Spacious Home with Spas/Gym in the Pasadena Foothills

• Christmas at Altadena

  Christmas at Altadena

  • Guest AlyFin
  • Date of stay 12/20/12
  • Review Submitted 02/14/13
  This property was perfect for our Christmas family gathering. Having travelled from Australia and New Zealand all we wanted was a large space where we could relax and cook and celebrate together and I can't imagine there would be too many other properties in the area that could supply that sort of "home-away from home". It's not perfect, but then, nor is my house! There is plenty of room for adults and teenagers to hang out separately or together, the spa pool was in excellent condition and the kids loved it. It was magic looking out the window and seeing squirrels leaping about and the privacy and large garden added to the feeling of being in a real home. Johnetta kindly called to make sure everything was fine on our first night and correspondence with Eric was expedient and straightforward. We walked up into the Angeles nature trail on Christmas afternoon which was fantastic and then back for our Christmas dinner - all being able to sit together at the fabulous long table in the dining room. The main lounge room is brilliant for post-dinner conversation and relaxing. Close enough to LA and Anahiem for the tourist stuff but so nice to come "home" to cook and catch up. I'd highly recommend this place for family and friends wanting to spend time together in a well appointed, character home.

  Recommended for: Romantic getaway, families with teenagers, girls getaway, adventure seekers, families with young children, pet owners, age 55+.

  Owner response: We've upgraded beds to include 5 queen size beds and a twin for 11 people, standardized maintenance procedures based on feedback, and have been proactive to make everyone's stay memorable. We're glad our international guests had an enjoyable time.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0

• Spacious, but frustrating

  Spacious, but frustrating

  • Guest Carvedheart
  • Date of stay 08/24/12
  • Review Submitted 09/19/12
  My husband and I rented this house for a family gathering with our children and grandchildren. He and I arrived first, and our jaws dropped when we stepped inside. So much room! So many bathrooms! And, of course, that never changed. But there were so many annoying problems. The smoke alarm was beeping as we entered. We called and left a message with Eric. Meantime, we went to the grocery and bought batteries (wrong kind...). On the phone, Eric told us where to find a drawer with batteries, so my husband stood on a chair and changed the battery. A quick tour showed us that there was no toilet paper in some of the bathrooms. Again, Eric told us on the phone where to find it, but there was none. Eric sent a text to say more had been ordered and would arrive - the day we left. There were used (hairy...ick!) soaps in the bathrooms, which we tossed before our family arrived. The auto-light on the gas range didn't work, requiring us to use matches, and gas flowed freely if the knobs were turned without lighting. Not good. Then one of the a/c units went out. This during a nasty heatwave. It was 96º in the kitchen while we were cooking our welcome dinner. Then water was flowing out from under the sink from the broken garbage disposal. The maintenance guy came to look, but didn't have the part, so we put a piece of tape over that side of the sink to remind ourselves not to use it for the duration. It was never fixed. But the most disappointing - the hot tub (which had been the only requirement we had - either hot tub or pool - when searching for a place) NEVER worked. It was dirty - slimy on the edges and filled with dirt and leaves. And apparently a breaker was out (as on the a/c), so the jets and lights didn't work. Our sons spent a lot of time trying to get it to work - trying to follow the instructions to get it chemically balanced. Eric sent someone over to get the electricity going - but the upshot was, that it was the morning we were leaving before the chemistry was in balance, and by then it was too late. Eric and others we spoke to were unfailingly polite, unfailingly sympathetic, but in the end, not much help. We were disappointed and wouldn't stay here again. We've had good experience with VRBO in the past, but we would do more research before using them again. The success of each property depends on its own management. It's apparent that having a great experience in one place doesn't provide assurance they will all be good.

  Owner response: Things do break. When told of problems we respond immediately. The breaker had tripped to the spa so it was not cycling daily to keep the spa clean and balanced. When notified it was not working, our tech came by and handled the problem. Similarly the breaker to the stove and one air conditioner (we have two (2) 4 ton units) tripped and had to be reset. The plumbing to the garbage disposal in the kitchen came loose (???) for some unknown reason and was later fixed. The smoke alarm battery needed changing and our tech was coming out to change it when notified. We were told that since the proper batteries were in the house, the guest would change it and the tech did not have to come. Old soap and no toilet paper is inexcusable. The housekeeping rule is to supply toilet paper in every bathroom and store 2 extra rolls under the cabinets. Housekeeping has been notified. Some things are preventable (soap and toilet paper supplies, semi-annual battery change) with quality assurance following a checklist. Some things are unpredictable and all we can do is provide timely response which we do and apologize for the inconvenience.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 3/3

• Great Location

  Great Location

  • Guest Joe
  • Date of stay 07/12/12
  • Review Submitted 08/10/12
  Location, Location, Location! The property is in a prime location for a quiet getaway. At times when you sit outside having your early morning coffee, you for get you are in busy LA. The house is very spacious, and the pictures accurately show the house. The owner was very accommodating and would fix problems when/if they came up. The house was clean and the property adequately clean, with of course with the understanding that living in a house surrounded by trees, you will always have leaves that will drop. The property is minutes from the Rose Bowl, and Brookside Golf Course. We travelled to Sea World (2 hrs away), Universal (1hr), Huntington Beach (1hr), we felt that it was a good location to go anywhere in the LA area. There is a outdoor public swimming pool that is a minute from the house. The house is probably about 25 years old, it shows a little age, but is a comfortable home. The Kitchen is well stocked, there are TV's in the major rooms. The hot water, and the shower in the master bedroom is fantastic. We plan to stay here in the future, and will recommend this to others. The owner needs stay on top of cleaning the leaves and landscaping in the yard. This house is a great place to stay and was perfect our needs of being close to the Rose Bowl (10 min away). I loved the house, it does have some age to it and some of the furnishings, but it had some charm to it too.

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

  Owner response: The home is in the greater Pasadena area which prides itself on being one of the oldest founding cities in Southern California with large, old, historical homes. This home falls in that category, being built in 1929 as a large house overlooking a running stream which is now a dry bed. We call this “the valley”. The breakfast room overlooks “the valley” where you can imagine what it was like as the adjacent mountain streams flowed into it. We do our best to maintain the Pasadena theme of historically significant houses while upgrading to modern conveniences. This house is modernized with ample electricity, lighting, outlets, internet, large rooms, yards, and patio areas used historically for entertainment. The area is nature sensitive being adjacent to the National Forest and a locally famous camellia/azalea nursery. The property flourishes with fruit trees, rose gardens, and vegetation to create areas for relaxation. The gardener comes once a week but we will look into the “dropping leaves” and landscaping issue more closely. The 52 olive trees on the property do drop every other year in the late spring and we will recheck nature’s cycle.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 1/1

• could be a great vacation spot if....

  could be a great vacation spot if....

  • Guest Kathy G.
  • Date of stay 06/06/12
  • Review Submitted 06/13/12
  This house could be perfect for a large group. There is plenty of indoor/outdoor space for everyone. However, the barbeque needs to be replaced. Not only is it old and rusted, it is only large enough for about 4 people. It just doesn't seem to accomidate for the size of the house. The kitchen was beautiful as was the landscaping. Cleanliness was an issue for us. Eric was great to have a housekeeper come by and change our bedding the first day as we found stains on the sheets. We chose not to use the hot tub as it was filled with dirt and sand. Overall, we were dissapointed as the house didn't seem to be maintained well enough to be rented out as a vacation home. The process in booking the home was quite extensive. It involved a lot of paperwork and emails going back and forth. If you are going to book this home, make sure you give yourself at least a month or two just to sort out all of the rental details and to give enough time to remind the owner to send you the necessary information. Promt communication was lacking on the part of the owner. We travelled to Universal Studios Hollywood while we were there. With traffic, it was about a 40 minute drive away. Otherwise, we didn't use many other reccomended attractions as we were there for a graduation. I would only recommend this property to others if some serious maintainance was done around the house. It has great potential to be a great vacation spot, as it is a very private, large property. My reccomendation to the owner would be to have the hot tub properly looked after, give the house a good thorough clean (especially the floors), provide a new and larger BBQ for the renters and make sure the walk ways are clear of mud. With those changes THEN I would consider returning and recommending the property to others.

  Owner response: The review addresses items out of context giving an exaggerated net effect. The composite of incidents may have given our guest an overall bad impression. Check-in is 4PM. Guests arrived at 1:30PM and said that this was prearranged. This took maintenance by surprise. Our crew quickly finished up and left. The result was incomplete outside work. In particular, final vacuuming of the spa left some sand particles at the bottom. However the water was crystal clear, tested and balanced. Spa surfaces were clean and not dirty. Our gardener returned to water vacuum after a phone call complaint. The house and spa are surrounded by brick patio, walkway, and driveway with sand filler in the cracks. Invariably sand gets on feet and can be brought into the spa and hardwood/tiled floors. A grit gitter is provided to remove small particles as needed. A sprinkler valve was replaced along the brick walkway leading to the front door the morning of the stay. A valve fitting broke that evening and an emergency repair was made. The guest expressed concern about the remaining water. Our plumber explained that water would drain into the ground. He left a phone number if there was a problem in the morning. A phone call was never received about remaining mud or water. This was an unusual, temporary circumstance. The guest expressed concern about a dirty master bedroom dark red sheet. Housekeeping returned to replace the sheets and remake the bed. When examined, both housekeeping and a guest agreed that the white on the sheets was most likely soap residue from excessive detergent on freshly washed sheets. The four burner hooded barbeque has a dual grill and griddle. In addition a propane turkey fryer is available. Our house is not in a neighborhood to support large parties. We allow 9 people to stay and critically review activities with more than 14 people. The barbeque is adequate to quickly cook enough for 9 people. We are very responsive. Sometimes things happen or mistakes are made. We pride ourselves on maintaining contact with guests to anticipate problems. On Day 1 we call to make sure everything is ok and leave a contact phone number. On the last day we call and e-mail. In this case, we made three additional visits responding to concerns during the 4 day visit.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/3

• The perfect house for a large family group or gathering

  The perfect house for a large family group or gathering

  • Guest Kerry
  • Date of stay 09/14/11
  • Review Submitted 09/22/11
  This house was perfect for our extended family group. The kitchen was well equipped to host a small gathering (about 20 guests), including a wonderful assortment of chafing and serving dishes. Electronics were above average, and there were lots of linens and towels to accomodate frequent trips to the hot tub. I have to admit we did not spend any time in the downstairs gym (except passing through to the washing machine)! But best of all were the numerous patios and comfortable lawn furniture that offered varied views of the beautiful olive trees in the lawn, the garden with its rose bushes, herbs and fruit trees, and the mountains beyond. It provided a convenient base for touring the mountains, Pasadena, Santa Monica and the Pacific Coast Highway. The owner provided parking passes so we could visit the Angeles National Forest, and we had a lovely picnic at Switzers.

  Recommended for: Families with teenagers, girls getaway, adventure seekers, tourists without a car, sightseeing, families with young children.

  Owner response: It was a pleasure having the house for a wedding. A pre-wedding dinner was held and at first we were concerned about the number since the home is in a residential neighborhood. The 1 acre+ property can easily accomodate the numbers. It worked out fine and we are now more open to small gatherings.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 3/3

• *SIGH* Relaxation !

  *SIGH* Relaxation !

  • Guest SoCalGal
  • Date of stay 04/29/11
  • Review Submitted 05/10/11
  We are a group of online friends who meet once a year, and each year we stay at someone's home state. Searching for a location that would not only fit our needs (wi-fi a MUST), but also budgetary concerns, and room to sprawl, was not an easy task. I looked at B & B's, hotels, motels, but none came close to this experience. I cannot say enough about this house ! Beautiful inside and out - lots of open space for the ultimate California experience - the spa and outdoor fireplace were a huge hit for our snow birds, and the lovely set-up of the different patios allowed us to migrate at will - following the sun, of course ! We left for the one big sight-see trip to the beach, but everyone wanted to get back to "our house" to relax. It really IS all it says it is. Everything was clean, well maintained, and just plain beautiful. If I hadn't forgotten a few key food ingredients, I doubt we would have had our usual big dinner out, preferring to stay "home". I can't recommend this house enough ! Thanks to Eric for making it all so easy, and being there when we needed him. He is a gracious host, and very understanding. I know I speak for all of us when I say this was truly a memorable experience, and we'll DEFINITELY do this again !

  Recommended for: Romantic getaway, girls getaway, adventure seekers, age 55+.

  Owner response: Normal stay is 1 week with partials down to three. This was our first time providing it for a 2 day stay and it worked out very well. Quests came from all over the United States and from Canada. It is pleasing to hear that our quests made it their "home" and enjoyed what we have to offer. We welcome them back to enjoy more of the Southern California experience anytime.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 4/4

• Tournament of Roses Fun

  Tournament of Roses Fun

  • Guest Wyoming
  • Date of stay 12/29/10
  • Review Submitted 01/20/11
  We recently stayed in this beautiful home during the Tournament of Roses festivities. It was everything the description says. We were traveling with a large group of a blend of families with an age range of 21 to 82 years young. The property was clean and welcoming. It was very accessible and accommodating to all. The yard and gardens are set up very nicely from relaxation/reflection areas to holding deck parties. It was very close in proximity to all the fun in Pasadena, and nearby sites, yet an escape from the maddening crowd. The owner was a very gracious host, checking our arrival, giving local updates and checking with us again on our departure. We would stay there again.

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

  Owner response: It is a pleasure when guests enjoy what we have to offer. We try to be accommodating to make the stay easy and carefree in the hustle and bustle of LA Metro. The house is located close enough to Rose Bowl activities to get to and from events easily, while staying out of the traffic of this metropolitan area and enjoying the serenity of the foothills.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 4/4

• “A Home Away From Home”

  “A Home Away From Home”

  • Guest Jackie the planner
  • Date of stay 11/23/10
  • Review Submitted 12/14/10
  I searched for a house for my family reunion in Southern California. I came upon this house in Altadena, submitted my application, and was approved. Warm and cozy, but very spacious and enough room for everyone! Everyone that entered this home had the same comment “I feel as if I’m at home.” My family loves to cook the kitchen was a great gathering area for us to cook and talk without feeling crowded, very spacious. We spent a lot of time in this area. The living room, we lit the fireplace and laughed and laughed and talked all night long. The children were able to socialize in the family room without the adults being in their way and them being in our way. With everyone coming and going the entire week of the reunion, it made for that country feel that we are use too, being from Mississippi. The unity we have amongst each other have grown and blossomed from this stay. I recommend this house to host company parties, retreats, couples in love, couples struggling to stay in love, families wanting that home touch and whatever your mind could think of event! If I had to plan my family reunion all over again I would pick this venue all over again. Thanks for a lot of great memories!

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

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 4/4

• Perfect Vacation Home - Beautiful and Comfortable!

  Perfect Vacation Home - Beautiful and Comfortable!

  • Guest JKXY
  • Date of stay 06/04/10
  • Review Submitted 06/11/10
  Everything listed in the description was true - large beautifully decorated rooms, lovely patios, decks and gazebo overlooking mountains. Our family of 8,older and younger generations, all found the living room, family room (with huge TV), dining room and kitchen perfect for everything we wanted to do - make meals together, play games, soak in the spa or just find a quiet corner to read. We were celebrating our son's graduation and this truly unique home and grounds added so much to our fun and making our stay feel very special. Our hosts were very welcoming, accommodating and helpful in answering our few questions and minor concerns. The location was 10 minutes from Pasadena and very close to LA - although we did not have time to see any sights on this trip - the house would be a perfect location for touring anywhere in the LA area: where there is something for everyone from the Beaches to The Huntington Gardens to Universal Studios. We would certainly recommend this property to anyone looking for a lovely, spacious home and gardens close to Pasadena and the LA area.

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

  Owner response: The house is truly very spacious with lots of amenities. We invite long term and short term stays.. Roses are in full bloom and the fruit trees will be ready for picking in July/August.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 4/4

$2250/week. Pro-rated for 3 days($1,286) to 5 days ($1,929); 2 days-call.
$150 Non-Refundable Cleaning Fee.
$1,000 refundable deposit returned within 14 days following stay.
Memorial Day,July 4th,Labor Day,Thanksgiving,XMAS and New Years rates may vary.
2 day stays require special review.  1 day stays or events with large number of
attendees are not permissible.
We accept credit cards and e-checks..

Note: Until confirmed, rates are subject to change without notice.