Vacation Rentals by Owner

Great for a relaxing weekend

Guest: Teresa (Bay Area)
Date of Stay: 09/16/11 Review Submitted: 09/30/11

A groiup of us stayed here for a weekend so that we could attend a friend's wedding in Valley Springs. We had a wonderful time just relaxing by the pool and taking hikes down to the river. The views from the back deck are stunning and the location is so peaceful. We spent most of our time outside on the deck and in the pool. We only went inside when it was time for bed! The house and pool are clean and the kitchen is well eqiupped. We will definitley be staying here again.

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

Good laid back weekend

Guest: Visiting from SF (San Francisco)
Date of Stay: 07/14/11 Review Submitted: 07/18/11

We had a great time at this house - the kids loved the pool and the area has a nice low-key laid back vibe. Went to Columbia (old gold rush town) where the kids got a real kick out of panning for gold. Had no difficulty finding the trail to the river. Saw some wildlife too (deer, fox, wild turkeys, and woodpecker), which was neat. We had some issues with the TV/DVD but the manager replied straight away and we got it sorted out over the phone.

Recommended for:Families with young children

A great place for a dream vacation

Guest: Love2travel (Los Gatos)
Date of Stay: 03/18/11 Review Submitted: 05/04/11

A group of us went for a book event and stayed for a weekend in this home. The house and its surrounding are absolutely stunning. We loved the privacy, the tranquility and the sound of the river below and birds in the nearby trees. We saw plenty of wild turkeys and a few deer on the property and cattle on the mountain across the river. The gazebo and the deck around the pool were great. These were the places stayed during the day when we were not driving around to see places. The interior is beautifully furnished and is very comfortably and homey. We all wished we had more time but definitely plan to come back and stay longer.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, families with teenagers, girls getaway, tourists without a car, pet owners, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Perfect vacation spot.

Guest: Warren (Milpitas, California)
Date of Stay: 02/18/11 Review Submitted: 03/24/11

Four of us stayed in this lovely home over the presidents’ weekend and we had a wonderful time. The interior is furnished to make you feel at home: upscale living and dining room sets, very comfortable beds and most of the floors are covered with beautiful Persian rugs. The walls are also tastefully accented with paintings or photographs of landscapes. The kitchen is fully equipped, just about every utensil and spices you would need is there. There are plastic runners the manager has placed in heavily traffic areas but they were not inconvenient. The home is set back near the river and with trees in front and around it, you hardly hear noise from the street. In fact, it’s so quiet that the only sounds you hear are the sounds of the river and birds chirping in the trees. The views of the mountain across the river and all around the home are stunning. Away from the home environment, we visited Angels Camp and Murphy’s, lovely quaint mining towns, and we had a grand time driving through the country and seeing The Big Trees national forest. It was an amazing sight to see evergreen trees completely covered with snow. We highly recommend this home to all those who seek a tranquil place to stay in and visit beautiful, historic and scenic places in the area.

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

California Dreaming

Guest: Barbara (Wayne, New Jersey)
Date of Stay: 09/10/10 Review Submitted: 11/24/10

This property is exceptional. The photos do not do it justice. It is impeccably maintained and offers every amenity to ensure that guests have a wonderful and satisfying vacation experience! The property offers privacy and peace and quiet. The pool and pool house is perfect for entertaining or just relaxing. One of the best features of the property is the layout of the house. It is very suitable for guests of various ages or varied interests. Someone could take a nap while kids are playing and neither group will interfere with the other. Definitely recommend it!

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

Visitors fro New Jersey

Guest: Elizabeth "Lily" (Foster City Ca USA)
Date of Stay: 09/10/10 Review Submitted: 11/01/10

I rented this house for my visitors from New Jersey. They absolutely loved it and thought it was a Shangrila.. Enjoyed their stay and the house worked out great for them

Recommended for:Girls getaway, sightseeing.

Nice place but misleading ad

Guest: Laynie (Bay Area)
Date of Stay: 08/13/10 Review Submitted: 09/29/10

My friends and I were excited to get away for the weekend in what seemed like the perfect place: big house, beautiful views, river front with hammock and a great pool. The pictures in this ad are somewhat misleading...the first picture shown was not accessible during our stay. They advertised that 8 people could attend, which was our guest count, however since the bottom room was locked we had to sleep on a couch and a blow up mattress that deflated overnight. Next, there is a picture that shows a hammock by the river and I believe the ad also says river access, but we spent hours trying to find the hammock and a way into the river with no success. When we called the owner to ask for directions to the river, our calls were not returned. Lastly, the inside of the house is very nice, but tripping hazards are everywhere because the carpets are all covered in plastic. Don't get me wrong, the house is nice and relaxing, but the manager was not exactly pleasant. The rules were exhausting and the time spent worrying about every little thing on the expansive "to do list" took away from the serenity.

Owner response:Dear future guests - We want you to know that we are very responsive and care for our guests' convenience and comfort. We always appreciate any comments or feedback to make the home even better for our guests. The responses below are so you can have a better view of the comments above. 1. The ad on this site clearly indicates that there are 3 fully furnished bedrooms. And it says: "The fourth bed room is finished with a high-end queen air mattress, sheets and blankets." As it turned out, this group had a lot more people than the 8 they indicated on the contract. Because the whole area is beautiful and serene and there are neighbors up on the hills, we discouraged groups who wish to hold big outdoor parties, especially with loud music. This group had requested it before they came and had been told that there were no exterior speakers and we don’t provide music for out of doors... 2. The closed-off room this guest mentions happens to be a storage/office. It's not a bedroom. 3. The trail to the river is below the deck and is very visible. And there was nowhere in the ad on here that mentions a hammock or a picture showing it. Her "we spent hours trying to find the hammock and a way to the river with no success," is quite interesting, not to mention its paradoxical nature. Obviously, if they didn’t find the path, they couldn't have gone to the river to be looking for the hammock. 4. We have plastic runners to protect the expensive rugs. They catch any accidental spills of coffee and soda drinks. For the guests, they are great because if they spill something, the liquid can be easily wiped off . . . That we have these runners had been clearly mentioned in the contract and they had option not to rent the home if they thought they would be an issue for them. 5. The "expansive to do lists” consists of reminding the guests to: turn off the lights, the AC, closing the windows and the blinds, making sure that all the doors are locked, etc. This is a home, not a hotel and we don’t have attendants there at all times. 6. Lastly, if their calls were not returned, how did she know the manager was not "exactly pleasant"? We are happy to share our home with guests who would respect and treat it like s their own. It provides the privacy and comfort unlike any you might have experienced. Read everything you find on this site before you make your decision. We have had many wonderful guests that enjoyed staying at our home. Thanks.

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Perfect holiday!

Guest: Brian (UK)
Date of Stay: 08/03/10 Review Submitted: 10/06/10

We had a great time at this property. There were 7 of us - family of 5 plus grandparents - who came over from the UK and spent a week there at the start of our trip. It's a great, well-kept property - perfect for us both inside and outside (lovely swimming pool and gazebo area). The owner was very helpful - we had a few email exchanges before we arrived and he was very responsive on the couple of occasions we called him once there (although only minor things). I would certainly recommend this place - great property just to relax in.

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

Great house, not so great professionalism

Guest: Laura (Bay Area, CA)
Date of Stay: 07/23/10 Review Submitted: 08/25/10

We had a small group of friends come to stay at this beautiful property over a late-July weekend. We had an amazing time in the pool, enjoyed the gorgeous view, and lounged around in the gazebo. The house itself was wonderful & we have no complaints about our stay there! What we do have issue with is the fact that it took the owner well over the 21 days to return our deposit. Time was of utmost importance in getting the money to him when we wanted to reserve the house, and so we expected the same courtesy would be given in refunding the deposit. We had to contact him several times in regards to getting the money sent back, which we found very unprofessional. We would love to say that we would stay here again, because the house was amazing, but we are sure we could find something similar with a little less hassle in getting refunded on a deposit we made sure was to the owner in a timely manner.

Owner response:We had an incomplete address on their application and had to contact them to correct it. It took a couple of days before we heard from them. And we sent their deposit promtly once we received their corrected address. We had some issues with these otherwise nice guests though. The fans in the bedrooms and the AC were left running, all the outside lights were left on, we found stain damages in the carpet in the master bedroom and miscellaneous trash was left on the premises. We have a checklist on the table by they entrance for our guests to remind them of these things. They probably were either in hurry or didn't pay attention to it. Of course, we welcome them to visit again. We just ask that they be a little more attentive to the things mentioned next time.

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

Guest: The Reiss Family (Los Angeles, CA)
Date of Stay: 08/01/09 Review Submitted: 08/01/09

Our family spent a late June-early July, 2009, week at this Valley Springs home. Each of our (adult)kids and our grandkids, agree that this beautiful home and spectacular outdoor "environment" rates very, very high (maybe at the top?)on our list of the best vacation homes and locales which we've rented each summer for 14 years! The home is very private, and secluded from the road, with the only sounds those of the lovely Calaveras River, the wonderful wildlife, surprising us throughout the day and evening,the rustling of leaves on the trees and shrubs above the colorful flowers of the nicely-landscaped areas around the pool, and surrounding the home, and, of course, if I may be modest,(ho ho), the delightful sounds of my equally delightful four grandchildren, swimming in the beautiful, and beautifully-situated, pool. (Of course, we adults joined them!) Both a gas and an electric BBQ are on the expansive deck,(a large table with comfortable chairs is a great place for an evening's meal) which overlooks the River, and the picturesque hills, covered with summer grasses, and dotted with beautiful oaks. The interior of the home is spacious and bright, with lovely views out the many windows of each room. Furnishings are upscale---classy, yet comfortable, and homey. The breakfast area seats 4, and the nearby dining area seats another 6. The beds are of excellent quality, making for peaceful sleep. Our daughter-in-law, and son-in-law--formerly an executive chef in a French restaurant in L.A.-- found the kitchen to be outfitted with all their needs for preparing our delicious meals. (We were surprised to find a great meat market--TW Meats---for the leg of lamb he BBQ'd for my birthday dinner one night. Highlights away from the home, included a trip to Columbia, the old mining town, where we took a stagecoach ride and panned for gold, lovely trails among the pines in Calaveras Big Trees Park, Caves and Caverns, and not-to-be-missed with your children: Willow Creek Ranch, less than 30 minutes from the home,a working farm where you can interact with the animals, milk the cows, learn about farming, and eat a delicious meal prepared by owners John and Mary Orr. This was indeed an area hightlight! Would we return? Absolutely!

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Guest: Rachel & Michael (Pinole, California)
Date of Stay: 09/17/08 Review Submitted: 09/17/08

This riverfront vacation home is a wonderful place to find peace and quiet and really decompress from the hectic every day stresses of life. From the soothing sounds of the river always in the background, the beautiful and serene backyard to the lovely decor... the impeccable attention to detail helped us to feel comfortable and at home right away and we experienced a relaxing vacation such as we have not had in a very long time. Nice too that it is not far from the SFBayArea. Everything was wonderful, once we got there we didn't want to leave... Our only regret, that we couldn't have stayed longer!

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Guest: Tom and Tanya (Tucson, AZ)
Date of Stay: 07/08/08 Review Submitted: 07/08/08

We stayed for the 1st week in June 2008. We came out from Tucson for our daughter's wedding in Ione. 6 adults and 2 children. The place had room enough for everybody. We all had a place to sleep and plenty of bathrooms. We loved the place. Lots of decks to enjoy the outdoors. There is a flock of resident wild turkeys, as well as deer and other wildlife. The turkeys roost in the trees by the pool at sunset and get down at dawn for foraging, mating, fighting, etc. This house is everything you could wish for in the California foothills/Gold Country: Clear ice-cold river, beautiful views, BBQs, large clean pool, lots of lounge chairs, a large gazebo with more couches, tables and refrigerator. Very private setting. Nice stereo with a good selection of CDs. We all had a great time. Would recommend this place to everybody.

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Guest: Susan P. (Santa Clara, CA)
Date of Stay: 05/27/08 Review Submitted: 05/27/08

We shared this house with another family over Memorial Day weekend. The location is wonderful - easy to access, close to many activities, and very peaceful. The house is very comfortable and large enough to spread out. The deck, view, and pool are beautiful. We had a wonderful weekend.

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Guest: Carolyn53 (-)
Date of Stay: 04/24/08 Review Submitted: 04/24/08

We stayed in early April during spring break. We were 2 families travelling together and found the home most accommodating in spaciousness and amenities, especially the backyard. The splendor of the view is breathtaking and we look forward to coming back!

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Guest: Jim97 (Cary, IL)
Date of Stay: 08/13/07 Review Submitted: 08/13/07

We spent the last week in July and had a great time. It was quite hot (very low humidity made it much more bearable), but the pool was the perfect way to cool off. It was a huge hit with our kids. The view from the pool is great looking down into the river canyon. We saw lots of wildlife and enjoyed the sunsets. The house is clean and has plenty of space to spread out, entertain or to escape and relax. Cool nights made for comfortable sleeping. Good base location for visiting Yosemite, Lake Tahoe and other sites in the Sierras.

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Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 10/15/06 Review Submitted: 10/15/06

WOW! I'll start with the back yard, where there are a nice blue pool, bound by an arc of evergreen hedges and drooping gardenia, a terrace of decks that give different vantage points of the panoramic view of the river and oak & pine-covered hills, and a cool gazebo where you can relax in the shade (a welcome retreat when the temperatures soar to the 90s) and enjoy listening to the sound of the river and birds chirping in the trees. Here you also enjoy the sight of hawks and buzzers performing ballet in the air and redhead, skittish woodpeckers hammering away tirelessly on the trunk of the tall ponderosa pine trees located a few yards away from the lower deck. Occasionally you see a flock of turkeys and quail forging on the hillside and deer resting under the shades of trees.The decks and gazebo are supplied with means of comfort and relaxation: chaise lounges, canopied sets of chairs and tables, a swing, a number of upright benches and chairs, a radio, a refrigerator, microwave and barbecue grills.Both the interior and exterior of the home are nicely kept.Hogan Lake, where we went to stroll by the waterfront, is 7-10 minutes of drive from the home. So are the shops and grocery stores….If I were to rate this place from 1-10, the score will certainly be outside this range. We’d vacation here every year – the perfect retreat! Tarus, Stockton, California

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Guest: Sabrina8 (Fremont, Ca)
Date of Stay: 09/05/06 Review Submitted: 09/05/06

We stayed over the Labor Day weekend. The house is in a great location! You can go down to the river and fish - there are hammocks and a picnic table there with lots of shade. The house and land are beautiful - it's a nice neighborhood with the sweet sound of the river below. At night you can sit out on the deck and watch the stars while listen to the river. The large bottom deck is a great place to hang out and bbq & swim during the day. All of the rooms have very comfy beds and the kitchen is fully loaded. The Hogan reservoir is very close and the perfect place to take a boat or Jet Ski’s out to. We look forward to going back soon!

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Guest: Ken Neary (alameda ca)
Date of Stay: 08/26/06 Review Submitted: 08/26/06

We stayed for two weeks and it was a wonderful, relaxing (aren't vacations supposed to be?) time. The stream below was a rigorous but doable trek for myself and my eight year-old and ten year old. The pool was the closer. We spent hours in and around the pool/deck/gazebo. Wild life abounds! There is a resident gray fox, deer, quail, wild turkeys, hawks and buzzards. We enjoyed day trips to caverns, golf, gold-panning and big trees. NOTE: be prepared to do your own cooking/grilling as there are few restaurants nearby. Luckily, the kitchen is completely stocked with all the equipment you need for this.

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Guest: Jay, Mary & Haley (Albany, CA)
Date of Stay: 07/19/06 Review Submitted: 07/19/06

We felt like we were in country paradise. We stayed for 3 nights and had a splendid time. The interior was beautiful and clean with all the comforts of home. Our 13 year-old slept in the room with an air-bed and loved having her own deck and the small t.v. with built-in VCR. We were able to cook meals in the kitchen with a stove, oven and microwave and clean-up with the dishwasher. The exterior had the spectacular view that was quite breathtaking. The weather was very hot, so we cooled off in the swimming pool. Our 13 year-old loved swimming in the pool for hours on end and playing hoops with the portable pool basketball ring. Bring a plastic pool ball and practice your hoop shots. Bring a pool airmat for floating peacefully in the secluded pool while gazing up at 2 pine trees that are frequented with birds. We played a game of chess under the stars. The nights are so quiet as well as the day that the only sounds are from the river, birds and insects. We enjoyed eating lunch by the pool on the large deck that overlooks the "River Runs Through It" view. The sound of the river is so soothing that you are lulled into a peaceful easy feeling. The steep climb to the river can be challenging because of wobbly rocks so wear good shoes. The climb is rewarding because quail, wild turkeys and a blue-tailed skink were seen. Overhead from the deck, we saw vultures soaring in the sky as well as woodpeckers and other birds. We saw deer in the bushes on the property, and when they saw us they bounded away. We were surprised to see a flock of wild turkeys, 18-25, walk onto the deck, some lounged while others sipped from the pool. We grabbed the camera for this rare sight. Shopping for groceries is a short distance away as well as restaurants/fast food. We enjoyed a picnic at nearby Hogan Lake. All in all, we wished we could stay longer in this country paradise, but had to return to the city.

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Guest: Tom107 (Albany, CA)
Date of Stay: 07/06/06 Review Submitted: 07/06/06

Three friends and I stayed at this house over the 4th of July weekend and had a great time. It was HOT and the private pool was absolutely perfect. Beautiful decking all around with a very nice gazebo to relax in the shade. Wonderful views of the hills and river with a great breeze flowing up through the canyon. The walk down to the river is a bit challenging but not too far and there's a picnic table, some chairs, and a hammock already set up riverside. The interior was lovely, very tastefully done with lots of space. Since we were the the owners' first guests, three of the four bedrooms were equipped with air mattresses which wasn't a problem for me (high quality Aerobeds). Highly recommended!

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