Wine Country Retreat w/ Pool, 10 Mi to Dtwn Sonoma

Reviews

• You get what you pay for

  3/5

  Overall, you get what you pay for with this home. More affordable than other similarly sized homes in Sonoma and Napa as it's lower quality - would equate to staying at a budget motel vs. nice hotel.

  Pros:

  - Value for money

  - HUGE property

  - Pool available

  - 4 bedrooms and 2 full bathrooms

  - Modern kitchen and living room (great for watching movies and cooking as a group)

  Cons

  - One of the bathrooms smelled heavily of decaying fish. When I emailed the property manager about this they were surprised but the problem was never resolved in the 4 nights we were there. We noticed the other bathroom had a sulfur smell, which is acceptable with older homes/pipes but this fish smell was different. We also noticed that the bathroom and adjoining bedroom were the only rooms with air fresheners, indicating to us that this is an ongoing issue.

  - The house was superficially cleaned. There were stains on carpet throughout the house, settled dust on bookshelves and tiny ants were crawling on all the walls.

  - A previous review mentioned that the pool was "rough" and that is accurate. While amazing to have a pool, it was concrete and had peeling paint. Water was clean and we saw the pool cleaner work but it was hard to relax knowing the area wasn't upkept.

  - Communication was poor proactively and reactively. Proactively, would have expected the management company to let us know the house is difficult to find (as in not on any map apps AND not on the road given). Reactively, it took a day for the management company to respond to an email about the pool and the fish-smell in the bathroom and no changes were ever made to amend the situation in our 4 nights there.

  Manager's Response:

  Hi Karen, thanks for your feedback and we're so sad that this was not your ideal vacation stay. The owners are aware of the smell and they have taken extensive measures prior to your arrival to alleviate the issues and they are still working on that. The pest control has been called out to the house an additional time. The pool is 20 years old and is in good condition for its age considering the gunite composition. Also, there is detailed instructions in the pre-stay email that have been easy to follow for previous guests. We are confident that the care and attention this owner contributes will make this home a great stay for future guests.

• Sweet house

  4/5

  Pretty grounds, although pool a little rough(not heated) Communication wasn’t easy, a management company whose fees are in addition to VRBO, was inconsistent. One person said property had no grills, another said they did making planning difficult. When we arrived, there were three grills! Layout of house nice, most bedrooms had a little outdoor area, well stocked kitchen. Location a little more remote, but surrounded by nature... not as close to Sonoma square as we thought. I would have given the house 5 stars for cleanliness, but pool area was rough...

  *This review was originally posted on Vrbo

• Serene and fun with young children.

  5/5

  This place is fun for young children! I would recommend bringing some child locks (u shape) for the pool gate and at least the cupboard under the kitchen sink. Our 1 and 3 year old boys loved the front courtyard, pool, and exploring bird and lizard life all around us. We had so much fun and didn't need to leave the property.

  *This review was originally posted on Vrbo

• Beautiful cottage not far from Sonoma or Napa Valley.

  5/5

  Beautiful older home that was very charming! Has lots of room for and plenty of beds for a larger family or a group of 8. Kitchen was well stocked and the beds were comfy. Thank you for sharing your home with us.

  *This review was originally posted on Vrbo

• Hidden gem

  5/5

  Overall, I am never too sure what I'm going to walk into with VRBO type places. We had a small group to celebrate my fiance 40th birthday and this place was amazing. It was close to DT Glen Ellen, Wineries, and a short drive to downtown Santa Rosa. We utilized the amazing kitchen every day and already discussing when we will rent this property again. A hidden gem is the best way I can describe this place..

  *This review was originally posted on Vrbo