The Carriage House - Alhambra Valley Retreat | House in Martinez

Listing Description
Tucked down a quiet, wooded, lane, this 600 sq. ft. carriage house is in the Alhambra Valley of Martinez, CA. Located above a woodworking shop on a secluded 1.6 acre-certified wildlife habitat. Only ten minutes to downtown district of historic Martinez with antique shops, restaurants and water front park. Nearby access to Briones Park and Mt. Wanda for hiking or biking. One mile to the John Muir National Historic site. Easy access to highways 4, 24, 680 and 80, Amtrak and BART.
Come learn more about the historic connection of this unique property to John Muir and his family. Enjoy the visiting wildlife as families of deer, turkeys, and quail wander frequently among the majestic oaks. Listen to the birds, hawks, crickets and frogs, lending their voices to the beautiful neighborhood. Landscaping still a work in progress, but guests are welcome to explore the grounds and see how we are creating a California native wildlife habitat.
The Space
Enjoy preparing meals in the spacious kitchen and relaxing in the cozy open living space. Separate bedroom, large closet, in-unit washer and dryer and many amenities for your convenience. Full size bed, plus fold out “chair and half” sofa bed with memory foam mattress to accommodate up to three people in the house. High chair and play pen available. We recently added an outdoor patio area complete with redwood deck with dining for four, along with a small garden bench. Very private and set fairly distant from the main house. Private access from back side of property. Steps to front door with keyless access.
Guest Access
We offer private gated parking for up to two vehicles and utilize a keyless self check-in process for your utmost privacy. You may park in front of the garage door. We do not keep a vehicle in the workshop. If you arrive after dark, we do our best to make sure the porch light is on, but there is a switch at the bottom of the stairs. There are no street lights in our neighborhood. In an effort to not contribute to light pollution we have dark sky porch lights that do not illuminate the entire driveway area. It will be dark. Plan accordingly.
Interaction with Guests
We are available to guests as needed, but happy to give you plenty of space. If you are interested, we are also happy to tell you more about our straw bale home sitting up on the hill.
Other Details to Note
Cell phone coverage: Due to our secluded setting, and your particular carrier, cell phone coverage can be spotty at times. There is a landline available for guest use.
No additional cleaning services are provided between check in and check out. When requested, we will replenish paper and hospitality products. If you've forgotten a tooth brush or paste, were happy to provide those as well when requested.
We encourage guests to join us in our efforts to reduce how much trash goes into the landfill. We recycle plastic, glass, and metal cans. We compost food scraps, and minimize use of single-use plastic bags. We have outdoor bins for your use for any excess and can clear away anything requested.
Extra Guest: Although the space is ideal for 2-3 guests, we can provide an inflatable twin air mattress for a fourth guest if necessary - there's an additional $15 nightly fee for this fourth guest.
Early Check-In: On a case-by-case basis, we allow early check-in for a fee of $15 per hour. Please contact us as early as possible to allow us ample time to prepare the space.
We stock the pantry with a few complimentary food items for our late arrival guests (soups, pasta, mac & cheese, popcorn, etc.) Please only use what you need and leave a little something for the next guest :)
We appreciate knowing if something needs attention during your stay.
There is absolutely no smoking on the premises (indoor and outdoor) as we are in a constant high-fire zone.
Caution: You must navigate a full flight of stairs to access this unit. Please use stair railing at all times.
Word of caution to individuals with sensitivities to bees. We operate an active honey beehive on the property.
Working within Airbnb's established privacy policies, we have two actively recording (exterior only) security cameras on the premises that record video and audio. They are overlooking the driveway entrance and stairs.
Where to Go and What to Do
Martinez and the surrounding area are packed with things to do, plus from here it’s so easy to get to the Wine Country, San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley! We love the central location. Here are some of our favorite things:
Farmers’ Market: Main Street Sundays 9am – 2pm, year round
Restaurants and shopping in downtown Martinez
In nearby Pleasant Hill, Jack’s at 60 Crescent Drive, good for brunch or dinner, big menu with lots of options, full bar, movie theatre.
Shopping in Walnut Creek (just a couple BART stops away) has the best shopping! You name it, it’s there. And there’s a free trolley that takes you from BART to the stores! Va de Vi restaurant - fancy tapas/wine bar, definitely a splurge but delicious!
Activities and Attractions:
Walking/running: Martinez Marina and Regional Shoreline Park
Hiking: we love to climb Mount Wanda (nearby access), Mount Diablo State Park, Briones Regional Park, Paso Nogal Park, and Hidden Lakes Park.
Playgrounds: Martinez Marina, Nancy Boyd Park, Pleasant Hill Park in Pleasant Hill (big), Rodgers-Smith Park in Pleasant Hill (smaller), and Heather Farms in Walnut Creek (huge).
Golf: Franklin Canyon Golf in Martinez, Buchanan Fields Golf Course and Diablo Creek, both in Concord.
John Muir Historic Home: For more John Muir history see our booklet on John Muir’s connection to this property.
Wine country: Napa and Sonoma are both amazing.
San Francisco: there is so much to do here and it’s easy to reach by BART! We like Coit Tower, Fisherman’s Wharf, the De Young and Legion of Honor Museums.
Oakland and Berkeley are even closer by BART. In Oakland, Lake Merritt is fun to walk around. There are great restaurants near the Rockridge BART station. The UC Berkeley (Cal) Campus is beautiful to walk through.
Transportation
Bay Area traffic tends to be worst in the morning (7-10 am) and evening (4-7 pm). It’s better to take public transit during those times, rather than drive.
BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit). We are a 15-minute drive from the North Concord/Martinez BART station or the Pleasant Hill BART station (both on the Pittsburg-Bay Point line).
BART will take you to Oakland in 20 minutes and SF in 40 minutes.
You can buy reusable Clipper Card that can be used throughout the entire Bay Area. Check out the Clipper Card website for more info.
511.org is a great trip planning website for the Bay Area
Uber/Lyft:Be sure to tell them to come down the side lane to pick you up.
Airports
We are about a 35-minute drive from the Oakland Airport and 45-minute drive from San Francisco Airport (SFO), depending on traffic. You can take BART to either airport. Give yourself plenty of extra time for heavy traffic.

The Carriage House - Alhambra Valley Retreat is located in Martinez. The Carriage House - Alhambra Valley Retreat provides accommodation, featuring Kitchen, Laundry, Air Conditioner, among other amenities. This House features Kitchen, Laundry, Air Conditioner, to make your stay a comfortable one.

The Carriage House - Alhambra Valley Retreat has 1 Bedroom , 1 Bathroom, and max occupancy of 3 people. The minimum rental for this property is 1 nights, but this can change depending on the season you plan on staying. Previous guests have given good rated it, and VRBO labeled it a top-rated House because of the excellent services rendered by the owner or manager of this House, and has consistently provided great experiences for their guests. Most families or guests that use it recommend it to their friends and some of them are repeat guests. House has a friendly neighborhood, and the Martinez has interesting places to visit. If you want to learn more about the House in Martinez, such as places to visit and things to do nearby, you can check below to learn more.