Vista Home w/ Private Pool & Expansive Views!

Reviews

• Very Relaxing!

  4/5

  We very much enjoyed our stay. The house was very nice and the pool and hot tub were wonderful. We did have several minor maintenance issues throughout our stay - in general the house and furnishings need some TLC. Our guest contact was very responsive to our concerns. The house is at the top of a very steep hill so there is no easy way to go for a walk from the property.

  *This review was originally posted on Vrbo

• Disappointing Stay!

  2/5

  The house is beautiful but needs tender loving care. Many things need repair. It needs a thorough cleaning inside and out. Also fireplaces were off limit. No logs in the gas ones. I was told there was a gas leak and they had to remove the logs. The thermostat was not working. When I asked for help I was told it had to be done by some one with a computer some where else. Very confusing and the people in charge were very nice but not knowable about things. Always had to call back after we had issues. The master toilet upon arrival was malfunctioning as well. I insisted it needed to be addressed. Carlos came out worked on it for 30 minutes and had it working. However the part needs to be replaced, this was a temporary fix. As I said before many things need repair. The whole experience was disappointing! For the price and the problems I won't recommend this home or another rental from Evolve!

  Manager's Response:

  Hi Sheila, thank you for taking the time to leave a review. We genuinely appreciate your feedback, and the homeowner would like to share the following:
  -We take immense pride in ensuring that our guests enjoy an exceptional and secure experience during their stay in our home. It was disheartening to learn that the guest did not have the positive experience we strive to deliver.
  -While we highly value feedback and welcome suggestions, safety remains our utmost priority. The presence or absence of ceramic logs does not compromise the safety of our guests. It's a deliberate design choice reflecting our preference for a sleek, contemporary flame aesthetic, as clearly outlined in the listing where both fireplaces are described as having no logs.
  -Regarding the gas leak incident, approximately a year ago, we identified an aged and deteriorated gas pipe situated outside near the tennis court. Upon noticing an unusual increase in our gas bill, we promptly collaborated with the city authorities and licensed plumbers to rectify the issue. Subsequently, thorough verification by the city confirmed the proper repair and reinstatement of our main gas feed.
  -The thermostats mentioned by the guest were recently installed, just a day prior to their arrival, and underwent thorough verification by us. We've recently upgraded to a new AC/Heating system, replaced all ductwork, and added a larger return to enhance efficiency and comfort in the home. These thermostats, latest-generation Nest models, are strategically placed on each level. While we understand the complexity may have posed challenges, we promptly adjusted the temperature to the guest's preference upon receiving their request.
  -While the toilet repair incident was regrettable, such occurrences can arise unexpectedly, often at inconvenient times. Upon receiving notification of the issue, we swiftly dispatched a local handyman to address it, even at the late hour of 10:30 pm. Rest assured, the matter was promptly resolved, ensuring operational functionality for the entirety of their stay.
  -We are confident that all the guest's concerns were promptly and professionally addressed in a friendly manner.
  Our commitment to providing an exceptional stay remains steadfast, and we eagerly anticipate hosting many more satisfied guests.

• Everything you could ask for & MORE!

  5/5

  The home was exactly as described, and there were many bonus features that made it extra special. Such as the pool house that included an arcade game, and an additional full bathroom! The outdoor dining area is exquisite, but not pictured in the listing.Having a "guest contact" provided immediately after booking really helped because we were able to ask questions about small details such as quantities and types of kitchenware that were on hand so we could better prepare for our stay.There were some minor maintenance and operational issues that needed some attention, but considering how large the home is and the limited amount of time that housekeeping has to prepare the home in between guests this was to be expected and completely understandable. We chose to make a list of items that needed attention and leave it for the "turnaround crew" so they could address them in time for the next guest instead of including them in our review because I feel like many of these things would logically go unnoticed unless they were reported by guests.There is one issue that should be corrected on the listing. Heating the pool or spa in advance of arrival (as the listing states is the case) is not guaranteed. We were informed that we must manually do this upon arrival & turn it off at check-out. Keep in mind, most short-term rentals don't even offer to heat a pool without an additional fee so this wasn't an issue for our group.

  *This review was originally posted on Vrbo

• A beautiful, comfortable, ultimately disappointing getaway

  3/5

  I want to start off by saying that this house and its grounds truly are lovely, inside and out. It was blissfully quiet (aside from some coyote yelps and owl hoots) once in awhile. The contrast in the preview photos actually make the decor look a lot more garish than they actually are, especially if you turn off the recessed lighting and go with the many lamps. It was very clean.

  That being said…

  A few things really held this back from being a 5-star stay. I wanted to start with the positives, because we really did enjoy it, but there are some areas that need improvement. As context, my wife and I stayed here because it was close to a wedding we were attending in San Marcos.

  The negatives:

  - Many of the light bulbs inside were burnt out; switching to warm LED bulbs might make this less of a problem in the future. Also, due to how MUCH lighting there was, some labeling on the many, many wall switches would have been helpful, since most of our time was spent guessing and trial/error.

  - One of the main reasons we booked the property was for its pool and hot tub, which were both very nice. When we arrived the hot tub and pool were both very cold. Not a big deal, as we easily found the cabana with the controls and started heating them both. On the day of the wedding, I turned the hot tub heat on so it would be nice and hot in the evening when we returned, but when did get back (after a long and exhausting day), both were frigid again. I’m not sure if there’s an auto-off feature for those systems, but if there are, they need to be communicated in the guest book. Because we were leaving the following morning, we did not get a chance to use either.

  - After abandoning our swimming plans, we opted to try and go inside to draw a bath instead. Unfortunately, none of the faucets in the house produced water that ever got above lukewarm. I texted asking where the water heater was located so that we could check, but the reply did not come until the following day, when we were leaving. So not only did we not get to use the hot tub outside, we couldn’t even take a hot bath or shower as a backup option.

  The house is very special, and a lot of care went into building and decorating it, but the issues above really tarnished to experience. It can’t be understated how important is that hot water be functional for people to enjoy their stay.

  Hopefully they are able to take this feedback and improve for the future, as we’d recommend this place to everyone.

  Manager's Response:

  Hi Dana, thank you for your review! The homeowner wanted to share the following:
  "-As offering our home to guests for short-term rental, we work very hard to ensure our home is maintained and ready for our guests. On the day of your arrival we sent a welcome email and the guests' question to turn on the Jacuzzi and pool heating was answered. However, the guest's 'question on the following evening at a late hour was not read until the next day in the morning. We will make any emergency call at any time which will be answered with pleasure, since the messages after a certain hour are difficult to listen to or to be aware of, we are always with the best disposition to meet the needs of our guests.
  -There is ample lighting in the home. There are many light switches that operate different sets of lights. We are working on switching out the bulbs to LED bulbs and we will be more than happy to put up signs so that it is easy to locate for our future guests.
  You can see from other guest feedback that we are known for providing truly 5-star experiences for their guests, and we're confident that they'll continue to do so moving forward!"

• Amazing Place!

  5/5

  This is an absolutely amazing property in every way! So open and there are great little places where you can have a little privacy to take a nap in the sun or relax experiencing the incredible views. The bedrooms and bathrooms were clean and well decorated - large kitchen and family room with great fireplace - honestly BEST rental property I've stayed at and I've stayed at many. Will retunr for sure! GREAT support from property manager !

  *This review was originally posted on Vrbo