Rolling Thunder Ranch

Stayed here for a wonderful weekend with 10 other friends and had a lovely time. Not only is there interesting décor and art everywhere you look, the outdoor areas become secondary entertaining and lounging areas, with great night lighting and comfortable seating. The bedrooms were spacious and comfortable and we felt spoiled by the two jacuzzis and having two kitchens. Can’t wait to stay here again.

The Rolling Thunder Ranch was the perfect place to celebrate my sister’s upcoming wedding with family and friends. Walking the grounds is such an experience as you always find something new and exciting around the corner; for example the vegetable garden we found towards the back of the property and all the inviting sitting areas scattered throughout. You can have a fun gathering at the pool or take a stroll and find a place to be alone; maybe read or meditate. This place has it all!
One evening we had dinner on the patio and the setting could not have been any better: the string lights, the cool stone table that could seat our large party and the amazing tall trees. It felt like we were at a tropical island. Many of us traveled from out of state and the hours it took to get to Rolling Thunder Ranch was well worth it! The only negative is… wish we stayed longer.

Highly recommended for a weekend getaway that will make you think you travelled a lot further from home than you really did!
Just finished an amazing Labor Day Weekend stay at the Rolling Thunder Ranch. We had a fantastic time at the ranch and were shocked at how much the property felt like a tropical resort.
The perfect weather made it very easy to enjoy the 2 fire pits, the ample outdoor cooking, dining, and general hang out spots. Sleeping was a little tight for the 15 people we had, but with the great weather we were able to put inflatable mattresses pool side and make use of the hammocks.
We will be back!

This place is amazing! It’s like no other property I’ve ever seen. Every inch of the huge outdoors is packed with different little spots to enjoy. There’s a garden, a large grassy area to play lawn games on, 2 hot tubs, a really beautiful pool, two giant grills, tons of fireplaces, and so much more. We came here for a writers’ retreat and everyone had an amazing time. Every stop along the way, the management team was very informative and helpful. Great spot for a relaxing vacation. Would definitely stay here again!

We spent a lovely weekend at Rolling Thunder Ranch in January for a girls weekend
bachelorette party. The grounds are spectacular and we were able to accommodate a large group easily. Check in/​out was easy and straight forward.
My only regret is that we weren’t able to fully enjoy all the property had to offer.
We are looking forward to returning in the summer months to enjoy the pool, tiki bars, fire pits, outdoor kitchen etc. The only drawback we encountered was a smaller
Main house kitchen. If you visited in warmer months this wouldn’t have been an issue.

We stayed at Rolling Thunder Ranch this past weekend and our only regret was not having stayed there for a few more days!
We were 15 people, getting together for a bachelor/​ette combined weekend. Before getting there, I was a bit skeptical about the «enchanted» nomenclature, but once on the premises you can really feel the magic in this place. A lot of work has gone into the ranch. Plenty of walls encrusted with abalone shells, two huge wood fired BBQs, so much space it that it’s easy to get lost, a cool pool with 7 foot deep end, 2 large hammocks that can fit three people each, 2 jacuzzis, a couple of indoor small fish ponds. Everything makes you feel like you are on a secluded island (the palm trees add to that effect).
I was surprised to see the rest of the negative reviews on here, but all are from older times and things have changed since then.
We met Lisa upon arriving to the ranch and she was very welcoming and kind. All was made such that we didn’t have to leave the ranch, I mean ample firewood for the bbq, tikki lights filled and ready to go, abundance of clean linen and towels, vegetables in the garden to pick from, etc…
At night, it’s dark enough to stargaze (we managed to see the remnant of the Perseid meteor shower). There are hiking trails close by, within walking distance a farm where you can spot a brown Lama if you’re lucky!
All in all, everyone had an amazing time.
If you’re a big group of people looking to escape LA’s grind, that’s the perfect spot for you.
Lisa, We’ll surely be back!

We stayed a weekend with friends that came down from the Northwest for a early Feb break of rain/​snow… It was good to have a large group stay here as opposed to a hotel. The grounds were very spacious and because of inclement weather we found ourselves huddled around the fire place which was cool. Only draw back was that it was kind of dirty and I couldn’t pay with a VISA. not that we are clean freaks or broke but the place was a bit tired and the cob webs in the shower was sketch and I could have used the VISA rewards points since I dolled out over $ 3500 +/​-​for the event stay… All in all I think everyone enjoyed themselves as a large group in a private setting so it worked out well. As for all the negative remarks in the prior posts I did address these as a concern of mine with Lisa and she was pretty cool explaining what happened and that was that…

As an assistant for Enchanted Vacation Rentals who manages some of the best Vacation Houses in the Ojai Valley I booked this property for multiple guests, including vacationers, wedding parties and other celebrations since May 2013, all of our guests stated they had a wonderful stay and found the owners and staff to be helpful and attentive and many have already booked return stays! This is a tropical paradise that wont disappoint!

I am rating my interaction with the owners of this property. The moment I inquired about Rolling Thunder Ranch, I received a call back the same day by the owner. That did not happen with any other owner who I contacted. Lisa was amazing. She was able to work around other rentals to find a date that was perfect for my husband’s 65^th birthday party. I was overwhelmed with the positive interaction I had with her regarding all the details of our stay. Unfortunately, my husband had emergency surgery and we had to cancel our reservation. When I emailed Lisa to let her know, she contacted me within an hour and told me she would do everything she could to find a renter for our cancellation. I am so impressed with the positive interactions I had with her. It is obvious to me that the owners are very willing to work with those interested in renting their property in order to help them have a special experience. We look forward to working with Lisa again.

After doing a ton of research, I decided on Rolling Thunder Ranch to have my bachelorette party weekend. I read the previous reviews on Unilocal and wsa a bit disturbed by what a couple of people said. Especially since my experience up to me reading them was really great. Lisa, the owner, had been totally accomodating. She quickly responded to all of my emails, she always pickede up her phone when I need to call her for questions. I even asked her about the negative reviews and told her that I was a bit concerned. She was completely taken off guard and said it mustve been the competition in Ojai who wrote them. I believe her! She and her husband Jerry could not have been more helpful! TPrior to us coming, Lisa helped me plan massges for all of my guests. As soon as we arrived and asked about getting a ride to dinner (11 girls), Jerry was on the phone making sure that we had transportation to pick us up and drop us off at the times we needed. We also needed someone to help us get the grill started for the following night when we wanted to stay in and make dinner. Jerry was on the phone in minutes with a plan for his handyman Dan to come to our rescue. And, he was awesome!
This property is amazingly beautiful. We could not have had more fun than we did and I think it had a lot to do with our beautiful surroundings. There were two hot tubs, two grills, two fireplaces, two hammocks, and an amazing pool to keep ourselves occupied. My only complain would be that the pool isnt heated and it was a bit cold. But, it sure was beautiful!
I will definitely be back and I highly recommend this place!

If I could give ZERO stars then that is what would actually be appropriate. Thirteen friends and I booked a home through Enchanted Vacation Rentals for a bachelorette party weekend and found out two weeks prior to our trip that the home we booked had been double-​booked and that they had no record of our contract (eventhough they had happily cashed our check). Upon reading other reviews on this site which I wish I had done earlier, it appears that The Kentons make a practice of bumping people when a better deal comes along eventhough their renters sign a contract. To add to Kate U’s prior review, Dave Navarro is no longer with Enchanted Vacation Rentals, so up the count to 8 property managers in under 2 years. Getting back to the story, they ended up trying to book us in several other locations which Lisa ‘pitched’ as upgrades. One of them had an above ground pool with a tin roof which looked like it had survived a hurricane. Conversely, we had booked a house with stone detailed showers, a beautiful pool, updated furniture, etc. She ultimately convinced us to stay at The Ojai Country Inn which upon arrival we realized is one of the most appalling places on Earth. It hadn’t been dusted in months, there was rotting food in the refrigerator, it was cluttered, the owner’s personal items were scattered throughout the house (including used disposable razors and hairbrushes with hair hanging off the brush). The pool was not clean, the glasses and kitchen items had not been washed and the place was overall filthy and appalling. Lisa & her husband argued with us that they had seen the home several times and that it indeed was clean and beautiful — they must be blind, as they were arguing with 13 women, none of which had ever seen anything this offensive. After several hours of arguing, they agreed to give us our money back and we booked other accommodations and had to mover our entire group. Prior to giving us the money back and after we had booked a different hotel, they informed us that they would no longer give us all the money back because we had turned on the air conditioning and that was going to ‘cost them money’. Hello? What about all the food that we now need to throw out and the day we wasted arguing with them. Overall, I bet if the city of Ojai knew how they were operating their business, they would do something to shut them down as they are deterring guests from Ojai…

This home is owned by Jerry and Lisa Kenton and managed by Dave Navarro (the 7^th property manager the Kentons have employed in under 2 years). The business is called Enchanted Vacation Rentals. The Kentons own many other vacation properties in the Ojai area and list them under the EVR name. They also own the Deer Lodge, which has tasty food with awful service (kind of like the vacation homes… beautiful settings with dreadful owners).
Frankly, I don’t know how anyone ever books with them because they don’t keep their appointments and they don’t return phone calls. My fiancé and I attempted to book the Rolling Thunder Ranch for a week leading up to our Ojai wedding as a place for us to stay with our immediate families.
When I first contacted Dave Navarro about the property, he told me it was booked over the weekend of my wedding, but since we wanted a week long rental, the owner would force an «upgrade» on the listed guests to another property so EVR could get 2 rentals. Seemed very unfair to the renters, but I went along with it… until Dave started flaking on every single phone call I made.
I scheduled a visit up to Ojai just so my fiancé and I could meet the owner and sign a contract for Rolling Thunder. EVR was even going to put us up at the property for free. When we got to Ojai we learned we could not stay at the property because the current guests decided to stay an extra day. We had to pay for a hotel unexpectedly.
The next morning Jerry Kenton did not come to our scheduled appointment. When we finally tracked Dave Navarro down at another EVR property, he didn’t even remember we wanted Rolling Thunder for a week and gave us a quote for 2 days only. We also learned no one had been staying at the Ranch the night before, it was just a case of the owners not wanting to be inconvenienced with a cleaning fee.
It was sad to let go of my dream of staying at the lovely ranch, but who can risk the possibility that the house you rent for a week is going to become strangely «unavailable» at the 11^th hour? Especially during the week of a wedding!
Basically the Kentons are very wealthy, extremely flaky, terrible business owners, and have a bit of a monopoly on the vacay rental industry in Ojai. Too bad for the people who have to deal with them on a regular basis. They certainly make Ojai seem like an unpleasant place to visit.

For our friend’s bachelorette party my friends booked the house at the Rolling Thunder Ranch. After much planning, food shopping and packing several friends headed out to Ojai from Los Angeles on a Friday afternoon. When they arrived they were told that the house was already booked for the weekend! The manager was not able to cut a check and never apologized for their mistake. We had to find another place to stay and had to throw away the majority of the food they had packed for the weekend. They have since been reimbursed for the full amount of the house but not for the food or additional expenses we incurred during our last minute trip to Santa Barbara. Book at your own risk!