Art Lover's Retreat

• Amazing home, Beautiful property!

  Amazing home, Beautiful property!

  • Guest hortywho
  • Date of stay 08/03/12
  • Review Submitted 08/14/12
  This was my first time staying in Santa Barbara and I must say it was one of the best weekends I've ever had. Liz was great! She was very communicative and accommodating. I/We would stay here again in a heartbeat! All of us who stayed are appreciative and happy to have made this home our choice for the weekend. We will all highly recommend this to our friends and family! Thank you!

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

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

• Fabulous Weekend Rental

  Fabulous Weekend Rental

  • Guest Tasha
  • Date of stay 06/15/12
  • Review Submitted 07/24/12
  My family rented this home for the weekend. My cousin was graduating from UCSB and we all came into town to attend the graduation. The highlight of the house was the backyard. Our family just sat in the sun and BBQ'd in the backyard on Saturday. It was a gorgeous day in Santa Barabra! The house was perfect for all the guests, all the rooms were comfortable and clean. Next time we head to SB for a long weekend, we will absolutely be coming back to this Art Lover's Retreat!

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

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

• Amazing Vacation Retreat!

  Amazing Vacation Retreat!

  • Guest A
  • Date of stay 08/06/10
  • Review Submitted 05/10/11
  I have rented many vacation rentals in the past and this home surpassed all of my expectations! Beautiful home with all the amentities you would need! Plenty of room for all of your guests, beautiful artwork everywhere, comfortable rooms and outdoor seating; this place has it all! Close to downtown, yet the feeling of privacy! If you are vacationing in Santa Barbara area, this is the best! I would come back again and again!

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

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

• Excellent in Every Way- Far Exceeded the Description and my Expectations

  Excellent in Every Way- Far Exceeded the Description and my Expectations

  • Guest Jamey
  • Date of stay 04/07/11
  • Review Submitted 05/01/11
  > Cloud Cover(Seattle, WA) must have had his head in the fog < Excellent in Every Way- Far Exceeded the Description and my Expectations Quiet Street, Surrounded by Trees and Lush Garden. fresh lemons and oranges just outside the front door, Wi-Fi, Amazing art and and artistic furnishings. Great sound system, Secluded Deck on second floor and nice lawn on the lower level, Modern Kitchen. Great Hiking in the foothills just up the street. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay an the property manager Liz helped us learn more about the place before we booked and then settled us in nicely when we arrived.

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, girls getaway, romantic getaway.

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

• More than we were hoping for!

  More than we were hoping for!

  • Guest A
  • Date of stay 05/07/10
  • Review Submitted 05/01/11
  This property was more than we were hoping for. We were greeted by the lovely property manager who was not only helpful before we booked the place, but also gave us several tips about the surrounding area and the house itself upon our arrival. We were a larger group (eight adults), and the house was spacious enough for everyone to have their own private space along with plenty of room for communal meals and hanging out. The quiet street was a big plus as were the beautiful wraparound windows on the second floor. The kitchen was impeccably clean and stocked with all the necessities for cooking anywhere from appetizers and cocktails to full meals. The deck is, well, decadent--a great place to enjoy music and the relaxing verdant garden. The best part though, is the art. Anyone who has ever fantasized about spending the night in the museum will get to live out their fantasy here. Beware, though, this place might make you want to relocate to Santa Barbara permanently. Then your biggest problem in life might be: "Where are we going to go on vacation, my love?!"

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

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

• My Stay Was Great!

  My Stay Was Great!

  • Guest Paul G.
  • Date of stay 04/17/11
  • Review Submitted 04/27/11
  I rented the house BEFORE reading the review where the short-term guest said the house wasn't clean. I don't know what they expect because during our stay, the house was immaculate and lovely! I have a VRBO house in the high desert and I am very particular about every detail. Clean, spacious and lots of light and color. This Santa Barbara house is in a great location -- seconds to the 154 to go to the wine country -- minutes to the "La Cumbre" shopping and a short distance to downtown and to the beaches. Where the other guest felt unsafe, I felt at peace in the quiet, foothill setting. I felt absolutely enchanted with the whisper of the creek -- miles away from the stress of home. The owner clearly must have a fascinating life as the art is fun and exotic. What a nice experience!

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, tourists without a car, girls getaway, families with young children, adventure seekers, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers.

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

• Not as nice as the photos and description might seem...

  Not as nice as the photos and description might seem...

  • Guest Cloud Cover
  • Date of stay 08/12/10
  • Review Submitted 12/08/10
  We booked this property after having very positive experiences renting four other properties, in various cities. Those previous rentals were each for a fairly high-end (though not lavish) property and they had each lived up to our expectations. Unfortunately, our experience with this property was very different. We don't want to be overly critical, but would like to provide information from our experience, in the hopes that it provides a more accurate picture for others who might be interested in this property. Cleanliness: This property was nowhere near as clean and well-maintained as our previous rentals. The carpets had stains and were the kind where one feels hesitant to walk on them barefoot. One of the bathrooms had confetti debris left in the bathtub (from the previous renter). There were also numerous stains on some of the furniture. The pot holder in the kitchen hanging from the ceiling had cobwebs. In short, it seemed dingy and quite grungy, rather than clean and inviting. Security: Several of the windows on the main floor were difficult to close securely and a few of them could not be closed because there was no "catch" into which the window latch could engage. In addition, the deadbolt in the front door did not work. Given how many windows and sliding doors the house has, we did not feel safe/secure at all. Poor Maintenance: Several items weren't working. The light fixture in the entry did not work. The wireless Internet access did not work. Several of the rooms had side tables with lamps or radios, but with no outlet anywhere near them for those items to actually work. Neighborhood: We were visiting Santa Barbara to consider it as a place to move and had arranged to see homes with a realtor. She told us that when she heard where we had rented a house, she thought "Uh oh" because she doesn't think of this location as particularly nice. And certainly not what she'd wanted our first exposure to Santa Barbara to be like. Summary: After a sleepless first night worrying about security and feeling like things were grungy, we decided it wasn't worth being miserable and so cut short our rental by leaving the next morning. We were told that the owner had only recently decided to rent the property. Unlike others who do this with care, it seemed this was simply for monetary reasons and not without much attention to doing it in a professional manner.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 3/4

• AMAZING!

  AMAZING!

  • Guest Molly
  • Date of stay 07/02/10
  • Review Submitted 07/06/10
  The Art Lover's Retreat is AWESOME!!!! It was such a wonderful house to spend a weekend in. One of the best vacation rentals I have ever stayed in! Great location, very inviting decor, all the amenities you would need....I could honestly go on and on. I will definitely be back. THANK YOU ART LOVER'S RETREAT for a great weekend!

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

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

• Guest comment entered by owner

  • Guest Michelle
  • Date of stay 03/14/10
  • Review Submitted 03/23/10
  Love the house... Jesus was our favourite!

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/1

• Guest comment entered by owner

  • Guest Stacy's getting married
  • Date of stay 03/07/10
  • Review Submitted 03/23/10
  Thanks for the use of the house, it was perfect for the party and its beautiful

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

January 15-April 15, 2013... $550/night 2 night minimum
April 15-January 15 2013 ... $600/night 2 night minimum
Weekly rate is $50 discount each night
$200 cleaning fee
$1,000 deposit returned within 2 weeks of stay
High Season rates apply to all major holidays
3 night minimum for all major holidays

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