This has been the absolute BEST airbnb/hotel ever. Marlene was above accommodating and we were constantly in awe by her kindness and spectacular hospitality.
The check in option when I was booking the trip said the earliest would be 2 PM, but I had messaged her to ask if we could perhaps come in about half an hour earlier so we could settle our stuff down and have more time to adventure during the day. She messaged me the day of to let me know that the room was already prepared by noon! Fantastic. That saved us so much time and we were excited to be getting there so much earlier than we had even requested.
Marlene had stayed in constant contact with me the entire time. She always responded incredibly promptly to my messages and questions. She was never at any point invasive. I had asked if some friends could swing by so we could catch up a little (it seems as if most airbnbs I've looked at didn't really allow outside guests), and she was completely alright with it and gave us no trouble.
I let her know that our plans were to head out to Santa Cruz for a bit and Marlene left us beach towels, chairs, and a cooler out on the deck before we left, too! It was so sweet. We weren't expecting any further accommodations, but she had constantly gone above and beyond. We kept discussing with each other about how amazing of a host she was and how much it helped our very much needed short getaway. She had a lot of snacks/beverages/wine laid out in the living room and they were all complimentary. We had a long morning before travelling to the studio and we were definitely a bit famished by the time we arrived so it was nice to be able to help ourselves a bit before we got completely started with our day. I've never seen any level of accommodation like this at any other airbnb. I kept telling my friends about it and they were shocked at the levels of service we were able to receive. There were plenty of bathroom amenities and towels, as well! The space was large, and we had our own living room. We honestly never felt short of anything.
It was right outside of a trail so that proximity was nice! Especially if you enjoy soaking in a bit of nature during your stays. Downtown Los Gatos was right outside her house and filled with some fun shops/stores/eateries to hit up.
The massage chair was such a huge bonus. Had some trouble following our plans because we were enjoying it so much! The views from the private studio deck were also incredible. I'm still in awe about how amazing of a stay we had and how great Marlene was to us. I doubt that I'll ever have a more impressive stay anywhere else. Thank you again for everything, Marlene!