Vacation Rentals by Owner
Halcyon House: Stylish Comfortable Family Home, Central Austin [#229741] | View Property
Allandale
House, 4 Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths (Sleeps 8)
$265-$290/nt - $1395/wk
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Traveler Reviews (23)
Look no further!
Guest: Nick W.
(London, UK)
Date of Stay: 12/17/10
Review Submitted: 01/19/11
We enjoyed a great week here, really couldn't have been more impressed with the house. It absolutely feels like the owners have put a lot of effort into making it feel like a home from home. Bedrooms are spacious and well appointed, living areas are clean, comfortable and superbly decorated. Its a great location too, the neighbourhood is very friendly, and its a ten minute drive into downtown Austin.
Recommended for:Families with teenagers, families with young children, sightseeing.
Choose this one!!
Guest: MMI
(Bristol UK)
Date of Stay: 12/02/10
Review Submitted: 12/14/10
Stayed at Halcyon House for five days in December as a family group of seven adults visiting Austin for my brother's birthday. All except one of us had stayed in Austin previously and our decision was unanimous - staying in this beautiful rental house was much more fun than staying in a hotel! Conveniently located, comfortably appointed and spotlessly clean the house was everything it promised. There were fresh flowers on arrival and a very minor problem was sorted instantly. We will definitely use this house again when we visit - in fact some of us want to move in permanently!
Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, sightseeing.
A lovely stay...
Guest: Hook'em Horns
(Rushville, NY)
Date of Stay: 09/20/10
Review Submitted: 09/28/10
We were in Austin for a family wedding and spent one week at this house. It provided a comfortable homebase for all of our activities. It's conveniently located near Loop 1 and not far from Burnett Rd. It only took about 10 minutes to shoot down the expressway and be in the heart of the city. There's an HEB (groceries) only 5 minutes away too. The beds and pillows were comfortable. The house was spotless and smelled wonderful. We also loved the little touches the owners provided... ex. fresh cut flowers and more. All communications with the owners were prompt and thorough. We can't thank them enough for a painless experience. Since we were in town for a wedding, much of our activties revolved around food and gatherings. While in Austin... we hit Amy's Ice Creams, SoCo, U of Texas, and even ventured down to Lockhart, TX for the state's "best" barbeque. The Salt Lick down in Driftwood was a fun experience too. Sazon, the Highball, the Swoop House, and Barr Mansion all provided excellent memories of family and friends. We highly recommend this house and the owners for an enjoyable stay in Austin, TX.
Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.
Great for families--large or small!
Guest: El Jefito
(Berlin, Germany)
Date of Stay: 07/07/10
Review Submitted: 08/30/10
Our family stayed at this house for five weeks during our summer vacation. As a former Austinite, I was a bit reluctant about the location because I feel more at home down south, but Halcyon House changed my mind. Its location next to the bike trails, 10 minute walk to a nearby pool, and quick access to Burnet Road or Mopac makes staying here an excellent choice. If you can beat the traffic, you can get anywhere North or South as well as East and West quite quickly. As a matter of fact, a trip to the airport takes about 20 minutes if you head southeast rather than downtown, and you can make it back from the clubs in little time. The house itself is quite spacious. The bedrooms comfortably accommodated our family of four plus a few guests. There are enough rooms upstairs and downstairs for people to come together or be alone as they wished. Although the bathrooms may a bit small for larger persons, we never had a problem with 2.5 bathrooms. The kitchen and laundry room are well furnished with new appliances rather than hand-me-downs. Although we could never quite figure out how to efficiently load the dishwasher, it took care of everything that we threw at it. The owners are incredibly helpful and they delight in making little touches memorable. Whether its fresh cut flowers and a bottle of wine to help you start your stay or the delivery of fresh eggs from their own backyard coup, they know how to take care of their guests' wishes--and more! We would like to return here again and recommend it to others, especially if you are considering a relocation to Austin and you want to try out the Allandale neighborhood.
Recommended for:People with disabilities, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway.
Great for small groups
Guest: Chris
(Temple, TX)
Date of Stay: 07/03/10
Review Submitted: 07/09/10
We stayed at the Halcyon house over 4th of July weekend. There were three couples in our group, so it was really nice to have a place we could all come together and hang out. The decor is lovely, and everything we needed was provided. The house is in a great location too - close to Mopac, so whether you are going downtown, to the Domain, or heading to hill country you are not far. We will definitely be back and would recommend this property to anyone!
Recommended for:Families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.
Nice House for our Family
Guest: LuvsAustin
(Alabama)
Date of Stay: 06/19/10
Review Submitted: 06/27/10
Our family - now 4 couples - fit well in this large nicely furnished house. We enjoyed the patio for grilling, the den with large TV to watch the World Cup and the very comfortable beds and bed rooms. Large dining room easily sat eight. Good location in Allandale, just off Mopac and a few blocks to Burnet Road. We'd be happy to stay there again.
Recommended for:Families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway.
Great house!
Guest: Baja Mama
(Cabo San Lucas, Mexico)
Date of Stay: 03/18/10
Review Submitted: 03/27/10
We brought our children to Austin for the BBQ / Rodeo event. Unfortunately it was the same time as SXSW -- hotels were really really full. Found this home and stayed for 5 days. We have 2 infant children. The location was ideal, close to parks, shopping, restaurants, freeway. Furnishings and linens were very clean, tasteful. The dining room is a huge bonus. Reasonable space and every amenity you would need. The homeowners were so kind to also include a bin of toys, pack and play, and high chair. Very thoughtful and a terrific value. Would recommend it for families and groups!
Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, pet owners.
Great House, Great Location....Great People!!
Guest: Monica Houston
(Houston, TX)
Date of Stay: 02/26/10
Review Submitted: 03/08/10
I rented Bert & Jemima's house for a bachelorette weekend. It was perfect. It's in a wonderful location....close to everything. The house was clean, well maintained and stocked. We had eleven girls and we all slept comfortably. The house is perfect for a large family or friends wanting a weekend away. It helped make our weekend just a little more special. The neighborhood was quiet and the neighbors were quite friendly. I would recommend this rental to everyone....it is well priced and big enough for a large group and we all felt comfortable and welcome. Great seating in the back yard too!! Bert and Jemima are such a great couple to deal with. They were kind and accomodating to our every need!! Thanks!!!
Recommended for:Families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car.
Perfect, Perfect, Perfect!
Guest: Groom's mama-san
(Dallas, Texas)
Date of Stay: 02/11/10
Review Submitted: 02/15/10
We were in Austin for my son's wedding and weddings can get crazy. This house was perfect for the seven of us (including two of the groomsmen) who stayed there. It is pleasantly appointed, well equipped, immaculately clean and located in a quiet and very accessible neighborhood. There was plenty of room for all of us to cook, eat, sleep and move around in. We even had all the groomsmen over for lunch that we prepared there and to dress on the day of the wedding. This house, along with Jemima and Bert, go to the top of the list!!
Recommended for:Adventure seekers, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, sightseeing.
Happy New Year!
Guest: KarinaG
(Monterrey, Mexico)
Date of Stay: 12/28/09
Review Submitted: 01/15/10
Thanks for everything! The house was great, we loved it. The living room was cozy and we really enjoyed the champagne stock for new year's. Austin is so beautiful, and your hospitality was amazing. Happy New Year!
Recommended for:Families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, sightseeing.
Great hospitality and space
Guest: The General's Guard cycling team
(Dallas)
Date of Stay: 10/23/09
Review Submitted: 10/27/09
For a group of 6 guys, this was a great house with plenty of room for all of us and our bikes! Bert & Jemima provide a few key essentials - like coffee and juice - which makes the cupboard nice and not bare on the first morning. Nice back yard, too...
Recommended for:Families with teenagers, families with young children.
Perfect for a Girls' Weekend
Guest: Waliya
(Dallas, TX)
Date of Stay: 10/09/09
Review Submitted: 10/13/09
I rented this house for a bachelorette party weekend and it was absolutely perfect. Our group had 9 20-somethings and we all loved the place. It's comfy, cozy and very roomy (with air mattress or sleeping bags, you can sleep as many as 13). Bert and Jemima were easy to work with and they were kind enough to stock the fridge with beverages and snacks. I was shocked by how well the kitchen was stocked with utensils, cookware, dishes, glasses and even spices. The bathrooms are also stocked with great soaps and facial cleansers. The beds are very comfy with all sorts of pillows. There are plenty of mirrors, so the 9 of us had no trouble getting ready in the morning or at night to go out. One thing that's not pictured on this site is their backyard. It's huge with a great patio set and a BBQ grill, its perfect for an outdoor BBQ. The location is great. It's in a quiet neighborhood, but there are all kinds of restaurants less than a mile away and as is one of the major highways. The central location was great. We got to the lake and downtown in less than 15 minutes. Austin is my hometown and I can say this house is "so Austin". I will rent this home every chance I get.
Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.
Perfect setup and transaction for ACL!
Guest: DaveFromFlowerMound
(Flower Mound, TX)
Date of Stay: 10/01/09
Review Submitted: 10/07/09
Bert and Jemima are awesome! When we arrived, we opened the refrigerator to stash our goodies and guess what we found? A mixed 12-pack of cold Shiner beer to quench our thirst after the drive from Dallas...perfect! There were a total of eight of us that stayed in the house during ACL festival weekend. Just nine miles north of Zilker Park / downtown via MoPac made for easy access and exit from the festival. The accommodations were great...nice beds and showers. Everything was clean and tidy when we showed up. Easy clean up rules. Great HD TV in the living room with places to lounge. Probably the best part of the house itself was the back patio. Covered with a private backyard...great place to hang out and chat with our friends! This was my first time doing a transaction via HomeAway and with Bert and Jemima. Bert made the process flexible, easy, and comfortable. I trusted them completely from the start, and they did everything they said they would do and more! Great people with whom to deal on a sizable transaction. A+++++!!! Thx Bert and Jemima!
Recommended for:Families with teenagers, families with young children, sightseeing.
Comforts of home away from home
Guest: Jeff71
(Los Angeles, CA)
Date of Stay: 09/19/09
Review Submitted: 09/27/09
Our family (4 adults, 2 children) stayed here for a week-long trip to Austin. This was our first time going on vacation not staying in a hotel or a timeshare-style condo and we found the experience to be quite pleasant. The owners of the house made sure it was adequately stocked with everything we needed during our stay including a lot of "extras" we were surprised to find (like fresh flowers when we arrived, a few staples like milk, butter, juice, English muffins and beer in the fridge along with condiments, spices, etc.) The house was especially friendly for our daughters, ages 2 and 4. The kitchen was well-stocked with kid-size plastic dishes and the kids' bedroom included a box of toys. The owners even helped us out of a jam, printing our boarding passes the night before we left (while at a friends' house no less). The house was clean, beds were comfortable, Internet was easy to access and the house is very centrally located for visiting various parts of the city. All in all it was a great place to stay. I would recommend it highly and would stay here again myself.
Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, sightseeing.
uber-halcyon
Guest: Hank D.
(San Francisco, CA)
Date of Stay: 09/11/09
Review Submitted: 09/22/09
Highly recommended. From my first inquiry about the place to signing the guest book before leaving, Bert and Jemima made the entire rental experience pleasant with fast responses to emails/phone calls and generally accommodating nature. The neighborhood greets you with quiet and peaceful tree-lined surroundings. There were snacks and a six pack of Lone Star beer waiting for us upon arrival to our stylishly appointed weekend abode. Bert came over a few minutes later to welcome us and show us around. We actually did not plan on spending much time at the house because we wanted to get out and enjoy the rest of Austin. But it was a wet mid-September weekend, so we did spend more time in the cozy living room than expected. It turned out a good thing. The super-comfortable Texas-size couch makes for a superior TV viewing experience. The adjacent covered patio was a great chill-out spot after evenings out. I'd say downtown is more like 15 minutes, on average, by car. But, my friend got the hang of getting to and fro after the first trip. When it came time to get some sleep, it was lights out on the luxurious beds for the six of us. Our seventh friend had no complaints about their air mattress either. Bathrooms were sparkling, furnished with quality soaps, lotions, and thick towels. We didn't cook at all, but the kitchen is spacious enough for two to work on a meal without getting in each others' way. The grill outside was ready to go with the included bag of charcoal. When in Austin, check the halcyon for yourself.
Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.
Out of town Wedding in Austin
Guest: DFO
(Harrisburg Pa )
Date of Stay: 08/17/09
Review Submitted: 08/31/09
Spacious (4 BR) house with plenty of room on the first floor for family and friends to gather. Everthing you need is in the house. Nice patio. The owneres were helpful and accessible. I would definitely recommend this house
Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, pet owners.
Home Away From Home
Guest: Not Hay
(Westerville, OH)
Date of Stay: 08/12/09
Review Submitted: 09/29/09
We had a great time visiting Austin and this house was part of the reason. The house was clean and comfortable, the TV and wireless internet worked as advertised and the neighborhood was quiet. We visited in August with temperatures of 101 Fahrenheit (39 Celsius for the rest of the world) and the house stayed cool. Non rush hour time to the Capital was just under 15 minutes, about 10 minutes to the University of Texas. Grocery and other stores are within 5 minutes. Jemima and Bert were the best hosts. There when/if you needed them, but otherwise not.
Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.
Perfect getaway home
Guest: kappacrew
(new york, new york)
Date of Stay: 07/03/09
Review Submitted: 07/14/09
This house was very quaint and accomodated a large number of people with three of the bedrooms having a large King/Queen beds. The house is in a very quiet and beautiful neighborhood close to all the attrations in Austin. I would definitely return in the future.
Recommended for:Families with young children, girls getaway.
Wonderful retreat!
Guest: charlotte k.
(Luebeck, Germany)
Date of Stay: 05/21/09
Review Submitted: 06/14/09
We spent 9 nights at Halcyon House at the end of May. We flew in from Germany and were so happy to collapse into luxurious beds and the generous atmosphere of the house. Jemima had kindly filled the fridge with necessities (coffee, milk, juice, rolls, etc. etc.) and also set us up with a bin of children's toys. This bin was uniquely helpful when my 6 year old daughter woke up in the middle of the night with jet lag and I could give her something new to explore. The house is wonderfully quiet, neighborhood is walkable, peaceful, easy access to all the fun things in Austin and...how often do you experience a bed that is more comfortable than your own bed at home? The master bed is divine....in fact, all the linens were luscious. Thanks Jemima for making a trip home to Austin very enjoyable!
Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway.
Halcyon House
Guest: Nancy ann
(Austin Texas)
Date of Stay: 04/20/09
Review Submitted: 06/02/09
.We are in the process of remodeling our home and needed a place to escape the dust and construction.We did not want to move our "stuff" so we needed a furnished type home.The location was great ...the park is close and wonderful and,my 14 year old found tons of places to skate.Mima (the owner)was so great to work w/.Any little problem I had she immediately took care of it.The house was comfortable and homey.We spent a lot of time in the backyard and on the patio grilling and relaxing.I would recommend this VRBO to anyone...as a matter of fact if we have out of town guest visit I will set them up here.
Recommended for:Families with teenagers, girls getaway.
Nous reviendrons
Guest: Erwan, France
Date of Stay: 04/07/09
Review Submitted: 12/11/09
You place is really nice and well decorated. Thank you so much for the great time we spent here. "Merci pour votre accueil et votre gentillesse, je suis sûr que nous reviendrons."
Recommended for:
Even in the middle of Austin
Guest: Jordan H.
(Marseille, France)
Date of Stay: 03/29/09
Review Submitted: 05/25/09
Such a nice place to be, in Austin!!! The place is so peaceful that you will be surprised how easy it is to have a nap in the garden (even if you have not wished it). Close from the center, getting out on Congress south or 6th only takes 10 minutes. The house is really well decorated, full of equipments, and very easy to live.
Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, pet owners, romantic getaway, sightseeing.
Stylish rental close to Austin
Guest: timbostop
(London, UK)
Date of Stay: 03/29/09
Review Submitted: 04/13/09
We stayed in this rental while on business in Austin and had a great time. Everything was arranged to make our stay pleasant - there was coffee in the fridge and charcoal on the BBQ - everything we needed to relax and enjoy the trip. The place has been recently redecorated throughout and looks really great. Thanks Jemima for making our stay great, we'll be back!
Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children.