The location and grounds are spectacular, tucked away in a private tree-lined street next to a creek in the beautiful Allied Arts neighborhood of Menlo Park, on the border of Palo Alto. The Stanford Mall, Stanford campus, and both Menlo and PA downtowns are walking distance. The garden has extensive seating and dining areas. The main house is large (for the area) and updated, including a modern kitchen with as huge island and all the cooking items and equipment you could need. We came for Thanksgiving weekend with a family of six and had a memorable time. JoAnn was a fantastic host, very responsible and thoughtful. She left special holiday dishes and some wine. The sitting and dining areas area perfect, and the bathrooms are fine too (but in need of a little renovation to reach the same standards). There is an extra cottage (finished/expanded garage) with a workspace and pull out bed, but no central heating (only space heaters). Working fireplaces were cozy in both structures. We would definitely come again!