Vacation Rentals by Owner

WHAT A VIEW!

Guest: Izzy (San Francisco)
Date of Stay: 01/06/12 Review Submitted: 01/12/12

The Raven's Roost is amazing! A jacuzzi perched on the most beautiful ridge you've ever seen, a fantastic 8 mile hike right out the front door (from which you can see the Farallon Island AND the ocean on the other side of them!), plenty of parking, a lovely and fully equipped kitchen, beds galore, a BBQ, easy access to Pt. Reyes Station and Inverness... I could go on and on. Tom, the owner, was responsive to email (much appreciated when you are, like me, using VRBO for the first time and don't totally understand how it works) and even sent along restaurant suggestions, directions, and a note welcoming Raven's Roost guests. I recommend this place highly to anyone wanting to plan a getaway for a large group. We had spectacular weather, but I can imagine the place being equally charming on a cold, rainy day. I will be back, that is for sure!

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

Made our Christmas one of the most memorable ever!

Guest: SHS (San Francisco)
Date of Stay: 12/23/11 Review Submitted: 01/08/12

We brought together two families for a family Christmas gathering, and Raven's Roost provided the perfect setting. As others have noted, the space is roomy so that no one feels underfoot or crowded, but also cozy and inviting - we spend a lot time lounging in the main room. And, there are plenty of separate bedrooms and nearby trails for those needing a break from the group! The space is clean and well maintained, but also comfortable for children (we had two children in our group, 6 and 8). My only regret about the amenities was that I didn't use the hot tub more often! In terms of the surroundings, a nice surprise was the Inverness Ridge Trail. Blessed with some unusually warm December weather, we hiked to/from Limantour Beach - took us all day, but so worth it. Made us feel lucky to live in CA. Another highlight of the sunny weather was that view! We could see--and even hear cows--clear across Tomales Bay. As the trip organizer, I was particularly impressed with Tom's responsiveness throughout the whole process from booking to departure. He was consistently accessible via phone and email, and very clear in his communication and responses to my questions. In fact, he was the only VRBO owner to give me a call after I submitted my initial inquiry. Finally, Raven's Roost is a true value - very affordable without sacrificing quality, cleanliness, and detail. The poinsettia and complimentary bottle of wine were a welcoming touch. We would definitely return and I'll recommend RR to other large groups!

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

Raven's Roost!

Guest: MD (San Francisco)
Date of Stay: 11/11/11 Review Submitted: 11/28/11

Great place. My friends and I have stayed at RR twice now and enjoyed it thoroughly each time. It's a beautiful house in a beautiful, quiet setting. The kitchen is excellent, and the house is quite roomy and comfortable. The view from the windows is stunning. We plan to stay in this house many times in the future.

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

Raven's Roost - Excellent!

Guest: Susan (El Cerrito, California)
Date of Stay: 08/12/11 Review Submitted: 08/16/11

Our stay at Raven’s Roost was terrific! The house is so beautiful. We woke up with the sun blazing through the window and the fog below. The fog drifted away early and we enjoyed the Point Reyes Station Farmer’s Market and Heart’s Desire Beach. It was a thoroughly wonderful stay.

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

Wonderfully located escape!

Guest: SML (Oakland, CA)
Date of Stay: 02/08/11 Review Submitted: 02/19/11

Three couples with lots of individual plans shared a wonderful retreat at Raven's Roost. The property is spacious, allowing privacy for everyone. The living and dining rooms and kitchen were perfect for sharing cooking and meals, and the wi-fi allowed us to do some work as well. The decks and hot tub allowed us all to be outside and enjoy the view, the stars, and the fog moving in and out across Tomales Bay. We sat and read, soaked, visited, hiked near the house and also on several Point Reyes trails (all wonderful). Went to Limantour, to Drake's Bay, Chimney Rock, to the Lighthouse - saw whales, elephant seals, even a bobcat (not near the house). Ate in Point Reyes Station, had coffee, shopped, looked in the galleries. One of us had to join the group a little late, and reported getting from Berkeley to Pt. Reyes Station in just about an hour. This place is easily accessible but feels SOOOO far away! Owner was terrifically helpful and available by phone for questions. Furnishings, kitchen equipment and bedding were all just great - there is one charming but very beat up green leather chair that stayed occupied most of the time. For our purposes this was a perfect place. I'd recommend it to everyone, but you'd need to keep a close eye on small children. We had a fire going in the evenings in the wood stove - took the chill off and kept us cozy. Sunrise from the hot tub? Just dreamy! And the weather was perfect as well.

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

Beautiful location

Guest: Patti (Snohomish, Wa)
Date of Stay: 02/08/11 Review Submitted: 02/18/11

We loved our stay at Raven's Roost. This is an incredibly beautiful location and a very comfortable house. The views, from most every room, of Tomales Bay are spectacular. There's plenty of room to spread out and give everyone, our group was 6, room to themselves. We'd recommend a stay at Raven's Roost.

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

Best vacation home in the area

Guest: Madeleine (Oakland, CA)
Date of Stay: 11/18/10 Review Submitted: 12/13/10

The Raven's Roost is fantastic. We're vacation home veterans. We've rented a *lot* of them over the years. I know what's out there - the good, bad, and everything in between. This property is at the top of my list. We intend to return again and again, as do the other folks we spent the weekend with. Every vacation home should have some trait that makes it really special & memorable. With Raven's Roost, it's the views. Without a doubt. The home was designed so that you can drink them in from every vantage point - from the bedrooms, the kitchen, the hot tub, the decks, and from that gorgeous main room with the cathedral ceilings. It's breathtaking everywhere you look. The setting is just phenomenal. Another plus is that the bedrooms are spaced so that you aren't running into your "housemates". There's ample room, even with a large group. We never felt like we were disturbing or tripping over one another. We made good use of that huge dining table, too. I loved that it seated all of us. The owners were responsive, friendly and professional. A couple of very minor matters: we were at Raven's Roost during a cold snap and while the home's heat works really well, it takes a long time to get going. Some of the bedrooms had space heaters in them but not all. We had to share them for a bit. Also, the house was a little lower on some basic provisions than I'm used to. But since we'd brought own for the most part, it wasn't a problem.

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

Expansive but cosy

Guest: Kn (San Francisco)
Date of Stay: 09/16/10 Review Submitted: 09/23/10

Raven's Roose is the perfect setting for a family gathering; a beautifully designed house but comfortable and welcoming as well so we all felt right at home the minute we walked in the door. There were 8 of us in the house, plus 4 children, plus my inlaws in the guest house. The kitchen, living room, dining room combination works exceptionally well for family cooking, eating and socializing together. The "to die for" views out the huge living room windows only added a sense of awe to everyone's experience. Typically unpredictable Point Reyes weather - but it didn't matter. Each day we were in the clouds, above the clouds or basking in the glorious sunshine - sometimes all three in one day and each experience uniquely wonderful. Don't miss the Hog Island Oyster experience in Tomales Bay!

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

Family Gathering at Raven's Roost

Guest: Marijke (San Francisco)
Date of Stay: 08/13/10 Review Submitted: 09/30/10

We had a family gathering (ages 10 to 56) at Raven's Roost in August and the house (and extra cottage) were perfect for the occasion. The living/dining room was well suited for a variety of activities ... including just relaxing on the comfortable sofa ..... enjoying the beautiful view towards Tomales Bay. The kitchen was very well outfitted (but it does cry for a breadknife to slice the delicious local Brickoven Bread!). We enjoyed walks on the Inverness Ridge trail where we picked huckleberries, a drive to Nicks Cove for a feast of superb oysters, a morning at the Farmers Market in Point Reyes Station and, of course, a visit to the Tomales Bay beaches. We look forward to returning to Raven's Roost for another family gathering next year!

Recommended for:Families with teenagers

Raven's Roost is truly the top of the top

Guest: Shotgun Players (Berkeley)
Date of Stay: 02/04/10 Review Submitted: 09/22/10

Our theater company has stayed long weekends at Raven's Roost for three years running. The place is incredible. There is room for everyone, a fantastic and well appointed kitchen, a beautiful living room to meet and spend time together, and a view of Tomales Bay that is unparalleled. During our meetings the whole group pauses to watch giant birds soaring below the windows. Very highly recommended. Hardly feels like a rental -- the furniture, bedding and other house details are all top of the line.

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Proceed with caution

Guest: Pokey (Gold Country, CA)
Date of Stay: 10/23/09 Review Submitted: 09/19/10

Great house, great view, great location. Could have been the perfect weekend to celebrate my 50th birthday and yet it was obvious the house had not been cleaned before we arrived. Very disappointing-still thinking about it one year later.My mother who was the person renting the house, called as soon as we arrived to state the condition of the house to the owner, she also wrote a letter requesting a refund on the cleaning deposit as we had to wash the rugs, dish towels and kitchen trash can. The owner never responded to my mother. Also, the hot tub was uninhabitable, eww!! I would recommend this house as long as there was some guarantee it would be clean!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, girls getaway, sightseeing.

One with nature

Guest: Maqui (Houston)
Date of Stay: 08/02/09 Review Submitted: 08/11/09

We loved it. My children and grandchildren and myself take a vacation every year and what we loved about this home is waking up in the morning to a beautiful view and deer outside the window. One morning we heard what sounded like a coyote - don't know if there are coyotes in California. I do suggest that you arrive at the home before dark. For someone not used to driving in the mountains the steep and winding road is scary.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, families with teenagers, sightseeing.

Guest: Jennifer A.
Date of Stay: 12/16/08 Review Submitted: 12/15/08

Oh my Gosh. I left there so euphoric that I just woke up this very moment to realize that I never thanked you!!!!! It was wonderful. Truly an inspirational place. It was much warmer in feel that the photos could express. We danced, we drummed, we hot tubbed, we slept under the stars, we cooked and cleaned and cooked again. We ate dinner on the deck with warm november breezes! We watched the full moon rise and set. We did yoga and meditation as the sun rose. We worked very, very hard at what we came to do and accomplished so much! I hope we can return.

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 07/01/06 Review Submitted: 07/06/06

We had a GREAT retreat in The Raven's Roost - brought up 7 programmers and spent an awesome two days making plans, drawing on whiteboards, staring off at the horizon, taking walks along the ridgeline. Everything about this house is fantastic. You are really on top of the world. Thanks largely to the wonderful inspiring space, our group came up with new visions, and had a great experience together. One of us even had new twin babies, and stayed in the guest house with babies and spouse! The kitchen was amazing, as was everything else. We'll hopefully be returning again one day soon. Finally, all interactions with the owner were very low key and pleasant. Thanks, Tom, for making your home available to us.

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 06/01/06 Review Submitted: 06/05/06

Highly recommended for large groups. This is really a beautiful home. We had six adults, four teenagers and two small kids in our party, plus five more adults dropped in for cocktails and dinner. There was plenty of room for everyone. The layout is very well thought out, the architecture and garden are spectacular, the beds are comfortable, and the rooms are well-appointed and spacious. A disabled member of our party found it very easy to park her car and get around using her motorized scooter-chair. There are lots of fun things to do a short drive down the hill. We went on a 2-hour trail ride at Five Brooks Stables, and some of our group enjoyed hiking and watching a parade in Point Reyes Staion. We spent a lot of time looking at the view and just enjoying how comfortable and attractive it was. We made great use of the lovely kitchen, hosting 14 for dinner one night. It was such a treat to find good knives and nice pots and pans. On our last night, after the crowd left, my husband, my son and I sat in the hot tub looking over the valley as the sun went down and the fog rolled in. Our daughter spent a long time walking around saying goodbye to the place on our last morning, as she felt immediately connected to it--it was a lovely time for all of us. We hope to return every summer. There is so much more to explore in the area.

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 04/01/06 Review Submitted: 04/05/06

I'm not sure if I've ever stayed in a more spectacular home. The views... I can't describe them. When you pull in the driveway you can hardly believe you have the correct address. The home itself is beyond lovely. Gorgeous views in every bedroom, a spectacular kitchen and living room, and the deck is unlike anything I've seen. If you have the chance, you must stay here.

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Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 01/01/06 Review Submitted: 01/02/06

There is no way a photograph could do this home justice! It is simply a wonderful home, with the most indescribable views imaginable. The hosts are delightful people - kind and thoughtful, and eager to make one's stay as perfect as possible. You may as well not look at any other properties, because this is the best listing! Gorgeous setting with deer all around, quiet, impeccably maintained, and every amenity imaginable. I have stayed at many properties through this service, and this is hands down the best. Best rate, best house, best view, best location, best hosts! GO!! You will miss the vacation of your life if you don't!

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