Lots of spider webs throughout the entire house. Iâm pretty sure that the neighbors run a dog boarding business out of their house, dogs barking constantly. The grill is disgusting so donât plan a meal around grilling. No lights in the upstairs bathroom when we arrived, fixed the next day while we were gone. The hot tub guys showed up completely unannounced and was in the backyard when one of our girls got out of the shower in a towel.
Beautiful house, comfortable beds, steps from the beach
Gorgeous house right by the beach. The beds and bed linens were super comfortable. There were a couple of times we had to report blown fuses but the caretaker fixed them. A few things I hope the owners do: replace the scratched teflon pans (health hazard) with stainless steel or cast iron, put a towel rack in the primary bathroom, and have a few chairs that are easier for old people to get out of. Oh, annd andd a chair to the primary bedroom. Otherwise, the kitchen is well-stocked. I do love the proximity to the beach and those comfy beds!
First the great: This property is stunning architecturally and a joy to see. It is every bit as lovely as the pictures and more. I am a huge fan of good design (and have remodeled many homes) and enjoyed studying the home.
Second, the not-so-great: The neighbors run a dog kennel next door. I love dogs and brought my two (the dog-friendliness was the sole reason for selecting Montara) but mine are trained. The neighbors keep dogs in a wire run mounted against the fence and EVERY time we stepped outside they went crazy - throwing their bodies against the fence, frenetically barking, etc. - and they were just a few feet away. I'm sure they are nice dogs but they sound vicious, intimidated my dogs, and made using the outdoor space impractical/unpleasant.
Also, the owners could be a bit more generous in supplies. We were only two people and used the property very lightly (and 3 bedrooms were untouched). For $1k a night touches like supplying cloth napkins, a working kettle, a bottle of olive oil and the like would have been nice and expected.
Now, the bad. This prop management company (The Wave) is simply terrible. They advertise through VRBO but don't follow VRBO's policies. We are vacation homeowners ourselves (and have used VRBO) and would never dream of treating guests the way we were treated. The abusive communication style when we reached them, and their unavailability when we needed them, cast a pall on our anniversary getaway.
My family and I enjoyed an awesome one night stay in this architectural beauty. We truly enjoyed the layout and all the kitchen amenities. The pictures donât show it but the backyard is quite large it has a nice large seating area and grass. We enjoyed the bbq and appreciated how clean the bbq was and that there was sufficient propane. The only complaint I have is the male Karen living next door we were finishing up in the hot tub when it hit 10:00 pm ( quiet hours) we were talking softly and drying off to head inside it was about 10:08 pm when we heard a loud knock at the front door we answered and it was the Nextdoor neighbor saying he hear us talking because he keeps his window open. I would like to say that we are a family of adults and able to keep our voices down and also it was barely past 10. A couple more minutes and we would have been inside. He seems to like to complain. Being that we are guests of the homeowner we just apologized and went our way but i wanted so badly to tell him he was wrong. Besides the male Karen Nextdoor the house was a dream! Thank you :)
Overall it was great. The property manager was unavailable. I couldnât open the lockbox and it was Friday at 4:00 pm. I called 5 times until 4:30 pm and nobody answered or Ever called me back!!!
That was not cool for the amount of money I spent!
I could see not get in through the garage.
The bathroom with the shower curtain needs a new shower curtain rod or something to secure it! The whole curtain came down during showerâs multiple times.
Also the smoke alarms went off every time a person used the downstairs shower and the window was open.
Kathy
The space is wonderful. The rooms are full of light. Coffee and laundry supplies were available in abundance.
Just two notes for the owner: the hot tub needed chlorine and there was a lack of bedside lights for reading. Otherwise it was wonderful and we would love to return and will recommend it to friends.