Very Special 3BR/2.5BA A&C House in Very Desirable Location

• Lovely house, highly recommended!

  Lovely house, highly recommended!

  • Guest Melissa C.
  • Date of stay 06/08/12
  • Review Submitted 07/30/12
  I booked the Walter Upward home for my family who were in town for my wedding. I was looking for a comfortable, spacious house for 6 adults were they could feel at home for a short while, and this house was ideal! The house itself is lovely, beautifully cared for, and with charming craftsman touches (the downstairs bathroom is a kind of marvel). The front porch was ideal for relaxing in the evenings and we had fun exploring the back garden and trying to identify the various fruit trees and plants. Heidi was very communicative and professional. She answered each of my emails and questions promptly and kindly, and left detailed instructions about the house and the surrounding neighborhood (easy to park, close to everything needed) that my family found very helpful. She was also kind enough to allow us to host a dinner for other out-of-town guests and the house made for a wonderful, easy, relaxed dinner venue. I would highly recommend this rental, and Heidi herself, and would happily book the house again!

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

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• What a charming and enchanted house

  What a charming and enchanted house

  • Guest Sue
  • Date of stay 07/30/10
  • Review Submitted 07/13/11
  We had such an wonderful time at "Walter"; I felt at home right away. I loved the back yard with an orchard and herbs, two libraries one with world classics the other on nature. We also enjoyed walking to Piedmont street for food and treats. It truly is an enchanted house with an ambiance of peace and happiness. We also enjoyed the foot bath, liked everything and all the convenience. The owner provided generous supplies of everything needed. The hand soap dispenser is also very cute and charming. I just can't say enough good things about it and I would love to come back again. Definitely will recommend to friends. "Walter" is a lucky house, too. We stayed here for the 2011 MTAC convention where my 10 year old son participated piano concerto competition. 2 days after we settled happily in the house, he delivered a dazzling performance - the best he ever did - on July 2 at Oakland Marriott City Center (Convention for Music Teacher Association of California). He not only won the state title in his division, he was also awarded the sole grand prize out of all contestants of all ages in the convention playing Beethoven's piano concerto No. 1, 3rd movement. http://www.youtube.com/user/yangyangpiano The owner makes great effort to ensure guests are happy and feel at home. I really appreciate everything she did for us. Again, many many thanks!

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

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

• Great House

  Great House

  • Guest Lei
  • Date of stay 07/06/11
  • Review Submitted 07/12/11
  Our family (mom, dad, 2 adult daughters, son-in-law, a 3 year old and 10 month old) stayed here for a week. The house is spacious, with enough room for small children to move, though the lovely details include delicate objects which were moved to higher ground! The description is apt, the 2 large bedrooms are large with very comfortable king sized beds and the third is much smaller with its own half bath. The couch is the living room is exceedingly comfortable. Even the window seats in the living room were comfortable. Heidi was very responsive regarding questions and concerns - we couldn't figure out the television/cable set up and someone came right over and fixed it. We noticed a small leak with the washing machine and Heidi herself came to attend to it. We were there for a trash day as well as street cleaning. They took care of the taking the trash to the curb and Heidi reminded me twice to make sure no cars were parked on the street cleaning side of the street. A huge bonus are the 2-3 off street parking spots that come with the house. The back yard is filled with citrus trees, plums, and flowers, with a table to sit at and enjoy the view of the neighborhood robin gathering material for a nest. A grill and picnic table were there though we did not have time to use it. We did pick a couple of the sweetest plums we have ever tasted from one of the trees! The location is great. The neighborhood was holding a block sale on Saturday (apparently a yearly event) and my 3 year old nephew found a Thomas the train set down the street which was then set up in the big living room! The neighborhood is nice and conveniently located to shopping and restaurants. We went into the city several times, and depending on the time of day, traffic was a challenge, but if it wasn't during rush hour, it was easily done in less than 30 minutes via the Bay Bridge. I would recommend the Walter Upward House to anyone.

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

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• Family gathering and cooking

  Family gathering and cooking

  • Guest Sparre
  • Date of stay 04/16/11
  • Review Submitted 05/10/11
  A few weeks ago my wife and I spent a week in the house, where we made preparations for our son's wedding. We had a great time. The house is very special, and impeccably maintained -- and lots of shoping within walking distance. The bedrooms are big, with comfortable beds. The kitchen, which was important to us as we were cooking for the wedding, was great. Very well equipped, with everything working. Our other son and some friends came to stay with us, and we all a wonderful time. Not to be missed is the garden, with lots of citrus trees and herbs. This place is great, for just relaxing and for having an informal -- and even formal -- dinner.

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, romantic getaway, age 55+, tourists without a car.

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

• Family Gathering and Comfortable Sleeping

  Family Gathering and Comfortable Sleeping

  • Guest Marilyn and Ed
  • Date of stay 12/30/10
  • Review Submitted 01/10/11
  40+ years ago my 2 brother, my sister, and I graduated from Oakland Technical High School. We've all since married and had kids and grandchildren. Every year our families and extended families and friends in the Bay Area get together for New Year's Eve and New Years Day. This year our oldest brother had health problems, so we couldn't use his home for the gatherings. We contacted Heidi Price, Walter Upward house's owner, to see if we could rent Walter for food preparation and our gatherings. Heidi was very helpful and accommodating, and we were able to get Walter Upward house for 3 nights, including New Year's Eve. We had a smallish group for New Year's Eve (the younger kids had their own partying to do) and first thing New Year's Day we started cooking. The kitchen had everything we needed to cook in. Many of our family still live in the Bay Area, so they also cooked at their homes. There weren't a lot of large serving platters, so we brought our own. We also brought in 4 folding chairs and one card table. On New Year Day, we had about 35 to 40 people come through Walter. The most we had at any one time was about 25 people. The front-room/dining-room accommodated most of the folks, and the large kitchen was used as over-flow. The large dining-room table handled all our food, and there were lots of chairs and other seating for the group. The weather was cold, but the backyard seemed set up to accommoate more people. There were two bath-rooms downstairs which was very convenient. We do a after-Christmas gift ex-change, and we all could squeeze into the open living-room/dining-room space. The only draw-back was finding parking for all the folks that came to our gathering. Some people had to park a block away and walk to the house. At the end of the evening, we all cleaned up. Heidi refunded over 50% of our cleaning fee because we followed the suggestions in the Rental Agreement and the Welcome letter and left Walter Upward house pretty much as we found him. We also got our full Security Deposit back. Oh yes, for those of us who slept in the beds...they were very comfortable and there were plenty of blankets to keep warm. All our family was thrilled with Walter and how it worked out for us.

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, age 55+.

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• Couple with 2 adult daughters, a son in law and a grandchild, spent 12 days for sightseeing and rest

  Couple with 2 adult daughters, a son in law and a grandchild, spent 12 days for sightseeing and rest

  • Guest Lorenzo
  • Date of stay 12/18/10
  • Review Submitted 01/06/11
  The Walter Upward House has the best and most geniuine Oakland architectural flavor, both the exterior and the interior. It worked very well for my family life, with wide and comfortable spaces. The location is very nice and quiet, with good and attractive services in the vicinity. We ended up spending much more time in the near area than anticipated, since it was so nice. The house is well equiped for cooking, eating, sleeping and family gathering. The Mountain View Cemetery, within walking distance, is a wonderful space as a garden and a jogging track; with steep slopes, enormous trees and a view of the San Francisco and oakland Bay that is spectacular. Also, dealing with the owner, Heidi Price, is a delight; she's kind and helpful. We spent a great vacation at the Walter Upward House, feeling at home.

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

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

January - Dec: $770/2 nights...$325/third night...$2180/week
Holidays: $890/2 nights...$390/third night...$2380/week
One week minimum Thanksgiving & Christmas holidays.
Rates higher on major holidays; no discounts for third night on minor holidays
2 night minimum 

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