Vacation Rentals by Owner

Great location and amazing view

Guest: Susan (Washington, DC)
Date of Stay: 04/14/12 Review Submitted: 05/14/12

We stayed at this property for a week in April. The location was great. It was nice to have all of the shops and restaurants just a couple of blocks away. The house was clean and comfortable--well-stocked kitchen, new washer and dryer, and plenty of clean towels and sheets. We had two children under 4, and they loved the beach, saying hello to all the dogs walking by, and playing with the nice stock of beach toys and sidewalk chalk that the owner had on hand. The owner was very helpful providing information about the property and surrounding area and was very professional in establishing the rental agreement etc.

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with young children, girls getaway.

Great place and time

Guest: Pa (Florida)
Date of Stay: 09/17/11 Review Submitted: 11/29/11

We were fortunate to spend a month here. The home was great for us and convenient to our daughter who lives nearby. Walking distance to everything, including coffee at Hersheys. This was our second month on Balboa and this place fills the needs for anything you want in a great, relaxing vacation. Everything was as advertised. Outside was a waterfront patio with bbq and comfortable furniture. Inside was a well equipped kitchen and a very efficient and cozy fireplace in the great room to knock the chill of Newport Bay off in the evenings while watching tv on on a large flat screen. Don was very good answering our questions before we arrived and very courteous after we arrived. We will definitely be back soon.

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

Excellent vacation rental!

Guest: NYCdweller (New York City, NY)
Date of Stay: 07/17/11 Review Submitted: 09/12/11

My family of 6 stayed at the house this summer and we had a WONDERFUL time. The house is exactly "as stated" and all pictures are accurate. I would also add that their is a great BBQ and beach toys for children. Don even went as far as to lend us a port-a-crib (his grandchildren's) and give us a fantastic "review book" of Balboa Island. I would recommend this house to anyone looking for a getaway on the beach- also excellent for entertaining.

Recommended for:People with disabilities, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, pet owners, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Felt like our own beach house for the week!

Guest: mama duck (Santa Clarita, CA)
Date of Stay: 07/02/11 Review Submitted: 07/21/11

This was our first stay at this beach house and I can't imagine renting any other place... I have been coming to Balboa Island since I was a child, and it just never changes. The location was amazing. Bay front, three houses from the main street, and about a 3 minute walk to the island market. Close to everything, including a beautiful walk to the ferry for easy crossing to the Newport Peninsula and beach. The house felt like it was ours! Totally complete with everything, well stocked, comfortable beds and furniture, lovely patio with table and chairs, and a great covered parking space in the back! Oh, and the neighbors on all sides and above were wonderful!!!

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

Outstanding Family Vacation

Guest: Balboa Bob (Reno, Nv.)
Date of Stay: 05/14/11 Review Submitted: 05/31/11

What a great house and location for a family vacation, that included small grand kids. The house was clean and comfortable. Also being a single level was nice for small kids. The out door patio was roomy and a nice spot to watch all of the activity in the bay and the people walking or running by. The location was only a block from dining and shopping. The owner is a good guy and easy to rent from. We can't wait to stay here again.

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

Christmas on Balboa Island

Guest: Dog family (SF Bay area)
Date of Stay: 12/23/10 Review Submitted: 01/24/11

My family and our chocolate lab loved staying at this home. The location is ideal for beach, ferry, shopping and dining access. The house was clean and comfortable. Balboa Island decorations at Christmas are deliteful. I will definitely stay here again.

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

Great Location, old worn out place!

Guest: Dissatisfied on Balboa Island (Boulder Colorado)
Date of Stay: 11/20/10 Review Submitted: 12/09/10

We stayed here over Thanksgiving, 2010. We've used VRBO many times over the years, and most of the time have had great experiences, accurate descriptions...not this one! Here are the pros and cons: Pros: Great location. Could not be better. 2 minute walk to town and restaurants. Beautiful view. Wonderful to sit out at night and look out over the water and boats. Great big coffee cups. blow up bed provided for our son. Thats about it. Cons: When we arrived there was no toilet paper, no paper towels, no dish soap, no washing machine soap, no bar soap! We had to go out the next day and buy everything! I've never rented a place with no basic supplies provided! There was no hair dryer!!! We had to buy one at Rite Aide. The owner said they don't supply one. I've never had a house without a hair dryer! Even Holiday Inn provides a hair dryer. No sugar bowl...had to put sugar in a coffee cup. The pans are old, worn and the non-stick doesn't work. The wireless didn't work for two days...my wife and I had a day or two of work to do and we were stuck. Turned out, after repeated phone calls to the owner that the wireless was wired wrong and their son had to walk me through how to hook it back up. No directions on the TV. Again, had to have the owners son walk my wife thru the instructions. Towels are full of holes, torn, frayed on edges. I'd use these towels to wash my car with. The wash was not done when we arrived and the maid came in that evening to finish the laundry...she asked us if we brought our own towels?! The bed was the worst..old, worn out, it sunk on both sides..I woke with back pain every morning...and I'm a fit guy. Plastic wine glasses! Come on...don't you trust a renter with some cheap wine glasses? It's horrible drinking wine from cheap plastic ware. There is no heat in the main living area...so we had to wear sweaters and sweatshirts the entire time. The entire place needs updating including the blinds, the ceiling fans with missing cords, the flooring. You are paying for location, but not anything else. I'd rate the house as poor but the location as excellent...so it gets a fair, but that is being forgiving. The Owner needs a hospitality course.

Owner response:As a user of VRBO I have had very pleasant results, not only with filling vacancies, but with relationships with renters. Ninety nine percent of all renters are curious, friendly and trustworthy. BUT there is always the one percent that doesn’t fall into this category. As a landlord I appreciate constructive suggestions, not fraudulent, for improvements to property. The review, “Dissatisfied on Balboa Island “, is from a renter who tried to deceive me out of full payment of our signed rental agreement. When I confronted him and told him if he didn’t pay the remaining balance due I would pursue the situation in my local court. He contacted me and said he would pay. He then, trying to get even, wrote his very false review. I take a lot of pride in our property and people I rent to. I hope any prospective renters reading these reviews will please disregard his review. Please call or email me to discuss anything about our rental property.

Recommended for:People with disabilities

Great family time

Guest: Jodie (Sacramento, CA)
Date of Stay: 10/28/10 Review Submitted: 12/13/10

Thank you for the opportunity to stay in your. We had such a wonderful time in your lovely home and you absolutely cannot beat the view. Our favorite times were spent on the patio in the morning enjoying our coffee and in the evening watching all the passers by with some wine and a cozy fire.The location, amenities, and comforts of this house were excellent, This is the second year we've brought our family to your home and our girls love it! We can't wait to do it again. Thanks again for sharing your little slice of heaven with us.

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Balboa Beach House

Guest: Missing Balboa Island (Colorado)
Date of Stay: 09/26/10 Review Submitted: 12/14/10

We so enjoyed our month long vacation at your Balboa Island beach house. What an awesome location on the bay and beach front. We loved being so close to all the shops and restaurants on Marine Ave. too. The house had everything we needed and the patio was perfect for grilling, sunning, people and seal watching. Hope to return next year!!

Recommended for:

Fabulous rental experience in simply the best Balboa Island location

Guest: Balboa Island Fans (Southern california)
Date of Stay: 08/07/10 Review Submitted: 12/30/10

My husband and 3 small kids rented this property for a week last summer and cannot possibly say enough great things about the vacation. The house was clean and well maintained and the owner was totally reasonable and reachable if needed. The location is outstanding, especially if you have little kids. You're steps from the sand and less than a block from main street. We will definitely be back!

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

Great Family Trip

Guest: ian (san francisco)
Date of Stay: 06/06/10 Review Submitted: 12/14/10

I took my wife, young daughter, and my parents for a week at this wonderful property. The property was spotless and fit out whole family with no problem. Downtown is a very short walk to grab dinner or a balboa favorite, the frozen bananna. A few of the nights we decided to stay in and BBQ on the boardwalk patio, the views and people watching is great. The best feature of this place is the beach only steps from the patio, it is one of the few, if only, beach that has no boats anchored or tied up in it. this left plenty of room for swimming and launching the kayaks for a paddle. The ferry is just a short walk up the boardwalk that opens up the whole newport side of the bay for dinner, walks, or surfing. The owner was extremely easy to deal with and promptly returned emails to answer any questions that I had before we booked. I would highly recommend this property and our family will be returning!

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

past tenant

Guest: Ron (Edina, Mn)
Date of Stay: 01/18/10 Review Submitted: 12/13/10

My wife and I have stayed at this property for two months at a time, five years in a row, and we are extremely pleased with the accommodations which are exactly as noted in the description above. We have also found management to be very attentive to any issues we've had, responding immediately to take care of and correct the problem. We would most definitely recommend this property and management company. Inn fact, we are returning again in a month for our sixth year.

Recommended for:Age 55+, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Perfect Location, Great House

Guest: Paul & Mary (Gurnee, IL)
Date of Stay: 09/13/09 Review Submitted: 01/06/11

My wife, two friends and our college age daughter stayed for a week in September of 2009. It's right on the water, steps from downtown Balboa Island and a comfortable walk to the pier. The house was clean and comfortable and well laid out. The manager was easy to work with. We plan to go back!

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.