The Hummingbird Haven

This weekend is open w/ great weather (Permit # 241029) Enjoy the vibrant life here. In your own little oasis, enjoy the Hummingbirds flying outside your window and the beautiful views we offer from your large private patio or from the deck. The Haven is below our living room, & part of our home, but you have the privacy of the whole bottom floor to yourself. We have 10 acres of land surrounded by over 100 acres you can hike on here! It is a wonderful place to recharge, relax or have a retreat. The space If you are familiar with the Mushroom Dome Cabin that we offer through airbnb, then you will have an idea of the wonderful place we live. We usually require 2 day minimum reservations. However, we are now allowing the isolated single days for stays. For weekends, please make it from Friday to Sunday (or more) as we need to have at least one day a week free: we don't want people to arrive on Saturday. The Hummingbird Haven is a unique space with plenty of privacy yet with expansive views that look south and west with wonderful views of the tree covered ridge across the canyon and our little fruit tree orchard below. The Haven is below our living room so it is an apartment you would be renting, not our entire house. We now also have a children's trampoline, climbing dome, a 20 ft slid (that sits on the hill so it is never far from the ground) and a tiny playhouse for kids. Let us know ahead of time if you want to use them. Outside is a covered patio with a bird bath and garden, a swinging loveseat, a small table and chairs, a BBQ, and hummingbirds feeders. It is a great place to just relax and take in the peace and vibrant nature around us. The main bed is a very comfy semi-loft Queen bed, (up 3 steps and has 1-side access), and the studio sofa can convert to a single bed. (Please let us know ahead of time if you want the studio sofa made up as a bed. There is a $15. charge for this. see below for more instructions) We have a 48 inch LED Samsung TV in the Haven with a dvd player (and over 80 movies for both adults and children). We also have Dish and WiFi. Of course we provide a made-up bed(s) with clean cotton sheets and a clean silk duvet or cotton spread as well as towels. The room doesn't have any air conditioning since we live in a very temperate climate (it rarely gets humid or very hot) and it is built into the side of a hill so the earth keeps it comfortable year round. We have a space heater if you should need any extra heat and a small fan if you need cooling off. There is a refrigerator, stove and sink in the room as well as an electric water kettle to heat up your water. We provide coffee and tea bags. We also have a cupboard full of dishes, pots and pans. Let us know if you want to cook here. If your party of 2 doesn't want to share the queen bed in the loft and you want the couch converted into a bed, please message me and I'll send you a request for the $15. that we pay our cleaner. Of course if there will be 3 of you, please make the reservation for 3. Exception: you have a baby that will share your bed or you will bring a pack-an-carry. By the patio is the small fancy bathroom (aka an "outhouse") with a water-less, odor-free Separett composting toilet and hot running water. You'll find a hair-dryer there too. At the other end of the patio is an outdoor slate shower (with hot water!) which closes off with a wood door. If you are tall enough, you can see over the top of the door, or you can just leave the door open and enjoy the full experience of an outdoor shower. We can provide a beach blanket, beach towels, a beach umbrella and sand toys - just ask. We also provide some games. We have chickens, a tiny dog, Elliot, (who loves to meet new people) and 2 cats. (The black and white tuxedo cat, Milo, will come visit you. We don't allow him into the Haven however.) Did I mention the Hummingbirds? During the summer we not only have the year-round Annas, but also migratory Allen and Rufous. We feed about 6 qts of "nectar" per day during the summer and 2-3 qts in the winter! As we feed them along the Haven patio and the deck right above, you will see and hear the beautiful and lively hummers all day long. You are welcome to hang out on the deck above the Haven's patio if you want to see a Hummer feeding party of about 30 hummers. We also have trails on our property which I will be glad to show you. We are surrounded by nature which includes the occasional sightings - and sometime frequent, depending on the time of year - of ants, spiders, bees, wasps, SilverFish, Ravens, Owls, Dusky-footed Wood Rats, Bob Cats, Raccoons, Coyotes, deer and many varieties of birds! Sometimes they show up at annoying levels, but we can't predict them so if this is a problem for you, you might want to stay in a more urban environment. (for example, when it rains, the tiny ants may come inside if you leave food out) We do our best to keep the little critters (insects) out of the Haven (and the outdoor shower!) but are not always fully successful. As we are next to the woods, we may have more natural dust in our environment than in urban settings where there is little open land - and just black dust from smog. We do have an air filter with UV in the Haven if you need it. We are an eight minute drive to the conveniences and facilities of Aptos Village with the huge health food store, New Leaf, lots of restaurants, and the 10,000 acre Forest of Nisene Marks with picnic areas and miles of hiking and biking trails. We are less than 10 minutes to the Rio Del Mar and Seacliff State Beaches, part of a complex of over ten miles of beaches. We are 20 minutes to downtown Santa Cruz and the Beach Boardwalk Amusement Park and 45 min. to Monterey. (assuming it is not rush hour ; ) If you plan far enough ahead, you can book both the Hummingbird Haven and the Mushroom Dome Cabin for a larger group. (However we don't allow loud, raucous parties.) Please don't smoke here in the Studio or on the property. Guest access You park up by our house in front and to the left of the arbor and standing lamp on the right side of our parking area. (please park perpendicular to the house.) Access to the Haven is down the steps through our garden then down a stairs. You are welcome to sit on the deck right above the patio to watch the hummers or enjoy some sun. During your stay I make it a point to meet our guests and give them a tour of our place. I am also happy to give suggestions on activities to do in our area to make your visit memorable. We also provide a binder with menus to some of our many local restaurants and brochures of activities to do here. If you don't want to talk to me, just let me know. Other things to note Our driveway is long and narrow and goes up a hill. There are turn-outs along the way. Just be sure to take it slowly and take note of where they are. Occasionally, we have a power outage during the winter. If that happens, we will provide battery operated lights. You'll still be able to cook and take hot showers as they are propane fired. If the main road is blocked by a downed tree, I'll let you know how to get in or out of our area. The Haven is in our house and under our living room. We try to stay quiet when we have guests - you can let us know if you can hear us and it bothers you. (none of our guests have complained) Sometimes our son will play the piano upstairs. Let us know if it is bothering you.