Erik was extremely helpful before we even booked. He answered all of my questions very kindly and very promptly. I immediately had the feeling I was dealing with very laid back yet professional hosts.

When you first see the property, you realize straight away that what you're getting is even better than what you saw in the photos (which is already very good!). The property is immaculately kept and the right word for the location as well as the interior design is "Zen". You are minutes from Pasadena yet at the same time you're immersed in a very green neighborhood. The four rooms are well distanced from each other and all give in to a common room, a laundry room and a common kitchen which are all separate from the main property in which the hosts reside. In the month we have spent in the property, we never felt we were competing with other guests for common space. There is ample room and spaciousness. The property is clean and furnished in a simple but very esthetic style that reminded me of Dutch design (at a crossroad between form and function). No icky carpets, no weird rugs, no odd riffled curtains, no overbearing patterns.

The hosts are generous and available but never get in your hair. When Erik and his girlfriend found out my mother is a cake designer, they provided us with magazines for cake design.

The property is very generously run and cleanly kept (provided you also pick up after yourself). You do not find yourself short on towels, toilet paper, shampoo, etc... The kitchen, like the bedrooms are equipped with the best standards in mind, from the sheets, to the coffee maker, to the kitchen utensils.

I would highly recommend Erik's property as an alternative that way exceeds both in quality and value what you might get from a hotel.

Enjoy the bird songs! I must have heard at least 10 different birds on any given morning.