Professionally cleaned detached home nestled among an oak grove, waterfall & vineyard in the hills above Stanford (10 min), Palo Alto (20 min), Menlo Park (10-20 min), Mountain View (25 min) and San Francisco and San Jose. Perfect for traveling families and groups, as well as startups visiting Silicon Valley or conducting off-site meetings. Amenities include private pool, spa, sauna, tennis, pickleball, basketball, putting green & trails. Please read this entire listing for full details.
LATEST UPDATES: Upgraded AC, faster internet and a WiFi6 for lots of devices and bandwidth. We've also added pickleball lines to the tennis court and installed a putting green with five remote tee locations (tees available July, 2022).
CONVENIENT RETREAT: Quiet rural escape in a secluded home on a vineyard with lots of screening, full fencing and a security gate across your private driveway.
Portola Valley has a great outdoor lifestyle: cycling, equestrian, hiking, yet is only minutes from Stanford and central to all major Bay Area destinations: Googl/Alphabet, Facebk/Meta, Apple, Sand Hill Road, and all major cities including Palo Alto, Mountain View, Cupertino, San Francisco, Santa Clara & San Jose. You're 4-5 minutes from I-280 which is the most beautiful freeway in the U.S. and the fastest route up and down the peninsula.
RESORT-STYLE AMENITIES: private tennis court, pickleball, basketball, putting green, outdoor dining patio, walking trails, plus summer-time amenities including a spa, sauna and swimming pool (with dive, slide and shallow toddler section)
WINE COUNTRY LIVING: You're on a vineyard with a family-operated winery and an award-winning pinot noir that's grown, fermented, crushed, barreled and bottled on-site. Best of all: a complementary bottle is available on request!
COMMITMENT TO CLEANLINESS: exceed VRBO & CDC guidelines. See details below.
FAMILY FRIENDLY: books, toys, games, Wii, high chair, Pack & Play crib, scooters & outdoor toys at sport court. Pool includes a 1' shallow section for toddlers and is usually fully covered for safety. Ponds have safety grates.
BUSINESS-FRIENDLY - high-speed internet plus multiple desks & counter-tops for work areas. Tables in kitchen, on porch and outdoor patio (at tennis court) are suitable for meetings. We recently upgraded our Comcast service to the highest tier and installed a high-performance WiFi 6 base station.
EXTENDED STAYS - includes central AC, heating, linens, towels, pillows, and a fully-stocked kitchen with appliances, utensils, pots, pans, etc.
A NOTE ON CLEANLINESS: The home is cleaned between guests by a professional crew using a 200-point checklist that goes above & beyond typical house-cleaning. We wash dishes, cups, utensils and appliances between guests. We disinfect all food, cleaning & bathing surfaces as well as faucets, toilet flush levers, doorknobs, drawer-pulls, cabinet handles, appliance handles/panels, light switches, remote controls, etc. And of course all linens and towels are cleaned. Check-in and check-out are contactless - you can arrive anytime after the check-in time (4pm) and let yourself in.
>> LOCATION
Despite offering a secluded surrounding, the home is only 5 minutes from I-280, which is the backbone connecting San Jose, San Francisco and all of Silicon Valley. It's near Stanford (10 mins) and Sand Hill Rd (7 mins). It's very close to Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Woodside, Mountain View and Los Altos. Levi's Stadium is 30 mins away; San Francisco is 35 and San Jose is 25.
This is a storied property - it once was a hunting lodge visited by Hollywood celebrities like Bing Crosby. In the 60s and 70s it became a hippie commune before becoming a private residence. This house was once a stable and was converted decades ago to a guest house, then remodeled and updated twice in the last 10 years, including new kitchen, bath and beds.
In addition to all the amenities inside the home, there's a full tennis court, basketball, pickleball and putting green with five approach tee boxes (starting July, 2022) at various distances and elevations. Pool, hot tub and sauna are available between 9:30-6:30 during the warm season.
A private half-mile walking trail encircles the property and a network of public hiking trails are available just outside the fence.
Use of outdoor amenities requires a signed liability waiver and adherence to site rules & guidelines. Violating rules will result in loss of access to the amenities. The rules are reasonable but we've had to cut folks off a few times.
>> THE HOUSE
The self-contained house includes a kitchen, dining area, living room and 3 bedrooms. The master bedroom features a luxurious queen bed fitted with 400-thread count Egyptian cotton sheets. There's a 42" HDTV as well as a desk, walk-in closet, dresser, full-length mirror and small safe.
The second bedroom includes a queen bed, desk, 32" TV and closet. The third bedroom has twin bunk beds, dresser and toys and books for young children. Additional sleeping is available on the convertible sofa in the living room. It converts easily to a queen-size bed with a memory foam mattress.
The bathroom features a marble floor and granite slab on the sink and the shower. The shower is granite with a solid cast-iron, porcelain tub. There are extra towels, pillows and blankets as well.
The full kitchen includes granite counters, premium cabinets and modern appliances: range, 2 ovens, microwave, dishwasher, disposal and full refrigerator/freezer with ice-maker. Dishes, cups, silverware, pots, pans and utensils are available. There's plenty of counter prep space. In addition to the dining table, there's a bar-top with four stools.
The living room features a 60' HDTV with Blu-Ray DVD player, Wii gaming console and surround sound. You'll have one of Comcast's top internet and cable packages with ESPN, HBO, Showtime and many other channels. There's also a selection of books & toys that are appropriate for young children.
The home has plenty of natural light and includes its own central heating, air conditioning, full-sized washer and dryer and plenty of closet space.
The back porch includes two chairs with the vineyard to your back. There's also a cafe table with two chairs at the covered porch at the end of the house. Just off the tennis court is a separate outdoor patio with table, umbrella and chairs.
You'll enjoy full access to the house, with your own security gate, driveway and parking area. The tennis and basketball courts, putting green and walking paths are available anytime, and courtesy access to pool, spa & sauna during the warm season. The pool includes a diving board and water slide.
Amenities outside the house are shared with the permanent resident (us), and are rarely-though-occasionally reserved for maintenance or an event. Though we live in the adjacent house, there is never overlap. With a separate driveway and plenty of landscape screening, you'll probably never see us unless we're saying hi.
Finally, we ask that any gatherings with guests you invite (who aren't staying as part of the rental) be indoors, i.e. no tennis/golf/swim guests, outdoor events, playdates, parties or other gatherings with guests not staying in the house.
There are great outdoor space for family & group gatherings at the nearby Portola Valley Town Center or the Alpine Inn, which is a 10 minute walk or a 2 minute drive. The town center is a 5 minute drive and has a library, playground, walking paths, picnic lawn, BBQs, fields, basketball, tennis and pickleball. If there are any questions, please ask.
The surrounding area is popular for walking, running, hiking, cycling (road and mountain), and horse-riding. It's quite beautiful and rustic despite being minutes from I-280, Sand Hill Rd, Stanford and Palo Alto. Shopping and dining are minutes away, either in town, Palo Alto, Menlo Park, or beyond.
