Vacation Rentals by Owner

Warm and Welcoming

Guest: JoJoJac (Utica, New York)
Date of Stay: 01/25/12 Review Submitted: 04/01/12

Spent the week in Santa Barbara for my Mom's 75th. We loved downtown, it's so charming. There were plenty of shops in every price range. The house was very comfortable and quite clean (my Mom is a bit of a neat freak and she was happy!). The mountain views are beautiful and there are peaks at the ocean. The yard is private and quiet and we enjoyed using the BBQ for a couple nights' dinner. When not BBQ'ing, we ate out a lot. Loved Los Arroyos and Savoy Cafe on Figueroa and also Pascucci and Jane on State Street. The private parking area is down below the house (nice to have) so there's a flght of stairs up to the property and taking luggage up is a little bit more work than other places. We weren't too concerned about it, but thought other renters might like to know.

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

This Birds Nest has everything you wish

Guest: Karin (Uppsala, Sweden)
Date of Stay: 12/17/11 Review Submitted: 01/15/12

This house has everything we wished for for a Santa Barbara vacation - close to beaches, mountain views (and ocean d:o! with sunsets), nice and safe area, close to the pleasant Mesa Center with quality food stores. To be able to walk (or jog) to pick up morning bread - unusual, but valuable to us. Both the dining area outside and the backyard are very private. We loved the jacuzzi and the flowers in the well kept garden (lawn watered every morning). The house inside is decorated in a tasteful and cosy way. VERY comfortable beds! (Our visiting adult children however had preferred twin beds instead of the - beautiful - queen one) Thanks to Scott and Lynn for answering questions and being so ready to help the few times we needed. Things to do besides beach walks was visits to Ellings Park and Douglas family reserve nearby, easy to reach and with marvellous sunsets. Our young ones enjoyed tennis and tried a couple of gyms. Santa Barbara Yoga center a welcoming place with a huge variety of classes. Favourit restaurant Olives and Lemon. All in all, we´ll certainly come back!

Owner response:Axel and Karin, thanks very much for this kind review. Was a genuine pleasure to meet and chat with you both - wish there had been more time to visit and share a cup of coffee/glass of wine. We look forward to being neighbors again in November. We'll see you soon. Lynn and Scott

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

Just a wonderful place to stay

Guest: edx18 (HAcienda Hgts, CA)
Date of Stay: 09/19/11 Review Submitted: 09/26/11

Sherry and I had a very wonderful time. We just could not get over how marvelous are stay was in you place. The kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms and the detail made us feel right at home as soon as we walked in.

Recommended for:Girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Perfect location!

Guest: Jayme (Manhattan, KS)
Date of Stay: 09/15/11 Review Submitted: 09/22/11

This was our first trip to Santa Barbara, and we came so I could participate in my first Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. The house was perfect for us - very clean, beautiful views of the mountains, close to the start of the walk and to the beach, and most importantly, the outdoor hot tub was essential after walking 13.1 miles! We would definitely stay in this house again should we return to Santa Barbara. We enjoyed the numerous parks just down Carrillo along the coast and were very impressed with the amount of green space saved right on the coast as parks. We walked on the beach at Shoreline Park and also at Ledbetter Park, where we also had some great fish tacos at the Shoreline Beach Cafe. Albertson's was quite close for grocery shopping, and we ate breakfast and lunch at the house most days. However, we did venture out for breakfast one morning and loved the breakfast at the Mesa Cafe in the same shopping center as Albertson's.

Owner response:Jayme and team, thanks for the comments on the home and surrounding areas. Most importantly, thank you for taking time out of your schedule to help find a cure for Breast Cancer. We saw many of your pink-dressed comrades all over town and were both inspired and shocked at the same time; shocked at the huge volume of good-hearted people walking for the cause. Hope you took home great memories from the weekend.

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

So Relaxing and Pleasant

Guest: Miller Sheen (Boston, MA)
Date of Stay: 08/08/11 Review Submitted: 09/27/11

Our family of five had a really great time at Casa Cortita. The kids loved the beach boogie board and skin board and played several of the board games. We hiked to both Rattle Snake Canyon and Inspiration Point (found in the home's hiking books) and ate a couple times down in the Mesa Village (Rose Cafe and Giovanni's). The views of the mountains were lovely and we felt lucky to catch a couple beautiful sunsets during our stay (thanks to a rogue thunderstorm). The furnishings and beds were very comfortable and the house was clean (and I'm a bit of a neat freak...). We are hoping to return to our home-away-from-home next summer.

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

Pleasant Stay

Guest: Richard (Oregon)
Date of Stay: 08/08/11 Review Submitted: 09/27/11

We had such a wonderful time in Santa Barbara at Casa Cortita. The house is so sweet, furnishings are new and the beds were very comfortable. My kids are ping pong players so that went over quite well. We enjoyed the boogie board and other beach items. The views at this home are lovely and we had a few nice sunsets. We are eager to return to our home-away-from-home next summer.

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

Great Place

Guest: Lovesantabarbara (Hartford, CN)
Date of Stay: 06/14/11 Review Submitted: 09/28/11

Clean, great views, quiet area, close enough to be where we needed to be in a few minutes. The place has parking for one car and free street parking too. We had trouble last year being downtown and finding parking so this was a treat. We used the BBQ and sat outside to eat most nights. The birds were singing and the palm trees from a neighboring property singing in the wind. We totally got carried away with the Santa Barbara scene. We shopped on State Street on a couple occasions and there were the typical high-end places, but my daughter and I found a few cute boutiques with all clothes $20 or less (one was $10 or less). Great memories were made...loved it.

Owner response:So happy to hear you guys enjoyed your vacation and this home, but we're even happier to hear you found great treasures on State Street. At one time everything was so expensive it was just for special occassions so it's been a treat over the last couple years to see these fun boutiques pop up. Hope to see you guys again in the future.

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

Ridiculous rental

Guest: Francisco (Burlingame, Ca, USA)
Date of Stay: 04/06/11 Review Submitted: 07/24/11

Be carefull with the owner and their ridiculous demands. When we arrived the entrance to the garden was unkept and dirty. You could notice that a person was living there fulltime because all his stuff was in the house. The photos of the house aren´t what they are. The owner, when you arrive is constantly spying on you therefore you don´t have any privacy as she lives next door. We feel she is a crook and out to get more money out of you so be careful renting this place.

Owner response:Unfortunate situation... This guest smoked inside the home, was charged to clean carpets, drapes and linens and that is likely the reason for the misstatements above. No one but vacation guests live in this home, spying is not done, photos are up-to-date, and the garden is maintained weekly. In seven years of renting to wonderful guests, including smokers who light up outside, we've never had an issue with smoke smell. We cherish our guests, each one of them, and to that end only charged this guest half of what it cost to remove the smoke smell, nor did we pass along the charge for the discount provided to the next guest who commented about the smell.

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Rest & Relaxation

Guest: Rose (Visalia, CA)
Date of Stay: 11/28/10 Review Submitted: 12/07/10

My husaband and I enjoyed our stay. It was a much needed vacation. My husband got in a lot of golfing and I hung out and did a little shopping and nothing at all. The house sets nicely among trees that provided some privacy. We would definitely visit again.

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, girls getaway, pet owners, romantic getaway.

Guest: Piper Family, Wisconsin
Date of Stay: 02/01/10 Review Submitted: 09/21/10

Comment from TripAdvisor.com: "We love our February home-away-from-home on Calle Cortita in Santa Barbara. We especially love the location of this small house, in the hills overlooking the city of Santa Barbara. We love getting away from Wisconsin winters and living in Santa Barbara in a neighborhood where we can walk to wonderful stores, to the Ocean, downtown for lunch. We love winter walking without worries about ice and snow. We love looking at the sky over the mountains as we sit at the breakfast table in the mornings. We love the patio at our little house in the hills. This is our Feb. home."

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Cute and Clean

Guest: Thania Polopolus
Date of Stay: 01/09/10 Review Submitted: 02/22/10

From the homes' guest book: "Thanks Lynn and Scott. We love our little "home-away-from-home." Perfect spot for me. Was private, yet close to downtown and the stuff I needed to do during the week-long trip. Beds were really comfortable, house was nicely lit and decorated and the BBQ was perfect for sunsets with friends. Thanks.

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Calle Cortita

Guest: Tom and Nancy
Date of Stay: 11/10/09 Review Submitted: 01/22/10

What amazing views! Thanks for a lovely stay. The house was clean, well-stocked, and the beds really comfortable (sheets, mattresses, etc.). We will be back!

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Cottage to remember

Guest: Gayshige (Grand Rapids)
Date of Stay: 09/17/08 Review Submitted: 10/07/08

Really nice place. Didn't want to leave. It was comfortable, clean and in a location that was both relaxing and close to shopping. We walked to the market and organic produce stand a couple times during our stay. We loved Scezchuan Chinese and Rose Cafe. We sat outside reading books, sipping wine, and enjoying the sun (we're from the UK afterall). We loved ping pong - we lost a few balls. A longer stay and more playing would have helped! Thanks again for an amazing place to rest our feet.

Recommended for:Sightseeing

Cute home in lovely neighborhood

Guest: Grandma Jane (South Barrington, IL)
Date of Stay: 07/02/08 Review Submitted: 07/15/08

We enjoyed our one week stay. We particularly enjoyed eating outside and having a barbecue grill. The beds were comfortable and sheets, towels, et.al were nice. We liked the view and were pleased with the neighborhood. We just wish it had a dishwasher.

Recommended for:Families with young children, girls getaway.

Cutest Cottage!

Guest: Happy Family from Bend (Bend, Oregon)
Date of Stay: 05/05/08 Review Submitted: 06/02/08

Thanks a bunch for renting to us for our two week stay! The kids had a blast. We love the views and the layout of the home (bedrooms in back, living up front). The yard was great for our kids to play; fenced and easy for us to see them. I think my favorite part of Calle Cortita is the location - at the top of a little hill and close to a bunch of great stuff. Cute place! We are coming back!

Recommended for:Families with young children

Really Convenient and Quiet

Guest: Cindy Hampton (Omaha)
Date of Stay: 12/01/07 Review Submitted: 01/22/08

This was our first trip to Santa Barbara and also to use a vacation home. We were pleasantly surprised. When we drove up, the house didn't look like much from the street - clean, etc, but not a knock-out. Up the stairs we went and entered the patio where we were blown away by great the views. The house was decorated really nicely and stocked up with everything we needed. We were less that four minutes to pretty much everything we did during our five day trip. The only thing we wished the property had was a dishwasher, other than that it was a really awesome stay.

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

Cute, quiet

Guest: Vacationer (California)
Date of Stay: 05/01/07 Review Submitted: 07/23/07

We stayed for a week in this place and had a great time. The house isn't huge, but there was plenty of space for us especially because of the patio and outdoor furniture which, being right off the living room and kitchen, was like another 500 square feet of living space. The decor is super cute. We've not experienced a vacation home this well-stocked in our six years of vacation home stays. Ping Pong was fun as was the hot tub - jets were good at soothing sore muscles after our sailing and body surfing at the beach. We took walks to the Village for groceries and dinner. If you like to park your car and walk, this house a good one. The "Village" - as they call it - is 15 minutes and uphill on the way home, great after stuffing yourself at Alcazar (tapas bar) or Sczechuan Chinese - yumm

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