Greenbrae Garden Cottage Near Beaches & Redwoods

Reviews

• Lovely garden sanctuary

  5/5

  We had a wonderful stay. The home has a convenient location for outdoor activities such as hiking, biking and boating, and is also close to a variety of stores and restaurants as well. Although certainly enjoyed eating at Perry's and at Gott's, we took the most pleasure in using the new grill on the extensive back deck of the home.

  Not only is there comfortable seating for a dozen people, the backyard garden is extraordinarily beautiful. It is just so colorful with a variety of mature flowering plants that is inhabited by pollinating bees and playful birds. Barbecuing and sipping wine while surrounded by the fragrance of the blossoms in the evening created a lovely experience.

  The house itself is quite comfortable with its furniture, and has a charming blue nautical motif throughout the residence. The kitchen is very well-stocked with utensils, plates, glasses and appliances. We thought the bedrooms were fine and the bathrooms updated and spacious. There is a remarkable amount of storage space. Although there is no A/C, the cross-breeze from the front door to the back door made the living room quite comfortable.

  The communication from the Evolve team was excellent as they were timely and detail-oriented in their messages that prepared us for our stay. Ruth Rodgers was exceptionally responsive to our requests and made our stay even more enjoyable than we had anticipated. Thank you for providing such admirable customer service.

  We would love to stay here again.

  *This review was originally posted on Vrbo

• The Garden!

  5/5

  The photos do not do the very well tended garden justice. The house is lovely and comfortable and everything we needed was right there. But the back deck overlooking the garden was so relaxing and even though we had things to do we spent several mornings relaxing on the back deck watching the hummingbirds flit among the many types of flowers.

  The house is so centrally located it is easy to get anywhere from there. We enjoyed our stay and especially the remodeled master bathroom. Did not want to leave the shower!

  *This review was originally posted on Vrbo

• Bug Infestations + Boiling Hot + Rodents

  1/5

  Uncontrolled infestation of bugs (ants, spiders, mosquitoes, other) whether the windows are open or not. The home is overrun by insects--they where crawling on us, in and on all of our stuff, and biting us everywhere, day and night!! It was an absolute nightmare! Constant bug killing (literally every steps we took, every time we picked something up or set something down--bugs everywhere!), disgusting, disaster of itchy, scratching, unsanitary proportions.

  There is no A/C (a broken, swamp cooler patched together with duct tape doesn't count as a/c), it is extremely hot inside, so we had to open the windows (which are semi-painted shut and we were afraid we might break a window and/or slice our hands trying to open them each time). However, there are only screens on a few of the windows (maybe 3 out of 13), so even more insects swarm the inside of the home. This is especially because the property has a fragrant garden sitting on a still creek, beckoning bugs inside. In the bedroom where my young children where sleeping, I saw a big rat outside the back windows that have no screens. It easily could've climbed right into their beds!

  The property needs aggressive pest control, window screens on every window, and air conditioning.

  Manager's Response:

  Hi Julie, we're sorry to hear about the issues you encountered during your stay and appreciate you bringing them to our attention. We've discussed your feedback with the homeowner, who would like to address the following:
  - The property receives weekly pest control treatments to prevent issues and is thoroughly cleaned between each guest. There were no ants in the house before your stay; they typically appear in search of food and water.
  - The listing doesn't advertise central A/C and we accurately state that there's a portable A/C unit available. We recommend opening the front and back doors with screen doors for a cross breeze. Nights are generally cool in the area.
  - Regarding the windows, most have screens, except one bedroom where a ceiling fan is provided for comfort.
  - We don’t have rats at the property. What you encountered was a small vole from the garden. Voles are harmless and do not pose any health risks. Our pest control service is actively managing the situation.
  - You were provided with an industry-standard refund for the issues you encountered.
  We're sorry for the discomfort and inconvenience you experienced. Thank you for your feedback.