A pleasant place to relax

Guest: B. Alan (Milledgeville, GA, USA)
Date of Stay: 07/08/11 Review Submitted: 07/23/11

...a pleasant 1920s vintage cottage with room to relax with family or friends. Rooms provide for 6-8 with additional space for others to flop. The layout of the rooms provides adequate privacy but all guests should be comfortable with each other. Two batrooms are shared. Pleasty of bedding and towels, dishes and tableware. The upstairs two bedrooms are accessible by means of a spiral staircase and, from my view, intended for immediate family to share the space with floor space for children to play. We loved the airiness and had the windows open as wide as we could most of the time. Great small space on the roof for a few to sit and relax; have breakfast, drink, snack, or small meal. The exterior needs some repair and the ovens were not especially cared for (dirty). They were not used while we were there but assumed to work fine. We took great pleasure in using the gas grill in the back and although it has a couple years on it, it worked very well. Lots of ups and downs and bumps throughout the house and not meant for wheel chairs or those who have trouble walking or stepping up and down. The walk to the beach is more of a hike than it is to the grocery store but doable and we did.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, tourists without a car, girls getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers.

A Great Holiday with Friends

Guest: Christian (Pacific Palisades)
Date of Stay: 05/27/11 Review Submitted: 06/13/11

I rented the property to visit Santa Monica and invited eight friends to spend Memorial Day weekend here. It’s a beautiful house, and had more than enough space for my entire party. Immediately when we walked into the front gate, we noticed the yard filled with an assortment of beautiful flowers and plants, which were in full bloom. The property is very quaint and made me feel as if I was in my own home and not some hotel, which I loved. The backyard was even lovelier than the front and came equipped with a barbeque and enough seating for us all. That Friday night we went to Whole Foods Market, which was practically right around the corner from the house, picked up some food and we barbequed and listened to music in the backyard. The next day we made our way to the beach, which is only a few blocks away from the property. We spent our time exploring the many local shopping and eating places which are also within walking distance also from the property. We enjoyed the area very much, and I will definitely rent this property again the next time I’m in the Los Angeles area !

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Comfortable and Cozy

Guest: Ashley (Pacific Palisades)
Date of Stay: 05/05/11 Review Submitted: 06/07/11

We had a comfortable and cozy stay at this house. It worked great for our family, hanging out and visiting late at night together in the living room. We were very happy that there were plenty of dishes, and cutlery, and a lot of space. I was very appreciative of how accommodating and pleasant you were to work with. We had the things we needed and the location was quite convenient for the things we wanted to do, and the places we needed to go. All in all we had a wonderful time, just being together! All the best, Ashley

Recommended for:

Guest: Wonderful Long Weekend In Santa Monica (Pacific Palisades)
Date of Stay: 05/18/11 Review Submitted: 06/01/11

Dear Kathleen, I just wanted to let you know how satisfied we were with our Santa Monica stay. The house was very well equipped and comfortable, and the service you provided was truly outstanding. I always got immediate responses when I e-mail, texted or called you. It was very convenient, too, that you lived so near. My contact with you as property manager made the whole rental thing 100% successful for which I am grateful, given that I was making the plans and arrangements for other people besides me. Thank you again. Sincerely, Melinda

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A Great Holiday = We Loved the House!

Guest: Kate (Pacific Palisades)
Date of Stay: 04/07/11 Review Submitted: 05/26/11

“We had such a great holiday. The location of the holiday house was perfect – walking distance to a great shopping/restaurant area and to the gorgeous Santa Monica beach, but still central to drive to everything we wanted to see in LA. We had nine people, including two children, staying in the house with all the comforts, and it was fine – I loved that the kitchen was so well stocked with more than enough crockery, pans etc., and the laundry facilities were great for such a big group also. All in all we had a lovely time and I am very keen to come back to California. Thanks Kathleen for all your help whilst we were there – it was lovely to meet you in person after all our emails.” Kate and David

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Guest: Kate and David (Pacific Palisades)
Date of Stay: 04/20/11 Review Submitted: 05/26/11

“We had such a great holiday. The location of the holiday house was perfect – walking distance to a great shopping/restaurant area and to the gorgeous Santa Monica beach, but still central to drive to everything we wanted to see in LA. We had nine people, including two children, staying in the house with all of the comforts, and it was fine – I loved that the kitchen was so well stocked with more than enough crockery, pans etc., and the laundry facilities were great for such a big group also. All in all we had a lovely time and I am very keen to come back to California. Thanks Kathleen for all your help whilst we were there – it was lovely to meet you in person after all our emails.” Kate

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Not a Great Experience

Guest: Susan (Chicago, Il)
Date of Stay: 03/20/11 Review Submitted: 05/23/11

The house was not well kept and not as described. The photos look charming, but the house in reality is quite shabby and poorly maintained. Although the propery manager was pleasant and repsonsive, she seemed unaware of these issues, even when I diplomtically tried to draw her attention to it after our departure. The upholstery, curtains, cushions, carpets, bedding are badly in need of cleaning. We didn't even feel that we could use the comforters on the beds because they were so soiled. As owners of a rental proptery ourselves, we know that things like this need regular maintenance, but when this was mentioned to the manager, she seemed completely surprised. There is a large leak coming from somewhere, resulting in an extremely wet hallway floor which we were obliged to place towels on during our stay to keep from walking on the wet floor., Given that this may represent a serious structural problem, we assumed the owner would want to know and we wanted to apprise her of it, but, again, the manager seemed completely unaware of it, even though we had left the wet towels on the floor where the leak is, so that she could see it for herself. Overall, the house was a big disappointment and this was our first experience with vrbo, but we had hoped for better. We will definitely be more careful next time. Photos can be misleading!!!

Owner response:We were very surprised to read this review! Other than a 'sticking' door lock, which was due to the extremely heavy rains we were experiencing, we did not receive any complaints from this party during their stay. In fact, both property managers were in attendance while the lock was lubricated and no complaints were mentioned by any of the guests. We had unusually heavy rain in March, and the water could not drain quickly, which made it difficult at times to walk around the yard without getting wet. After this party checked out, we did see evidence of where a leak may have occurred, although we had not had any leaks prior to this. As we mention to all guests, please bring any issues to the attention of the property manager at the time of your stay, so that we can address any concerns promptly. Complaints that are made 'after the fact' are very difficult to ascertain and, of course, impossible to remedy. All linens and bedding are thoroughly cleaned between guests.The upstairs carpets shampooed regularly with a professional carpet cleaning machine. The majority of the floors are wood, tile or marble. Again, there was no indication that there were any problems, and we have had many visitors before and after who have been very happy with the property and who have posted wonderful reviews.

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The PERFECT house for us!

Guest: Skip (Pacific Palisades)
Date of Stay: 03/13/11 Review Submitted: 04/02/11

Every vacation we take, I let one of our kids bring a friend. After arriving and going through the house, I should have brought a few more. Plenty of room. PLENTY! The first thing I loved about the house was the location. It worked out perfect for us. We walked over to Main St twice. I loved the independent restaurants and the shops. Venice Beach was a 5 minute drive or an easy walk. The freeway access made it easy for our local trips, but my favorite relaxation was just walking the neighborhood. Perfect cool weather and lots of people out walking to meet. Every morning I walked around the corner to the Marine Market. The neighborhood was safe and we did a lot of walking. The area is well established with an amazing variety of architecture, something I really appreciated coming from Arizona, the stucco state:-) The location was perfect for our trip. A small problem I had after we arrived was finding the place. I called you up, and it turned out we were 20 feet from the front gate! Lots of trees and green landscaping! That made the house so quiet and secluded while right in the middle of Santa Monica. My wife and I took one of the downstairs bedrooms, and the kids went upstairs. The kids quickly called us up to see the third story patio which we all thought was pretty cool. We went up there every morning for breakfast. Between the living, dining, and family room, we had plenty of space. The kids had never been in a house with real wooden floors and thought it was pretty cool. They're used to cement and tile. I really liked the unique artwork which I believe was all painted by the homeowner. It gives the house a character of its own. As far as meals,everything we needed was in the kitchen. Your instructions about the house and the area amenities made it easy. Sleeping was also easy, so quiet and cool with the windows open. One of the reasons I decided to rent was because with 6 of us, we were going to need two hotel rooms. After looking at the hotels in the area, renting the house ended up being a cheaper and better option. We all had a great time and got a lot done in our week, thanks in part to your text messages to me on where to eat. Every time I called or texted you, you were there. Thanks again for your help. I think you can plan on seeing us again next spring if not sooner.

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Wonderful Holiday in Santa Monica

Guest: Eileen (Pacific Palisades)
Date of Stay: 12/21/10 Review Submitted: 02/28/11

" Our family, and extended family numbering 10 in total (9 adults and a 2 year old) had the privilege of staying at this Charming Artist's Beach house, Santa Monica for 2 weeks over the Christmas and New Year period 2010/2011. We had come over to California from Northern Ireland for our son's wedding and needed somewhere within budget which was spacious enough to accommodate us all comfortably and which was also relatively close to the beach and to one of our favourite haunts "The Omelette Parlour" on Main Street! I have to say we were delighted with the size and layout of the property which really lent itself to a group of that size. We all had our own space and I can honestly say that we never felt that there was a crowd staying in the house. Because there were so many of us, we found we needed some extra cereal bowls and these were quickly provided by Kathleen who looked after us really well and who also brought us 2 new hairdryers when one in the house stopped working. The house itself is in a good neighbourhood, on a quiet, tree-lined Avenue. You can walk to Main Street in about 10 minutes and a further 5 mins takes you to the beach. (there is a steep hill on one of the routes to Main Street, which is not for the faint hearted, elderly or infirm, but I am happy to say there are two alternative routes which are much easier). A 30 min stroll takes you to Santa Monica Pier and Third Street Promenade We also found a delightful little children's play park literally a stone's throw from the house and so that suited the junior member of our family very well indeed. I can safely say that the house was well equipped and offered us all that we needed for a relaxed and comfortable stay in Santa Monica - we even managed to cook and serve a full Christmas dinner for 12! Such a pity that the rainy weather didn't allow us to make best use of the roof deck area or the garden - but I did manage to enjoy a few coffees on the deck during the occasional sunny spells!. A lovely home where we really did feel "at home". I would certainly recommend to families or other groups of a similar size to ours".

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Three Wonderful Weeks in Santa Monica

Guest: Daniel (Pacific Palisades)
Date of Stay: 11/02/10 Review Submitted: 12/09/10

We were eight guys from Sweden who lived in this house for three weeks We were more than happy there! The house was great and the location was even greater, 5 to 10 minutes walk to the ocean. No problems parking outside the house,we did food for 8 guys in the kitchen and had barbecues outside. All through a very nice house and location!!!!!!!!!

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