Wonderful!!

Guest: Laura (Rocklin)
Date of Stay: 11/04/11 Review Submitted: 11/08/11

Your home was a perfect choice for 7 us "girls" enjoying a wine weekend. The house was so comfortable. There were 4 large bedrooms, all beautifully decorated and with comfortable beds. Plenty of seating/lounging areas, a large dining area and a wided open kitchen--- the 7 of us never felt like we were crowded. The spacious kitchen was very well stocked and with high end pots, pans, and cooking utensils. All of us could be in the kitchen without getting in each other's way. All of the bathrooms were roomy and well stocked and nicely decorated with nice towels, soap, shampoo etc. The backyard is just amazing--with all the plants, trees, pool and koi pond. There was a large deck (s) areas with plenty of room and tons of outdoor seating. Next time we return, we plan to do so in the summer so we can fully enjoy your backyard. The backyard was able to be enjoyed through all of the large windows. There was plenty of parking for our four vehicles--even had room for more without parking on the street. We rent a lot through VRBO and this is definetly one of our favorites! We cannot wait to return and will plan to spend more time simply hanging out and enjoying the house. Thank you!

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

Beautiful house, but simple amenities not included

Guest: Tiffany (San Jose)
Date of Stay: 05/20/11 Review Submitted: 05/24/11

Pros: - Beautiful house: I walked in and was blown away by how beautiful this place was. The pictures in this website don't do the house justice. - MUCH bigger than described. plenty of space for multiple activities. - Outdoor grill is very nice! - Plenty of blankets and towels. - Rental company was extremely helpful and kind in the booking process. Cons: -No Soap in bathrooms. For the price I paid, I expect to be taken care of similar to a high end hotel or at least a low end one. I've never rented a house that did not provide shampoo/soaps. And the hair dryers are from like the 80s and don't work. get rid of them and spend 20 dollars to get some that works. You have so many nice matching towels you can probably get rid of to get functioning hair dryers. -Water does not work in master bedroom sinks. Strange. -There were no "Check In" or "Check Out" instructions. You should include this so your guests know what is expected of them upon check out. -Wifi password?? I emailed the owners a few days before asking about wifi which should have given you a clue that it was important to me. there wasn't any wifi password and i tried to call each of the owners when i was there to get it. I never received a call back. -All pots and pans are rusted and broken. Why would I rent a house if not to have a "house-like" experience? Of course we're going to be cooking and I was slightly upset to find that every pan looked extremely old and that I could contract Lyme disease from using them. Please also provide basic condiments like sugar. I'm giving this place 2 stars because the rating says 2 stars is "Fair" and I thought this place was a little below average, but Fair. I would definitely stay here again if the aforementioned items were taken care of. I did really think the people who handled my reservation were very kind and they get 5 stars, but I can't give you higher than 2 stars since the place was pricey and very basic features were not available or poor.

Owner response:We are pleased that the reviewer liked the property. The property, owned by our family since 1999, was rebuilt down to the studs during 2004 and enlarged to 3300 sq. feet. It was designed for reunions of our own family, now spread around the US. The garden was re-landscaped, decks rebuilt, and a fish pond and water fall added. It is our second home, and great care and expense was made in furnishing and decorating it. It is not a totally commercial enterprise. When the reviewer was at the house, the cleaners did forget to put out soap and shampoo, for which we apologize. The people managing the cleaning and preparations for visitors have been asked to confirm that both items are put out for each arriving visitor. We checked out the condition of the pots and pans, and agreed with the reviewer that their condition had deteriorated since they were purchased new in 2005 and 2006. Not every group cares for the pans the way a professional chef would, and they are abused by being placed in the dishwasher, burned, or scrubbed with hard abrasives. A new set has been purchased. (as far as we know, Lyme disease comes from tick bites, and has nothing to do with pots and pans.) As for the other complaints, the reviewer failed to notice that: 1) There was SUGAR in the antique kitchen cabinet in a tightly-capped jar to keep from attracting ants; 2) The Wi-Fi password is in a loose-leaf binder, clearly marked “Operating Instructions, usually left on the dining room table or adjacent credenza. 3) The reviewer called the San Francisco office, and there was a mix-up between that office and the two local ladies handling the house, and whom the reviewer praised for their cordial service. 4) The master bathroom sinks are operating fine, but the half-moon shaped lever must be RAISED to turn on the water, then left for HOT, right for COLD. We don’t like to leave signs everywhere to instruct people how to turn on the faucets, but apparently it has to be done. It is our understanding that the reviewer was NOT the person who booked the reservation, and the person who did was surprised by the negative comments, saying they had had wonderful time. We hope that reviewer will return to the property she liked so much, now that her material complaints have been addressed. The Owners

Recommended for:Families with young children.

Wine Lovers' Mecca!

Guest: Scott (Charlotte, NC)
Date of Stay: 08/03/10 Review Submitted: 01/06/11

I have brought the management team from my NC restaurant for a Wine Country Retreat the past two summers, and have nothing but GREAT things to say about Reunion House! First-class amenities in a secluded and comfortable home base for our extensive wine safaris. This property is literally smack-dab in the middle of wine country! Less than 10 minutes from the top of Sonoma Valley, 25 minutes to Russian River Valley, 25 minutes to Healdsburg, half an hour to Alexander and Dry Creek Valleys, and 35 minutes to the town of Sonoma. And then easy access to the Napa Valley over Calistoga and Trinity Roads, so you can be anywhere from Carneros to Oakville to St. Helena to Calistoga within an hour or less. And after a big day of wine tasting, Reunion House is the PERFECT place to unwind - either poolside on one of the many decks, porches or even under the gazebo! Great kitchen and grill makes it super-tempting to stay in and take advantage of the fantastic local produce from the Farmer's Markets, but there are also SO many great little restaurants within 15 minutes you gotta get out at least once or twice during your stay. It's amazing how the house can feel so secluded considering it's so close to town, but we always feel like we have the entire neighborhood to ourselves whenever we are there. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

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

Beautiful House, POOL IS NOT REALLY HEATED

Guest: coco1025 (San Francisco)
Date of Stay: 11/13/09 Review Submitted: 11/19/09

The house was very beautiful and had lots of amenatites that really made it feel like home such as cooking tools, CD player, TV with movies and cable (boys liked to watch sports on ESPN). The BBQ was great and they had a nice binder that had information on the house and local activities. The biggest let down was that the pool was not really heated. It is a solar heater so it only turns on if it is sunny out which kind of defeats the purpose of a heater. Had I known that, I would have chosen a house to rent in November with a hot tub. It was also a bit confusing dealing with the rental agreement and key pick up. The site has you email the owner who has you contact a rental management company in SF. When you call them, they have no idea your communication with the owner. When I asked the rental company where I would be picking up the key they told me to contact the owner. The owner had me contact a third party who didn't even know I was comming. The third party didn't return my calls to pick up the keys at 3pm like I was promised. The rental company did call me back after I had left some questions on the third party's VM earlier in the day.

Owner response:I’m perplexed by negative comments left by this party. I spoke with them several times on the phone, and they had no complaints at all. First, they informed me they would not be arriving by the check-in time of 3:00 p.m. I told them it was okay, “the house was ready for their arrival and the key will be under the mat.” I also told them that because we didn’t have a party coming in after them, I would extend their check-out time to 1:00 p.m. They thanked me for that. Second, they called on Saturday and asked how to turn the heat up on the pool. I reminded them the pool is solar heated (stated in ad), and that during the winter months it doesn’t get very warm. They said that was okay. They called on Sunday to inform me that one of their cars was broken down and said they would have to leave it parked at the house for the day. I said that was fine, not to worry. --Giselle

Recommended for:Families with young children.

Beautiful House - Chilly Pool

Guest: Angela P. (Los Angeles, CA)
Date of Stay: 08/17/09 Review Submitted: 08/20/09

Our family of four had a wonderful relaxing time at the Reunion House. The house is very spacious, well appointed and comfortable. The backyard was beautiful and very private (kids had a great time feeding the koi fish). The location is also excellent - quiet neighborhood very close to hiking, bike trails, 2 incredible parks with lakes, wineries, restaurants, farmers market, etc. We had a fabulous family vacation with this house as our base. Customer service from the management company was very good considering we called a few times about the freezing pool. Issues of concern: One of the main reasons we picked the house was for the "heated" pool. The pool temp was mentioned by others in the guest book, but we were told it was working. There never was any heated water entering the pool during the time the "solar" heating system was supposedly working, and it was too cold to swim in even during a week of 85+ degree days. The house also has an ant problem (also mentioned in the guest book). The kitchen, although very clean, had ants coming in under the sink and dishwasher. I would suggest that the owner/management company pay more attention to what guests are writing in the book.

Owner response:Ants are a problem during the hottest weather and after the first fall rain despite spraying around the outside of the house. Ants, like people, want to stay cool in hot weather, and dry in wet weather. Because there are children using the house, the owner does not want to spray poison inside the house. There is a non-toxic spray of water and dish detergent under the kitchen sink that kills ants in their tracks if you want to use it. They can then be wiped up with a paper towel. The solar heater is turned on in May, and off in October. It warms the pool during that period to 76' but some of that heat is lost under clear skies at night. Covers have been investigated. The cheap ones are difficult to remove, and form a safety hazard for children who become enveloped by them. The expensive ones require a track along the deck which are not comfortable to walk on. Two people are required to coordinate closely to remove them, or a mechanical system, that is very expensive and subject to malfunction, can be added. If guests have seen anything between these two alternative that is better, we would appreciate hearing from you."

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