Panoramic VIEWS - Los Angeles Dwtn, Hollywood Sign & Griffith Observatory

Vacationed in the Hollywood Hills with my wife and two daughters, and we wanted a great view. There’s no way to overstate what a great choice we made.

Jay is a fantastic host, and absolutely determined to meet all needs. She is communicative, proactive, and she keeps a spotless home away from home.

This is a classic Hollywoodland home with two roomy bedrooms, two baths, kitchen, den and sitting room with amazing original brickwork in the fireplace. But the star of the the show is the balcony. We had all our meals outside, and we found ourselves pulled to the balcony at awaking and right before retiring. The view is a full 180 degrees. Behind you is the Hollywood sign. We never caught a better look at it anywhere else in all our tours than from our own balcony. Pan around and see dozens of diverse classic Hollywood homes, and in the middle of the view is the Griffith Observatory atop the adjoining hill. Mature orange and lemon trees are growing right alongside the balcony. Then opposite the Hollywood sign is downtown LA. Spectacular view from the lights of Dodger Stadium on your left, to the east end of Hollywood on the right. This view is also prominent outside the large corner window in the kitchen, and from the sliding glass doors of the master bedroom and sitting room.

We didn’t park, but there always seemed to be ample spaces outside. We used Uber everywhere. It’s a six dollar ride down to the Chinese Theater. From there multiple open bus tours are available to all parts of the city.

There are a number of classic features inside the home, but important upgrades as well. The central A/C unit is brand new, the kitchen appliances are excellent, and the walk-in shower is good. The wood floors are beautiful. I can’t think of any downsides to mention. There are more expensively furnished homes, but the view was worth far more than that for us. The pictures are true the inside of the home, but they can’t do justice to what you see outside.

Location and views were spectacular! The home was in good condition and very clean. Jay was very accommodating and readily available.

However, there was a lack of supplies and advertised furniture. We spent most of our time on the awesome deck, but we only had two uncomfortable chairs and four folding chairs ( not the patio furniture that was in the pictures). Also, there was a lack of common household supplies: garbage bags, paper plates, napkins, limited cooking utensils, bowls, trays and towels (only two kitchen towels and one bath towel for each person). We did realized that Jay was available and willing to provide items that were needed, but the particular items and supplies should have been there in the first place and it wasn’t feasible to make the long list of requests.

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I want to end on a positive note. We had a fantastic time, the rental is fabulous, but the lack of supplies and patio furniture needs to be addressed.

I walked in, and the first thing I saw was a nicely stocked gift basket, which I took out onto the balcony. The view was amazing.

A bit after I arrived, the host appeared and was very welcoming and showed me how all the remotes and switches worked. She was really a super-host. The home was spotless. I particularly liked the glass bathrooms.

I’m so glad I rented this house, and I will definitely be going to rent it again next time I’m in Los Angeles.

Thank you

We were thrilled by the wonderful view which was essentially in every direction.

Standing on the deck, to the left we had the HOLLYWOOD sign, directly in front was the Griffith Park Observatory, and slightly to the right was the panorama of Downtown LA. It was especially pleasant to return home to the beautiful night city lights twinkling back at us. We loved sitting out on the back deck. It really looked better than the photos.

The home was centrally located to our business downtown and at the studio and is located in a great neighborhood as well. We just returned from an early morning hike around Lake Hollywood, which is just up the street.

This home was really clean and the beds were extremely comfortable.

The host also greeted us and showed us how everything worked. That was a big plus!

Some snacks and drinks were stocked in the kitchen.

We are making plans for our next trip, and we will definitely be staying here again.

Big thumbs up!

Summary: Jay's property isn't ready to rent, but it has the potential to be a 4 star place in 2019

Pros: Terrific views and an owner who responds quickly if you run into problems

Cons: It's in the middle of a major remodel. Here are some examples:

- The heater wasn't working. (See more on this below.)

- Many of the baseboards in the living room are very chipped.

- The stucco on the exterior is missing in places.

- Some of the floor boards on the front porch are rotting and being replaced.

- There was blue painting tape around the closet in one of the bedrooms.

- There were dangling wires from a light fixture in the living room

The lack of a working heater made the temperature in the house drop to 65 degrees on our first morning there. Jay dropped off electric blankets, just as she did for another guest. However, I told her that my family wouldn't be comfortable if the house was this cold in the morning. She then offered to bring over two space heaters. In addition, she was willing to refund the remaining nights, if we wanted to find another place.

I looked around and couldn't find any alternatives, so we stayed and Jay brought over the space heaters. Luckily it warmed up, and the rest of our stay was pleasant.

At first, I was going to rate our stay as 1 star. A quick glance of other properties being remodeled indicated that some owners did nothing to make things right. That's why I bumped my rating up to 2 stars.

Jay is working fast to get her rental completely ready. She might have it done sooner than 2019, but I would advise potential guests to find out the state of her place, if you get it this year.