Russian River Vacation Homes

Russian River Vacation rentals is a very responsive and accommodating vacation rental company. We stayed at Glen Tara in Cazadero, and the sign up process, payment process, and customer service were easy and above and beyond. We had some issues with the hot tub at the house near the end of our stay, and were able to get in touch and speak to someone immediately. While there was not an immediate solution to the problem, they offered a refund for services not used for partial time. I appreciated their willingness to be fair in this situation. I would definitely rent one of their properties again!

Had an excellent time in Gurneville for my birthday weekend, and am glad I booked through Russian river homes! Kate answered all of my questions, and was very nice on the phone. The Great Escape is just how it sounds. It had all the amenities I needed, and a very cool Rec room downstairs. I was a little sad it was not the time of the year to use the canoes. But I was able to float around on the river since we had private access. Would definitely book with them again in the future.

We had a great time at the Sandy Star, one of the Russian River Vacation Homes properties in Guerneville. The home was perfectly sized for our party of 4 (and could have fit at least 6), with a beautiful deck overlooking the Russian River and huge redwood trees surrounding it. Modern, clean, well-​appointed, and the service we received from management was excellent.

We have had the pleasure of staying twice at La Rive Gauche. Both times in the summer. It is such a wonderful house. The house had been completely updated before our first stay and it met all our expectations and more. Large, clean and spacious with all the modern amenities. 2 families could share the house, but we delighted in having the luxury of a 4 bedroom house for just the 4 of us. I love the upstairs master bedroom (there are 2 master bedrooms and 2 other bedrooms each with 2 twin beds). I loved waking up to the view of the trees and the river. I loved the quiet and picking vegetables and fruit in the garden and being able to jump in the river and kayak (kayaks are included). It was also a great place to meet up with friends and family. We live in Los Angeles, but have so many friends and family in the Bay area and it was so fun having them join us at the house for the day. To bbq, swim, relax in the hot tub and just hang out.
The house has been in the owner’s family for over 100 years and she truly makes the house feel like a home. Waiting for us when we arrived was a bottle of wine and these amazing homemade cookies along with some homemade blackberry jam (which I believe may be made from the berries on her property).
We would go back again in a heartbeat.

The staff at RRVH is extremely helpful and knowledgeable. So much better than renting from VRBO b/​c they know the area, the properties and can give you lots of local advice. They are very responsive and friendly. Both our experiences have been great and the properties have been very well maintained. Wouldn’t rent from any other co at the river. Thanks guys! :-)

I rented The Knot Hole with my two year old and 2 dogs on the recommendation of Kate at Russian River Vacation Homes. Was looking for a relaxing, peaceful, woodland retreat with all advertised amenities for my first «vacation» since 2008. Would have been great. However when we arrived– no cable, phone or internet due to the owner forgot to pay the bill. A $ 350 payment was required to restore service per the phone recording I got from Comcast when I went to make an outbound call to let my family know I made it safely. Since I didn’t get cell service– I had to pack up my baby and dogs and drive 5 – 10 miles down the road just to get coverage to call someone for help. I spoke to a rude after hours man from the management company who refused to help me as well as the owner Saturday night who said he would take care of it. Waited and waited still no service. Had to make a second trip down the road and another several phone calls to get it restored the following day. Why does one need cable, phone and internet in the middle of the woods on vacation you ask? Me. I do. You try being a single parent holed up in the middle of nowhere with a toddler and no ability to make a call or put on cartoons while you shower or cook dinner. Kind of a bummer. Discovered the «swimming hole» that was advertised as part of the trip. WOO HOO! Was great fun with my baby in her float playing ball with the dogs until I got screamed at by a crazy neighbor that told me I was trespassing on private property and that I had to leave. After she screamed at me 5 times and threatened to call the cops on me after I repeatedly told her I was a paying renter and was allowed access– I left so as to avoid a literal brawl in front of my small child. I called both the owner and the management company to make sure I wasn’t breaking any rules (I wasn’t) and no one even knew who she was– though she claimed to be a resident. After I saw the crazy neighbors van from the front window creep up towards my rental and then swiftly reverse backwards as soon as I peeked my head out the window– I promptly packed up and left a day early for fear my car would be vandalized or something iffy like that. Cant chance it with a baby in tow. I’m not going to stay in a place where I don’t feel safe. Kitchen was super small. Second bedroom is completely separate from the main house up a steep flight of stairs so I could not even use it. The hot tub is a «soft tub» with barely any jets, no seats, and is covered by an umbrella that you aren’t allowed to move– so you cant see the stars. The rooftop deck was locked up and marked as «do no use». After all of that– I was offered a refund of $ 75 for the day I spent with no services. Compared to the over a grand I paid to stay there for a measly 4 nights– I’d say that was a slap in the face. I even emailed Kate and begged her to reconsider and didn’t even get a response. I live nearby and will not be recommending this to any of my friends. What a joke. I’m actually pretty upset at the whole experience and how I was brushed off and didn’t even get a response from the company to my email. The only thing they told me when it first happened was that they were shocked and that they would work with the owner and the neighbor to make sure this doesn’t happen to the next guest. But it happened to me– and what about that? Ridiculous.

Four friends stayed at the Monte Rio Treehouse (booked through Airbnb), which was such a fun place to stay! It really did feel like a treehouse. We had a very relaxing weekend enjoying the hot tub, various patios, and well-​equipped kitchen at the house. There was plenty of space for all 4 of us, and the house has everything you need. We also loved being walking distance to the Russian River and the town of Monte Rio, and easy driving distance to Guerneville and many wineries. We only wished that we could have stayed longer!

The descriptions on the site was exact to the house. The people who run RRVH are friendly and helpful. The communication around the rental was very clear and detailed. Could not have been happier with the service and the site.

We had an outstanding weekend in the Bramble Creek cottage of the three River Cottages. Close to town, great yard, perfect for a dog. Outstanding swimming dock. I’m very interested in renting all three cottages and having a larger crowd there using the entire lawn (it’s huge).

BE CAREFUL WITH THEM! I recently searched on airbandb and vrbo for a river home rental and came up with quite a few I really liked. Many of them were represented by Russian River Vacation Homes. None of their advertised pricing matched the actual price they wanted from me. The ladies at Russian River Vacation Homes said it was the travel sites fault. The travel site was not processing their rates the way they should be processed. I called the travel sites and was told that the pricing comes from NOWHERE else but the rental company. In other words, they are a bait and switch rental company. All the e. mails I got were from the rental company themselves not homeaway. My price was quoted directly from Russian River Vacation Homes, but, when I wanted to confirm the booking, I got back a COMPLETELY different price schedule, to the tune of $ 900 more! The representative at Russian River Vacation Homes was so matter of fact about the entire problem, I knew they were very used to this type of complaint. STICK WITH A HOMEOWNER DIRECTLY!

We stayed in River Beach Cottage 4 with our two dogs. It was clean and comfortable and well supplied. We were happy with the fenced yard for the dogs and the back deck offered a quiet place to relax. The only disappointment was the lack of any beach at all. There were stairs to a floating dock, but no beach, and the local beaches accepting dogs were very crowded. But the area offers walks in the redwoods and some fine wine tasting in dog friendly wineries. The staff was friendly and helpful.

I stayed at the Austin Creekside Retreat and had an amazing experience. We went up for memorial day weekend and felt very taken care of. We were very comfortable and the rental office checked in with us and gave us lots of recommendations for us. We ended up getting set up with a guy named Falcon Mike who took us around wine tasting on Sunday. We wouldn’t have been able to know that information with out the Vacation homes office! Thanks again! We will be back.

We had a group of 20+ people staying at the Enchanted Forest in Guerneville. The location was great and the property was beautiful. The management company was friendly and very responsive… we had a problem with the plumbing on Saturday and they sent a plumber out right away!
This is my 2^nd time booking through Russian River Vacation Homes, and I’ll definitely use them again.

We had a group of 3 couples and a couple teenagers. We stayed at the Riverside Lodge. It was Beautiful and as portrayed in pictures. Our group fished and caught. The beds were very comfortable and the bedding was clean. The kitchen was well equipped and roomy enough to have several people prepping at a time. The views were breathtaking and the morning fog was mystic. Oh and the hottub is a must do. You’ll love the Jets and superior seating.. We will be back. .
The staff were very helpful even though I had many questions.. They kept in contact as did we if questions arose. I was pleasantly surprised at their attentiveness.. Thanks again for a Great time.

We stayed at the little tortuga. Not worth the high amount we paid, we could stay at a 5 star luxury for that much. Where do I start. No hot water, dirty utensils, one space heater in living room, variety of hair on the bed/​pillows/​sheets/​bathroom towels, dingy couches. Bugs galore and condensation no matter how many windows we opened. The place is so tiny that anyone over 5′ 2″ can’t completely sit on the toilet and you will bump your toes and knees on the furniture trying to get around. The dishes were all scratched up plastic, even the wine glasses. The nonstick utensils had Teflon hanging off, not healthy for you.
The whole house squeaks and caves under your steps, not sure if there’s a foundation. It seems like it’s just a storage unit turned into a home. I didn’t even go upstairs. The front yard is enclosed completely although the neighbor fence is only ~3ft high. The yard has no grass, just bark and pine. It was horrible. I will never come back here.

This place has everything you can think off, is absolutely amazing. Is a prefect place to go with friends /​kids.
Fully equipped kitchen, quite, fun and excellent location as well. Close to down town and Safeway !!! very very convenient. The rental place Russian River Vacation Homes was extremely professional and helpful. We will definitely rent this home again !!! Loved sooo much !!!

We rented a fabulous home — perfect view! Company was easy to work with, communicated well. We plan to go back!
THANKS

I can give you some feedback on our recent stay. We rented a house for two days. For 1 full day and night the dryer and the dishwasher were broken. I had six children with me. I rented this house with the confirmation on their website of these amentities and with Lena in their office that everything would be as stated on their website. It did not list that I would have to call after hours and speak to Michael the partial owner who was so rude. I did not have to deal with some guy coming to fix the dryer with my kids in the house, who is not bonded or insured and does not speak english, I waited all day for the new dishwasher to be delivered. All I heard from Sergio the repair person was don’t use the dishwasher nor the dryer. No updates at all during our entire stay.
I did not count on me spending countless hours on the phone with Ellen. Ellen and and their entire office staff need immediate schooling in Hospitality, Customer Service and Real Estate Law. Please see all of their bad reviews. If you want to have a horrible vacation experience then rent here. You need to be aware that they are not honest. The kitchen was going to be stocked with pots and pans. We had one Pot and One Pan the rest of the cabinets were bare. If you’re looking for a good place to rent this is not it. Stay away from this rental company.

This company is very good to work with. Good communication, great people and very warm approach to a customer! We stayed in Humming Bird House and loved it there! Megan and Kayte were very friendly and professional. We will book more properties with Russian River Rentals. They have affordable prices, great service and comfortable properties!
If you are afraid to be scammed by any agency. Write an email with the condition of the place or take pics when you check in. This way you will protect yourself from being accused of breaking smth ;)

Stay far FAR away from Russian River Vacation Homes. This place is a disgrace…
We are returning customers that have decided to call it quits, especially after our last home reservation. Sucks for you, not for us.
Joke 1. We originally rented a home we’ve rented before only to follow up and have the office ladies say we didn’t reserve the house when we’ve reserved the house the SAME weekend for the last few years. Why wouldn’t they call us before they rented it to someone else? Don’t expect an ounce of customer service from this place. They have NO CLUE what it means and need some serious help. Everything is YOUR fault, not theirs.
Joke 2. We ended up renting the Riverside Lodge. Three days after our stay, we receive an email saying that we broke/​ripped the hot tub cover. Keep in mind that upon arrival, we all commented on how old and worn the cover looked and that the hot tub water was DISGUSTING. It became clear really quick that this place is a SCAM. Apparently, the owner of the home and RR Rentals like to take advantage of people buying the $ 65 insurance coverage because we did do a thing to the hot tub cover. Don’t expect your deposit back…
Joke 3. I don’t want to fail to mention that the owner of the place monitored us the whole weekend. There are cameras around the house – which is just creepy when you are paying to stay at a vacation home. The office actually had the audacity to comment on the amount of empty alcohol containers there were in the trash and that we had 5 cars in the driveway. Are you kidding me??? WHY IS THIS YOUR BUSINESS? When I’m on vacation with friends and paying $ 500/​night you better believe I’m going to enjoy a few brews.
We rent around 10 vacation homes a year and have had really great luck with VRBO and Zaranga. This rental agency is a joke. Clearly.