been happier with the accomodations at this house. The location was wonderful for the wine road barrel tasting weekend and dining in Sonoma. The fire pit provided hours of enjoyment and the house layout gave our group of 10 ample space to spread out. Overall I would recommended this place to others that are looking for a centrally located house to everything you could want. Special thanks to Ray for his assistance. Cheers

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Great property

Guest: FB (Bay Area)
Date of Stay: 02/03/12 Review Submitted: 02/06/12

We thoroughly enjoyed a birthday celebration at this property. The kitchen is large and can accommodate many people cooking and visiting. Beds are comfortable and linens are of good quality. The outside area is fabulous with great fire pit for evening entertainment and bocce ball for entertaining during the day. It is quite a compound that meets the needs of many. The walk to Sugarloaf mountain is perfect for mornings and very scenic. Chateau St. Jean is close as is Kenwood Inn & Spa - recommend both.

Recommended for:Age 55+, girls getaway.

Perfect property for family gathering

Guest: cocoon94087 (Sunnyvale, CA)
Date of Stay: 12/21/11 Review Submitted: 12/27/11

We had a wonderful stay at this property. The spacious home was perfect for our young children to explore and play. It was the perfect spot for our family reunion.

Recommended for:Families with young children

PH from Pennsylvania

Guest: Pam (Littlestown,PA)
Date of Stay: 07/30/11 Review Submitted: 08/14/11

Great place to stay while vacationing a week in Sonoma. My husband and I with four other couples comfortably stayed at Blair's villa that had all the amenities of home. Beds comfortable, kitchen fully equipped, beautiful settings and a great place to relax. The highlight was the firepit area where we would sit each night after dinner (which was prepared at the well equipped grill area). I would be amiss not to mention Ray, the maintenance man who was there every morning to get the firepit ready for that night and take care of any other needs including the 2 other fireplaces in the house. He was always there to help. I would highly reccomend this spacious home to anyone. Great area to stay because its location was easy access to wineries, grocery stores and restaurants. Information on all was provided at the villa. I think the only inconvenience was the lack of cell service...although having said that, was quite welcomed. I say go and enjoy this great retreat.

Recommended for:Age 55+

Great house and Great location!!!

Guest: JC (San Diego)
Date of Stay: 03/18/11 Review Submitted: 03/28/11

My friends and I stayed at this stunning VRBO for the weekend in March 2011 and it was the perfect place for us. It is well appointed, spacious, private, and perfectly located for a great wine tasting weekend. The caretaker was there when we checked in and checked out and was very hospitable and guided us through everything - In a home like this, there are a few things you need explained and he did a great job. We will be back next year. Thanks again Blair!!

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A great place to celebrate and relax!

Guest: TKP (San Francisco)
Date of Stay: 08/04/10 Review Submitted: 10/09/10

Seems to be the perfect setting for husband's surprise birthday parties. It was my husband's 60th! We had family coming from back east and Blair's house gave us ample space to spread out and visit with each other in inside/outside/eating/swimming. The fire pit was everyone's favorite. I love the vaulted ceilings and open floor plan with various seating arrangements...quite gracious. I very much appreciated the attention to some of the conveniences that she made available to guests- hairdryer, nice sheets and towels, some of the kitchen amenities, candles...things that told me she was looking from the guests perspective of comfort. The only suggestion for improvement would be to have more serving pieces- platters, baskets, pitchers and implements. Ray, the grounds keeper was wonderful in a quirky kind of way. Very thoughtful! My recommendation to guests is to make sure you heat the pool.

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Very nice property

Guest: htb (Houston, Texas)
Date of Stay: 07/24/10 Review Submitted: 08/25/10

My large family stayed here in July. Plusses of the house: very large/beautiful natural setting/baths are updated/excellent appliances in kitchen/great fireplace/fun firepit outdoors/adequate pool/adequate parking/house was clean....Cons: spotty cell service in the house due to valley location/ furniture is very "rent house"/bed linens need updating/kitchen pots and pans need updating. The house has a "handy man" who, despite his off putting appearance, was fantastic and adept at handling any problem, large or small. Five stars for him.

Owner response:this guest was correct, the kitchen had been ravaged by a previous tenant. Since then we have added back lots of serving dishes with some extra durable additions for the increased outside use that now occurs with the addition of the firepit. Most guests are very respectful of the kitchen equipment but about once a year someone is thoughtless and/or destructive. i appreciate this guests patience and understanding. because ray, the caretaker, is ever-available, he will replace broken essentials immediately when that occurs. we are not perfect for sure, but we do our utmost to make our guests comfortable and have the house provide well for their needs.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, sightseeing.

Guest: Trish29 (-)
Date of Stay: 05/12/10 Review Submitted: 05/12/10

The house was amazing. Everything was very clean and well maintained. Even the beds were comfortable. We really enjoyed the privacy the house provided. It is perfect for large groups and we will be staying there again.

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Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 02/27/10 Review Submitted: 02/27/10

We celebrated my husband's 50th birthday in style at Blair's stylish and cozy home. Has all the comforts you could want. A perfect location for hiking, biking and wine tasting. The fireplace is a magnificent gathering spot. Can't wait to return in the summertime.

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Guest: Mary Lou Giska (Aliso Viejo, CA)
Date of Stay: 02/15/10 Review Submitted: 02/15/10

My family of five and four friends just spent President's Day weekend here as a surprise for my husband's 60th birthday. It was wonderful. The house was beautiful, well equipped, and the location was perfect! Everything was as described. However, the description does not do this property justice....It's even better than described! Blair was great to work with and it was a unanimous decision..."5 stars!" We will be back.

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Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 10/20/09 Review Submitted: 10/20/09

Ten family members gathered at the lovely stone house in Kenwood for our son's wedding in Santa Rosa. The house is well located for visits to wineries as well as Sonoma and other wine areas. We enjoyed the privacy and quiet as well as many good times spent around the table, in the kitchen, on the patio and drinking wine in front of a roaring fire. The house was pretty well equiped and the owner easy to work with and accommodating. We hope to rent this property again.

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Guest: C. Martin1 (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
Date of Stay: 10/15/09 Review Submitted: 10/15/09

This is an absolutely beautiful home in a stunning and serene setting. Everything was as advertised...in fact better. It was absolutely perfect for our party of nine adults. The kitchen is fully equipped, so much so that we chose to cook and eat in on several evenings, enjoying the dining area which is surrounded by windows that open up and make you feel like you're outdoors. We also enjoyed many fires in the enormous stone fireplace in the main room. The house is extremely well located in the heart of Sonoma wine country...although there are several excellent wineries near by, it also allowed us easy access to all areas of Sonoma and Napa. Blair is a pleasure to work with and provides lots of excellent, up to date information on local restaurants and other activities. In addition there is a very complete "owner's manual" at the house which tells you everything you need to know. Our group would highly recommend this property...we had an excellent stay and would love to return again!

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Guest: Sparkoid (Pasadena, CA)
Date of Stay: 04/07/09 Review Submitted: 04/07/09

My family has rented large elegant homes all over the US and carribean over the last 15 years. Blair's beautiful home is very special. In some ways, better than any home we have rented. With first class wineries every where you look, this location and this house is a winner! Lets start with the house... The great room is truely "GREAT"! Huge in every dimension, it's stone and "monster post and beam frame" absorbed our 16 person "dinner party" with out a care (only 75 minutes from San Franciso 6 persons came up mid afternoon and drove home in the late evening!). The fire place is almost "walk in". The sublime built-in 8 speaker stereo system spun a dreamy candle lit evening of music and conversation. The kitchen, with fantastic hanging blown glass lights, and an "over the top" french provincial cook hood, is open to the great room. With stools at the wine bar, guests can over look the "workings" going on in the kichen. The floor plan allowed my wife and her helpers, (me), to prepare the meal and still enjoy converstion with our geusts. The kitchen also has every gadget you could want. A 6 burner (plus a grill) "wolf?" stove, heat lamps in the hood, a plate warmer, 48" built -in frig, 2 dish washers, 2 sinks, 2 islands (one with about a 10'x6' chopping block on top) 2 wine frigs (1 for white and one for red of course!) With 5 bedrooms and 5 baths (including the guest cottage) there is no need for sofa surfing. All the beds are excellent firm beds (1 full bed is too small for a full grwon couple). Blairs flair for french style decor adds an unusual and memorable experience, with high qualtiy furnishings through out. Outside, the french doors from the great room and dining room lead to a large stone patio over looking a dark blue colored pool and waterfall. Beyond sits a large green lawn, private gardens and a nice fire pit with chairs. There is good privacy from the neighbors. The house sits on a very pretty, litely traveled, walkable country road. It's a seven minute country drive to Safeway, just out side of Santa Rosa. Twenty lushes minutes brings you into the gorgeous town of Sonama. A charming new England style town with a "park square center" and some great restaraunts around it. Enjoy! Mark of Pasadena

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idyllic

Guest: 11/5/8 (marina del rey)
Date of Stay: 11/04/08 Review Submitted: 11/12/08

A rare find in the californian wine country. Dramatic setting, house plan is so luxurious and user friendly. The enormous fireplace in the great room is such a treat. we so enjoyed congregating around this unique feature. The room itself is extraordinary - solid stone walls and floors. The radiant heat made it ever so comfortable, even in the coolness of late fall. The kitchen is larger than the pictures on the web site reveal, and more comfortable. Bedrooms are beautifully designed. Cannot recommend this home enough. Location is perfect, in center of Sonoma wine country. Setting is quite impressive. Exterior fire pit is fun. Loved the steam shower and hot tub. Nice to have full complement of exercise equipment.

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

Not as advertised

Guest: Visitor August 2008 (Minneapolis)
Date of Stay: 08/14/08 Review Submitted: 08/17/08

The common areas of this home are indeed gracious, though not particularly clean. The bedrooms are not as advertised, and lack basics like working reading lights. The master bedroom is lovely. The second upstairs room is overflowing with exercise equipment, and has only a convertible. Downstairs there is one bedroom with a double bed, and a den with adouble tucked into an alcove. The cottage is another double. The house is comfortable for two couples and children, not three or four couples.

Owner response:This is the only truly bad comment I have ever heard about my home. I believe the guests main frustration is that they misread the info and thought there were 4 bedrooms in the main house, when at that time there were 3 in the main and 1 in the cottage. We have made significant changes since this review. There are now 4 great bedrooms in the main house, 2 kings and 2 queens, each with their own private bath. I have someone check all the light bulbs in the house between every rental and of course we clean it from head to toe over and over. It is a rural property so there can be dust and insects that penetrate too often. Unlike most vacation rentals I have an ever-ready caretaker who is just minutes a way and the housekeeper is also on call. This guest did not call either the housekeeper or caretaker during their visit which would have allowed us to improve their experience. We welcome all feedback, negative and positive which is the only way we can constantly improve.

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 07/01/08 Review Submitted: 07/30/08

Beautiful and spacious house, with wonderful features - as advertised - that made our stay comfortable and fun. We accommodated a number of guests easily. Large living area, with a terrific kitchen. And the location is quite convenient to wineries and the town of Sonoma itself. Blair is easy to work with!

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Holly B. (Madison, WI)
Date of Stay: 06/01/08 Review Submitted: 06/04/08

Wonderful luxury home perfect for our group of eight. Beautifully decorated and fully equipped with everything we needed. The open floor plan of kitchen/living/dining rooms worked extremely well. We really enjoyed the large indoor fireplace and the new outdoor firepit too. A great location--private but with many Sonoma County wineries nearby; and a very convenient location if you plan to visit wineries in Napa and Healdsburg too. We simply had a wonderful time in part due to the comforts of this home. I would certainly rent the property again. Thank you Blair!

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 10/01/07 Review Submitted: 10/10/07

Paradise found! Beautiful canyon setting among the redwoods, this house has absolutely everything the discriminating visitor to Sonoma could possibly ask for. The owner provided the most complete house information booklet I've ever seen. The photo shown on the VRBO doesn't do justice to this wonderful escape!

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