The pool is magical, the home could use some work.

Guest: Alberta Travellers (Ardrossan, Alberta)
Date of Stay: 07/24/11 Review Submitted: 08/16/11

We stayed here at the end of July 2011 after wanting for a few years to come and enjoy this place. The pool and view did not disappoint. This is probably the best pool I have ever been in. So relaxing and beautiful, you can spend all day in the pool and reading beside it. Watching the butterflies and lizards and hawks was an all day activity. We did feel that the house is in need of some TLC especially for a property at this price point. Cobwebs in the house and small items that needed repair (crooked kitchen doors, broken shower handle, un-swept leaves etc. around the property) With a little upkeep to this house, this really would be a terrific place to stay.

Owner response:This was great input.. and the first time we have had this input. We take great pride in providing an extraordinary vacation experience, and have replaced the shower handles, and our gardener is instructed to blow away the leaves from the overhanging trees from the walk.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing, age 55+.

A Truly Magical, Romantic, Relaxing and Memorable Vacation!!

Guest: Manda (Carlsbad, CA)
Date of Stay: 04/15/11 Review Submitted: 04/18/11

My boyfriend and I vacationed here in mid April for a weekend getaway from North County San Diego. This place was absolutely perfect and way trumpt all of our expectations! It was beautiful, secluded, private and full of nature. It was so peaceful and relaxing and designed perfectly to fit all of your needs. There was a small one bedroom down stairs and then upstairs by the pool was a second bedroom with a gas fireplace. There were gorgeous views of nature everywhere, candles, full equiped kitchen, movies, flat screen tv's, fire pit, salt water pool and jacuzzi, a cool rain water shower. This was probably the most unique place we have ever stayed at, we were very sad to leave and will definetly be back again! The best part was that it was only an hour from our house too! The only thing I could say that was a little fustrating was that the pool was literally freezing! It was one of the most inviting and beautiful pools I have ever seen so I wanted to get in so bad but then it was like ice. Sooooo luckly there were rafts and my boyfriend and I were able to float around in the pool enjoying it, without having to get to wet in the cold water. The people who own this place really did think of everything you might need to make sure you have a memorable vacation. We both highly recommend this place and are so grateful to have found this oasis :) Thank you Laura.......we will be back

Recommended for:Romantic getaway.

Jamul House

Guest: LabGIrl46 (New Jersey)
Date of Stay: 04/22/10 Review Submitted: 09/14/10

The pros..the view is unbeatable!! The house clean & well equipped.Unfortunately during our stay towards the end of April it was still too chilly to use the pool. The cons..VERY hard to find at night / owner should mention the very steep driveway..if we had rented a larger SUV it would have impossible to manuver that driveway...we could not get TV in main part of house & owners were not quick to return calls but the most disturbing experience was that my daughter left behind her brand new bathing suit & we made a few attempts to retrieve it but owners NEVER returned phone calls or e-mails :( Life went on but some acknowledgement would have been nice.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, girls getaway.

Stunning.......

Guest: Robin (Portland, Maine)
Date of Stay: 06/18/10 Review Submitted: 07/01/10

A stunningly beautiful retreat. We spent a perfect June weekend here. A more relaxing spot would be hard to find. Very close to San Diego, yet a million miles away........... Owner is thoughtful and accomodating. We loved every minute of our stay.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers.

Amazing Heights

Guest: Victoriaf (San Diego, CA)
Date of Stay: 11/14/09 Review Submitted: 02/17/10

This home is fabulous and is very conducive as a getaway where you feel like you are the only one on earth. It sits atop a mountain and has very good positive energy. One of my best memories is standing out on the balcony watching a red-tailed hawk soar only ten feet overhead, it was amazing to be at an altitude that was shared by such a magnificent creature! I will definitely come back in the future!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, girls getaway.

Awsome get away home

Guest: soup01 (Poway,Ca)
Date of Stay: 11/06/09 Review Submitted: 02/17/10

The driveway felt like you were going to the top of the world and the view once we arrived was stunning!!! Watching all the birds gliding by during the day, then the spectacular view of the stars while sitting in the hot tub having a few drinks was very relaxing. The sunsets were second to none and watching the fog settle down below the house and burn off the next day was fantastic to watch. The owners took great care to insure our stay was memorable and relaxing. the property was very well maintained and we look forward to our next stay. Kevin and Denise

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, pet owners, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+.

One word...Spectacular

Guest: The Green Man (San Diego)
Date of Stay: 02/09/10 Review Submitted: 02/14/10

We couldn't have found a more perfect place in the whole world. The house is other-worldly in its design. The pool had a few small oak leaves in it but the pool is build around and under this spectacular old California oak that you can swim under, so it just seems natural. The driveway was a little scary going up because of how steep it is and the fact that this place is on top of the world. But once you are up there it is FANTASTIC! The feeling of nature is so overwhelming and stimulating. The house was very well maintained. The beds were to die for. EXTREMELY comfortable. That and the isolation and solitude made me sleep better than I have in years. The stars at night were incredible. We just sat in the hot tub and watched them for hours. We could look straight up into the Milky Way and watch one shooting star after the other. I have had vacations where you return needing a vacation. But this place rejuvenated me like nothing I can compare with it. It's hard to believe it is only 1/2 an hour from downtown San Diego, yet seems so far away from anything. It was weird, time slowed down there and yet it went so fast. We did not want to leave Overall, we found our retreat very spiritually soothing and very grounded in nature. We feel grateful to have experienced this truly one of a kind home and will be back for some more as soon as we are able.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing, pet owners, girls getaway.

Away from it all

Guest: GG-LV (San Diego)
Date of Stay: 04/17/09 Review Submitted: 02/14/10

My girfriend and I stayed at this awesome place during one of our short getaway weekends in April 2009. After working long-long hours and being tense with stress during the previous 4 months, all it took was one weekend here to take it all away! We enjoyed ourselves in isolation with beautiful scenery, cool and constant breezes, and best of all peace and quiet! Being from San Diego, we have been to many different areas of the county for short trips, but, none compared to this place. It's not a Ritz Carlton or Hyatt Regency, but it was amazing how the material accomodations that we often associated with value became totally irrelevant here. The value we got from staying here came from all of the intangible things that make this place so special! We will definitely be staying here again....

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing, adventure seekers, age 55+.

Birthday retreat getaway

Guest: DawnS (Lakeside)
Date of Stay: 11/14/09 Review Submitted: 02/14/10

My husband and I spent a romantic birthday retreat up at the property. The pictures do not do it justice. Incredible vistas, red tail hawks soaring, and the pool and house were amazing. Very romantic and unique experience. We will definitely be back.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, pet owners, adventure seekers.

Views were amazing, but tidiness sub-standard.

Guest: _Disappointed (Minnesota)
Date of Stay: 09/20/09 Review Submitted: 09/29/09

My wife and I spent a week here for our honeymoon. We enjoyed our stay, but we will not be going back. The overall solitude provided at the property was, as advertised, fantastic. The sunsets and sunrises were beautiful, and the property was very well designed. On first inspection, this is an ideal location for a romantic getaway. Unfortunately, however, my new wife and I arrived to a property that had fallen into a state of disrepair. The floors and windows were dirty, there were cobwebs all over, the hammock was broken, and the sheets on one of the beds was full of dog hair. It seemed that, on our arrival, the cleaning crew had decided to take a few weeks off. There wasn't even enough toilet paper to last the entire week, and we had to run and get some. To be fair, we brought some of these complaints to the owners, and they did give us a small discount on our stay. We appreciated the discount, but the complaints mentioned above are unacceptable, especially for a rental property in this price point. It is very possible that these issues were an aberration (perhaps the cleaning crew really DID take a few weeks off without the owners' knowledge). If the property was clean and kept up better, I would highly recommend it. And it is not like it was unlivable or anything; we still enjoyed our stay notwithstanding the issues. It is more the fact that we expected more for the price that we paid.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers.