Exterior

Reviews of 1893 vineyard cottage at the gateway to Yosemite.


Reviews

9.8

Exceptional

Rating 10 - Excellent. 153 out of 177 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 18 out of 177 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 3 out of 177 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 2 out of 177 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 1 out of 177 reviews" "

9.6/10

Cleanliness

10/10

Staff & service

9.0/10

Amenities

9.0/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Ulrike M.

Liked: Cleanliness
Lovely cottage close to Yosemite Park
This beautiful little cottage is the perfect spot to visit the Yosemite National Park. It has everything you need when you come back from a trip to the park. It’s so lovingly furnished and has all equipment what is needed to have a comfortable stay. The cottage is situated in a wonderful area surrounded by vineyards. Our hosts MarieLou and Cliff have been more than welcoming to us and made our stay even more enjoyable.
Stayed 4 nights in May 2024

10/10 Excellent

Kay

Liked: Cleanliness
Thank you
Appreciate you letting us stay. Sorry for the last minute changes for Saturday night but thank you for working with me.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2024

10/10 Excellent

Linda G.

Liked: Cleanliness
Yosemite Anniversary Getaway
My partner and I were celebrating an anniversary with a visit to Yosemite National Park. The cottage was a quiet, comfortable and peaceful place to stay during our visit. It was within 27 miles to the El Portal entrance to the park, making it very convenient. Also just 3 miles from the town of Mariposa which provided access to grocery store, restaurants etc.
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

Jennifer

Liked: Cleanliness
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

bridget s.

Liked: Cleanliness
Hiking trip
Loved the property and location just needs a new screen door. And swamp ac needs to be cleaned but great place, perfect for our get away.
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2023
Response from VrboOwner on Sep 23, 2023
Thanks for your comments. Apparently the guests before you kicked in the edge of the screen , and didn’t notify us. The cleaning lady missed it when she cleaned. We have replaced the screen.

8/10 Good

Graham T.

Liked: Cleanliness
Off the beaten track
This property is a rustic experience in a quiet, secluded location, with direct access to Yosemite national park. The owners are non-intrusive, yet helpful when required. Overall a delightful time spent in delightful surroundings.
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Nina F.

Liked: Cleanliness
Great location!
Great location outside Yosemite, close to Mariposa with access to great restaurants, grocery store, shops... everything you need during your stay. The cottage was perfect for our weekend stay! Thank you!
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023
Response from VrboOwner on Aug 17, 2023
Thanks for your comments. We were happy to have you stay here! We wish your son success in his search for Universities.

10/10 Excellent

Frederick B.

Liked: Cleanliness
Cozy cottage
Cozy old cottage away from everything and private. Even though it was hot during the day the breeze cooled it off at night. Didn't need to use the swamp coolers at all.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Will N.

Liked: Cleanliness
Great place to stay
Very comfy cottage. All amenities as listed. We were very comfortable in the cottage. We would leave early in the morning and be gone for most of the day. When we'd return we would sit on the deck and enjoy dinner with a wonderful breeze. Opening windows at night made for delightful evenings too. Owners very, very responsive to questions and concerns. We would stay here again if we could.
Stayed 5 nights in Jul 2023

4/10 Poor

Nikki C.

Too hot for July or August
We stayed here July 19th and July 20th. We had the 21st booked too but left before that night. We only booked this location because one of the amenities was air conditioning. We also thought there was a washer and dryer. The host has since updated his listing to show only a swamp cooler. The swamp cooler didn’t work out for us. It was just too hot. One of the specific instructions the owner has in order to use the swamp cooler is to leave the back door open. We were traveling with our 1 and 3 year old. We were not going to leave a back door open at night in a new neighborhood we were unfamiliar with. Even in the evenings with the back door open and swamp cooler on, the whole house did not cool down. I would definitely recommend avoiding this vrbo when the weather is in the 90’s like in July and August. It was miserable and we had two very grumpy toddlers since we didn’t get to sleep until about 2 in the morning each night when it started to cool down outside. We explored Yosemite as one big grumpy tired family but after two crazy hot nights we left. Our trip was ruined because of the false information advertised. The owner refunded the last night we didn’t use. The owner says he was hacked and didn’t put that information in himself. If you are advertising AC when it’s 95 outside but you only have one swamp cooler, you should refund all nights. A swamp cooler is no match for the 95 degree weather. The owner says otherwise…
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2023
Response from VrboOwner on Aug 6, 2023
As we explained to you, our listing got hacked. If you read the description, you will see it says we have a swamp cooler. Under Amenities, it said we had a washer, dryer, bathtub, tea and coffee service in each bedroom, and a deck or patio off each bedroom. As the photos show, none of those are in our cottage. If you click on All Amenities, you see that NONE of them are listed. For the swamp cooler to work, you have to open the back door 6 inches, and a window in the front bedroom open an inch. I checked it out, and in a half hour the temperature dropped 7 degrees. Our property is very safe. The cottage is in a 14 acres that are fenced in with a 7 foot fence, and our caretakers live in a house at the gate. It is obvious that this couple should have stayed in a hotel at $250 per night.

8/10 Good

Tracey M., Delta, British Columbia

Liked: Cleanliness
Perfect for Yosemite Exploring
Very comfortable beds, pillows and linens. New large private decking on the back of cottage - perfect for morning breakfasts and evening gathering. Appreciated fans in bedrooms as temperatures were making records! We had brought our own fans as well - just in case. Possibly an awning over back windows and door could certainly help keep the cottage cooler on those lovely warm summer days although it cooled nicely when we returned from exploring.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2023
Response from VrboOwner on Aug 15, 2023
Thanks for your review, and suggestions!

10/10 Excellent

Vincent Q.

Liked: Cleanliness
Awesome
Great location, great place, everything was allright ! We had not the chance to meet Cliff and Marilou, but they took care, really !
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023

4/10 Poor

Jessica H.

Liked: Cleanliness
Too hot to stay the second night.
Read the full description. On the initial listing page this property is shown to have air conditioning. In the longer description you will see that they in fact do not have air conditioning but a swamp cooler and a few old fans that are hardly effective. Location was good and the cottage itself was picturesque/cute. None of the furniture was comfortable or good for relaxing and the pillows were almost nonexistent. None of us could sleep at all the first night and decided to drive home, not staying the second night. It was so incredibly hot we would have been better off sleeping outside.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023
Response from VrboOwner on Jul 24, 2023
Thanks for your review. Because of it, we have learned that our listing has been hacked, and states many untruths, including that we have air conditioning. In the body of the description, it states we have a swamp cooler. We will contact VRBO, and resolve the issue. Now to respond to other items. The ceiling fans are not old, and work fine. We have 2 box fans that are 2 years old. Not sure what you mean by uncomfortable furniture. The wicker chair we bought from Willams Sonoma. The rocker is an antique, and a couple guests wanted to buy it. We have French recliners, and chairs on the deck that we bought from Home Depot. We also have ones on our porch, and love them.

10/10 Excellent

Ben B.

Liked: Cleanliness
Great spot outside of Yosemite
Everything was wonderful! The hosts were responsive to questions, and the property was beautiful. I would highly recommend staying here
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Jeremy M.

Liked: Cleanliness
Great Stay
Had a nice time at the cottage and visiting Yosemite. Great communication from the host. Would recommend to anyone visiting the area.
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Sid W.

Liked: Cleanliness
We love this cottage!
Such a quiet, fun place to stay. Close enought to Yosemite and Mariposa for some excellent sightseeing, hiking, and shopping. This place had everything we needed and more.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Antonia C.

Liked: Cleanliness
Charming cottage
Charming and quaint cottage on a lovely vineyard property. The owners are very communicative and happy for you to enjoy the property whilst respecting your privacy.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

James J.

Liked: Cleanliness
Great Location
The property was a perfect hub for a trip to Yosemite and close to Mariposa as well. Directions provided made finding the cottage easy. Overall fantastic stay.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

carolyn c.

Liked: Cleanliness
Lovely spot
What a lovely spot!The cottage was exactly as described. Very clean and well appointed inside and wrapped in porches outside. My 20 yr old son joined me for a couple of nights but it's a perfect house for young kids as well. The grounds are beautiful and peaceful. Great communication with Cliff before and during the stay. The town of Mariposa is certainly worth exploring and the drive into the park is breathtaking!
Stayed 5 nights in May 2023

10/10 Excellent

Bren

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We loved this cozy cottage!
Stayed 2 nights in May 2023

10/10 Excellent

Ethan

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The cottage was a wonderful little getaway nestled in the quiet countryside, and it made for a relaxing stay. The hosts are very friendly and helpful, and they’ve done a great job of making this a welcoming experience. The town nearby is picturesque with lots of resources to supplement your stay.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2023

10/10 Excellent

Vernon W.

Liked: Cleanliness
Quaint and comfortable!
We loved staying here. It was quiet and very peaceful! A short drive to Mariposa and 25-30 miles from Yosemite if thats in your plans!
Stayed 3 nights in May 2023

8/10 Good

Luke N.

Disliked: Cleanliness
Birthday/ anniversary trip
Nice location in the vineyard close to town and the park. Very quiet and restful. Loved meeting Mary Lou and learning of her history.
Stayed 5 nights in May 2023

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness
Charming and quiet
I grew up in a Colonial farmhouse in New England, so a slanting wood floor holds a particular charm for me. I had a lovely stay. The weather was colder than it would usually be in early May, and of course an antique cabin doesn’t have central heating, but my comfy bed was heaped with blankets and a small space heater made for a good night’s sleep. Beautiful surroundings.
Stayed 3 nights in May 2023

10/10 Excellent

Matthew

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Access to Yosemite, great lawn, trees, wine, rest!
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2022

10/10 Excellent

Michelle B.

Liked: Cleanliness
Great place near Yosemite
Perfect place to stay while visiting Yosemite. Also only 7 minutes from Mariposa if you need to get gas or food.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2022

10/10 Excellent

DENNIS M.

Liked: Cleanliness
Pleasant cottage and owners
The only thing that was tough was a heat wave that came through. Had to use the swamp cooler that probably does not get much use in the area. The place was comfortable and exactly as described. The owners were very nice and friendly. Very quiet and secluded yet close to town and just 40 minutes from Yosemite.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2022

10/10 Excellent

Alexandrea C.

Liked: Cleanliness
Beautiful location and very nice people. Loved the cottage and town was so close as well as Yosemite
Easy check in and check out. Everything was as expected and loved the wine they gave us when we arrived. My family loved the stayed and visiting Yosemite was amazing.
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

Joanna Elizabeth

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Our family of five really enjoyed staying on this beautiful vineyard. Cliff and Mary-Lou were welcoming and the complimentary bottle of wine was excellent.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

Aldrich I.

Liked: Cleanliness
Amazing cottage
We had a amazing stay at the cliff and Mary Lou cottage vineyard. The house is very cleaned and very spacious while visiting Yosemite. You can easily access the town and part of the park. Our only issue the air conditioning but over all we had a amazing time.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2022

8/10 Good

Kathy

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
There was no curtains around windows in the living room area and the kitchen. Aircondition was not strong enough to circulate cool air around the cottage.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

Lara M.

Liked: Cleanliness
Vineyard Victorian Cottage
We enjoyed our stay at this quaint vineyard cottage. The house is charming and the setting is beautiful. We appreciated the bottle of wine provided by the host and enjoyed it with our dinner at the picnic table in the garden. Unique and picturesque property.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

Steven

Liked: Cleanliness
Amazing Cottage!
This was an amazing little cottage on an amazing property! We had two toddlers with us who thoroughly enjoyed being able to run around a vineyard. The location was ideal to be able to get into Yosemite every day so we got to spend far more time out of the car than in it. Thanks to our hosts our stay was excellent!
Stayed 8 nights in Jun 2022
Response from VrboOwner on Jul 10, 2023
Steve we certainly enjoyed having! We loved hearing the 2 toddles having great fun. We know your wife must be very pleased with her Christmas gift. Thanks for staying in our cottage!

10/10 Excellent

Corrado F.

Liked: Cleanliness
Perfect and affordable house close to the Yosemite nationalpark
We had a wonderful stay at 1893 vineyard cottage. Everything was as described and we felt like at home. The house is fully equipped and suitable for a stay of any length. Although the entrance to the nationalpark is a bit further away than for other accommodations in the area, it was worth it. The only drawback was, that the property is not listed in google maps and as there are no signs to the cottage, it was a bit harder to find, especially as we arrived after sunset.
Stayed 3 nights in May 2022
Response from VrboOwner on Jul 10, 2023
Thanks for staying with us. We are glad you had a great visit. I just checked Google maps and found our address. However, we send our guests directions to our cottage from the town of Mariposa. If you follow them, you should have no trouble finding our cottage. We send the directions because some Map Apps take you 7 miles from our cottage.

10/10 Excellent

Margaret A J.

Liked: Cleanliness
Lovely charming place
We enjoyed staying at this place. We felt comfortable and we made meals with beautiful appliances proved.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2022
Response from VrboOwner on Jul 10, 2023
Thanks for your review. We are glad you found the cottage had all it needed.

8/10 Good

Rhonda H.

Liked: Cleanliness
Great place to unplug
The property is out in the country, and a good place to unplug and unwind. The internet worked best in the back part of the house. The owners were very accessible and answered questions quickly. The complimentary bottle of wine was a nice added touch. We enjoyed sitting on the front porch sipping wine, in the peace, unwinding after a long day of hiking.
Stayed 3 nights in May 2022

8/10 Good

Susan R., Edmonds

Liked: Cleanliness
Vineyard View
A quaint older cottage in a peaceful setting. Still some items need attention such as the deck which has questionable safety and badly peeling surface. Raw sewage leaking out of pipes…not sure if this was caused by a utility breach in r is ongoing.
Stayed 3 nights in May 2022
Response from VrboOwner on Jul 10, 2023
The deck does need paint. It peels because of the snow and rain. We have it painted every summer. We can’t have it painted until the chance of rain passes. As you know, you notified us of the sewage problem, and we had a plumber there in 2 hours. He told you he thought that the line was clogged by roots that had grown into the line from a near by tree. Obviously this has never occurred before, or we would have received a review stating the same problem. We put in a new septic tank and line before we started renting, and have never had a problem.

10/10 Excellent

Cindy F.

Liked: Cleanliness
Very picturesque and beautiful
I rented this property to attend a family birthday party. I felt relaxed and serene at this location
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2021

10/10 Excellent

Lexi R.

Liked: Cleanliness
Spacious, adorable cottage on a vineyard
We had a fantastic time at Cliff and Mary Lou’s adorable cottage set in a picturesque vineyard. The house was very clean and spacious and perfect for our home base while visiting Yosemite. The hosts provide you with a homemade bottle of wine from their vineyard, and we even had a nice conversation with them where they showed us their winemaking process at the main house! Super conveniently located to town and Mary Lou gave great restaurant recommendations. Only issue we had was the WiFi was not super reliable but for us this was not a problem. You can easily access it in town or in parts of the Park. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and would recommend this charming home to friends and family.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2021

10/10 Excellent

Meaghan L.

Liked: Cleanliness
Wonderful quick stay
The property was exactly how described and even cuter in person. Everything was very clean! We had a great two night stay and would highly recommend! Quick drive to town and perfect location for Yosemite day trips.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2021
Response from VrboOwner on Jul 10, 2023
Thanks for your review! We are very happy you had a good stay. It is a fun cottage. We lived in it for 18 months while our house was being. When it was time to move, we weren’t sure we wanted too.

10/10 Excellent

Elena S.

Liked: Cleanliness
Cute Cottage, good location
We enjoyed our stay at the property. House was very clean and beds comfortable. Staying on the wine yard created an unique experience. The owner communicated promptly.
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2021

10/10 Excellent

Erika W., Brooklyn, NY USA

Liked: Cleanliness
Gorgeous
We had a lovely stay in the cottage. The evenings in particular were relaxing and gorgeous.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2021
Response from VrboOwner on Jul 10, 2023
We are so glad you enjoyed staying in the cottage. The nights are pretty amazing.

8/10 Good

Amy Z.

Liked: Cleanliness
It is a beautiful and quiet cottage with everything you need
We love our vacation stay in this cottage. Nice and cozy, scene is beautiful and stunning. The best part of are birds chirping in the morning and star watching at night. Love it.
Stayed 5 nights in Aug 2021

6/10 Okay

Emilie S.

Beautiful Setting, Close to Yosemite
The hosts were wonderful with suggestions for hiking in Yosemite and even gave us a bottle of wine from their vineyard. The grill on the back porch was very nice to have available as it was quite hot and we didn’t want to cook inside. The house is older and shows it’s age in some areas and is a bit difficult to cool down at night (there is a swamp cooler which helped). The beds were comfortable and the area was blissfully quiet with some lovely stargazing to be had at night.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2021

10/10 Excellent

Andrew F.

Liked: Cleanliness
Excellent Location
It was an excellent for exploring Yosemite. Thanks for the great stay. Cliff (host) was always available to answer questions.
Stayed 5 nights in Jul 2021

10/10 Excellent

Jane S.

Liked: Cleanliness
Beautiful home
This home was so beautiful and peaceful and an amazing place to come home to after long days in Yosemite. We loved eating meals on the deck, the sweet quirkiness of the house, and the swamp coolers in each room.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2021
Response from VrboOwner on Jul 10, 2023
Thanks for staying with us Jane. We are always happy when our renters enjoy the deck and the cottage.

10/10 Excellent

Susie P.

Liked: Cleanliness
Charming Vineyard Cottage
I may be biased, but I felt that I was meant to stay here. My late husband was a photographer, and Ansel Adams fan…more than fan, disciple more like it! What a coincidence that Mary Lou’s family are closely connected to the Adams family! It just meant all the more to us that we got to visit Yosemite under those circumstances. Aside from that, Cliff is a considerate and knowledgeable host. The cottage conveys a lot of love and happy memories.
Stayed 6 nights in Jul 2021
Response from VrboOwner on Jul 10, 2023
Susie thanks for your comments. We would like to offer our condolences on the loss of your husband. We are glad you and your son were able to visit one of his favorite spots.

10/10 Excellent

Rebecca E., Kalamazoo, MI, USA

Liked: Cleanliness
Perfect cottage tucked in a quiet and beautiful location
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at this cottage. The location was quiet and peaceful- beautiful vineyard, birdsong and a starry sky. A well stocked grocery store and laundromat were a short drive away. Yosemite was about a 45 minute drive. Wish we could have stayed longer!
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2021

10/10 Excellent

Nicole W.

Liked: Cleanliness
Perfect little cottage
This “green farm” as our toddler called it was perfect for us! A nice cozy place to rest after hiking Yosemite for a few days. The kids loved the yard and staying in an “old fashioned” house. It had everything we needed! Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful vineyard cottage with our family.
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2021
Response from VrboOwner on Jul 10, 2023
Thanks Nicole. We are happy your family enjoyed their stay. We feel it is a privilege to share our cottage:, or “green farm”.

10/10 Excellent

Jacqueline G.

Liked: Cleanliness
Charming and relaxing!
After our long days in Yosemite, this beautiful cottage and property were exactly what we needed! Loved being able to sit on the wraparound porch and enjoy the bug-less evenings! 😜 Our teenage daughter loved having her own room to escape to! We highly recommend it and are so happy we listened to the reviews we read.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2021