Meet Gisele
Open minded, Helpful, Friendly
I don't know if this makes me different, but I am a great cook - and previously owned an award catering company. If you are interested in me preparing some meals for you, I am very open to that.
On a typical day...
I’m mostly at home/work from home.
When I host guests...
I can answer questions but let my guests do their own thing.
Family Hobbies
Cooking, Blogging, Reading
Hosting guests since
2014
About the Homestay
- Welcomes
- Males
- Females
- Couples
- Families
- Students
Offering a small 1 bedroom with a trundle daybed (pops up to full sized bed -with extremely comfortable mattresses), private adjacent bathroom and a shared (but rarely used) large family room area on the bottom floor of my home tucked away on a quiet street in El Sobrante, CA - a suburban area, but where my house is, it feels rural, in spite of being close to cities, too,. The home is a sanctuary with plenty of natural light and surrounded by mature oak, laurel and magnolia trees, There's also a creek on the property. Occasionally, deer run by the creek, or you might spot a wild turkey in the bushes, or a hawk overhead. There’s a wrap around deck on the upper level, and another deck with a Jacuzzi on the lower level. There’s also a full laundry on the lower level.
If you like to hike, Kennedy Grove Regional Park is only a 1/2 mile away, or take a short drive to several points along the bay to hike. There's also bicycling along San Pablo Dam Road. An approximately 40 minute drive gets you to Napa for wine tasting, or 30 minutes into San Francisco for museums, theater or fine dining. There are great restaurants in Oakland and Berkeley (if you are visiting the UC campus , this is a great place to stay), too - only a 15 to 20 minute drive - and fabulous taco trucks and Mexican joints, Vietnamese and Chinese in Richmond and Albany (just 10 minutes away). Also, there's are shopping areas 2-3 miles away with Trader Joe's, Target, Bev Mo, Lucky's and Safeway, etc.
The room can accommodate two, but it's really best for the solo traveler.
I am semi- retired and live alone.
Bedrooms available for booking
About the Area
My house is in a very quiet and peaceful setting,in an unincorporated area of western Contra Costa County - 15 minutes north of Berkeley, 10 minutes from Orinda, a 35-40 drive to Napa, or into San Francisco the other way.
Local Area Facilities
- Park
- Shopping Centre
Meals
Hosts can offer a complimentary light breakfast at their discretion. All other meals, including a full breakfast, might incur an additional cost, if offered. Meals and any additional payment should be arranged directly with your host.
Included in the stay
- Complimentary Light Breakfast
- Use of Kitchen
House Rules
I prefer bank transfer in advance for payment. Cancel with refund up to 3 days in advance.
We can provide meals if requested, for a small additional charge. And btw, I'm a former culinary school grad, caterer, and a really great cook.
I just ask that you are quiet and respectful, as I'm sure you are.
Smoking Rules
Your host is a non-smoker.
Smoking is not allowed.
How do I book?
Contact the host to check their availability and ask them any questions you have about staying with them. Once the host confirms they’re available for your dates, you can complete your booking.
When do I pay?
Once a host confirms they're available, you can go ahead and pay the 15% booking fee (maximum of 250 $£€ for longer term bookings) using a choice of payment methods: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Maestro, Laser, JCB & PayPal (not available in certain countries). You then pay your host on arrival or as stated by your host on their profile and agreed by you on booking. Please be cautious if a host requests advance payment if its not included on their profile. Our hosts have been advised that if they wish to request advance payment they must make this explicit in their profile. We do not recommend the use of Money gram or Western Union.
When can I share my contact details?
Host and Guest email address, phone number and home address will be exchanged in a confirmation email sent to both immediately after a booking is completed. It's against our policy for Guests and Hosts to exchange direct contact details via our messaging system.