It was October 2023, and I had booked 2 nights in a studio in Lodi to attend a very special occasion, our niece's wedding that was to be in Stockton, the lovely chapel at UOP. I had hunted for atypical lodging, hoping to find something away from the typical Stockton hotel offerings that would also not wipe out my bank account. I found this property using an app called Agoda, and it was reasonably priced. The property is located in a very rural area just south of the small California town of Lodi. It was surrounded by vast farmlands, orchards, vineyards, great oaks, and the 99 freeway (which happily you can not hear). Very scenic, safe, and low key. First impression. From the streetside view, there was a cute, non-pretentious farmhouse on a huge plot of land with a lush front lawn, graced with ancient trees. The entrance to the property requires first getting out of your car, manually opening a huge swinging gate on rollers, then rolling it back again once you've passed through. We had to drive past the main house, because our studio was on the backside of the property. Our exclusive entrance was a bit difficult to figure out at first, a small wooden gate that appeared to have had a sign on it once-upon-a-time. And once we got inside the back gate, the large backyard was not pretty. Disappointingly minimalist, it consisted of lots of dry grassy areas, a covered, cemented patio with a couple of old patio tables and chairs, and a small portable bbq. According to their Rules of the House, they make it quite clear that their property is not to be used as a "party" house. No big gatherings with outdoor summer bbqs. This was solely for the guests themselves, with warnings of $$$ penalties for not abiding. My guess is they have security cameras to enforce their rules. Ours was called Studio V. This room accommodates 2 adults only. It is a spacious, very clean room, furnished with only one small upholstered chair, a desk and wooden chair, and a cafe table with two metal chairs. Not particularly cozy or comfortable. As far as other amenities, there was a tv that was actually useless, a tiny refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, hair dryer, a wall mounted air conditioner unit, a remote controlled ceiling fan, and an electric heater that resembled a small fireplace. There is a walk-in shower with a stationary shower head and a large walk-in closet. Unfortunately, our arrival did not go smoothly. First, we had a problem getting into our room. There is no one manning the property on site, just an informative email sent to me with details on how to get in. The room has a separate outdoor entry, and was supposed to be left unlocked. The cleaning lady apparently forgot and locked our door, after laying the key on the desk inside. Ooops. What made it worse was that I did not have the manager's, Gary's, phone number. That essential info was also supposed to be found on the desk, yes, inside our (locked) room. It was sheer luck that the front cottage was occupied and that guest came to our rescue, gave me a number to call...which went straight to voicemail. But all's well that ends well...Gary called me back after a short wait, apologizing profusely, and guided me on how to access a spare key in a lock box. Thus, we were "in", yay, found our key and the instructions and The House Rules, right where they said they would be. And then, there it was - a giant 4-poster bed looming in the middle of the room. This may have been a trend-setting bed set at some time in history, but for me, a diminutive 5'2" with a bad knee, I really could have used a pair of stilts or a full body slingshot to get me into it. My husband is not that much taller. That said, the bed ended up being quite comfortable once you figured out how to launch yourself into it. But the terror for us aged shorties was real each time we got in or out. So, not done yet. There was one more challenge we had to face. As in the poorly planned outdoor lighting. While not a problem during daylight hours, once it got dark, it was another story. There were no driveway lights until you got up to the front house, just lots of deep shadows from the surrounding ancient trees. As I walked back to the house after closing the front gate, it was so pitch black that I could barely see the ground until I reached the front house. And once I passed the house, it was darkness all over again. Thank goodness for the flashlight feature on my phone to get me to our back entry. We later discovered there were security lights that should have detected our movement, but the most critical ones only detected us once we literally stood underneath them. No bueno. While there were many well thought out amenities for this secluded little studio, in all honesty, it was not as idyllic as I had envisioned. I can look back on this now, and chuckle. But for all those reasons, I would have to say I would have to take a pass on a 2nd visit. read more

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I just got back from a weekend getaway with my fiancé and we loved this spot! Our chihuahua did too! There's a lot of space in the backyard (it's shared but no one stayed at the studio that weekend). The cottage is super cute, clean, and cozy. The wineries were close to the cottage as well. There's a Sprouts and others convenient stores only a mile away. read more

I have never reviewed an accommodation before. But I hope my review will keep anyone from booking the Meritage Cottage in the property listed as The Cottages on Armstrong. The cottage was very dirty. The TV did not work and we received no assistance when we called the number provided. The backyard seating area had two large holes dug out and not covered. Looked like pipe repair was in progress. If you are allergic to mold do not book this. My husband took allergy meds and still was sick. Broken furniture, filth everywhere, deep dust. Highway noise all day and night. There was a large barking scary dog next door. Scared our dogs and us as it charged the fence. See photos. read more

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A hidden gem! Home away from home. Fully equipped for a great vacation. Close to wineries and attractions! Beautiful secure location for family and friends. I would recommend highly! read more

We had such a lovely stay and plan on coming back. The cottage was easily accessible and so lovely. A bottle of wine was waiting for us when we arrived and we grabbed it and headed to the backyard with some appetizers we picked up from Safeway which was only 3 miles away. The house was so centrally located for wine tasting and the Uber's we used made it so convenient. I want people to love this place as much as we did but I also want to still be able to book, as we need a central location between our friends house and ours. read more

I just stayed here three weeks ago the night before my wedding. I would not have thought it was going to be as large and well-equipped as it was. I was greeted by the owner, and he left a few bottles of local wine for us. The house was clean and the backyard was large and had nice Edison lights around a gazebo with hammocks and plenty of seating We stayed at the Vintner's Cottage and our wedding party stayed in the other two. Both charming and we would definitely stay again read more

I have been looking forward to having my bachelorette at Vintners Cottage on Armstrong since I got engaged. I know most bachelorettes are a little crazy but all I wanted to do was relax. We went wine tasting, jumped in the spa, and were asleep by 11:30PM. It was exactly the experience that I was looking for with my four closest girls. Unfortunately Gary, the owner, came barging in at 10:20AM with his camera in hand looking to incriminate us with photos that we had a raging party. He interrogated me on what we did and repeatedly asked me how many girls were there. He was aggressive and made myself and my girlfriends, all in their mid-twenties, incredibly uncomfortable. I really enjoyed my experience but sadly will never recommend anyone stay here. read more

We stayed in the Vinter's Cottage to celebrate a bday in October. This house is great!! The yards (front and back) are huge and in nice weather, they are a great gathering space. We didn't bring our dog on this trip, but will next time-he would love running around! The home is very comfortable and perfect for small groups. It's a 2 bed/1 bath with an additional small "office" with a day bed. Great family room with loungy furniture. When we arrived, Liz (the owner) was there getting everything ready for us. She is welcoming and gave us instructions on the hot tub and maps/suggestions for wine tasting. The one *small* drawback was the cat that lives at (outside) the house. She would sit at the door and stalk us...when we shut the door, she'd climb up and sit in the window and cry. We had to close the curtains. I'm not a cat person, but it was kind of heartbreaking to see an animal cry for attention like that. read more

We found this place via the Lodi Visitors Center, they have a great website. We really wanted to stay here, but we couldn't get the online reservation system to work for us. We called & called, emailed and left voicemails for over a week, with absolutely no response from the Owner. I even called the Lodi Visitors Center to verify that the Cottages were still in business, but they did not have any success contacting the Owner either. Any business that cannot take the time to return a call or respond to an email is not one I want to deal with. We wound up booking a vacation rental instead. As another reviewer said... too bad. read more

The Cottages on Armstrong have a lovely website with a portrayal of a beautiful cottage property both inside and out. Based on the website portrayal we reserved two cottages for four couples for a 10 day wine tasting trip. We made our reservations months in advance of our planned trip. When it was time for our trip, we tried to contact the proprietor, Elizabeth Daniel to confirm our reservations, but received no response after four attempts to contact her by phone and email with no success. Thinking that the Cottages on Armstrong may have gone out of business, we considered finding another place to stay and contemplated the status of our deposit of $1,440 to reserve the two cottages. Finally, the week before we were to leave we did get our confirmation and instruction concerning checking in. These cottages do have great potential and we anticipated wonderful evenings nights with an outdoor fire and barbeques after a day of exploring the Lodi region. However, when we arrived the cottages were dirty inside and out. They were not as represented on the website. We spent the first day just cleaning, washing dishes and linens, although despite our efforts we were unable to get rid of the overall musty smell. The breaking point however was the condition of the bedrooms. One bedroom had dirty sheets including live vermin. Even the outdoor furniture needed washing to remove grime and mildew and was in poor repair. The barbeque did not work. We felt unsafe, due to missing smoke detectors and poor outdoor lighting between cottages. The day we left painters showed up unannounced to power wash and paint the exterior while we were still there. It was not a pleasant experience nor what we expected and we gave Ms. Daniels a long list of what we found and then moved to another place for the remainder of our wine tasting trip. During our meeting with Ms. Daniels we agreed to pay for the two nights we stayed and Ms. Daniels agreed to refund the remainder of our deposit. However, we were forced to contact our credit card company to resolve the issue which took approximately 60 days. On a brighter note, we highly recommend the Hampton Inn whose courteous staff made the rest of our visit enjoyable, not to mention the wines in Lodi which are wonderful! We will be back but not at the Cottages On Armstrong.No data for format specified. read more

These cottages appear to be out of business. I have been calling and leaving messages and emailing for over two weeks, and NO response at all. Too bad. read more

Me and my family of four, wife, daughter 12 and son 9 years old, stayed at the Meritage. We had an excellent stay and the owner of the property, Gary, came by and brought us a bottle of a local wine that is from a winery just down the street. We stayed to enjoy some quiet time with our family and, being Zinfandel and Lodi have always been a favorite wine-region of ours, visit a few wineries in the area. We also visited the Micke Grove Zoo which is small but you can enjoy the Japanese garden, kids play ground and a small amusement park on the park grounds, although seasonal. The Meritage was spacey, 2 rooms, family room and breakfast area. It felt like a home away from home. I do have one helpful hint, when driving to one of the three addresses, not that 2 are in the same location and the third in a different location. Also, if you link the address direct from the website, this does not take you to the Meritage or pinot noir. Perhaps this is the third cottage, but not sure. Just be sure to check with owner to know exactly where your cottage is. read more