Grandma's house is conveniently located in Monte Rio half way between Occidental and Guernville…read more The large property easily accommodated our group of ten and had great onsite perks: hot tub, games, water todays, canoes/kayaks, inflatable tubes, pool table, movies, grill, washing machine and dryer. Parking is easy and the huge advantage is stepping outside and walking directly onto your own dock or beach on the river. A majority of us had such a great time at the house there was little reason to leave. The dog loved it too. Some of the items inside the house are older and maintain the essence of this historic place. This may not be for everyone, like the taxidermied animals, but we thought it gave it a great 80's/ 90's charm. Would rent the house again if staying in the area with a large group.

Spacious house with the large backyard on the river and a nice patio…read more 2 canoes are available to use, so is a fuzzball table. The kitchen is fully furnished, the rooms comfortable, the living room has a nice TV and there is wireless internet connection.

We rented Casa Bella. And Bella it was. The view was gorgeous, the house warm and inviting and Mia,…read morethe owner was accommodating, laid back and friendly! Also, bonus, the office staff, namely Kelsey, is very communicative! I highly recommend Casa Bella and BBBVR.com!

I would probably rate this as more of a three and a half stars. We originally found Bodega Bay Best…read moreVaction Rentals by looking at houses on VRBO.com and chose a house that according to their description was minutes from the beach. Once my mother had already confirmed the house by sending in the money and we got the address we saw that it would be quite a walk to the beach and we would have to cross Highway 1 with two small children. She called BBBVR directly and asked just how many minutes the walk would be and was told about 15-20 minutes. My mother asked if they had any houses in our price and size range that were closer. She sent over three options and the first one we chose she wrote back and said that the owners were choosing to stay there and we would have to pick another. Strike two. Finally we settled on Ocean Song, which was only three houses away from Highway 1 with the beach just on the other side. None of the options we were offered were without crossing that very busy road. The house, Ocean Song, was listed as kid and dog friendly. While the house was lovely, with a gorgeous view and the right size for what we needed, I would say that it was more dog than kid friendly. The kitchen was quite small, so they had all of the dishware on a rack on the floor next to the dining bar. This was very tempting for my 22 month old to want to play with. Also they had the supplies for starting a fire in the fireplace, including matches and a metal poker in a basket on the floor. They have two showers and no bathtub, although one shower had a handheld shower head, so we made do to get our kids clean. The house itself is an updated 1970's house with lots of picture windows for viewing the crashing waves below. The bathrooms and kitchen have newer countertops and appliances. The house is eclectically decorated and has all the modern conviences (cable TV, cordless phones and wireless internet). The porch is very pretty, has lots of seating and even has a small firepit. The garage, which is strangely accessed through the master bedroom closet, has a gas grill and a full sized washer and dryer. This would be the perfect house for a family with older or no children who wish to travel with their dog. One thing that slightly grossed us out was that it smelled of dog immediately upon entering and there were obvious spots on the carpet near the front door. We aren't really dog people, so we would probably prefer someplace a little less pet friendly. One note about accessing Portuguese Beach from the house. There is a path directly across from the street the house is on, but it is very steep. If you walk a little down Highway 1 to your left you will come to a path with wooden stairs set into the hillside, which is much easier and safer. However, be careful when you are walking back to the house. Walk to the actual street and don't take any side trails. As we found out one of the trails leads directly into the backyard of the house just across from Ocean Song, but when you try to cross the field you will find a steep gully filled with poison ivy and unless you go back through the neighbor's yard it is a one mile plus walk around the gully back to the house. What should have taken us five minutes ended up taking an hour simply because we were eager to get off the side of Highway 1 and the cars that speed along that expanse. None of the options were fun with small impulsive children. On our second day we just decided to drive to Doran Beach since the waves are smaller and safer for young children anyway.

Amazing lodge in a peaceful area, close to gorgeous beaches. It's a little remote, but if you need…read moreto head into the city, it's only a half hour drive. Not only is this lodge in a beautiful location, but the service is so awesome. Special thanks to Claudia and the front desk who provided an excellent experience!

I originally booked a room at Ocean Cove Lodge for May 25-26 because the Booking.com listing…read moreindicated that the room had a hot tub. Before my arrival, I spoke with the property by phone and was told that the room I had booked actually did not have a hot tub. Since having a hot tub was important to me and was one of the reasons I made the reservation, I had to book a different room at the same property for the same dates that did have one. I discussed the situation directly with Sam, the owner/manager, and he told me that he would resolve the issue and that the original reservation would be refunded. Booking.com subsequently told me that they could process the refund, but they needed written confirmation from the property stating that the refund was approved. Booking.com contacted the property requesting this confirmation, and I also contacted Sam myself. Unfortunately, despite Sam having already promised me that the issue would be resolved and the original booking refunded, he never followed through. I sent multiple emails asking him to simply confirm the refund to Booking.com, including follow-up messages after receiving no response. None of my emails were answered. This was not a case of me simply changing my plans or deciding that I no longer wanted the room. I rebooked because I was specifically informed by the property that the room I had originally reserved did not have the amenity it had been advertised with. I then relied on Sam's assurance that the original reservation would be refunded. Mistakes in online listings can happen. What made this experience particularly disappointing was the way it was handled afterward. Sam personally told me that he would take care of the problem, yet when Booking.com needed a simple written confirmation to issue the refund, he stopped responding altogether. I gave Sam and the property multiple opportunities to resolve this privately before writing a review. Unfortunately, my repeated attempts to contact him went unanswered. Based on my experience, I would be very cautious booking here. The inaccurate listing was frustrating, but the much bigger issue was the lack of follow-through, communication, and accountability after the owner/manager had personally promised to resolve the problem.

We stayed in room 7 with our two doggos for Presidents' Day weekend. This place is a hidden gem and…read morewould recommend. We will definitely be back!

Great lodge , location and value . Friendly staff Beautiful scenery, walking paths and dog…read morefriendly. First time visiting, we enjoyed the lodge and grounds , visited the Fort museum and our dog enjoyed the trip as well . Nice store across the street to get any missing items and grab wine and beer for the patio. We will be back

What a peaceful cozy place. We spent a night here for my husband's birthday and loved it a lot…read more Staff is very friendly and nice... Evening wine hour with live music was such a treat. Location is perfect too, just a half min walk from really good restaurants. Rooms were clean and tidy.

Loved our stay at The Inn at Occidental conveniently located in the heart of Sonoma County. The inn…read morehas close to the beauty of the Sonoma coast, the majestic redwoods, the lively Russian River, and bountiful vineyards, wineries, and farms of West Sonoma County. It is dog friendly and so welcoming. The Inn hosts a fabulous Wine Bar and beautiful breakfast, lovely views, and large rooms. It is also the perfect stay located at the center of Occidental's charming town. The rooms are themed with verandas with lovely views of the town and forest views. The rooms are spacious, welcoming, and comfortable. We enjoyed the cozy fireplace seating area, the lovely veranda, and charming atmosphere of the main entrance, balcony, cozy robes, and a large bath jacuzzi. The breakfast was exceptional. We enjoyed the large breakfast buffet with hot dishes upon order (all included). See you again!

My wife and I stayed in the Cottage with our smallish dog. Couldn't be happier with the space or…read morethe location. Kathy and Jim are great hosts and made us feel totally comfortable. We had some challenges getting to stay here, our first dates got cancelled because of a COVID SiP, our rebook got cancelled when fires in the area forced an evacuation but we persevered and are so happy that we did. We've already booked a return trip for a week this summer. Winter is a special time in the Russian River area. Even with rain, the area is beautiful, not many tourists to deal with and the locals are great. Summer is more crowded but the river beaches are alive then and all of the restaurants and bars will be open. Too bad some of them haven't survived COVID but new ones are sure to open.

Jim & Kathy are the kindest people you will ever meet and their property is simply charming. We…read morestayed in the guest cottage near the front of the property. I love the Bed & Breakfast feel of this place. There are a couple of other guest rooms on the property that they rent out, and the owners also live there so you run into the other guests and owners from time to time. There are two cats and an ADORABLE chihuahua named Yoda Bella on the property too. There is a hot tub, a coastal redwood ring, a bamboo cave, a creek behind the property (bring your water shoes and you can walk all the way down the creek to the Russian River!) and plenty of hammocks to relax in. Highly recommended because of the great prices & friendly demeanor of the owners.

This place is great! We were a group of 9, with 2 dogs staying on one of the hottest weekends in…read morehistory. First, the house-- The first floor is very open, with a big living area (and sectional sofa) opening to a large dining room that comfortably seated all of us. The kitchen is spacious, and easy for one or two people to cook in. The knives are even sharp! There's a small bedroom on the first floor with a day bed. For some reason, it was the coolest room in the house. Upstairs are three more bedrooms (one with bunk beds!), the master suite, and another full bath. The beds were comfortable, everyone slept like babies, and the master suite has a kickass deck. There'a big back deck nestled in the redwoods with views of the river. Going towards the back yard, there's a nice hottub that we barely used because it was super hot outside. The yard is totally fenced (great for the dogs), and the back yard had fruit trees that will be great for a later guest once the fruit is ripe. The houses's location beside the beach path means you can go from front door to water in under two minutes. We spent a lot of time at the beach, and got to know some of the very nice neighbors. All in all, the best vacation house we've rented yet. Rob was super easy to work with, and I highly recommend.

Fantastic location. Wineries such as Gary Farrell, Arista, Hop Klin, etc are right up the road…read more House is nice and Rob is super easy to work with. It may have been a bit more rustic than what I was anticipating but that added to the charm of being in the woods on the river.

PERFECT! My girlfriends and I stayed here for a pre-wedding girls getaway. We had so much fun just…read morerelaxing in this peaceful setting! Awesome private pool and spa. The owner Sara is amazing! So easy to work with and always available for any question you may have. Some of my friends left some things behind on accident and she so graciously offered to mail them to us! We absolutely loved this home and will definitely go back someday...

My experience with this owner was a total nightmare. In Oct 2013, I reserved this property 3…read moreMONTHS IN ADVANCE to celebrate my wife's 30th during the weekend of Jan 10, 2014. Friends were coming from out of town to surprise her. It was a very big deal. On Oct 29, I gave the owner a $250 deposit by Paypal. Final payment was due Dec 28. However, that date slipped my mind because of the time that passed and because I was busy traveling with my family for Christmas. On Dec 30, the owner emailed me about this. I responded within hours, apologized and told her that I would ask my bank to issue a check to her. The owner replied she was concerned because the check was to be issued on Jan 6, which was 4 days before our arrival. (For some reason, BofA needed that much time to issue the check.) However, I assure her the check would be good. I heard nothing else from her -- until Jan 6. On the morning of Jan 6, the owner sent me a curt email saying that she was CANCELING MY RESERVATION and WE WERE NOT WELCOME and that she was KEEPING MY DEPOSIT. I was shocked and panicked. She never called or emailed me to say she was about to do this. She just did it. I called her immediately and left a message apologizing profusely and pleading with her not to do this. I sent an email saying the same. I also begged her to send me a Paypal so I could make a credit card payment immediately (just as I did for my deposit). I heard nothing from her that day. Then it dawned on me that this owner was going to keep my deposit and rent the house for full value elsewhere just to pad her profit. Why else would she refuse to allow me to pay by credit card? She had no regard for our plans. But there's more... The next day, she emailed me and claimed that my check arrived and she accused me of "perpetrating a fraud" on her. I was flabbergasted. SHE was the one who had taken my $250, refused my request to make full payment -- and she was calling ME the fraud! Even now, I can't describe I angry and outraged I am. This owner is, at best, very unstable, or at worst, a cold-hearted swindler. I can't comment on the quality of her property, but I know a great deal about her trustworthiness and decency. Anyone who does business with her is putting their money and vacation at risk. She does not care about your vacation plans or your important life moments.