Vacation Rentals by Owner

Great location, nice people and an awesome view!

Guest: Barbara (Indianland, SC 29707 (near Charlotte, NC))
Date of Stay: 04/15/12 Review Submitted: 04/24/12

My husband and I stayed for a week in the Baja Suite. We enjoyed the accommodations (decorations were nice and we had a comfortable bed). The location was perfect to walk into town for the shops or ice cream and was convenient to the many local restaurants. But the best times were just sitting on our deck and watching whales and dolphin swim by our place. They were clearly visible even without binoculars (although bring them!) It was a peaceful get away! Saundra, one of the owners,and her staff attended to our every need. She couldn't have been nicer! Her restaurant recommendations were of a local flavor with appropriate beach ambiance and great food. We traveled to Carlsbad for a wedding and we are very lucky to have been to this wonderful beach community. We would love to return to this place

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with young children, romantic getaway.

Amazing beach location: Hotel room is great! Can't beat the price

Guest: Kileen (Arizonia)
Date of Stay: 03/11/12 Review Submitted: 04/08/12

Great place. I am a traveling nurse and I stayed in the hotel room because they did not have any suites open. The hotel room is a cute little room that is just a bedroom and a bath but for the price and the location it can not be beat-what a deal. When a suite finally opened I moved to one of the ocean front suites. These room was so spacious and nicely decorated. I had originally planned to only stay here for 4 nights then move to a place closer to my next assignment. I ended up staying 2 weeks and commuted. I really hated to leave this wonderful place. The people that stay in this building were so nice. The lady that owns the place made sure that I was introduced to the family staying in the suite next door and when I got home from work the neighbors often had a plate of dinner waiting for me. We would all sit on the deck and shared stories. I really looked forward to coming back to my beach home. When I left, I had new friends. You can bet that I am going to ask to get re-assigned to Carlsbad again so I can bring my grandchildren. This is such a lovely place

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

A wonderful beach escape

Guest: wenlee (Oakville)
Date of Stay: 11/04/11 Review Submitted: 11/08/11

This is the first time my husband and I used VRBO for renting a vacation spot. We had such a good experience!! The Ocean Villas is a wonderful place to stay. The owners made it very simple and easy for us to rent this spot for just a few last minute nights for us. They were very good about the cleanliness and enjoyment of our stay. We stayed in the Baja - 1 bedroom that was perfect for the two of us. When we walked in the room, we both were thrilled with the beautiful view of the ocean and spacious living room.They were very organized - we were sure everything we needed to know was either in the binder they provided us or little reminders/sign instruction throughout the suite. Unfortunately the weather was cool and we were not able to use the fire pit on the balcony, which we were looking forward to. Although every night we watched a gorgeous sunset and during the day watched all the surfers take to the waves. The beach was never crowded and my husband even watched a pod of dolphins swim by one early morning. The balcony we stayed in was not 100% private but worked fine for us. The location cannot be beat...We ate at Caldo Pomodoro Italian Restaurant which is a family owned Italian restaurant that were very informative about the meals, friendly, fast service and catered to us. We walked for dinner every night and we enjoyed the Sunday villagefest with SO many vendors!! Everyone in Carlsbad are so friendly! We felt very much at home in our little suite and loved falling asleep to the sound of the ocean. We both agreed we will never rent another hotel again.

Owner response:Wendy and John, Thank you so much for taking your time to write such a lovely review. I can not begin to tell you how much it meant to me to know that you enjoyed your stay. Having such a positive review truly helps our business. Since we are family owned, we take a lot of pride in making sure that we do the best that we possibly can. We sincerely try to make people feel that they are guests in our home, not just strangers on a stop over. We have been so pleased that so many come back year after year and have become our friends... not just guests. I never thought that my retirement years would be so enriched by all the new lovely people that I have been so blessed to meet. I am so very glad that you were able to attend to the Faire..Even though we had a bit of rain we got lots and lots of goodies. I went to the Street Faire with one of our guests and came home with so many wonderful gifts. The Carlsbad Village Faire is the best. I will pass on your kind words to the owners of the Caldo Pomodoro Italian Restaurant, they too will appreciate your wonderful review. Thank you again for your review and I hope that when you come back to the United States that you will once again come to stay with us.

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

Great Trip

Guest: Mike (Las Vegas, NV)
Date of Stay: 10/28/11 Review Submitted: 03/21/12

On the arrival the staff was friendly and helpful. Great location, my family had a short walk to Carlsbad for dinner. We also had a great BQ dinner at sunset on the patio over looking the ocean. The beach 3 steps away from our patio..(great for kids)We stayed here for location to go to Legoland and fell in love with Ocean Villas.....

Owner response:Thank you so very much for the lovely review on VRBO. We love our vacation rental and try really hard to make sure your stay is one that is the best it can possibly be. We feel that our place is not just a resting place but one where we care about you and look forward to having you come back over and over. Needless to say, it is so easy for people to complain but when people enjoy their stay, writing a special note to say that you had a wonderful experience is not something that most people will take the time to do. I can sincerely tell you that we love the positive feed back and it makes all the little things that we do seem so worth it. You touched our hearts by writing this note months after your stay.

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

WE HAD A FABULOUS TIME. WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU STAY HERE.

Guest: Dawn (Arizona)
Date of Stay: 09/11/11 Review Submitted: 10/20/11

WE LOVE OCEAN VILLAS !!! Sitting on the ocean front patio around the fire pits is the best thing ever. The rooms are lovely and it is so pleasing to walk into the rooms. The ocean views take your breath away. The kitchen had everything you could want. I like walking to the restaurants that the owner recommended and found that it was more fun letting someone else make the meals and then bring them back to my patio to enjoy the view. Try the deserts at Pronto's, you won't be disappointed. The brownies are amazing. After we got back home to Arizona we were talking to some friends telling them about this cute little place we found in Carlsbad, we were raving about what a wonderful time we had on our vacation. Our friends asked where we stayed, we were shocked when our friends said that they had been going to our little place for years. They love this place. They said that they had been trying to keep it a secret because they did not want everyone to know about their favorite place and take their spot. Well, I can see why. This is truly a hidden treasure. The owners are amazing and they made us feel so unbelievably welcomed. They had a list of places they recommended for discounts and after a day of shopping we stopped by the office to show off our purchases from a cute clothing shops called Lavender Blue- we got a 10% discount. The owner, Sandra, was so excited that we liked her recommendations. You can really tell the owners try very hard to make sure you have the best stay possible. I felt like I was a guest in their home. Every time I talked to anyone around the building they commented on how much they love it here and they seemed to know the owners personally. They all had such nice things to say about them. It really seemed like a big family. One of the owners just published a book and gave it to us, he even signed it. Were we ever impressed! WOW. These are great people and the place is awesome. WE HAD A FABULOUS TIME. WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU STAY HERE.

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

An Oceanfront family fun experience.

Guest: Woody (Seattle area)
Date of Stay: 07/02/11 Review Submitted: 07/11/11

A stellar family getaway!!! This was the easiest vacation ever and it is so due to the fact that everything about the accommodations and the environment exceeded our expectations. The place was immaculately clean and tastefully done in a "At the Beach" theme. At first sight we fell in love with our beach home for a whole 7 days. undoubtedly we will do this again and again!!! Oh yeah, we flew in, what a pleasant surprise to have all the beach things we needed already available, breach towels, chairs, umbrellas, boogie boards, etc. This saved us some money for sure!!! Yes! My family and I highly recommend this beautiful place!!!

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Paradise Found! at Ocean Villas

Guest: RG (SM, CALIFORNIA 92078)
Date of Stay: 03/05/11 Review Submitted: 03/06/11

Absolutly stunning. Beach front and caring attenative staff. Clean and did I mention ... beachfront building is located right on the sand within walking distance to the quaint Village of Carlsbad. , large beach front patio's with Fire Pit and BBQ.

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

We love it here

Guest: Janet (Scottsdale)
Date of Stay: 08/21/10 Review Submitted: 01/25/11

Our whole family rents 3 of the suites plus the little hotel room every year. Each family loves having their own suite with kitchens. Every night we take turns hosting the family dinners in the different rooms. One room is for singing, one for playing games and one for just sitting around and talking. Our younger married children enjoy coming with us cause they can afford the hotel room and yet have their own privacy. This is the cutest beach hide- away and we love it here. Lots and lots of wonderful family memories. Our children grew up vacationing in this building and now they are bringing their children to start their own traditions. We would not go anywhere else. This is a very special place and we absolutley love it. WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND the penthouse and the one bedroom suites.

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Great Place to be

Guest: kzee (Phx, AZ)
Date of Stay: 07/06/10 Review Submitted: 07/06/10

Wow - unfortunate experience and too bad you gave this place such a bad rap. We have been staying in a unit for the past 10-12 years, for two weeks every year, even before the current owners. Everyone has been very respectful of the privacy of others and the sound as well. Looking at when you were there, maybe there were some recent graduates or something, because what you describe is certainly not the norm! The owners, Sandra and Bill, are wonderful to deal with and have really spruced the place up. They are constantly putting in new and improved amenities. You are on the beach from every aspect of your visit. Once you get there and 'lay in your supplies,' you can walk to many restaurants, stores, etc. Totally relaxing. There are fire pits and bar b ques on the deck as well as lounge chairs and regular chairs to enjoy the views and the water. Can't think of anywhere I'd rather be! Hope you have an opportunity to try it again...Only problem I have is this website that won't let me enter a future date of arrival...

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Beach Villas

Guest: VABush (Surprise, AZ)
Date of Stay: 05/20/10 Review Submitted: 05/27/10

The view was awesome and the location was great! The noise level was so loud at night from the other tentants that we were unable to have a relaxing good night sleep. In the contract it states no party's but there were party's going on each night. The gal at the front desk informed me that one of the nights there was going to be a get together above our room. It seem to be more than a get togther every night because the noise level was to the extreme that my 19 month old kept waking up and we were as well. I would not recommend for families with little ones.

Owner response: We would have done everything possible to have corrected the situation had we known. Wecan not solve problems when we do not know about them, but I can guarantee you that if we know something is not right, it WILL be taken care of immediately. We do our best to make sure that people know we are not a party place. If we have even the slightest indication when someone is making a reservation that they might want to rent our property for a party or large gathering, we advise them that we can not take their reservation.. We also state clearly in our reservation form that parties are not allowed. Lastly, we have our guest sign a registration form that once again states that parties or large gatherings are not permitted. We take a great deal of pride in making sure that our guests enjoy themselves when they stay with us. Our visitors are not renters, they are our guests and we treat them as we would guests in our home. As a result, many of them come back year after year. A large number of our guests have become great friends and we have gone to their weddings, birthdays, barmitzva's, and we have even gone on vacation with some of them. We care about the people that stay with us and we treat them as we would like to be treated. From Ocean Villas

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, families with teenagers, girls getaway.

Right on the beach!

Guest: Brian (Los Angeles)
Date of Stay: 05/19/10 Review Submitted: 07/14/10

Perfect location, my room was two floors above the sand! Lots of privacy, amazing views, perfect place to stay. I will be back for sure. Right on the beach, walk into town, never used my car while I was there.

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

Simply Perfect...

Guest: Norm (Naples, FL)
Date of Stay: 05/19/10 Review Submitted: 07/14/10

This by far is the best place in Carlsbad to stay while on your vacation. It doesn't matter what time of year you visit. My room was clean and comfortable and the staff was second-to-none. Highly recommended; I wouldn't stay anywhere else in North County!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, people with disabilities, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, pet owners, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

This Property Is AMAZING!!!

Guest: Matt (Inland Empire, CA)
Date of Stay: 05/17/10 Review Submitted: 07/14/10

What a prize for me and my family! I have been staying at this location, in almost every room for over 10 years and it only gets better each visit. The staff are incredible and completely at your service. The accommodations in each room make you feel like you are at home on the beach, only an interior decorator has invaded and made it better. You want for nothing and you never want to leave. Amazing to me that someone would actually ever complain about their stay here. Maybe they just like to complain...

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, people with disabilities, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, pet owners, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

Guest: John (Phoenix, AZ)
Date of Stay: 02/06/10 Review Submitted: 03/05/11

As soon as I walked into my suite I fell in love with this place. What a wonderful getaway. It had everything that was promised. Right on the beach. The rooms were very comfortable and clean. We walked into the village every night for dinner but if I had wanted to cook the kitchen had everything I needed. Best part for me was sitting on the balcony at night by the fire pit with my wife and a glass of wine listening to the ocean. I have booked another trip here in the fall. Cannot wait.

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