Some Background Information

About your Hosts

Klaus and Gundi Heinemann have been offering vacation homes for rent since 1985. Professionally, Klaus is a physicist and spent several decades working as a materials scientist for NASA. Gundi worked as a teacher. Both are published authors of several nonfiction books. Gundi has a practice in the alternative healing arts (HealingGuidance). They have three married children and 10 grandchildren. Sporting activities, including skiing (boards, downhill, Nordic), bicycling (road and x-country, close to professional competition proficiency), as well as numerous water sports (kayaking, kite-boarding, surfing ... you name it) are what their family members excel in. They pride themselves with providing the best you can expect for vacation rental homes in terms of overall excellence, views, amenities, maintenance, cleanliness, reasonable pricing, and communication with our guests.  Come and stay in one of our properties: Casa Pacis or Bella Vista at Sea Ranch, Alta Vista Chalet in Truckee/Tahoe-Donner, or Casa de Luz or the Alegria Apartment or the Amor Apartment in Abadiania, Brazil. You will not be disappointed.

The History of Bella Vista

 Klaus writes:

      “Gundi and I discovered Sea Ranch shortly after our immigration to California in late 1969. The rugged coast line and beauty of the natural environment attracted us immediately, perhaps due to some similarity with the familiar North Sea coast we had left behind. We soon discovered that one could rent vacation homes at Sea Ranch, and together with our young children, we kept renting different homes at Sea Ranch for short stays once or twice per year. 
About twelve years later we were able to purchase a lot in the mostly undeveloped Unit 28, which was at that time the northernmost developed section of Sea Ranch. Shortly thereafter we built “Casa Pacis” on that lot. In order to be able to afford the mortgage, taxes, insurance, dues and maintenance costs of this second-home ownership, be placed Casa Pacis on the vacation rental market.
It took another ten years when we noticed a for-sale sign on a house we had often admired on our walks into the meanwhile developed further northern Sea Ranch Unit 35C. The house was majestically sitting on a “knoll,” overlooking a large undeveloped “commons” ocean meadow area. The decision to jump into this new investment was a matter of minutes, and less than 24 hours thereafter we were owners of this dwelling (and an additional mortgage) which, commensurate with its stunning vistas from everywhere inside, we called ‘Bella Vista.’
The house had been built just a few years earlier and was in excellent condition, so there was no need to invest in costly repairs. However, there was an abundance of unused space inside its envelope, and — while continually keeping the house on the rental market so we could afford the expense — we started to systematically make use of this ‘wasted real estate’: the space above the the central bath and the second bedroom became a mezzanine for a piano and a small private office; an already pre-plumbed section in the over-sized garage behind the second bedroom became a third bathroom, featuring a jetted tub and turning the second bedroom in a second master-bedroom-suite; and the large space under the living room was converted to a hobby room (which remained not part of the rented space).
        During the ensuing two decades, we further upgraded the house, modernized it, installed a solar photovoltaic system, re-roofed, re-sided, added and replaced deck areas, replaced fogged windows, installed rain gutters (heretofore banned by the Sea Ranch Design Committee), installed a hot tub built into the deck off the main MBR, replaced the aged central space heating system, installed a heat pump/air conditioner as second heat source, installed a battery to bridge over power outages, provided for EV charging, etc. etc. All of this was done with the objective of providing for a desirable, distinguished vacation rental home in one of the most desirable locations at Sea Ranch.”

"Bella Vista" -- the name

The house is located on a knoll, majestically overlooking peaceful ocean meadows and extending onto vast ocean views up and down the coast. The name ‘Bella Vista’ is certainly not an understatement for this unique view location. Whether you plant yourself on the extended window seat, sink into the comfortable sofa, choose one of the two super-comfortable Danish-design reclining leather chairs with your feet relaxing on an ottoman, or sit at the breakfast-lunch-dining table of Bella Vista, the 60-foot wide essentially uninterrupted ocean-side window front of the house provides majestic unobstructed top-down ocean views. You may also choose a comfortable deck chair under an umbrella on the view deck. We can almost guarantee that you will see whale spouts at some time during your stay, as well as resident deer, rabbits, and occasionally a fox or other wildlife just a few feet from the house.

Renting Bella Vista

Since 1993, Bella Vista was rented for well over 2000 nights in aggregate, to over 1000 people, many of whom became valued repeat renters. Klaus and Gundi's efforts to make each rental a unique, enjoyable experience for their customers is undiminished. A “small” sample of about 90 reviews and guest book entries pertaining to the most recent years can be found here. Press here for price setting and listing policies.

House Details

• 2 BR (both master bedrooms; one with CA-King-bed, one with Q.

• 3 BA (one MBA with jetted tub/shower, one MBA with tub/shower; one (central) bath with shower stall);

• expansive ocean views from everywhere inside and decks

• mezzanine with piano

• hot tub built into MBR deck

• wood-burning fireplace

• two view decks

• central space heating

• additional heat pump with A/C

• 3.5 kW solar PV system

• free unlimited high-speed Internet (100MBps up and down)

• EV charging from dryer outlet

• ping-pong table

• 6kWh battery for bridging over power outages