Getaway for 12

Guest: TomandWayne (Julian, Ca)
Date of Stay: 12/22/09 Review Submitted: 02/02/10

The home was nice, clean and well stocked. There was very poor cell phone service (dead zone) and the home wireless system often would drop it's signel. The walls were very thin and you could hear what was being said in the next room. When the toilet was flushed upstairs you thought there was a major leak in the room underneath it. The owners seemed a little rough. They did not communicate well both before and after our stay to the point we were not sure we had the home until we arrived. It was odd that we were required to strip our beds when we left. It took a month before we recieve our deposit back. Overall the place was nice but I do not feel that it was worth the amount of money we paid. I do not think I would stay there again.

Owner response:Yes, the cell phone service poor (for ATT and T-mobile) great for Sprint and OK Verizon, but I offer free long distance land line. Wireless system signal is Great-only can be problem outside 0.5mile away. The outside walls-6-8inches thick (everything per California building code-plumbing too). The group pays second 50% of rent-a week before arrival with “bad” check, and I let them in (without payment), -I was OK, almost 3 hours later-got credit card payment which was approved next day-no problem -I trust people. I required from my guests-do not strip beds-I’ll take care of it. It was some damaged items and a lot of cleaning work-I tried to communicate with guests,but got no cooperation-and I said-no problem and return deposit back. About future stay-it is your choice, I not sure about my too.

Recommended for:

An Amazining House and a Great Place for a Getaway

Guest: Drew (San Jose)
Date of Stay: 12/01/11 Review Submitted: 12/15/11

Several of my old college friends and I (and our wives) get together for an annual pre-Christmas weekend getaway. The group of 8 of us has rented many vacation homes together, and the "Celebrity Villa" is absolutely at the top of the list. For as amazing as this house is, the nightly rate is a great deal. The large high-caliber kitchen worked out great for 4 guys making a massive feast. The location is ideal. It's a quiet neighborhood, but near enough to make getting to Healdsburg, Santa Rosa, Sonoma and Napa all very nice day trips. We had a phenomenal time. While it is true that ATT service was pretty spotty, there is wi-fi, which (if you have an iPhone on ATT) allows you to send iMessages, so this drawback didn't impact us at all. Now for the negative stuff: I read several other posts about it being "well stocked", and for the most part it was...but we found that it was missing aluminum foil and soap. I can understand not having the foil, but missing bar soap (in the showers) was a minor annoyance, but the kind of annoyance that can be fixed for a couple of dollars. So yeah, that the sum of things this house is 3 bars of soap away from being absolutely perfect...and I suspect that was just an oversight by the cleaning crew...so when you rent this place there probably will be soap, and you will have a 100% perfect experience. I completely recommend this house! If you are picking the location for a group getaway, choose this house, and your friends will all THANK YOU! This place is that good. You will not be disappointed and your friends will think you are a star for finding this gem of a house.

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

Great House Great Location

Guest: Jane (Alexandria, VA)
Date of Stay: 10/01/11 Review Submitted: 10/09/11

We just came back from staying at this lovely home. We had an adult group of 7 people. All of us had lovely accomodations. The beds were very comfortable. The house is clean.The owner is very nice. The location is great! The kitchen is amazing. We stayed for 7 days and cooked several times during the week. The kitchen is well stocked. Most wineries and restaurants are withing 20 miles in any direction from the house. We all would go back. We recommend this house to anyone who wants to visit wine country. The only issue in the area is cell phone coverage. None of us could get a signal in the house. We had to go out on the front porch to get a signal. There is WIFI in the house.

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

Just what we wanted!

Guest: Kevin (Michigan)
Date of Stay: 07/13/11 Review Submitted: 08/12/11

Five couples rented this beautiful home from Anthony to celebrate my 50th birthday in July 2011. Not only is the home beautiful and spacious but in a very good location. Plenty of privacy, spacious bed rooms, great amenities including everything you need in a kitchen and outdoor grill and patio, Our guests enjoyed their rooms and the kitchen/family room easily accomodated all10 people. We had plenty of space in the dining room for a nice meal. We look forward to renting this property again. It easily could comfortably accomodate at least 12 people.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, romantic getaway, age 55+.

Spectacular!!!

Guest: Jay and Jan (Flint, Michigan)
Date of Stay: 05/27/11 Review Submitted: 07/06/11

We spent Memorial Day weekend celebrating our daughter's 30th birthday with family and friends. What a perfect home to accommodate all of our guests! After long days touring wineries, we enjoyed having dinner in by cooking in the well equipped kitchen and eating (14 of us one night!) together at the dining room table. Everyone enjoyed the hot tub and pool table. It really is a beautiful home and a stay we will be fondly remember forever. We highly recommend this property-ENJOY!

Recommended for:Girls getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers.

Wonderful Home

Guest: Kirk (San Francisco, CA)
Date of Stay: 02/18/11 Review Submitted: 02/21/11

Just returned from a weekend at this property with 11 adults. The place was VERY VERY well stocked with the stuff many rental properties lack (tons of nice towels, every kitchen appliance you could want, lots of dishware, DVDs, blankets, etc. As noted by the owner, cell phone reception is poor, but wifi is reliable, and the house phone provided works just fine. Owner was great, and offered to come to the place when we arrived and showed us how to use the hot tub, fire pit, grill, and other amenities - and gave us recommendations and discount coupons on local wineries. It should be noted there are only 5 actual bedrooms in this home. There is a nice, large, entertainment area upstairs with a pull out bed that is fine - but you walk through this room to get to the other three bedrooms upstairs. Thanks for a great, relaxing place to stay this weekend -

Owner response:Dear Kirk. Thank you very much for visiting my villa. Your guests were very nice and I was happy to have all of you. I am sorry for confusion. Bedroom #6 private with private covered lanai-balcony. My cleaning crew will open per request or if they know size of group. I am living 5 minutes away and if you asked I coming almost no time. Thank you!!!

Recommended for:Girls getaway, sightseeing, age 55+, families with teenagers.

Best vacation ever! I would surely recommend...

Guest: Nancy (Fort Lauderdale Florida)
Date of Stay: 12/17/10 Review Submitted: 12/25/10

This house was splendid in every way. We spent the week before Christmas there and everything was perfect. We traveled from south Florida and arrived to this hillside retreat after a delayed and late flight. The house received us with holiday decor and the warmest and most comfortable showers and beds. Every detail of this home is special. We love to cook and the kitchen is a cook's dream. We grilled by then outside fireplace under the stars in the magnificent outdoor kitchen. We visited wineries by day and relaxed in our haven at night. We tried a few local restaurants, all cozy and lovely. Home is close enough to do day trips to San Fran. We were a small group, my husband our two grown children and my son's girlfriend. Easily, the home could accommodate more guests and for us it was perfect for togetherness and yet ample privacy. We enjoyed the jacuzzi, the many fireplaces and overall ambiance. Thank you to the home 's owners...you were great to work with and so welcoming... As the saying goes," it is not where you are for the holidays rather who you are with".... For us it was both. We all work really hard all year and this was a perfect gift to all of us, sharing the magic of the holiday season In an ideal setting with our cherished loved ones. Merry Christmas to all and hug the ones you love! you

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

Worthy of Architectural Digest

Guest: Pam T. (Los Angeles, CA)
Date of Stay: 10/29/10 Review Submitted: 11/12/10

I spent a ridiculous number of hours of research every large home in all of the Napa and Sonoma valleys looking for a nice place in the wine country for four very discerning couples where no one would have to feel they were relegated to the equivalent of a kid's room. This home certainly filled that requirement. As mentioned above, it has two master suites along with three very large bedrooms upstairs. Two of the upstairs bedrooms share a bath, 'Jack-and-Jill' style, but no one would feel slighted for staying in any of the bedrooms. Yes, this house REALLY is every bit as good as the pictures you see here suggest -- and better. The owners are professional interior decorators with impeccable taste. I took more photos of the decor and architectural details of this house than I did of the wine country in general. Beyond that the house itself is beautiful, the accommodation is extremely well thought out. Olga and Anatoliy (aka "Anthony") have truly tried to think of all of the things you would have at home and need would here. The kitchen is fully set up for cooking and entertaining. There are a wide variety of cooking spices and staples such as ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise for you to use. They also have coffee and a nice selection of teas. You get to unwrap a fresh kitchen sponge. The bathrooms have quality bath gels, shampoos and conditions and high quality hair dryers. The bedding is plush. There are extra large towels to take out to the big whirlpool spa. The propane tank for the fire pit is full. There are nice afghans to wrap up in while watching either of the two big screen TV's. There are plenty of movies, in different genres, to watch if you don't like what's on cable. Local calls are free. Yes, the free wireless connection may not be lightning fast but you aren't staying in Silicon Valley, you're staying in Sonoma Valley with lots hills and open land, so what do you expect? We also appreciated that the owners also have notebooks of flyers from the local wineries and restaurant menus and even a few tasting coupons. I look forward to staying here again. I can pretend that it's my own home, straight out of Architectural Digest...

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

Looking forward to our next stay!

Guest: ErinAnto (Belmont, MA)
Date of Stay: 05/31/10 Review Submitted: 06/07/10

This villa exceeded our expectations! The listing on this property is spot on and even better in person. The house/bathrooms/kitchen was immaculate upon our arrival. The spacious layout was perfect for our group of 8 and had all the amenities (and then some) that were promised. This was the perfect place to come back to after a day of visiting the vineyards to prepare a nice meal and relax by the fire. The property is close to many of the wineries, some great restaurants and a reasonable ride to downtown Napa/Sonoma. I would definitely recommend having a car when staying at this property. Some recommendations include Willi's Wine Bar, the town of Healdsburg and St. Helena (wineries, nice downtown area and outdoor activities), and The Girl and the Fig Restaurant in Sonoma. The owner came by on our first day to check in and make sure we knew where everything was, how to work the appliances and make sure we were comfortable. He made sure we had internet access and were aware that we could use the landline because the cell phone service in the area isn't so great for many carriers. I would recommend this property to anyone and we are actually looking forward to the possibility of staying at the villa next year!

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

This place is absolutely AMAZING!!!

Guest: venken18 (Washington DC)
Date of Stay: 05/10/10 Review Submitted: 05/18/10

I cannot stop raving about this house rental and I would recommend to absolutely everyone!! First, the house is as beautiful as it looks in the photos. Every single room is beautifully decorated and extremely comfortable. However beyond being one of the most beautiful houses I have had the pleasure of staying in, what sold me on this place was the service. Unlike most rentals, this house had a lot of homey touches like shower gel and shave gel in the showers, baskets full of bath salts and lotions for your use, spices in the kitchen, movies and games in the living room, and a fully stocked kitchen cabinet. Even better, the owner was very available and willing to help - on Monday night we discovered a small ant problem. He brought out an exterminator Tuesday morning. We had an excellent time and I look forward to coming back. If you are visiting wine country with a large group of people and don't mind being a little further from the vineyards - I HIGHLY recommend this house!!

Recommended for:Girls getaway, romantic getaway.