The goats have moved on to greener pastures and I'm ecstatic with the results! There is not a…read moresingle square inch of green less than 6 feet off the ground anywhere. We thought this would take a week but it took 3 days - those goats take their work seriously. The good: -Billie and the goats and dogs (and emu) are all delightful. Billie was extremely accommodating and hard working. The goats and dogs are absolute sweethearts and all come running when they see you for pets. -Poison oak is now extinct on my property. -The ground is fertilized and there is nothing to clean up other than sticks. The bad: -Noise. The "baaa"-ing was one thing, but the guard dogs were pretty brutal through the night. We had some coyotes hanging around so there was lots of barking. So that's it, thanks for following. I'm really happy to finally be able to present this and I'm actively brainstorming on how we can get a goat co-op going in our neighborhood.

Lost Emu Farms run by Billie was one of the best decisions we had made. She came out to the…read moreproperty promptly on time to meet with us for an estimate. Her assessment was spot on and we decided to go with her services. She was kind, compassionate, extremely thorough and just plain fun to be around. The result of her services left our property so much safer and useable. We are so grateful for Billie and will have to have her back sooner than later! Thank you again!!! To anyone in the market for her services, we have recommended her to all of our close friends, if appropriate for your needs, you will be beyond satisfied! Best value ever!!!

This was my first time experiencing the Walk & Sip in Capitola and let me be the first to tell you,…read moreI will be going every year from this point forward. I had the absolute best time, met some really great people, drank some outstanding wine, and enjoyed every single store I went into that participated in the event. The event was very well done, super organized, and there was a ton of selection, which was very impressive. Only two places had something other than wine, that being three different kinds of beer then another place had two different kinds of cider. And yes, I tried all the beer, all the cider and as much wine as I could get my hands on! They had so many vendors that it was literally impossible to make it to all of them in the time frame given for the event. I found it really creative and super helpful that they pinned an orange balloon outside of every single art gallery or store that was participating in the event so we could determine which place to go next by simply by standing on the street. I also loved the commemorative stemless wine glass they gave out with each ticket purchase. The weather was beautiful, the wines were delicious (oh! And some stores even had snacks for us to enjoy, which was a very thoughtful touch). What a fantastic way to spend a Saturday! I absolutely loved it and will be back next year for sure :) 5 Stars ALL THE WAY.

We had a great time at our first sip and stroll in Capitola. The weather was perfect for it. We got…read moreto see some of the cool shops in the area, even picked up a few souvineers. There was a wide variety of wineries and types of wine being served as well as some fun snacks.

We went whale watching from Santa Cruz earlier this week and Stagnaro's did not disappoint. Booking…read moreonline was straightforward and the directions to the harbor and the slip were easy to follow. The boat was clean and in good repair. The crew (Sydney, Megan and Abby) was professional, personable and knowledgeable. Sydney was an excellent naturalist and Megan was an able captain, ensuring a smooth journey. We saw humpbacks. Lots of humpbacks. We saw other marine life, including a lone sea otter on the way back into the harbor, but the whales outweighed (no pun intended) everything else we saw. It was an awesome experience and I'd definitely go out with Stagnaro's again.

My handicap father and I came down on a Thursday and got the reservation for Saturday on our way…read moreout of town. They went above and beyond to make sure it was such a smooth ride experience and everything went amazing. It truly was such a special day, not to mention it was captained by all woman, hell yasss!!! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!

Dishonest and Unprofessional - Avoid This Place…read more I rented kayaks here with my girlfriend using a Groupon that vaguely said "kayak rental for two" with no clear time limit. It was our first time kayaking and we were just trying to have a good time, but when we got back (about 90 minutes later), the owner, Trudie and her aggressive employee ambushed us with an extra $50 charge for supposedly going over their "one-hour limit," which was never clearly communicated. I should've known this place was shady when Trudie asked for a tip before the service, holding the POS iPad and waiting for me to say an amount she could enter herself. It was awkward and pushy--I reluctantly said $5 because what was I supposed to do, tell her no while she stared at me? Their employee originally told us, "You have about an hour or so," which was super casual and vague--nothing about a strict time limit. When we returned, suddenly he was claiming it was "one hour, give or take 10 minutes," which makes absolutely no sense; what does that even mean, 50, 60 or 70 minutes!?!?! Nobody talks like that unless they're scrambling to save face in front of their boss. It was obvious he made it up on the spot to cover himself. What made it even more infuriating was hearing the employee lie to my face while condescendingly saying, "Hey buddy, I said one hour, give or take 10 minutes". The attitude, the dishonesty, and the fake "policy" were a perfect storm of unprofessionalism. On top of that, Trudie knows most people don't bring their phones or watches out on the water, especially first-timers like us. We had no way to accurately tell time out there, and it feels like she counts on that to trap people into being "late" so she can tack on extra charges. When I pushed back, Trudie, her employee, and a random bystander--who seemed to be her personal friend--ganged up on me, trying to intimidate me into paying the surprise fee. The whole situation felt like a setup. I even saw Trudie earlier trying to overcharge tourists for paddleboard training they didn't need. On top of all this, the harbor was packed with over 100 boats constantly coming in and out to park, causing delays and creating a chaotic situation that made it genuinely hard to get back on time--especially as we battled the wind and current on the way back. Trudie didn't care about any of that; she was just focused on squeezing out more money. It really feels like Trudie targets tourists and Groupon users to tack on hidden fees. She clearly resents people using Groupons and will find any excuse to charge you more. I mean, if you don't like giving deals through Groupon, then don't even offer them! Even if you're just a minute over, they'll round it up to the next full hour and hit you with a $50 charge--with ZERO upfront warning. There are much better options nearby like Monterey Bay Kayaks or Kayak Connection--they offer clear expectations, honest pricing, and actually know how to run a customer-centered business. Oh ya, almost forgot to mention that there weren't any kind of demonstration or instructions offered like there were when I recently visited Monterey Bay Kayaks so they obviously don't care about your experience or your safety. Avoid The SUP Shack at all costs. I've been in customer service management for over 10 years, and this was honestly one of the worst, most unprofessional experiences I've ever had.

I had a Friday "wellness day" from work and decided to head up to Santa Cruz for the day. Went to…read morethe SUP Shack on Friday, which was great because it was super quiet, but I had a great time. Saw a Sea Lion just hanging and couple harbor seals deep in the harbor. Local business run by Trudie, she's so helpful and kind. Will definitely be back!

We planned to kayak in the Harbor today, and we were planning to go to the Sup Shack, where we had…read morerented kayaks last summer. Sup Shack was unexpectedly closed (hours and webpage said they were open, the number listed didn't connect, and there was no note). The Hostess at Crow's Nest recommended Kayak Connection! It turned out to be a phenomenal experience! Milan (sp?) talked us through everything, made sure we all had well-fitted life vests, and the office recognized my step-daughter's 16th birthday with a free Santa Cruz sticker. It's true that the construction impedes the experience to an extent- Milan had to call the foreman to have us escorted through, but they did so promptly ensuring minimal disruption of our experience. We got assistance boarding, and we were especially impressed with Milan's patience with my step-daughter, who has Down Syndrome and needed some extra help. He was super patient and kind! We really appreciated that, unlike with Sup Shack, we were given "free rein" during our hour outing, except for needing to follow common sense safety rules. As soon as we were done, we called the number on the kayak paddles, and Milan was down in a jiffy to assist us back. We saw a seal, quite a few crab, many birds, and friendly boaters. We felt the price of $65 for an hour per double kayak (including life vests, paddles, the kayak, and assistance) was a very fair value. Highly recommend this exceptional and reliable business for your next outing!

Kayak Connections in Santa Cruz was amazing. Reece and Anna were incredibly nice, helpful, and…read morewelcoming from start to finish. They explained everything clearly, were very informative about safety and the area, and made the whole rental process super easy and stress free. Their kindness and great attitude made the experience even better. I would definitely come back and highly recommend them!

We had a great time celebrating our anniversary with a sidecar wine tour. Michael showed us a fun…read moretime, and was an all around good dude to hangout with for a couple of hours. Highly recommended for a unique experience along the coast!

Can't go wrong with a scenic tour through Apple and olive orchards, in addition to Vineyards. We…read morepassed through redwood trees, saw incredible valley views, and the picnic was amazing.

What a fantastic experience Captain Dan created for our family. He was so flexible with time and…read moreprovided an experience that blew away not only the kids but the adults too. We'll be back on the open sea again with Santa Cruz Nature Tours. Thank you for helping us create beautiful memories.

We had a great time out at sea with Captain Dan. Went on an excursion with 4 little kids + 4 adults…read moreand felt very safe. Captain was super knowledgeable and an excellent guide. Boat is comfortable and roomy even with our larger crew. Would definitely recommend!

My boyfriend and I went on the Capitola Food Tour after getting a groupon for it, and it's been one…read moreof the best groupon purchases we've made! Brian, the tour guide, is full of a wealth of historical and foodie knowledge. I've lived in Santa Cruz for about 6 years and had never heard most of the stuff he told us! We went for the food, but got a fascinating history lesson in the process! During our tour we visited the following locations: Bloomsbury Tea Room Paradise Beach Grille Shadowbrook Gayle's Bakery The Tea Room had a yummy selection of scones with amazing jams and lemon curd. There were finger sandwiches and quiches, along with a large selection of teas. At Gayle's we had a yummy chocolate treat, and learned all about the history of the bakery. Paradise Beach Grille (which you should go to even if you don't take this tour) was amazing as always with a delightful shrimp dish. From there we made our way to Shadowbrook where we had delicious pork sliders and a scrumptious salad while learning all about the fascinating history of the restaurant and the site itself. Any of these restaurants are worth checking out by themselves, so to eat at all four of them is a real treat! Note: it looks like the tour now goes to Geisha Sushi instead of Gayle's Bakery - if there was any place that could be an acceptable substitute for Gayle's, it's Geisha! Love that place too! We loved the tour so much we forced all our parents to go on the Santa Cruz tour with us!

Loved this tour. I've been coming to Capitola since I was a kid and never know any of the history…read moreof the place. The day I went on his tour the sun was shining and Capitola never looked better. The food on this tour was ample and soooo tasty. My favorite was the tea room we visited. So thoughtful and tasty. Our guide really knew his stuff and as a result I will never look at Capitola the same way again. These folks also have a Santa Cruz tour. That's next on my to-do list. I recommend this for friends, couples and families. A great afternoon!