Van der Ryn Eco-Refuge: Architecture in Nature

It was exciting for me to host this group of women (who turned out to be 18 total) spending the weekend doing a remarkable women's creativity workshop designed by Elena. They were respectful and appreciative of the inspiring space I provided. And they told me how much the space played an active role in the creative process of the workshop itself. So I am glad. However, hosting this group involved much more work and stress than my usual experience with guests. First, there were many inquiries about the property about so many details. Elena wanted 15 people, which required me to find additional spaces on the property, and then at the time of check-in, added three additional - making it a total of 18 people, with 12 cars parked in my driveway, all beyond my stated limits. The house was generally left pretty clean at first look, though many extra towels and linens wore used. Elena had hired a chef, who superficially left the kitchen clean. But opening the kitchen drawers, I found a lot of mess - disorganized and dirty kitchen utensils. everything out of order and much of it dirty, including potholders and dish towels with food and turmeric stains, and several pots ruined with burning food fused on the bottoms. My cleaning costs were increased.

It was fun hosting you and your family, Lila. Thanks for enjoying it! And great meeting you and all the family.

Julia and her extended family had a wonderful 3-day get-together at the Eco-Refuge, enjoying themselves thoroughly, while always being respectful to the property and practicing good communication. I would recommend Julia to other hosts.

Thank you, Sally, for the kind review and being such great and fun guests to host! All the best, Micah

Thank you, Amelia. It was a pleasure hosting you and your whole group. Thank you for being great guests, and also learning a little bit about Bulgaria as well. I hope you will have a chance to come again!

As I was away, I could not personally meet Lynn and her group, though my wife, who fills in for me when I am away, did meet them and reported everything went well. They left the property in good shape, and I would recommend them as guests to other VRBO hosts! Thank you Lynn for your picking the Ecorefuge for your get together, and hope you will have a chance to return again!

Thank you, Kathleen. I'm glad you enjoyed and appreciated your stay at the Eco-Refuge. Thanks for pointing out the lack of a hair dryer and conditioner. I'll be sure to make sure to have that in the house in the future.

Jacob and his group were excellent, easy, respectful, and communicative guests. Hosting them was a pleasure, and I was happy to help them with any special needs.

Nathan was a wonderful guest - very respectful and appreciative of the property, the land, and all that it has to offer. This is the kind of guest I love to host.