Russian River Getaways

The back deck was amazing. The house itself was disappointing. With COVID-19 I was surprised to find that nothing had been wiped down. There was a layer of dust and dirt on everything. The walls were dirty, cabinets needed a good cleaning on the outside, dead bugs on the windowsills. I spent a few hours cleaning just to feel comfortable being there for the five days. The floors in the bathroom which you can't see in the pictures they post are falling apart. The linoleum is cracked and large chunks are missing in places. The curtains you couldn't touch because the screws were falling out. The screen door had big holes in it. I'm giving three stars solely because the view from the deck was gorgeous.

We LOVED our stay at Buck Hollow and hope to come back again. It was a true oasis in the middle of the most beautiful setting. Almost like staying in a Fairy Garden House! We were able to relax and settle in like it was home. Super comfortable, cozy and had all the amenities we needed for a perfect stay. The photos of this place don't do it justice. It is so much more beautiful in person and we highly recommend it!

We absolutely LOVED our stay at The Palazzo. We will return for sure and make sure to book in advance so we get a longer period to vacation. Russian River Getaways was great with our booking! Thank you!

The stay was delightful. We had wonderful weather and pretty much everything was perfect. The only issues were, not all burners would light on the grill, and the porch swing is in desperate need of tightening of ALL the screws. It’s a great touch but didn’t always feel safe that it wouldn’t collapse. Also we missed having screens on the big sliding door to the dining area, as it would have been nice to leave that door open, especially when cooking, but with no screen anymore, that was not smart due to mosquitos. The new bathroom renovation is amazing although the water pressure for the rain shower head is severely lacking. Other than these small and easily fixed items, the house is just as charming as it’s always been during our past stays. We’ll definitely be back. Hopefully others will enjoy secret garden as much as we have every time we’ve stayed.

the house is fairly well stocked, tho there could be more silverware. But the beds are good and the eating areas are great. But what is especially good about this place is the river access. We have been in three houses now with river access and this is definitely the best. The steps down to the river are steep (in every house) but the owner has here installed a wonderful handrail almost all the way down and when there is no handrail, he's put in a rope that works very well. I am 80 years old and while I'm in good shape for my age, I am my age and at neither of the two other houses could I really get down to the river, but I had no trouble here. It really made the vacation much better.

The home was huge and perfect! The easy river access made everything so easy without having to schlep stuff or drive to a river access point. The upstairs and downstairs are like 2 separate apartments, which is lovely if you value some distance from your kids or another family. The home had fantastic kid books for all ages, the deck is beyond huge and lovely. We used the hot tub, the grill, the kayaks. The showers and baths upstairs were particularly fantastic. They were communicative and we would definitely return here!

My friends and I stayed here for a weekend get away and had so much fun! The property is a lot larger than it seems in the photos and had plenty of space to roam around outside whilst being enclosed in the property. Lots of outside seating as well so you can enjoy the sound of the creek in the back and there are lights so you can have evening hot tub time. The house was cozy and spacious for the 5 of us and there were lots of fun games to play and books to read. The second bathroom was in the laundry area which was a bit further, so we didn’t really use it but it has a toilet and shower in case we used the hot tub. The ambiance overall was perfect and it really felt like an inviting home. Also super close to downtown so it was easy making trips to shop and eat. We all said we would stay here again if we need another getaway.

The location was great, in good proximity to so many cool spots and things to do. The house was fine, but prior to booking, we had confirmed that the boats would be accessible, and then they weren't, so we basically had to make alternate plans for the whole weekend... The beds were really comfortable, and the layout of the house is great for a few couples and a few kids. Also, the kitchen was well-equipped with all kinds of gear and serving pieces, which made dining in and cooking easy, but the outdoor grill doesn't get over 200 degrees, so plan to use the oven only, or make sure the grill has been repaired if you plan to barbecue. We liked the game room, despite all the cobwebs, and the ping pong was a hit. All in all, a nice place, not perfect, but nice enough.

Beautiful Redwood trees and wine, just be careful during rainy season! Korbel has inexpensive wines and tastings of their delicious wines

I had to circle back and check on this business. 3.5 stars is low for such a business. I wonder if the theft is still occurring? Reminder if you scroll down some reviews you'll find my original post. The housekeeping staff stole every single gift I bought my children for Christmas. 2 days before Christmas. All of it. While working there with FEMA cleaning up their communities. They robbed me. The manager refused to listen or accept the fact that it's a thing that happens in such businesses. He just said it wouldn't happen and that was that. JUST HAVE TI REMIND THE PUBLIC OF THE TYPE OF BUSINESS YOUR RENTING From thieves.

One of the most fun I've had in a while. Get a group of friends and buy floaties and you're in for a great time. The parking is a bit scarce and if you park in the main road you will be ticketed. The key is coming in early and setting up two different parking spots on each end so when you're done floating you are in the other car location. Bring your own food and drinks and you're set!

We recently stayed at Lollipop and thoroughly enjoyed it! Amazing rental right on the river in Monte Rio where we could watch all the birds from the deck. Fully equipped kitchen for cooking at home, comfy bed, TVs in both rooms, amazing deck with bbq and a jacuzzi. Close to wineries, hiking, and great restaurants about 10 minutes away....but the rental was so perfect we often opted to stay in. Highly recommend!

**First off, notice all the negative reviews and how management won't even respond to the things people are complaining about since 2015!!!! Way to go management for ignoring problems! Take that as your first sign to GO ELSEWHERE** This is my absolute last ditch effort to leave this company a review for our 5 year anniversary stay at the property "Starry Plough", as this company continues to either delete the review on their site or keep it from being published. I don't like leaving bad reviews, but when management is poor and in my behavior decides not to do what's best for the customer, I feel like it should be pointed out. My husband and I had planned on staying at a bed and breakfast for our 5 year anniversary in November of last year, but when our sitter fell through we had to bring the kiddos, we decided to book the "Starry Plough" property so we could bring them. Upon arriving, we noticed the lighting was horrible inadequate. Having 2 small kids and walking up a ton of stairs, we could hardly see and found it quite uninviting and dangerous for our kids. We were tired and ready to have some dinner, but surprise, the stove wasn't self lighting as it said in the welcome book. It was a completely different stove so after 30 minutes of my husband and I searching for a lighter to light it, we were finally able to. The stove they talked about in the book that was self lighting was in the garage for repair so hopefully you've updated it by now. We were all ready for a shower, but surprise, the hot water was only enough for 1 person to shower and then it was ice cold. As the loud hot water heated banged away and did nothing! It was in the 20's at night so hot water would have been nice. The next morning when we woke up, the smell of nasty sewage began to be very noticeable. We noticed it only faintly when we first got there and figured the house was just musty from no one staying in quite some time. Even our 3 year old the next morning asked "Why does it smell like poop in here?!". My husband could only guess the pea trap was in desperate need of cleaning. Over our next day there, the smell only got worse and the hot water heater struggled to even keep water warm for one of us so we let the kids have the hot water and we struggled through showers. Finally, we had just had enough. I emailed management and said we couldn't stay any longer. We left a day early and had to find another place to stay with our children. We explained the whole visit we dealt with a terrible smell and no hot water and also made sure to tell them this house needed more lighting. Management finally agreed to refund ONLY THE NIGHT WE DIDN'T STAY there, even though the whole stay was miserable and we fought to get rid of the smell of sewage and hurry to shower without freezing!! I have left a review on Russian River Getaway's website FOUR TIMES and EACH TIME IT'S DELETED! This is so frustrating and in my opinion not only wrong, but plain dishonest. Don't email me asking me to leave a review and delete it or not allow it because it's less than spectacular. I only wish someone would have handled our situation better. We paid over $700 for the 3 nights we stayed and we were miserable so in my opinion, more should have been refunded than the ONE NIGHT WE COULDN'T EVEN STAY BECAUSE THE SMELL WAS SO OUT OF CONTROL. On top of all the other things I mentioned, the home wasn't adequately cleaned and the shower and sink had hair all over them and I actually cleaned these myself because I didn't feel like they had been touched. I guess we will chalk this one up to a big loss. I don't expect to hear anything from RRG because I have left review after review and reached out to them about our bad stay and about why my reviews aren't staying on their site and they don't even have the dignity to write back. Do yourself a HUGE favor and look elsewhere. There are so many beautiful places to stay. Don't be fooled by the look of a pretty home. This house was eclectic and cute, but so much went wrong for us. Stay elsewhere! Bad management is just bad business! I'm a review reader and not trusting a legit review and sometimes really ruin or at least strain a vacation and this one wasn't ruined because we were celebrating a really beautiful time in our lives, but this stay certainly put a damper on things.

Dog friendly! Easy to use web site and a good array of cabins and houses to chose from. We decided to get a cabin away from the river to try and get some peace and quiet. Cabin had a cool design, easy parking and a jacuzzi. The cabin came with a warning to make sure to keep your dog from barking so as not to disturb the neighbors. Well, turns out the neighbor's dog were the barkers and they needed to do a better job keeping them quiet. Other than that the place was super quiet to the point it was almost spooky. The cabin had a visitor's journal and the previous renter that rented the place was going through a depression/breakup and was constantly crying. She wrote how through the night she heard noises and thought it was a ghost. Great! All in all, using Russian river getaways was seamless and was pleased with the place. Extra star for being dog friendly.

Easy to book and the directions were very clear about how to get to the place. We stayed at Johny's landing: The place was clean and well furnished, and perfect for a family with dogs. The hot tub was also warmed up and ready to use! They have a dock that juts out into the Russian river and kayaks on hand so it was great to go out kayaking in the early mornings. The place was also well stocked with dogs beds/toys/bowls and with a closed in yard, perfect for any size dog. The space itself is perfect for 2 people to stay or maybe with a child. The couch futon was very comfortable but we couldn't even find the sheets until day 2 when we found them in the dryer. Additionally the bedroom is accessible only through the bathroom so this isn't really an ideal set up if you're trying to go with more than just 2 people. The only thing I'll say is that the pictures had some things that couldn't be found - including a hammock we were looking forward to using. Additionally one of the kayaks has only a child paddle - and I'll be realistic, I don't want to be working that hard to kayak!

I rented the Stay Awhile home for thanksgiving. The heating system was not functioning well and the circuit breaker tripped a couple of times so we had to leave the night we checked in. The staff said I should not use all the appliances and lights at the same time because the circuit breaker will trip off. She also said to turn on the electric range to heat up the kitchen and dining area. I was mortified. This was not disclosed in the contract. My Thanksgiving with my 89 year old mother was ruined. If you plan to rent the Stay Awhile home, please ask first if the wiring system of the home had been updated. Then I called the manager and he was arrogant and unapologetic. Poor customer service.

We are very pleased that Russian River getaways was able to give us a full refund when we decided to not visit this summer due to coronavirus concerns. They really worked well with us to resolve the problem.

Get away to the Russian River! Russian River Getaways is now firmly ensconced in my list of favorite sources for accommodation -- I have rented from them 3 or 4 times in the past three years. The rentals are always in great condition -- some of the houses are really amazing. They are clean, most of them have hot tubs and are under redwood trees. If you have plans for a romantic weekend getaway or a large family or group vacation -- they've got a property to suit your needs. Just be sure to plan to cook as Guerneville doesn't actually have many decent restaurants. The only groceries are at a Safeway and a natural foods store (disguised as a house to the left of the box store, closing at 8pm most nights). Plenty of locations are near the river, some are near the ocean and you're only a short distance at any rate. There's a first rate flea market on Saturdays and the area is lousy with antiques stores. Armstrong redwood park is accessible from the River Road and there's plenty of fun on the river in warm weather. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (http://www.rrsisters.org/) have monthly bingo -- be sure to get there early (like 90 minutes early) because it sells out.

The folks at Russian River Getaways made it very easy to book a cottage up in Cazadero. A little snafu when I arrived late and the key wasn't in their lockbox, but I called the after-hours number and someone arrived within 5-10 minutes to get me the key. Everyone was very professional and accommodated my request to extend my stay. Brought my dog inside to their office when dropping off key and they welcomed her. Please note that many cellular providers have limited coverage in the area.

I rented a gorgeous 3 bedroom house through RRG and it wasn't cheap, but it was worth it, IMO. My sister in law was visiting from Spain, so we took her on a long weekend. That was back in August. I hadn't given it much thought (except that we'd gladly re-rent the same place) until today when I received an email about damages. Apparently the owners had claimed back in August that there was a hole in the grill cover (which there already was because it was ratty and worn, not because we made a new hole in it), which the included insurance paid for without contacting me. They contacted me today, over two months later because the owners are now claiming that we broke both of a matching set of two bedside lamps. Which they just now replaced. We didn't break anything, but the woman at RRG's insurance company warned me that if I told them to deny the claim that RRG could come after me personally for damages, which would waste more of my time if nothing else. It's not the cost of the lamps that bothers me, as the insurance covers it anyway, but the gall of accusing someone who paid nearly 2k to rent your home for a weekend (and took excellent care of it) of two separate counts of damage that are almost certainly trumped up from nowhere. After this, despite their lovely list of properties, I won't be booking my vacation rentals through this company any more.

Thanks to the incredible ineptness, audacity, and, quite frankly, rudeness of the Russian River Getaways staff, my husband and I will never again rent our favorite cabin, Blackberry Bliss in Cazadero. As importantly, I will be sharing our recent traumatizing experience that compelled us to depart the cabin only 24 hours into what we reserved as a 4-night stay, with the dozens of people I have referred to Blackberry Bliss, we long as it remains under the management of Russian River Getaways! The first morning of our recent stay started gloriously. I had just gotten out of the hot tub on the back deck, and my husband was preparing to take my place in it, when suddenly a strange woman appeared on the back deck, uninvited and unannounced. Because the back house to the deck is all beautiful window, it was no different than having a strange woman walk through your living space, since the deck is designed to be an extension of the cabin. Alarmed and defensive to have a stranger enter our space, we of course confronted her. She was there for routine maintenance of the hot tub. Despite our outrage that she didn't use the front door, that she didn't attempt to announce herself in any way, that we didn't appreciate nor welcome her presence during our private space and time, she completely ignored our concerns with absolutely no appropriate regard or response. Unbelievably, she just said she had a right to be there and scolded us for having the cover off of the hot tub! She entered our space through stairs on the side of the cabin with a sense of entitlement, offered no apologies, and would not leave at our request. If that experience wasn't jarring enough, the response from Russian River Getaways staff when we called to share our shock and anxiety that a service person was allowed to impede on our privacy without notice or welcome, was to scold US because we had "upset" the hot tub service person. They were completely indifferent when we told them were departing immediately and, despite my request to communicate the property owner (who I have met, and who is a lovely person), they would not allow it. We have not received any apologies, nor any offer to refund us for any portion of the 3 nights we did not use as a result of this experience. Blackberry Bliss is lovely cabin, and I will miss future stays. It was a place for us to completely getaway from people and reconnect with each other. As long as Russian River Getaways is managing this beautiful property, vacationers should just be aware of concerns for privacy, safety, and horrific responsiveness from their staff and the people they hire to service the property.

My favorite Russian River getaway , Beach Retreat, has gotten even better which is quite a feat. The Beach Retreat is now pet friendly, more specifically, dog friendly with a dog run. I don't have dogs, but a friend of mine does, and her two dogs were quite happy running up and down the stairs and around in the dog run. I suspect folks with small children will also appreciate having more space tor the kids to run around without worrying about them wandering to the river and getting into trouble. The A/C was perfect for cooling down the house during the day when the sun was scorching. Grilling and eating out on the deck was so relaxing, trying out the wines we picked up from nearby wineries. Do bring citronella candles and/or bug repellent to avoid being dinner for the mosquitoes.

We spent a week here, on honeymoon. The weather was beautiful. The lake and the house were perfect. I can't imagine I would have been happier anywhere else, and it was only an hour away from San Francisco. Slight drawbacks: it is a bit of a hassle renting a house for a week, much moreso than reserving an expensive hotel room. There a lot of forms and deposits. It's a bit of a pain, especially if you are busy with a lot of other ridiculous details, like getting married. I originally wanted to rent a smaller, less lavish property, and was upsold. The property we rented was amazing, but I did feel a bit duped. Overall, a terrific experience. We felt secluded, but had plenty to do and see.

A group of girlfriends rented the Northwood Beach House for a weekend getaway. From the first interaction with them via email, to chats on the phone when they helped me pick out the right house to rent, to meeting them in the office, the staff was nothing but lovely and accommodating. They seem like people who actually enjoy their work (which I find refreshing... and rare). The house was terrific. Hot tub, watercraft (kayaks, canoes, inner tubes), plenty of living space, a decent amount of sleeping space, very clean and well furnished, great deck furniture, three full baths (which helps with a group o'ladies), and everything in the kitchen we needed. I guess if I had to nitpick a gas stove would've been nicer than electric, but not every locale can have gas stoves. The house is right on a golf course, which was quite nice (even though none of us golf) -- it was quiet and peaceful, and some of us (not I) went jogging around it in the morning. There's a direct path down to the river. I was pretty surprised to see the negative reviews. Maybe some houses aren't as nice as others, but ours made our weekend.

Vineyard View House - http://www.rrgetaways.com/vineyardv_1.htm We rented this house for my sisters bachelorette weekend. The house is gorgeous, clean, and the view of the vineyard is great. The neighbors are not pleasant to look at and the downtown was interesting/different and extremely gay friendly. The kitchen was brand new, state of the art, and the dining room table was perfect for the group BBQ dinner we cooked on our first night. Had lunch at Jimtown http://www.jimtown.com/), the BEST sandwiches ever, picnicked at Stryker, followed by Chalk Hill, & Gary Farrell. We ended our day with a soak in the hot tub, and lying in the backyard to catch some sun. I agree that I do not understand the cleaning fee when we had to rush to get everything done on our last day there. I think it should be OK to leave clean dishes in the dishwasher and have the laundry started. I will definitely rent another house on my next visit to Napa/Sonoma.

Just had a terrible experience dealing with their property management office after having our vacation disrupted by a neighbor's massive tree removal project, chainsaws, woodchippers and all. Also, reviews on their website are by invitation only, yet their booking agreement puts the onus on the renter to "choose the right house" based on reviews. Renter beware!

A couple of my best friends came out for my wedding and we all wanted to spend the weekend afterward in Sonoma relaxing, drinking great wine and sitting in a hot tub. I booked a weekend at one of RRG's properties - Tuck It Inn - and I couldn't have been happier. The cabin was perfect: secluded, plenty of balconies, big hot tub, dog-friendly and it looked like the kind of place you'd spend Christmas if you were starring in a slapstick family comedy. I will, without a doubt, be returning to Tuck It Inn.

I wish I could give these folks a great review and see a lot but our experience was less then stellar, even after calls and e-mails to the office as I was supposed to do. The home was dirty, all of it. Coffee filter with grinds left in, drips of coffee in the pot, dishes, plates, cups and pots all with dried food on them (the company blamed it on the dishwasher). The marble table had three large breaks (not cracks in the table-liabality issue if it tipped over), kitchen tile was broken up and pieces were free floating, the deck had not way been painted in a few years. To add to the issue the neighbors had a 100 lb American Bulldog running loose that came up on our porch, charged us in the yard and barked as us. Even so much as jumping the small fence line between properties. We spoke to the company who also said they would call the owner of our rental, spoke to the neighbors and nothing changed. We walked our dogs in the yard one at a time with pepper spray in hand on a short leash, it was not relaxing at all. We could not use the hot tub since it was down where the dog was running loose and could not use the beach for the same reason. Had the company made any effort to assist us in any way, called us back, e-mailed us back or anything I would have known that they cared, but since we never heard from anybody and still have not I cannot give any positive review on Russian River Getaways or the Jujube cabin...such a shame

We loved our house... Mike and the lady were great and so helpful, they were very responsive to my requests even their after hours and a lovely lady arrived within 8-10 minutes. House was so clean and well decorated. You can find anything you need and even for big parties. Northern Exposure was the house we stayed and we are already planing to go back soon... Thank you guys for my unforgettable 40th birthday weekend...You made it so easy;)

Sometimes one just needs to get away from it all, and that means giving Russian River Getaways a call. Recently booked the adorable and amazing Treehouse Grove property in Forestville, and it was a delight! The staff was very clear about rules/regulations and everything was done via email and phone. The nice thing is that they have plenty of contact numbers in case there is anything wrong with the property, which I appreciated.

We've rented twice from RRG, both times over the Christmas holidays. Last year we rented LOVE SHACK for 5 days and this year we stayed in CAZADERO HEAVEN for seven days. Both houses afforded us comfortable, relaxing stays; the Russian River Valley makes a very quiet getaway during the off season, which is just what we were looking for. LOVE SHACK is adorable, quite small but great for 2. In a sweet neighborhood not too far from downtown Guerneville. Great for hiking in Armstrong and puttering around the quirky town center. CAZADERO HEAVEN is fantastic, larger (2 bedrooms) located a bit more remotely, nestled in redwoods. Excellent hot tub, great kitchen, comfy beds, clean house, tons of nice fluffy towels, wood stove, and the price was fantastic. We've found the office staff to be very helpful and attentive. We will definitely rent from RRG again!

We rented a cabin for our parents as a gift for one of their birthdays from Russian River Getaways. Our parents flew-in for the occasion from out-of-state for a scheduled four day stay, but unfortunately they were not as lucky as other getaway renters in their experience or discounts. Although the accommodations were pleasant the bed sheets were not! Our parents discovered a disgusting surprise at the bottom of the sheets-feces residue! Upon checking out of the rental our parents left a note describing the incident and mentioned this to a company employee-in person. We all thought that RRG would be equally appalled but evidently not! When we ask to have the 90 dollar cleaning fee rescinded they balked. We then received a letter from RRG refusing in writing to refund the 90 dollar cleaning fee! It was not until we contacted the cabin owner, left a message for the owner of RRG and spoke with one of the managers that they finally agreed to refund half of the fee. Hardly a happy experience or memory.

Russian River Getaways (RRG) staff and services are outstanding! We have rented several vacation homes from RRG in the past and have always been supremely impressed with their list of vacation homes and excellent customer service. We recently bought/remodeled a 2nd home in Monte Rio and based on our past positive experiences as vacation renters, we knew we wanted to work with the Russian River Getaways Team to help manage our new home as a vacation rental (www.mellowyellowmonterio.com & http://www.russianrivergetaways.com/mellowy_1.htm#). The folks at RRG work long hours and go above and beyond expectations to help rental guests and property owners. Their assistance and guidance has been outstanding throughout the process of remodeling our new vacation home and prepping for guest rentals. We highly recommend working with Russian River Getaways and look forward to welcoming new guests at Mellow Yellow. Thanks for all your hard work RRG Team!

My husband and I have booked a total of two homes with this company. The first home was along the river near a golf course. The second was called the Absolute Zen. The home had a lot of our amenities that we were looking for. It was quite, had a Jacuzzi, and nice kitchen set up. However, there were a few faults with the agency. Directions were very unclear when driving up a the dark road. The lighting was poor to find the home and the location to park could not been seen from the road. Also the Privacy from the other neighbors, there was none. The upstairs windows over look the neighbors balcony. Overall, it was a nice getaway for your family and young child.

Wow, what an amazing vacation. A beautiful house set in the mountainside, completely dog friendly and so relaxing. We stayed in the "Serenity" house and the photos on the website were so true to the experience! We spent three nights, four women and six dogs! Everyone in the office was amazing, the neighbors friendly, and I am completely relaxed and basking in the glow of an amazing vacation.

Booked a house with this company two months prior to our trip, then just over a week before our arrival date I received an email telling me the house was no longer available. When I immediately called I was offered two other houses instead, neither of which were as suitable or had the same amenities as the house we had booked. I was told that the owner was doing some construction, and that if I had looked at the calendar I would've seen that the month prior to our visit was blocked out. So, apparently, I was supposed to assume that those dates weren't rented out but were blocked due to construction?? This incompetent company should have notified me immediately that there was an issue with my booking rather than waiting so long that I had to scramble to find another place. The agent was mildly apologetic, but overall unconcerned with the amount of time and energy he had cost me.

Last minute getaway booking. We have never used Russian River Getaways service before. We have used VRBO (vacations rentals by owners) we have had great success with them. So lets see how I can sum up the experience. It started off promising. We got a prompt response for booking the Babble On Location. Paper work was emailed within a few minutes. Credit card was charged fast. That was the only thing that they did fast. We booked the location called "Babble On" Nice inside great for a home that would be a second home for yourself not for a rental. Copying directly from the website on the question of "choosing the right home?" "Please take care to book a house that will work for you; call or email if you need help. Read this page and the house webpage thoroughly. Ask questions. If privacy/seclusion or no road noise is extremely important to you, talk to us. ****While we do have a few homes with no near neighbors or far from a road, this is a resort area, and almost all homes are in rural neighborhoods and have neighbors (generally not as close as urban or suburban).**; The part where it says "generally not as close as urban or suburban" Seriously?? These homes were so stacked next to each other it was ridiculous. I wish I could have uploaded the video on the drive up. So I took a panoramic picture instead so you can see for yourself. I am not complaining about the price so lets be clear on that. Biggest complaint is the location of the property and the pictures on the page about the property do not show just how many houses are next to it. That is the biggest complaint in addition to that the hot tub is next to the front door which is next to the road. The note on the refrigerator states "Please respect our neighbors" Quiet hours are 10pm -9am please keep voices quiet and or jets off. So sit in a hot tub but don't use the jets or talk one or the other. I looked over the web page on the rental nothing was mentioned about that. If it had we most likely would have looked somewhere else. Bottom line people ask lots of questions then make them send you an email confirming the answers to those questions. Last but not least I was trying to surprise my wife with a spa treatment I emailed the concierge@rrgetaways.com which is what their websites says to do hoping to get this all arranged for her on Sunday or Monday what ever day they could do it. No response the on Monday this is the response that I got on Monday Morning at 9:12am "Hi Al, Sorry I don't work weekends so I didn't see this till this morning. This treatment would be available at the West Sonoma Inn with free use of their pool. They can be reached at 707-869-2470. Thank You. Best Wishes, Art Costello CTA Front Desk / Concierge Russian River Getaways Concierge service not available on the weekends?? Again nothing about that on the website and so you can not have someone else at least respond to emails? People complain about price. Not in this case, I just want you to not mislead me when I book something in hopes of seeing it exactly as it appears and by what you state. Shame on you for misleading the potential renters. We vacation renters deserve better. Let others know.

Booked via Airbnb and they have all these extra potential penalties that you could be subject to. Extra contracts. They are pretty unfriendly on the phone. Basics like bathroom soap and shampoo not included. They pose as an Airbnb, but a mediocre property management actually runs it.

Our vacation this year at the cabin "Heartsrest" was anything but wonderful! 1st, We arrived at the cabin to find that the bathroom floor was so sticky it was like fly paper. It did not come clean until I washed it 3 times. And then there were some dishes in the dishwasher and there was some standing water also in the dishwasher. We ran it through a cycle. Thank God that it was not backed up. Note: All of the cabins are to be cleaned before a guest enters. Not my idea of a vacation cleaning! 2nd, The kitchen was remodeled recently and not quite finished I may add, the stain was not done on the paneling walls,the stove grill did not fit the stove properly, the laundry room (which connects with the kitchen) was only half done ( half of the walls had been replaced and some not) and the washer and dryer were old. Also there was a huge pile of old concrete, about 5ft x 4ft left on the back porch right outside of the kitchen. Not only was this an eye soar, but we were not able to use this space to sun bath as we did the year before. 3rd, The hot tub was not working for three out of the seven days that we stayed at the cabin. No one had told us that it was not working, nor did they tell us that two guys were going to show up to fix it. It was really a surprise to see two work men all of sudden in the back yard in the late afternoon one day! 4th, on our second night at the cabin all of a sudden we notice that there is a wet spot in the corner of the master bedroom carpet. It was too late to call anyone to let them know so we waited until early the next morning to call the office to let them know. They sent some one out right away that morning. By now the we spot had grown bigger and it started to smell. The caretaker of the property came out and told us that the owners knew that there had been a problem and that they thought that they had fixed it. The only thing that he said that he could help with it was to put some backing soda on the carpet to help with the smell. I must add that over the next 5 days the spot got bigger , more wet and smelled really bad. So not a relaxing vacation as we had planned and looked forward to for over a year. My husband spent more time making phone calls, talking to work men, going to RR Getaways several times, sending emails, taking pictures for documentation. There seemed to be no real concern for our comfort and for our paid vacation. Bottom line... After we had returned from our stay and had been home one week, RR Getaways finally agreed to give us two nights credit and some credit for the hot tub. We were inconvenienced for the whole week I guess that two nights is better than nothing. We will never stay at this cabin again and we will never be using RR Getaways.

We've been renting with RRG for more than 13 years--and stayed in 3 properties over that time: BabbleOn, Easy Days, and Dreamweaver. Since the produce & fish/meat here is so good, we moved away from staying in B&Bs to renting from RRG so that we could cook for ourselves. Each property has a distinct personality and feel--a small change in location can make a big difference here in the amount of direct sun, fog, hot or cool, or how isolated or centrally located you feel--so do your research or just ask the helpful folks at RRG (Julz has been particularly helpful about selecting a new property for different needs). Some houses have lots of steps (it's hilly here), some have very sunny decks, some have river access with kayaks or canoes and/or docks, others are in the redwoods which tends to be cooler. Kitchens also vary--most are well-appointed and all have standard appliances including a gas grill. If there's something critical for your holiday, make sure the place you choose has it (i.e. hottub, river access, dog friendly, redwood shade, etc.). Yes, they do ask you to clean out the frig and take out your own garbage & recyclying. There are laundry machines so you can wash clothes and also towels if you need clean ones during your stay--it's what the Brits call "self catering"--not a hotel, right? We like the privacy and DIY dynamic. BabbleOn: We stayed here in March many years back because we thought it would be a little sunnier in the wet season. The brook is lovely right next to the house and the house is bright and good sized; we used the gas fire a lot and only got one day on the small deck because it was so wet. Good well appointed kitchen. It's in old Cazadero--which is a trip to drive through--narrow roads up the hill through redwoods with lots of houses and then it opens out and you're there in a pretty neighborhood. Dreamweaver: stayed with 2 friends and it could easily suit 6 people with enough space for some alone time for all. 3 good bedrooms--the coolest is in the downstairs w/its own deck. BOTH decks get a lot of sun this time of year (late July)--so the afternoons were a little warm (heatwave for the area, that means 80F+)--which meant we spent time swimming in the river and on the dock or in the shade around the firepit in the backyard. Beautiful gardens and really well-appointed kitchen and also everything you could need for river fun. Do note that the river is deep on this side--as it over an adult's head, so if you aren't a strong swimmer, do use the life vests in the back shed (paddles watershoes even suntan lotion was all there!). There's not much current though--it's quite calm and about 2/3 of the way across you can stand on a gravel shelf. No hottub, but we didn't miss it. EasyDays: small, more rustic, up the hill in the same neighborhood as Dreamweaver. Good for 2 people--not for more with 2B/1Ba. Kitchen can be hit or miss if you're a serious cook--but visitors leave implements they bought behind, so there's always a new surprise (dough cutter and rolling pin this year). The deck surrounded by redwoods is the star attraction. LOTS of stairs and the steepest driveway you've ever seen.

I hate to be a "one star" writer. I generally see overly entitled rants here, but... I rented two homes from Russian River Getaways in November (for a New Year's getaway in January). We rented two homes neighboring one another in an attempt to be close to family, but not so close that we would have a problem with my big dog and my brother's one year old. Makes sense. We were very happy to find such an opportunity. A few days before our reservation was to begin, we were informed that one of the houses was no longer available due to weather (there were horrible storms). I understand nature intervening. I also understand that we were beholden by contract to the two homes. We couldn't fit in one house dog and infant withstanding. There just wasn't room for the 6 people and dog. Russian River Getaways wouldn't give us any money back, but they would offer us a bigger house in another location for an additional $600 (on top of what we were already paying). While it didn't really help the crowding, it at least afforded us all a place to sleep, albeit cramped. However, we still had to pay for the other houses. We were left with two houses to pay for (at a rate $600 higher than what we originally agreed to). The houses were great. But the policies of Russian River Getaways are poor. I understand that disaster occurs, but that's what insurance is for. I'm sure that the $600 extra they charged us didn't go to the poor people who's house got wrecked in the rain and even if it did, I'm not the insurance man that should be paying it. If you are looking for the vacation you want to be guaranteed, look elsewhere. I didn't get what I paid for.

I actually posted a review of the house on Flipkey, but mysteriously, it is no longer on the site, so I will post it here: I will try to be as respectful as possible with my review of this house, but there are some glaring faults that I feel should be pointed out. First, there isn't a beach. When I booked this home, I was under the impression that there would be 120 feet of beach front access. Due to river levels/dams, the beach was completely washed out. This is a common complaint with this home as we noticed when reading the entries left by other guests in the guest book at the home. I understand that the river rises and falls, but if you advertise beach front access, you should at least qualify that by saying "seasonal" beach front. Second, after reading the online description of this home, we were lead to believe that it was a 2-story home that could accommodate 12 people. The description stated, "lower deck is accessed from downstairs bedrooms." There are no downstairs bedrooms! At least, there aren't any that the renters are allowed to use. I would never, never recommend having 12 people sleep here. It is a tiny house! I actually have a very hard time believing that the square footage is as advertised. We were bumping into each other all weekend and there were only 8 of us (half were children). To end on a positive, the hot tub is lovely! As for Russian River Getaways, they could care less about misleading their renters. The fact that the beach gets washed away during most summer months is just a fact of life they say and they have no control over the dams. True, however, YOU SHOULD SAY THIS TO YOUR RENTERS BEFORE TELLING THEM THEY ARE RENTING A HOUSE WITH 120 FEET OF BEACH. False advertising on multiple levels. They did give me a 10% discount -- which is almost enough to cover the ridiculous cleaning fee (where I had to do most of the cleaning). Just to comment on Camille's quick response (which I actually do appreciate), there are entries in the guest book at the house dating back to 2007 titled, "Where's the Beach?!" Also, I don't think it is trivial to point out that an advertised 2-story home is actually a 1-story home.

Stayed at the Cloud 9, very beautiful location and the house was extremely lovely, exactly as described and very charming. Well stocked kitchen as far as cooking pots, knives, slicers, very well done. Very out o the way location which made for lovely quiet nights. Found out on Saturday early afternoon that the hot tub was lukewarm and we were unable to figure out how to get it turned on. Talked to a man when I called their main office who said he would be calling us back, or the owners would shortly to fix the problem. Never heard from him. We are only staying for 2 nights, got in late Friday night, have to leave on Sunday before 11am (2 hours from now) so even if he did call back it would have been a waste. Half the reason I chose Guerneville for our rare getaways is the lovely houses with the hottubs. I can't tell you what a let down it is to not have a hot tub during this slightly rainy weather, we were both looking forward to it immensely. I wouldn't go so far as to say it ruined the trip, but I would have chosen something else if I had known this would happen. I don't know why it was ready when we got here and I dont know why we never got called back with a fix but this is very different service from the last time we used RR Getaways when we used the Luv Shak. Still the scenery is beautiful and the view of the creek running by the house almost makes up for the parts that didn't work as well. Awesome places to visit here, a lot of stores for food or buying knick knacks for the house.

Rented the Willow Haven house in Guerneville in August 2010 (we are a family of 4). House itself was OK although the bathrooms could have been cleaner on arrival. Hot tub was great and living area and bedrooms fine. River access (public) is crude and was crowded with a group of young adults behaving in a way that was not compatible with us hanging around with out 11 year old. Major problem was that the old TV did not work and neither did the internet (wired). Apparently they are installing wireless which might solve the problem. Office was not able to resolve these problems during our stay. Will look for alternate rental company next time.

We stayed at RRG's "Luv Shack" for a random long weekend away from the city. It was exactly what we needed. The staff at the office was supremely friendly and helpful, the property was 100% as described and photographed. We felt totally at peace with the area, it was green, quiet, smelled great, and the Russian River was literally a block away. Kayaks came with this particular unit, though we didn't use them due to the season. The kitchen was stocked with spices. The gas fireplace was actually really good--it heated up the unit quickly and made for nice ambiance. I'd subtract a half star because the housekeeping/cleaning fee doesn't cover dishwashing. Relying on the prior tenants to do the dishes meant our first sips of our Russian River zinfandel tasted like soap. Hopefully our dishwashing was better. I *almost* would take away a half star because the hot tub was cold on the first night. The owner quickly came out, apologized, and warmed it up, but it wasn't ready until the next night. This could have been checked before our arrival. But RRG refunded us for the trouble! Top. Freakin'. Notch! We'd definitely return. It's important to note that in the Russian River area, most places aren't "secluded"--Luv Shack in particular; it was attached to a main house where the owners lived. But everything was very quiet and peaceful and the owners were very mindful of making their presence as low-key as possible. The winter in the Russian River area is supremely quiet since it's the low season--it made for a very nice change of pace. Also, this needs said: Ignore Andrew H. below. Giving 1 star for those petty grievances is just tacky and hipster. This is really important: RRG informs you before, during, and after your stay in no less than five distinct ways that if there are ANY problems with their units that you should notify them and they'll take care of it. They even offer to move you to a different (likely better) unit if your hot tub is busted. The staff is 100% friendly, helpful, and welcoming. The town of Guerneville and all the little villages surrounding it are definitely NOT "out of Deliverance." The whole area is rural, but it is gorgeous, well-maintained, and evokes the beauty of Northern California's wine country. The people generally are friendly and welcoming, despite having their homes invaded by some small percentage of spoiled city brats like Andrew every year. Don't worry, Guerneville, most of us San Francisco folks love your town and try to respect your peaceful burg.

I didn't end up liking the cabin we chose -- slim pickins over Christmas -- but the management company itself was a delight to deal with. Online reservations, easy online contracts, keyless entry, pre-heated cabin and hot tub, etc. I knocked off a star because the $1000 fees for any minor transgression seem a bit draconian. (I mean, if they find dog hair on furniture, they reserve the right to charge you $1000. In the cabin I stayed in, they could have replaced all the furniture for $500.) But I love the fact that all the properties are dog-friendly, so I suppose I understand. When I had to make a change to my reservation, the folks in the office were friendly and easy to deal with. I'd use this company again in a second (though I'd choose a different cabin).

We spent two nights here on a Saturday and Sunday. The house we stayed was Avalon and is a beautiful house. Excellent view of the russian river and very bright and open. The amenities inside was pathetic. The trash was not taken out. We were here with kids so were using the kitchen. Had to clean everything before we had to cook. All stained and dirty and put away in cabinets. they had a beautiful sunroom but was littered with bugs. The worst was that it was a house that accomodated six but had ONLY one toilet roll per bathroom (had two baths). We thought it was an oversight but then saw this was one of their many rules listed in their book. Will never rent through this agency if the houses are maintained so badly and have such ridiculous rules.

Here's a review for you if you are a sensible person looking for a lovely getaway in a quiet setting -- and you have realistic reviews of what it means to manage a number of properties owned by other people. We've stayed at several rental houses for weekend getaways, and find the RRG properties to be the cleanest and the staff to be the most responsive. Here are a couple of reviews of two properties, both situated on East Austin Creek on a very quiet road with lots of privacy. CLOUD 9 We've stayed at Cloud 9 many times. It's one of the RRG properties that's in our price range, especially since we tend to visit Cazadero in the off season. The decor is simple, nothing overbearing though a little dated and non-personal -- but by vacation rental standards in this range, it's pleasant. The house has always been extremely clean when we've arrived. I have asthma that is triggered by dust, dust mites, and mildew, and I've had very few problems with asthma at Cloud 9. The bedding, furniture, and general dust level are all good, though the carpet is quite musty, and there's a faint pet-urine odor that doesn't seem to get resolved. I wasn't too put out by the pet odor (it's nothing compared to some places that allow dogs), and found, in the balance of things, that it was worth it. Thankfully, the staff at RRG weren't attempting to mask the odor with potpourri everywhere, which can also trigger my asthma. And honestly, with all the cooking we did in the lovely Cloud 9 kitchen, mostly the house smelled like bacon and onions and stinky cheese. And that was all on us. Cloud 9 has a hot tub that has worked every time we've stayed there. It's located under lovely trees on the back deck -- visible from the road during the low-foliage season. There are only rarely people driving or walking on the road, and so we didn't worry too much about people gawking at us lazing around in the hot tub. The outdoor seating is plentiful, but somehow not very inviting. We hardly used the outdoor spaces here. BLACKBERRY BLISS We decided to mix it up a bit on our last trip and stay at nearby Blackberry Bliss, which is located next to Cloud 9. As usual, we took an off-season trip, enjoying cheaper rates and the little bit of extra water in the creek from recent rains. This time, we had our young dog in tow, and man was he blissed out by Blackberry Bliss. I was concerned that there would be the faint odor of pet urine present in Cloud 9, which might cause him to think about marking, but there wasn't and he didn't. Blackberry Bliss is much cozier than Cloud 9, and just as clean. There are a few odd furnishings around the house that some folks might not like, I suppose (antlers, African masks, and some Biblical stories on laminated cards in the bathroom), but there are also more personal details in this house than in Cloud 9. The setting for Blackberry Bliss, even though it is next door to Cloud 9, was superior. The hot tub is much more private, the deck is spacious and livable, with a gate to keep the dog "on deck." The house is equipped with (filled) hummingbird feeders, and there is constant hummingbird traffic. There is a yard, with a picnic table, and a small dining area on the river. The house has mostly wood floors (no dust mites!), and the furniture is contemporary and clean. The bed is firmer than in Cloud 9, and I did have some troubles with asthma that was triggered by the pillows/bedding. Next time, I'll just bring my own pillow, which might help. The only drawback we encountered at Blackberry Bliss is that the hot tub was out of commission for much of our three-night stay. Nick, the fantastic hot tub specialist who services the tub, came right out to help us (repeatedly) even though we were all glued to the World Series at the time. He fixed the tub a couple of times, but the last time it broke down, we didn't push a repair. The hot tub is clearly quite old and needs to be replaced if it is going to be a consistent feature of the property. RRG does not guarantee that hot tubs will be operating during your stay, but they are responsive to repairs. They also offered us a small discount for our hot-tub downtime. We spent a lot of time happily curled up in blankets on the deck (instead of in the cold hot tub) during this trip, and we wondered if it really mattered to us. At first we thought that the broken-down hot tub would be a "deal breaker" for another stay at BB, but in the end the place was so excellent that we thought we'd take the gamble again. Though -- with a dependable hot tub this place would be our consistent destination in Cazadero. Overall -- both places are great and we enjoy renting from RRG. We'll be back!

if it weren't for the run-around, i'd give this place 5 stars. my sister-in-law and i arrived early to decorate the vacation rental for my other sister-in-law's bachelorette weekend. we went to the main office to get the code to the house (keyless entry was nice and you can change the code to something easier) and directions. we drove to the house, which had an old, abandoned-looking truck in the front which was a little spooky. we used the code and it would not work. since we don't have at&t (which seems to be the only service provider that worked) we had to drive back to the main office. she then gave us an over-riding code. drove back and it worked. i didn't plan the trip, so i didn't realize we were in the wrong house, but she quickly did. this house looked like a horror movie cottage. so, we drove back... she apologized for giving us the wrong address and we were on our way. we arrived to a much nicer looking house and the initial code worked, or course. the house was gorgeous (http://www.rrgetaways.com/vineyardv_1.htm). the only thing is that when you leave, they want you have your dishes cleaned, trash taken out, and a load of towels started...not bad. it was definitely worth the run-around.

We have rented two places from Russian River Getaways. The service has always been good and we have enjoyed the houses. Renting a house is definitely a more enjoyable experience than staying at a hotel but note that you need to understand the differences and everything won't be perfect. One great advantage is you can easily accommodate the pooches and they prefer to stay in a place with a yard.

Serendipity. Very cute but not comfortable. Give me comfort any time over cuteness. The beds were uncomfortable. There were no outside lights so coming in at night was dangerous. Slippery stairs when wet. There was no dinning table just a built in booth. Four adults didn't fit. Advertised with a fenced yard. Very important because we travel with dogs. No yard just a fenced in deck with hot tub. No lights so use of hot tub at night was not possible. Also side doors did not open so circulation was poor.

I worked with Julz to rent Arcadia, who was nice and responsive. It was a nice comfortable home and the whole process of renting was smooth. They were very clear about the rules, which we appreciated. The house had a beautiful view and was well located and serene. Would recommend wholeheartedly.

Recently I had the chance to get away from San Francisco for a long weekend and I chose the Peace and Quiet home rom Russian River Getaways. The staff was very responsive to my requests and made me very comfortable. The made the entire process so easy. I had an amazing weekend. I look forward to my next chance to go up and enjoy another property from these folks.

We rented out Arcadia for my boyfriend's birthday. The location is beautiful and the house is very well taken care of. This place was great for accommodating all of our friends who made the trek up to celebrate his birthday and the great thing was the concierge service which got us a cake delivered on his birthday. Great, prompt service, that led to a fantastic weekend.

I've been a client of Russian River Getaways for years, but this was my first time as the direct contact (my name on the contract). Love how easy it is to rent from them. Photos and descriptions on the site are very accurate. They are responsive both by email and by mail. Overall, a very honest and well-run service, at least from the renters perspective. If I could afford it, we'd go up to the river more often!

I stayed with a party of 4 at the Awesome "Tuck-it-Inn" (booked through RRG) cabin at the end of January and everything about the experience was great! The staff made booking the place easy for us especially considering that we were trying to book at the last minute. The place was exactly as shown and described on the website. The place was clean and homey. The 4 of us are designers and loved that the cabin didn't have a bit of contrived decorations inside or out. I'm not sure what Andrew H. is complaining about in his review. I was checking in and out during the same time and the staff at RRG was nothing but professional and helpful. They didn't blow the incident out of proportion nor did they underplay it. I reccomend RRG to everyone and am planning to book another trip through them this Spring.

http://www.rrgetaways.com/vineyardv_1.htm We had a pleasant interaction with owners, who were very nuturing in helping us get all the information in and understand the property and arrangements. The home was beautiful and easy to navigate, stocked with bicycles and amenities- which was great in getting 6-7 people organized. The beds were super comfortable...if you're tall- its only stocked with queens, but super comfortable as i said. The neighbors are the biggest drawback- they are run down and not nice to look at...so looked straight out on the vineyard..which is beautiful in the morning with the fog settled in..tractors are quiet, really nice to sit out on deck with a hot cup a joe....and cream of course. Really appreciated all the new kitchen utensils..they have not let the place get run down and have invested well with kitchen appliances- which when i travel appreciate a lot! While the economy is depressed up that way- the town is a very good destination to slow down from the hussle and bussle of the Bay Area to just rejuvenate- get your witts about you and enjoy the Russian River and Ocean- Highly recommend this house for Type A and Type AA who need to simplify and recuperate.