Truly amazing, idyllic vacation home!!

Guest: Kathie L.
Date of Stay: 07/23/11 Review Submitted: 07/29/11

We have come to Aptos every summer for many years, and this home was, by far, the best vacation rental we have ever had. The home and ocean views are more beautiful than the pictures. The interior is spacious and very comfortable. The ocean view from the master bedroom was stunning, and it was delightful to start the day enjoying such a view while still in bed sipping coffee and reading the newspaper so generously provided by the owner each day. The location couldn't be more perfect....centrally located for easy day trips to Carmel, Monterey, and Moss Landing, and lots of excellent restaurants. The highlight of each day was sitting on the deck and watching the sunset while enjoying a glass of wine. We spent each afternoon dozing on the deck swing or watching the pelicans, sea otters, and dolphins. It was incredibly serene and peaceful to fall asleep listening to the sounds of the ocean. Amy greeted us upon arrival, gave us a tour, and answered all of our questions. She has done a great job of clearly and simply typing out instructions on the use of the entertainment system which made using them so easy. Although we never had any issues, it was comforting to know that she was easily available by phone and that she lived on site. Many vacation rentals require a minimum stay of one week during summer months. We were only able to stay 5 nights, and Amy's flexibility with the schedule was greatly appreciated. We would HIGHLY recommend this beautiful vacation home and plan to return again!!

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

Amazing - a gift

Guest: steve (belmont, ma)
Date of Stay: 04/21/11 Review Submitted: 04/26/11

My family and I stayed for only three nights and we coulda stayed forever. The house is absolutely beautiful; so often we look at pictures online and can't believe they're real, but this house actually looks better than the photos, if that's possible. Location is perfect. Beach is amazing. House is the most up to date that we've rented. We'll be back very soon!

Recommended for:Sightseeing, romantic getaway, families with young children, girls getaway, adventure seekers, families with teenagers.

Best View!

Guest: Debbie (Palo Alto)
Date of Stay: 04/04/11 Review Submitted: 04/08/11

We enjoyed 4 nights in April here. The weather was mostly sunny so we made great use of the deck to relax outside, read, and enjoy the fantastic view. Our dachshund felt right at home, zipping in and out through the little doggie door. We can't wait to return!

Recommended for:Sightseeing, romantic getaway, pet owners, adventure seekers, age 55+.

An Amazing Weekend

Guest: Karen (Roseville, CA)
Date of Stay: 02/25/11 Review Submitted: 03/02/11

The pictures do not do this home and view justice. Sitting on the back deck is just amazing! There are no visible houses on either side of you and it feels like you have the ocean view all to yourself. I don't think there was one time that I looked out and did not see an otter or seal. The front yard is equally beautiful with big trees, a very quaint brick pathway leading to a white picket fence and beautiful daffodils in bloom. The house is beautifully decorated and had everything we needed for our weekend. Between the view from a comfortable bed in the master bedroom and the soft sheets, I never wanted to get up. Coffee in bed was just perfect! The family room had plenty of seating and the games provided by the owners would certainly bring hours of fun. Marilee and Amy were so helpful as they greeted us upon our arrival. They had some wonderful suggestions for great restaurants and fun places to visit. The walk to the ocean was just as they said, 12 minutes to the pathway and only a couple of more to the sand. The pathway to the Ocean was green and lush and the walk to the pathway was through an adorable neighborhood with beautiful ocean front homes. We can't wait to come back again and share this gem of a home with friends.

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

The views are for real!!

Guest: David and Mary Lou (Williamsburg, VA)
Date of Stay: 11/15/10 Review Submitted: 01/03/11

My wife and I stayed here in November and had a wonderful stay. We have been fortunate in that we have done a great deal of traveling and this was one of our best experiences. It was a very relaxing enviornment with great views and easy driving distance to many sights. We will certainly return! David and Mary Lou

Recommended for:Sightseeing, romantic getaway, age 55+.

Nice Place

Guest: Ross (Broughty Ferry, Dundee, Scotland)
Date of Stay: 10/02/10 Review Submitted: 10/18/10

The property is accurately described in the listing with beautiful views over the ocean. Marile welcomed us on arrival, explained a few things and left us to enjoy our stay. My wife, son and I rented the house for 12 days early October 2010 and thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Aptos. We found it to be a perfect base for day trips to San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Monterey and surrounding area. We also spent a few days on the beach. Local facilities and restaurants are very good. I would not hesitate in recommending this property to friends.

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

Marvelous Location and Views

Guest: Mary&Doug (Albuquerque, NM)
Date of Stay: 09/15/10 Review Submitted: 09/27/10

We stayed here a week in September 2010 and loved it. Marile is very nice; she fills you in on all the details, etc., and then leaves you to enjoy. The house is clean and charming--has all you need. Listening to the waves at night, breakfast on the deck, sitting on the deck, wine on the deck, sunsets, moon shining on the water--all and more made our week here great. Spent hours walking on the beach below and found quite a lot of beach glass. Easy drives and fun shopping, eating towns are Moss Landing--quirky small town with a couple of galleries, food, and a Shakespeare museum; Capitola, Santa Cruz, Monterey, and Carmel. Its worth paying the money and doing the 17-mile drive at Pebble Beac--once.

Recommended for:Sightseeing, romantic getaway, girls getaway, age 55+.

Details

Guest: Summer Renter (Texas)
Date of Stay: 07/16/10 Review Submitted: 09/19/10

Renters should be aware that the owners are not in a separate location but live on the ground floor of the same house, so that you can hear them and their dogs at all hours of the day and night. The dog barks all day whenever the owners are absent. Late night conversations and phone calls can be overheard in the rental unit. The pictures look like the beach is close but if you want easy walking access to the beach you should check out the location to see if it meets your needs as the path to the beach is not direct.

Owner response:Please review the volume of overwhelmingly positive reviews posted about our home - and then we ask that you weigh the following when reading this renter's post. This renter clearly had another agenda - the renter actually did not pay the full rent as agreed to for her stay upon arrival - it seems to us she was simply trying to "get out of her contractual obligation". (We now adhere to our policy of payment in full upon arrival.) We pride ourselves on answering any and all questions of prospective renters beforehand because we want you to enjoy your stay and we want you to be kind to our home. Let me quote an email sent to this renter in advance of her stay: "There is a neighborhood private access path down to the beach...about a 15 minute walk. Or a 3 minute drive down to the beach and we provide a parking access pass to any State Park beach along the coast. The view is awesome. The street below is not visible from our view just Dolphins and Otters." Our post also clearly states: "Caretaker resides on property in private separate studio." The entrance is on the opposite site of the house and has a separate driveway. This renter also asked for a pre-visit inspection - which we fully accommodated and showed to her friend the entire home. Regarding the dogs, we're simply confused - we have two miniature dachshunds - one goes to the office every day and the other is with me. Regarding the late night conversations, we're further confused. The master suite where she stayed is on the opposite side of the house - there is no way to overhear conversations that far away. In addition, her application was supposedly for one renter, although she ended up having two people not on the application stay with her for part of her two weeks - we are the ones who feel deceived and lied to regarding this rental. We feel we have a little slice of heaven and it's our pleasure to share it with others – good, kind renters welcomed.

Recommended for:

Great base for the central coast

Guest: Emma and Jo (Lincoln, UK)
Date of Stay: 03/27/10 Review Submitted: 04/06/10

Spent a week here in late March/ early April. House was clean and really well-equipped with everything you could possibly need. View is spectacular - could have sat looking at it all day. Great location for exploring the surrounding area including Capitola, Santa Cruz, San Jose, Monterey and Carmel, as well as all of the local parks and beaches. Plus we got to Hearst Castle (wow!) and back easily within a day. Local amenities include a largish supermarket only minutes away. The beach that the house overlooks is fantastic with a great little visitor centre containing information about the concrete ship and local wildlife. All in all a really peaceful, relaxing spot and one that we would love to visit again someday.

Recommended for:Sightseeing, girls getaway.

Very clean and well-maintained home

Guest: Cindy NN (sacramento)
Date of Stay: 12/31/09 Review Submitted: 01/11/10

The home is very clean and well-maintained. We stayed here over the New Year Weekend. The weather was great. As we ate our breakfast on the deck outside we saw about six dolphins playing in the bay.The photos are a very accurate description. We would stay here again.

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