My boyfriend and I spent our Christmas holiday at the Luv Shack. We stayed three nights, and wished we could have stayed for good.

The location gave us all the privacy we wanted, and it was easy to get in and out of town. The house looked just like the photographs on the website. Very comfortable bed, a great little kitchen (we cooked all our own meals and had everything we needed) excellent bathroom (good water pressure/temperature) nice hot tub, and the furnishings were totally to our taste. Quirky and cozy, with lots of attention to detail.

I personally had no issue with the amount of instructions that came with the rental. I've rented vacation homes in the past, and it makes perfect sense to me that there are just extra precautions rental agencies have to take with furnished homes.

The office staff was incredibly friendly and helpful when we arrived. Even though we were later than we had expected, and it was Christmas eve, they didn't rush us at all.

I highly recommend renting from Russian River Getaways.

Wonderful, quiet experience -- just a walk to the river, hot tub always ready, home was clean and well stocked with amenities. I wasn't clear until the day I left that more of the yard area was available to me (that information should be provided up front). The kayaks were there and I hadn't been able to find them. It would be helpful to have the foliage trimmed away from the street sign (Western). Caused some confusion on initial visit. But overall, office staff was very nice, met the owner who was also very nice, and I was very content and satisfied. Lovely little hideaway -- which was just what I needed. More...

We stayed at the Luv Shack for three nights. We had the opportunity to meet the owners (Barbara & Larry?) who were very nice and helpful. The unit was clean and neat. The gate to the parking spot as well as the one to the garden were old, had rusty nails, and were difficulty to move. The kayaks were a nice amenity but should have been cleaned/hosed out ahead of time (they had dirt, leaves, and cobwebs inside). We did not have the opportunity to use the hot tub, but it seemed like a nice amenity and was in a mostly private location in the garden. The interior decor was reminescent of early to mid 1990s and a little excessive (i.e., sometime simple is better). We think the Luv Shack has a lot of potential but could use a makeover.

Lovely cottage in peaceful location. Well furnished and equipped and excellent hosts. Close to Guerneville but need a car as not walking distance to town. Easy access to river and beach. More...

The two of us came to the Luv Shack to celebrate a wedding anniversary. The purple-walled unit is located in the back yard of the owners' home. It is reasonably comfortable and attractive on the inside. The owners of the property were utterly invisible - and we are grateful to them for it.
Despite the pluses above, I cannot recommend this property, and here is why:
1. Owners employ an agency in town to handle the property for them. The agency made it crystal-clear from the second we set foot in Guerneville that our presence was a major imposition, and that the only way we could ever redeem ourselves would be by volunteering our services as maids / general contractors for the property. The instruction manual (complete with specific monetary fines for each infraction), which we received by way of welcome, included such pearls as a request to start a load of laundry before we leave; detailed instructions for sorting the trash and dragging it to the curb (put the bins exactly 3 feet apart!); 2 (two!) reminders not to put tampons in the toilet; a request to leave our footware outdoors before entering the unit; and admonition to keep the hot-tub's temperature between 102 and 104 degrees - or else it would turn off, the maintenance guy would come over, and we would have to pay him... I could keep going, but if you rent any property in town managed by the Russian River Getaways, I am sure you'll find out for yourself.
2. The "quiet, romantic" unit... well... isn't. Our ears were sandwiched between 24/7 shrieking of a large party enjoying the potent pool/booze combo at the property on our left; and slightly less constant but no less irritating barking from the geriatric canine guarding the property on our right (nothing like a 50-minute yap fest to augment a romantic, star-lit soak in a 102F hot tub).
All-in-all, my heart goes out to the owners. They clearly put a lot of thought and effort into creating this little getaway. And in the right hands, it could have been great. More...