Such a Relaxing Place to Stay

Guest: Ann (San Francisco)
Date of Stay: 11/08/11 Review Submitted: 11/10/11

Star West Ranch is such a relaxing, spacious & beautiful place to stay. And my dogs loved it too. If I were to design a home, I would be inspired by this one, along with its huge patio & garden layout. Rick and Suzy, the owners, are gracious and helpful hosts. Staying there is also like taking a trip around the world since the home is filled with decorations from around the word. Rick is a fine wood craftsman, so the house is filled with beautiful, handmade furniture as well. It only took us 45 min from our house in SF to get there. But therein lays the one drawback to Star West Ranch for me: there is a considerable amount of traffic on Grove Street, esp of people commuting back and forth to work at certain times. Luckily, you can't hear it in the house with the windows and doors shut and it is very easy to just go and take a beautiful walk further away from the road.

Recommended for:Sightseeing, romantic getaway, people with disabilities, pet owners, girls getaway, adventure seekers, families with teenagers, age 55+.

Complete Bliss

Guest: City Boy (NY)
Date of Stay: 08/25/11 Review Submitted: 09/01/11

Between the views, the layout of the house including the kitchen cooking area, the firepit, the hot tub, the hospitality....Im not sure where to start. We had a fabulous time and would definitely go back. I would recommend this house to those looking for a relaxing hangout in a beautiful part of the state conveniently located around Sonoma, wineries and more...

Owner response:Thank you for your wonderful review. We appreciate it! We hope you enjoyed your wine tour, and our beautiful ranch. We look forward to your return next season.

Recommended for:Sightseeing, romantic getaway, pet owners, families with young children, girls getaway, adventure seekers, age 55+.

Great Place for a romantic getaway and groom's dinner.

Guest: P F L (Berkeley)
Date of Stay: 07/08/11 Review Submitted: 07/27/11

We rented Starwest as a romantic wedding night escape and a beautiful site to host our son's groom's dinner. The ranch is beautiful southwestern casual. The vistas out the back and the owners' colorful decor made for the most exquisite, relaxed celebration and retreat! The owner designed beautiful flower arrangements, set gorgeous tables and prepared a beautiful meal for our family and friends. We all enjoyed her unique decorating touches and friendly, easy going approach. The patio with the firepit was such a fun place to end the evening with S'mores for all! Reccomend without hesitation! Resubmit Your Review

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, age 55+.

Total Relaxation

Guest: Elbe (Sacramento)
Date of Stay: 03/26/11 Review Submitted: 05/18/11

This was a find! We brought our bikes for countryside touring and left the car behind several days. Sonoma is filled with great restaurants, wineries, unique shopping in nearby Sonoma Square and we did enjoy them. But, I loved "staying home" in this fabulous setting and reveling in the natural surrounding beauty. It was a most comfortable "resort stay" without that crowded feeling. Just what I was looking for: comfort, quiet and an elevated spirit. The home was clean, peaceful with bold design features and had a wonderful,welcoming ambiance.

Recommended for:Sightseeing, romantic getaway, pet owners, girls getaway, families with teenagers, age 55+.

Beautiful Unique Home on the Hill

Guest: AC (San Francisco)
Date of Stay: 06/17/10 Review Submitted: 04/25/11

I had a great time staying here with my boyfriend a year ago. The house is really unique with a great kitchen. I love the way it is decorated, lots of whimsical colors and items from around the world. The kitchen is great and there is a lot of outdoor areas of eating or hanging out. It is a quiet setting and only a 10 minute drive to the Sonoma Plaza. I had no problem with management and enjoyed the hot tub immensely! A great place for a couples retreat!

Owner response:Thank you for your visit and this wonderful review! I appreciate the compliments on my eclectic design and international art collection. Glad you had a relaxing time. The Summer festival season in Sonoma is will be an awesome time this year!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, girls getaway, age 55+.

Excellent Accommodations

Guest: Pattie (San Francisco)
Date of Stay: 04/14/11 Review Submitted: 04/24/11

I recently had the pleasure of staying 3 days at Star West Ranch. The property was beautiful and very artfully designed. It was close to town and yet in the country with a great view of the rolling hills. Both inside and out the place was well maintained and had everything we needed for a marvelous get away. I would stay there again and recommend it to my friends.

Recommended for:Sightseeing, romantic getaway, pet owners, girls getaway, adventure seekers.

Nice place, poor management

Guest: Cory (Phoenix, AZ)
Date of Stay: 09/15/10 Review Submitted: 12/14/10

I stayed at this cottage recently during a vacation to wine country. My girlfriend and I had a great stay. However, I was incredibly unimpressed with the management. I initially spoke with the owner/manager and we agreed on a rate, and also agreed on a deposit. I sent two separate checks, and she said that she wouldn't cash the one for the refundable deposit, but would wait until we checked out. If she needed to deduct anything for cleaning/damages she would send me the difference, otherwise would trash the check. Well, she cashed both. Why two checks necessary then? Not a big deal, but curious why. My bigger problem was that, after we left, I received the remainder of the deposit in the mail. I say remainder because is was minus $37 for a new spa filter. She claimed that we clogged the filter by leaving the cover off the hot tub for 6-8 hours the first day we were there. Mind you, there were no posted rules nor anything ever explained to me about this. Also, keep in mind that the owner lives on premises and could have called my cell phone or came and knocked on the door to explain what happened and advise us to put the cover back on the hot tub after using...after all, we still had two more nights there. Never heard a word until I got the invoice with the remainder of my deposit. Also unexplained is the fact that the receipt she provided was dated before I even arrived at the ranch. My phonecalls were ignored. My emails were met with defensive hostility. She refused to answer my questions regarding the receipt date and my question about why she never said anything while we were there. I even called the pool/spa company that provided the receipt...they even confirmed that it was quite a stretch that she would require a new filter after leaving the cover off for that period of time. Frankly, this complaint is not about me being out $37. This complaint is about feeling like someone wrongfully stole $37 from me. We were looking forward to going back and taking some friends, but I will NEVER stay at this place again, and I would not recommend to anyone.

Owner response:It is our goal at Star West Ranch to provide an optimum experience for our guests. We had hoped that refunding your money would resolve this misunderstanding. We work to have a congenial relationship with our clients.

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