Balboa Island - Tropical Beach Cottage in Paradise

• Satisfied Customer

  Satisfied Customer

  • Guest Yule
  • Date of stay 02/08/13
  • Review Submitted 02/21/13
  We stay here for one month each year. We love this little house. It is older and well lived in, but that adds to the charm. The house is clean and well stocked. The owners are very nice and helpful. This is an excellent value for the rent paid. We plan to return next year.

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

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

• Mixed Rreview

  Mixed Rreview

  • Guest Traveler
  • Date of stay 01/07/13
  • Review Submitted 02/13/13
  The furnace occasionally did not work in our rental.  We were told by owner that their unit (which was connected to our rental) shared the furnace and when they were using it, we could not.  Dishwasher did not work properly.  The dishes did not come out clean and there was a very thick film left on the dish ware.  When I told the owner the problem, she told me I could wash the dish ware by hand,  Fleas were in kitchen and family room.  We complained to owner and she told us we must have brought the fleas in from the beach.  However, we had not yet been to the beach.  The fleas were present from the moment we walked in to the rental. Several kitchen drawers were dirty when we arrived.  Dish towels were stained and looked very old.  Bed linen was also stained. The kitchen was not fully stocked when we arrived.   Good location.  Big kitchen. It was nice to have bikes in the garage to use.

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

• Great home away from home.

  Great home away from home.

  • Guest Rob
  • Date of stay 07/01/12
  • Review Submitted 11/26/12
  I felt compelled to write a review after the absurd previous review of 1 star. My family and I have stayed here twice and looked again for 2013 but unfortunately she is already booked for the dates we want. The house is great. Short stroll to beach and a street off downtown. I don't know what more you can ask for. I would highly recommend this property if it's available.

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, families with teenagers, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, adventure seekers, families with young children, pet owners.

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

• Incredible summer vacation!!

  Incredible summer vacation!!

  • Guest Family from Colorado
  • Date of stay 07/07/12
  • Review Submitted 07/14/12
  Thank you so much!! We had an incredible vacation with our family and your house is beautiful. You had everything we could possible want. We look forward to seeing you next.year!!!

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

• Nerve Racking and Totally Unsatisfied

  Nerve Racking and Totally Unsatisfied

  • Guest JohnDelia
  • Date of stay 06/16/12
  • Review Submitted 06/25/12
  We were scheduled to stay in this house for the week of June 16 through June 23 2012. We only made it to day 5. The ad is very misleading which caused us numerous problems from parking in a "garage" to sleeping quarters that rate below motel six. When dealing with the owners it was very obvious that they were only concerned about the money. When we mentioned to them are dissatisfaction we were told to leave! Like they say "if it sounds too good to be true it usually is". If you still insist on trying this place out make sure you have a backup plan for motel accommodations. I can't post my email address but if you want further information on this place or the owners, please contact VRBO and have them forward your email to me and I will respond.

  Owner response: We are sorry for your unhappy visit. We have rented our beach house for the last couple of years with great success and a lot of returning visitors. Our beach house looks exactly like the pictures on VRBO. Your concerns about the garage: we have a 2 car garage with 1/2 space taken up with beach bikes, ping pong table, beach chairs, wagon, etc for guest to use at the beach and make their stay more enjoyable. The garage is not for oversized trucks. Our sleeping accomodations are for 7 as stated in VRBO. Some families bring more. Also, we encourage all visitors to read the instructions for the house so everything runs smoothly including street sweeping. The person who wrote this review was not a party to the lease. We received their check the day before check-in and it was not able to clear the bank. After clearing late Friday, they stayed until Thursday wanting a full refund for 7 days. After late night emails, we refunded 2 nights stay. The grandmother's grandchildren had a ball, they biked, played ping pong, skate boarded and played at the bay, we wish he could have enjoyed himself as well.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 5/5

Sep 11-May 29, 2010 .. $1950/week .. $4,000/month
May 29-Jun 26, 2010 .. $2500/week
Jun 26-Sep 11, 2010 .. $3200/week 
Summer rentals are Saturday-Saturday (1 week minimum)
10% Newport Beach occupancy tax and $125.00 cleaning fee
50% due upon booking reservation & remainder due 15 days prior to arrival

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