Family Nature Retreat Near LA / Private Indoor Grotto Pool

The place accommodated our entire party and everyone really enjoyed their stay

We had an adult hockey tournament in Simi Valley and used the three houses for the entire team. It worked out extremely well. We used the main hose for dinner for everyone every night. We had to improvise in the kitchen. It really needs more skillets, cooking knives and cutting boards. The place seems like it is used for weddings/ceremonies more than as a residence. It needs some attention. We had some minors issues that were quickly addressed. Overall, it was great to have everyone in one place and we would definitely return.

The house, 2-acre grounds, and cottage are amazing. The nearby hills with their giant boulders provide a majestic setting. The house is well-equipped with a/c, an indoor heated pool and hot tub, and kitchen appliances. We were there for our daughter's wedding at Hummingbird Nest Ranch, a mere 2.7 miles away (by chance). We were able to have family and friends over for cocktails, appetizers and brunch on an open house basis. There was plenty of room, both indoors and out. Our major gripe was that not enough attention was given to the basics. Many light bulbs were out or missing, and replacements were not readily available. Although the bathrooms were large and luxurious, only one had a wash cloth. Neither of the two tv's worked. Even though we brought this to the attention of the property's caretaker, nothing was done about it during our stay. Ordinarily, this would not have been a problem, but the baseball playoffs had begun and one of the presidential debates was broadcast. The freezer had no ice maker and there were no ice trays. Although there were many kitchen utensils (a necessity when you are hosting open houses), they were poorly organized and hard to locate. There was no whisks. Nonetheless, an amazing property.

I paid dearly for my inexperience and naivete in renting this place despite the fact that it had no reviews on VRBO. I rented the place for my extended family to stay for a week, all of whom were out of town. As I discovered too late from previous reviews on other websites, this place used to be a site for weddings, but I could find no review of any kind more recent than 2015. It did indeed seem like it had been months since it had been rented to out of town visitors like my family. We found the place to be filthy, poorly equipped, in disrepair, and generally unsuitable for out-of-town renters. There were only two towels per bedroom. No hand towels. No wash clothes, no laundry soap. Xtra bedding in closets was dirty and in disarray. Even some of the towels provided were still dirty. There were linens still in the washer and dryer when we arrived. It seemed that 50% of the surfaces had been cleaned since the last use, but the other 50% had not been cleaned in months. There was grime and dirt and dust in every corner and crevas. My 6-year old son came to me one morning saying Daddy there's mouse poop in our room. He later said, Daddy, there's a mouse nest in my room. My older son, who stayed in the same room said he heard sounds of rodent activity during the night. The TV was old, did not have reception, and they could not get it to work the entire time we were there. It took them days to figure out who was the subscriber to the cable TV, so they could get help from the cable provider, which leads me to wonder how in the world they could have had renters from out of town, like my family, and never known about the state and condition of the house and the lack of TV reception. But I believe the biggest problem is with the indifference of the owner and senior management. They seemed friendly and responsive in the beginning -- not like the kind of people who would rent a place in such a condition as we found it, and then be so indifferent. Willful ignorance perhaps. I made them aware of problems throughout our stay, but aside from providing some extra hand towels, and the efforts of their local handyman to get us a working TV (which were never completely successful) I never heard directly from them. I hope this review makes an impression, but I doubt it will lead to significant improvement in the property and renter-experience. Let the buyer beware!