Vacation Rentals by Owner

Youth group ski trip!

Guest: Pampa youth group (Pampa, tx)
Date of Stay: 01/27/12 Review Submitted: 01/30/12

Our group had 12 people in it and this place had plenty of room for us all! Everything was very clean and in nice condition; the beds, the kitchen, the hot tub, the big porch, everything.. We stayed over the weekend and skied at Monarch. It's a bit of a drive to the mountain, but worth it for the price of the rental! You won't find another rental in the area for that price that can sleep 12-14 people. The "town" of Howard is very small with not much to it, but Salida is just a few miles up the road. Overall it was a great place and we have no complaints.

Owner response:Thanks for the nice review, glad you had a good time and it worked for your group. Thanks again, Janet

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

Family from kansas

Guest: Outdoor ' 72 (Geogia)
Date of Stay: 09/12/11 Review Submitted: 09/28/11

The house was wonderful and Janet was very helpful and easy to deal with. We loved the view, the river and the quiet here! A great place to vacation and we would certainly come back. Thanks!

Owner response:Thanks for your kind review..hope to have you back soon.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, sightseeing.

perfect for family relaxation

Guest: Colorado Family (Aurora Co)
Date of Stay: 07/08/11 Review Submitted: 08/04/11

Our family of 11 (5 kids) had a great time with plenty of room and plenty to do. The house felt like a true home away from home...beautifully decorated, furnished with everything you could need and lots to keep the kids occupied when not fishing ( board games,basketball, horseshoes or trying out the hamocks!) We all enjoyed the hot tub at night and eating on the deck in the shadow of those gorgeous mountains. The river was too high for fishing during our visit(due to an unusual amount of snowpack this winter) but the deck along the river's edge looked wonderful when the river's running at a normal level. There is plenty of fishing in the area though...we drove up to O'Haver Lake every day during our stay. The owner was very attentive and responded promptly to all questions. Thank you very much..we had an awesome time! Would most certainly return when in this area again.

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

Fantastic spot for famly vacation

Guest: Anonymous (Colorado)
Date of Stay: 07/01/11 Review Submitted: 07/24/11

This home proved to be the perfect spot for our family vacation. There were eight of us (four adults, four children) and we had plenty of room – room to gather as a family and room for some quiet and privacy when needed. We ate most of our meals out back on the deck enjoying the view, the wildlife and the sound of the river. We made use of the hot tub every night under the stars. The house is well equipped and nicely furnished. There is a basketball hoop in the front, horseshoe pit in the back plus hammocks to relax in. Bandera’s Bunkhouse is just on the other side of the river and has a great cowboy dinner and show. We had a wonderful, relaxing time here and will be back.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, people with disabilities, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Best vacation yet!

Guest: Colorado dreamin' (Hays, Ks.)
Date of Stay: 05/26/11 Review Submitted: 06/29/11

We vacation in Colorado every year, but we all agree that this year was our best vacation yet. The home was beautifully decorated and perfect for our large family. In fact, I think our 5 kids could each have brought a friend and we still would have had room! The views were amazing and we loved the choice of activities in the area. Our only problem was deciding which activities to do and which to save for our next trip! Janet was very helpful which made our stay just that much more enjoyable. We will definitely be returning next year and so appreciate having such wonderful accommodations.

Owner response:Thanks for the nice review. We just returned from the house where we enjoyed a week with all our children. We also made repairs, bought a few end tables and some art and did some yard work. It is very hot and dry right now but the river is high. Glad the house can be enjoyed by many families like yours. Thanks again, Janet and Nick

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

A great family reunion retreat

Guest: wendy (illinois)
Date of Stay: 05/02/11 Review Submitted: 07/02/11

Casa Bella is so comfortable and spacious. The whole extended family had room to spread out on the spacious deck with gorgeous river and mountain views. We had plenty of room for cooking and dining every evening. I appreciated that the owner was always accessible and responsive. Thanks for a great place to destress and to reconnect with family.

Owner response:As always, so glad you had a great stay and enjoyed our home. Thanks for the nice review and we hope you can come back soon. Janet

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

Soooo Relaxing

Guest: Vic (Colorado Springs, CO)
Date of Stay: 11/24/10 Review Submitted: 12/07/10

We stayed Casa Bella del Rio mainly because of the great reviews, so now I have another one to add to them! First off, Janet was such an easy person to deal with on everything. She was very accommodating for any of our needs or questions, and always very nice. The stay was just wonderful. The view from the back of the house was breathtaking. There were nine adults and one child with plenty of room to spare, and the master bedroom with the large fireplace was noteworthy. Shopping in Salida was just perfect because I think a lot of the population went to the big city to shop on Black Friday, so we were able to shop with no crowds. The jacuzzi is large and very comfortable in spite of the twenty degree weather we had. We won't think twice about staying again!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, people with disabilities, age 55+, families with teenagers, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Dallas Family

Guest: Texas Family (Richardson, Texas)
Date of Stay: 10/22/10 Review Submitted: 11/06/10

The home was a wonderful getaway! We were so impressed to see the beautiful snow- capped mountains from the deck. In the evenings we saw several group of deer too. The men ventured down to the river and caught brown and rainbow trout. It was so peaceful and relaxing. A lovely place. A great fall weekend. We will definitely be going back!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, sightseeing.

Very nice home!

Guest: Mountain Man (Hutchinson Kansas)
Date of Stay: 09/23/10 Review Submitted: 09/28/10

This is a wonderful place to get away from it all! The house is comfortable and has plenty of space for a large group or family. Plenty of bathrooms and bedrooms make it easy to get everyone ready in the morning! Wonderful views and owners are caring and helpful! I recommend this property if you like being near water with nice views of the mountains. There's plenty of parking for tow vehicles if you are hauling toys to the mountains. Plenty of nearby activites, fishing, hiking, rafting and four wheeling etc.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, people with disabilities, age 55+, families with teenagers, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Second Stay

Guest: Darin (Oakland Iowa )
Date of Stay: 08/22/10 Review Submitted: 08/31/10

I have stayed at this house 2 years in a row, first year we had 7 guys in there, this year it was 2 couples. There is plenty of room in the house, as well as 3 bathrooms.. makes things nice. the 2 master suites worked well for this trip as it was 2 couples, we were on opposite ends of the house, so you could have your time away. The deck is super, wonderful place to have a meal. The improvements they have done this past year are very nice, and make gettting to the river very easy. The planned improvements coming up can only enhance the house. Janet and her family are very nice, we had the pleasure of meeting her and her family when we arrived, they are very accomadating and helpful. We are hoping to do this every year, and hope we can stay in this wonderful place each time. It is close to salida, which has many things to offer. We come out and ride ATV's in the mountains, this house is in a perfect location, it is central to our favorite trails, we never spent much time on the road because of this great location.... we spent most of our time bouncing on the trails, but had a wonderful quiet private place to come back to and relax in the evenings. All in All, i would recommend this place to anyone, its a nice place, and as they continue to do improvements, it can only get better and better.....

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

Relaxing Visit!

Guest: Gina (Kansas)
Date of Stay: 07/23/10 Review Submitted: 09/06/10

This is a great house! Lots of room to spread out. We had three families stay and there was plenty of space for everyone. Close to shopping, rafting, and fishing. Great for the kids and adults too! Loved the views and the quiet nights. The deck is a wonderful place to lounge around.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

INCREDIBLE VIEWS!

Guest: Mom of Two (Vermont)
Date of Stay: 06/18/10 Review Submitted: 06/28/10

This house was a wonderful escape with incredible views, a huge deck, great hot tub, relaxing hammocks, big bedrooms, and tons of space. We had three families stay there and we had a fabulous time. The place is so relaxing and the views are really breathtaking. You can watch rafters go down the river and it is a short drive to Salida -- a great town to explore. We really LOVED our time at this place. The photos don't really capture how amazing it all is.

Owner response:Thanks for the great review, we just keep trying to make it better, we just got a new hot tub cover and we are getting new sliding doors and side windows ( more screens for a better crossbreeze) in October. Please come back.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, people with disabilities, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Wonderful Getaway!

Guest: RW (Colorado)
Date of Stay: 06/10/10 Review Submitted: 08/03/10

One of the best homes we have rented in Colorado! Beautiful views of the river from the deck. Great new staircase leading down to the water. Lovely new hot tub and views of the mountains. Very kid-friendly. We will be visiting again!

Owner response:Thanks for the wonderful review. We are so happy you had a great vacation. Please come back. We do not charge a security deposit for second time guests.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, families with teenagers, families with young children, sightseeing.

Perfect

Guest: Dad of three (Oklahoma)
Date of Stay: 05/30/10 Review Submitted: 06/06/10

What a perfect spot, views of the mountains, the sound of the river, and plenty of room to spread out with a big family. This house is close to rafting, hiking and anything else you might want to do. We enjoyed the Salida hot springs with the little kids, and the teens and older folks loved the rafting. Water flow at this time of year is a bit fast and cold for fishing or playing in the river by the house but the sounds were beautiful. The area behind the house are lower hills and rocks for shorter hikes. Just a beautiful place.

Owner response:Thanks for the nice review...others have said they gave a review but for some reason they are not getting through on the site. I appreciate your thoughtfulness. Janet

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

Great place for families

Guest: Krismas (Bailey, Colorado)
Date of Stay: 03/12/10 Review Submitted: 03/31/10

We really enjoyed the house. The location is a little out of the way for the skiing we were there for at Monarch, but not so much that we wouldn't stay there again. The drive to and from along the river is beautiful. Very roomy and kid friendly. Beds were comfy and kitchen was great. We skied during the day and fly-fished the river right out back in the evening catching some nice browns- hard to beat!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, families with teenagers, families with young children, sightseeing.

We had a wonderful time!!!

Guest: J8V2 (Hugoton, KS)
Date of Stay: 02/11/10 Review Submitted: 03/21/11

Wonderful place right on the river. Great getaway for winter skiing or summer fishing. The beds were amazingly comfortable. We will definitely come back as often as possible. Janet was great to work with! Plenty of room for 2 families with 3 boys each!

Owner response:Thank you so much for the nice review. We are glad you enjoyed the house and the surrounding areas. Always nice to rent to families like yours. As ever, Janet

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.

Guest: Connie Delzeit (Texas)
Date of Stay: 01/30/10 Review Submitted: 01/30/10

We stayed here in January and skied at Monarch, (about 35 miles away). The place was exactly what we were looking for, just a little ways off the beaten path. It was very comfortable with large bedrooms and a roomy kitchen as well as a large dinning room table to accommodate all 9 of us. We had a little trouble with the hot tub the first day but the owners took care of it right away. They were always very friendly and willing to answer questions. There is also an "owners manual" to help with any questions as well as ideas for things to do. Just down the road there is a place to go hiking which we did on our last day and it was a lot of fun. There was plenty of wood for the fire place and the kitchen was well stocked with pots and pans, dishes etc. We had enough room to spend time together or spread out if we needed to! To top it off there is a spectacular view and the setting is so peaceful.

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