We had a very relaxing stay at Nicola's home. After being at home, locked down during COVID since March, it was a welcome change of scenery - away from the dreary, gray, wet weather of the Pacific Northwest. We stayed for three months and didn't want to leave. The house was the right size and location for us -- me, my spouse, and our dog. The pool is on the shadier north side, which was nice in the hot weather. The south-facing front living room has a beautiful view of the sunrise on the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto mountains. I'm an early riser and I really enjoyed the quiet mornings looking out the front window with my coffee, watching the sun cast its warm glow on the jagged mountains.
The pool is beach-entry with a connected spillover spa. Nights were clear and there was much star- and moon-gazing from the spa during cocktail hour. Pool and spa were extremely clean and well-maintained twice a week by the friendly pool lady. There are two prolific lemon trees and fresh lemon juice was never far away. While we were there, the caretaker, Saul, and his crew installed a new fire table which was so fun to have. We could sit outside by the fire as it got cooler in the winter evenings. The backyard is completely private and very quiet.
We found the kitchen was pretty basic and not well-equipped for long stays (30+ days). Cookware was fairly worn (Teflon peeling off), plastic drinkware for around the pool was in bad shape, food storage containers lacking. However, whenever we mentioned anything to Saul (repairs that needed to be made, items that were missing or needed to be replaced) - he was so kind and responsive. He replaced the kitchen faucet, installed a new shower head, brought us new baking sheets, hand mixer, coffee grinder, mixing bowls, measuring cups/spoons. We called him "Santa Saul." There are some things that need some TLC around the home. We shared the specifics with Nicola; she graciously accepted our feedback, thanked us, and let us know that they would attend to those items to make it an even more wonderful experience for others.
Nicola and Saul were very focused on making our stay as easy as possible. Both very kind and responsive. We really enjoyed our stay. We can't wait to go back to La Quinta!