14 Reviews of Property 276719 in Santa Barbara, California

My family rented this home for the weekend. My cousin was graduating from UCSB and we all came into town to attend the graduation. The highlight of the house was the backyard. Our family just sat in the sun and BBQ'd in the backyard on Saturday. It was a gorgeous day in Santa Barabra! The house was perfect for all the guests, all the rooms were comfortable and clean. Next time we head to SB for a long weekend, we will absolutely be coming back to this Art Lover's Retreat!

I have rented many vacation rentals in the past and this home surpassed all of my expectations! Beautiful home with all the amentities you would need! Plenty of room for all of your guests, beautiful artwork everywhere, comfortable rooms and outdoor seating; this place has it all! Close to downtown, yet the feeling of privacy! If you are vacationing in Santa Barbara area, this is the best! I would come back again and again!

> Cloud Cover(Seattle, WA) must have had his head in the fog <
Excellent in Every Way- Far Exceeded the Description and my Expectations
Quiet Street, Surrounded by Trees and Lush Garden. fresh lemons and oranges just outside the front door, Wi-Fi, Amazing art and and artistic furnishings. Great sound system, Secluded Deck on second floor and nice lawn on the lower level, Modern Kitchen. Great Hiking in the foothills just up the street. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay an the property manager Liz helped us learn more about the place before we booked and then settled us in nicely when we arrived.

This property was more than we were hoping for. We were greeted by the lovely property manager who was not only helpful before we booked the place, but also gave us several tips about the surrounding area and the house itself upon our arrival. We were a larger group (eight adults), and the house was spacious enough for everyone to have their own private space along with plenty of room for communal meals and hanging out. The quiet street was a big plus as were the beautiful wraparound windows on the second floor. The kitchen was impeccably clean and stocked with all the necessities for cooking anywhere from appetizers and cocktails to full meals. The deck is, well, decadent--a great place to enjoy music and the relaxing verdant garden. The best part though, is the art. Anyone who has ever fantasized about spending the night in the museum will get to live out their fantasy here. Beware, though, this place might make you want to relocate to Santa Barbara permanently. Then your biggest problem in life might be: "Where are we going to go on vacation, my love?!"

I rented the house BEFORE reading the review where the short-term guest said the house wasn't clean. I don't know what they expect because during our stay, the house was immaculate and lovely!
I have a VRBO house in the high desert and I am very particular about every detail. Clean, spacious and lots of light and color.
This Santa Barbara house is in a great location -- seconds to the 154 to go to the wine country -- minutes to the "La Cumbre" shopping and a short distance to downtown and to the beaches.
Where the other guest felt unsafe, I felt at peace in the quiet, foothill setting. I felt absolutely enchanted with the whisper of the creek -- miles away from the stress of home.
The owner clearly must have a fascinating life as the art is fun and exotic. What a nice experience!

We booked this property after having very positive experiences renting four other properties, in various cities. Those previous rentals were each for a fairly high-end (though not lavish) property and they had each lived up to our expectations. Unfortunately, our experience with this property was very different. We don't want to be overly critical, but would like to provide information from our experience, in the hopes that it provides a more accurate picture for others who might be interested in this property.

Cleanliness: This property was nowhere near as clean and well-maintained as our previous rentals. The carpets had stains and were the kind where one feels hesitant to walk on them barefoot. One of the bathrooms had confetti debris left in the bathtub (from the previous renter). There were also numerous stains on some of the furniture. The pot holder in the kitchen hanging from the ceiling had cobwebs. In short, it seemed dingy and quite grungy, rather than clean and inviting.

Security: Several of the windows on the main floor were difficult to close securely and a few of them could not be closed because there was no "catch" into which the window latch could engage. In addition, the deadbolt in the front door did not work. Given how many windows and sliding doors the house has, we did not feel safe/secure at all.

Poor Maintenance: Several items weren't working. The light fixture in the entry did not work. The wireless Internet access did not work. Several of the rooms had side tables with lamps or radios, but with no outlet anywhere near them for those items to actually work.

Neighborhood: We were visiting Santa Barbara to consider it as a place to move and had arranged to see homes with a realtor. She told us that when she heard where we had rented a house, she thought "Uh oh" because she doesn't think of this location as particularly nice. And certainly not what she'd wanted our first exposure to Santa Barbara to be like.

Summary: After a sleepless first night worrying about security and feeling like things were grungy, we decided it wasn't worth being miserable and so cut short our rental by leaving the next morning. We were told that the owner had only recently decided to rent the property. Unlike others who do this with care, it seemed this was simply for monetary reasons and not without much attention to doing it in a professional manner.

The Art Lover's Retreat is AWESOME!!!! It was such a wonderful house to spend a weekend in. One of the best vacation rentals I have ever stayed in! Great location, very inviting decor, all the amenities you would need....I could honestly go on and on.
I will definitely be back.
THANK YOU ART LOVER'S RETREAT for a great weekend!

Love the house... Jesus was our favourite!