RATES & AVAILABILITY
The property includes many bells and whistles, some of which you may be familiar with, some not so much. The following information will explain anything that is not remotely straightforward, and is broken down into the following topics:
If you have never used a wood pellet grill before, you are in for a major treat! Gone are the days of charred steaks with ice-cold centers, shoe-leather burgers and some charred black thing that used to be a chicken. You can simply go to the Traeger web site, pick a recipe or look up the best way to grill what you want to eat and voila!!! Emiril Lagace's got nothing on you!
VERY IMPORTANT! This is not a regular grill and it requires about two minutes of knowhow to operate properly. First, to turn the grill on, lift the lid and move the knob to "Smoke". Wait about 2-3 minutes until you see smoke, then close the lid, set your temperature, and grill! To turn it off, and this is the big thing, DO NOT TURN THE UNIT OFF...it needs to burn off the remaining pellets; instead, turn the knob to "Shut Down Cycle". That's it. It will turn itself off. Done!
Failure to follow these instructions might jam and burn out the auger motor. The unit is cleaned and inspected prior to every guest arriving, and there is a $150 charge to replace a burned-out motor. You can get complete instructions on the grill by clicking here.
The entire property is littered with Amazon Echo devices, which will enable you to listen to music, control lights, set thermostats, start countdowns, set reminders, get the weather, and a whole lot of other things. From pretty much anywhere in the house (including the garage and the main patio), you can say "Alexa", followed by a command.
To play music, you can request a specific song "Alexa, play Panama by Van Halen", a specific artist "Alexa, play Michael Jackson", songs of a certain type "Alexa, play Eagles Radio" or "Alexa, play Classic Jazz", or a house playlist "Alexa, shuffle my playlist Late Night". People in different rooms can play different music, up to five concurrent music streams. You can stop the music anytime by saying "Alexa, stop", and adjust the music level "Alexa, set to level 5". You can also play music in the kitchen, poker room and great room all at once by saying "Alexa, play Bob Seger in the Main Area" and all over the Master Bedroom by saying "Alexa, play Julio Inglesias in the Master Bedroom". Please be aware that playing rap music may damage the equipment. If you want to play music while falling asleep, you can say "Alexa, stop playing in 1 hour".
To give yourself a reminder, say "Alexa, give remind me to take out the recycling at 8am on Wednesday (hint, hint). If you are cooking and need a timer, say "Alexa, give me a 10 minute timer". For weather, you can say "Alexa, what's the weather forecast for today". You can even have it tell you a joke "Alexa, tell me a joke". You get the idea...
If you are trying to get everyone at the dinner table at the same time, you can say "Alexa, make the following announcement (wait until prompted) Dinner's Ready!"
You can also control all of the smart devices in the house. For example, you can say "Alexa, turn on the kitchen lights", "Alexa, set the Master Bedroom to 72 degrees", "Alexa, dim the Master Accent to 50%", "Alexa, turn on Waterfall", etc. To get a complete listing of all of the devices you can control, click here.
Please do not change any of the Echo device settings, do not change or create playlists, do not rename devices or alter any of the smart home schedules, or in any other way make changes that will impact future guests.
Most of the exterior lighting is control automatically by the Smart Home system, with all security lighting turning on and off at dusk and dawn and accent lighting turning on at dusk and turning off at midnight. These lights can be turned on and off manually via their corresponding light switch or through the Alexa App. Click here to see the list of all devices that can be controlled via Alexa.
There are also a series of motion lights around the stairs going from the patio to the hot tub than turn off automatically after 1 minute. There are also several security motion lights at the read of the house that are dusk to dawn....very cool when a group of Javalinas go traipsing by at 10pm!!!!
Finally, there are two motion lights that will illuminate the Main Garden and Pool Areas, and the light switch to turn these lights on and off is located to the left of the door going to the Main Patio (it is the only regular looking switch there), by default, this switch will be turned off at the start of your visit.
In addition to the regular light and dimmer switches you would find in any home, there are also two different types of smart light switches in the house.
There are several lights that will come on and off automatically, dusk to dawn. These lights will be hallway lights, strategic room lights, etc., all designed to make sure that guests unfamiliar with the layout of the house don't fall down a flight of stairs while going for that midnight snack (serves them right for trying to eat the last piece of cake!!!).
There are also several lghts that can be controlled through the Alexa app "Alexa, Turn Off Guest Lights." Click here to see the list of all devices that can be controlled via Alexa.
There are two fireplaces in the house, one in the Great Room and one in the Master Bedroom. Upon your arrival, you will have a starter bundle of wood for the Great Room fireplace.
The fireplace in the Great Room is a natural gas/hybrid unit, meaning that after you have stacked your wood in the fireplace, instead of using kindling you can turn the gas on, then after the wood is good and burning, turn it back off. Makes you look like an Eagle Scout every time!!! The fireplace in the Master Bedroom is a straight up gas fireplace.
PLEASE NOTE! Both of the fireplaces require you to ignite the gas manually (there is a long-stem lighter provided); failure to do so will let natural gas into the house and may result in an explosion and/or death. Please be cautious when using the fireplaces and, if you have curious little rugrats tooling around, consider moving the gas keys to a safe place.
There are a variety to wood and gas burning devices located throughout the property to help you ward off the cold on those winter nights. Whenever using these devices, please exercise the usual respect and extreme caution associated with anything having to do with gas and/or fire!!! With all propane-powered units, please remember to turn the propane tank handle on before use and off afterwards. You know, for safety!!!
There are four propane-powered heat towers on the Main Patio and the are placed strategically upon your arrival. The tanks will be topped off . Feel free to reposition them as needed in the Main Patio area only!
There are three propane-powered barrels (on the the Master Bedroom patio, the Brown Room patio and off the Game Room).
The wood-burning firepit is located in the Main Garden at the center of all the Adirondack chairs and comes with a starter bundle of wood. It has a door in the grill and is absolutely perfect for cooking S'Mores.
The gas-burning firepit (January 2021) is located at the base of the stairs off the Main Patio. It has an electronic ignitor and a switch to control the heat level. This unit is connected to the natural gas line - please remember to turn it off when you are done with it to avoid wasting gas.
Finally, there is a gas camping unit under the table on the Main Patio and it is awesome to extend your outdoor time. It will not only keep your feet warm, but it will also radiate through the entire metal table and feel just wonderful. PLEASE NOTE that the table will get EXTREMELY HOT if you leave the unit on the “high” setting for too long!!!
The kitchen faucet is probably the number one guest question of the "It Doesn't Work" variety. It does work, it's just that it's one of those fancy ones that is motion-activated. The physical faucet itself should always be in the "On" position. To turn the faucet on, simply pass your hand under the faucet head; to turn it off, do it again.
There are five separate heat pump systems that serve the house. all of which have smart thermostats that are pre-programmed for maximum comfort. All zones will generally keep the house at (winter) 70 degrees from 6am to 10pm, and 65 degrees at night and (summer) 75 degrees from 6am to 10pm, and 72 degrees at night. The following is a listing of the five zones and the location of each zone's thermostat:
-
Great Room/Kitchen. This is the largest system in the house at 5 tons, and its thermostat is located on the wall immediately to the left of the wine refrigerator..
-
Poker Room/Grey Bedroom. The thermostat for this zone is located in the poker room on the east wall. The thermostat itself has sensors in the bedroom, so the thermostat should be set to the desired temperature inside the bedroom.
-
Master Bedroom. The Master Bedroom's thermostat is located on the right side wall as you enter the suite.
-
Brown Bedroom/Game Room. The thermostat for this zone is located on the wall to the right of the bar as you go down the staircase from the Great Room.
-
Teal Bedroom/Red Bedroom. The thermostat for this zone is located in the Teal Bedroom immediately to the left of the entrance door.
You can of course adjust the temperature to maximize your comfort by setting a temporary hold, after which the programing will resume, or setting a permanent hold, which bypasses the programing. I do ask that you be energy conscious and not heat or cool vacant rooms (either when you take day trips or you are not using a room). Please do not change the permanent programing either.
There are televisions in the Great Room, the Game Room, the Main Patio and in every bedroom. Each is an HD TV with a variety of programming. All of the TVs have Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube and various other apps. The TV in the Master Bedroom, the Grey Bedroom, the Great Room and the Main Patio also has the expanded Xfinity package (click here to see the channel lineup).
For the televisions without the Xfinity lineup, there is a single remote control, either an Amazon Firestick remote or a Roku Remote, that will give you access to the menu where you select your desired service. For the four televisions with the Xfinity package, there will be two remotes, one to control the Xfinity programing and one (an Amazon Firestick) to control the rest of the programing. The Xfinity programing will be on HDMI3 and the other programing on HDMI1.
Finally, the big-screen TV in the Great Room also has a multi-input HDMI box connected to a 25' HDMI cable for you to hook up a laptop computer, an XBox, or any other device that has an HDMI output.
Right off the poker room you will find a computer docking station as well as a WiFi printer. You can hook up your laptop to the workstation by attaching the supplied HDMI cable and USB chip to your laptop, which will enable you to use the supplied screen, keyboard and mouse. You can alo print to the WiFi printer by adding a new printer and selecting "HP Envy" from the found devices. There is extra printer paper in the drawer of the workstation.
Please remember to return the USB chip upon your departure.
The infinity pool on the property is a 40,000 gallon source of fun, pleasure and relaxation, and we aim to keep it that way for the safe enjoyment of all of our guests. It is cleaned, balanced and maintained weekly and was completely resurfaced with PebbleTech in 2018. It includes the old decommissioned hot tub that is now a wading pool/hangout area, a small lagoon complete with a waterfall, and the main pool itself. At the shallow end, the pool is approximately 3' deep and gradually goes to 6' at the deep end. There is a sitting shelf at the deep end of the pool.
The following are the measures in place to keep the pool clean and safe :
-
NEVER take glassware (including glass bottles) anywhere around the pool. We have provided plastic cups, glasses, and even plastic wine glasses for your convenience. The only way to completely remove broken glass in the pool is to empty it. Water is expensive in the West, and it costs $600 to fill it back up, which you will be responsible for.
-
NEVER touch the pool equipment or any of the valves around the pool...those valves are to control how the water is taken into the filter and where it is put back into the pool. Pool equipment can be damaged with improper settings, and you can potentially empty half the pool in the desert.
-
Should you elect to take the cleaner hose out while swimming, please set the clear plastic dial (located in the enclosure where the hose connects) to position 6 "skimmer"; when reconnecting the hose, completely submerge the hose, connect the nipple, and reset the clear plastic dial to position 2. This will ensure that the pool stays crystal clear and clean during your entire stay. Most guests leave the hose in.
-
Children that are not potty-trained or have accidents need to wear "swim diapers" while in the pool.
-
The pool can be heated upon request for an additional charge (basically the direct cost of the natural gas). DO NOT operate the pool gas heater yourself, as you may damage the equipment.
The pool has a solar cover that can optionally be put at your disposal, especially for those guests who will want the pool heated during the winter months. Water evaporation is the #1 cause of heat loss at nighttime, and you can easily cut the heating costs by half by using the solar cover. However, deploying and retrieving a solar cover on a 20x40 infinity pool is a little bit of a chore, and is realistically a two-man five minute job both to put on and take off.
Finally, there are noodles and inflatable pool toys in the large chest by the pool. There is also an air pump in the chest and a GFI outlet to the left of the chest. Please either deflate the toys after use or bring them in the house….they will 100% guaranteed fly away into the desert if any kind of wind picks up (the joys of an infinity pool in the desert!!!).
WARNING!!! The pool is set up as a resort pool AND DOES NOT HAVE DIRECT CHILD SAFETY BARRIERS AROUND IT. If a small child (or anybody)) that cannot swim has access to the garden area then he/she will have access to the pool. If you have a small child that cannot swim or if this concerns you in any way, please notify me in advance and I will set up the child barrier between the Main Patio and the garden/pool/hot tub areas. Please note that with the child barrier up the only access point to the garden/pool/hot tub areas is through the game room. You are at all times responsible for the safety of all your guests.
Right at the end of the pool area, sticking out into the desert, is the hot tub, a six person, 500 gallon tub of joy and relaxation. It has two sets of jets, changing led lights and a waterfall feature that only my youngest son seems to enjoy. The view while in the hot tub during the day is only eclipsed by the view at night, especially with a clear sky! Tucson has light pollution ordinances, so the view of the stars and the surrounding mountain ranges is truly spectacular.
Like the pool, there are several things that you should be aware of:
-
The water in the hot tub is, well, hot! If you have any kind of medical condition or if you are not feeling well, you should probably stay out and live to tub another day. By default, the hot tub is set to 102 degrees, which you can of course adjust.
-
Under no circumstance should children under the age of 5 be allowed in the hot tub.
-
Unless the hot tub is in use, the cover must be placed on top of it and secured. It keeps the water clean and...hot!
-
Please be careful when removing the cover. To remove it, fold it in half and slid it off to the side away from the stairs.
-
There are two sets of jets and six separate stations to sit in, and each set of jets has two speeds. The controls are self-explanatory.
-
The tub will turn itself off after 15 minutes automatically (you can restart the jets any number of times), so there is nothing to shut off when you are done.
-
To insure excellent water quality during your stay, please add a scoop of lid's worth of chlorine from the provided bottle located next to the spa recycle can after every use, then start the jets so the water circulates when you leave. The jets will turn off automatically.
-
Please replace the cover and fasten after every use. Winds can kick up and lift the lid right off and throw it in the desert (it’s happened twice!!!).
-
NEVER take glassware (including glass bottles) anywhere around the hot tub. We have provided plastic cups, glasses, and even plastic wine glasses for your convenience. The only way to completely remove broken glass in the hot tub is to empty it.
-
WARNING!!! You are at all times responsible for the safety of all your guests while using the hot tub.
The trash enclosure is located to the right of the double garage (for clean smell reasons, especially during the summer) and consists of the usual wheeled bin. There is also an overflow garbage can behind it that should be used only if the main trash can fills up completely. The cans should be kept in the enclosure and the door to the enclosure should always be kept shut, unless you want your trash efficiently spread all over the place by the resident javalinas...
The recycling bin is located in the garage right outside the interior garage door. Please only throw recyclables into the bin (glass, steel, cans, metals, paper & carboard).
-
For trash, collection day is Monday, and they usually come after 10am.
-
For recycling, it's Wednesday, and they usually come after 9am.
-
You are responsible for taking the bins out on collection day and retrieving them afterwards. Please be prompt in returning the bins since the HOA will issue a fine if a bin is left out too long, as judged by the capricious power-hungry wanna-bees that populate the local enforcement committee.
It's a big property with a lot of moving parts, and it requires a lot of scheduled maintenance to keep it running like a well-oiled machine. The vast majority of maintenance work is scheduled and performed between guests, but there are times, especially with guests that stay for more than a week, that maintenance needs to be performed.
Specifically, pool and hot tub maintenance and cleaning occur every week, typically on Mondays. Landscaping maintenance, including weed control, yard cleanup, pruning, raking, deadheading of roses, etc. also occur weekly on Mondays as well. In any event, you will be notified at least a day in advance via text of any regularly scheduled work to be done around the house.
Should something break or malfunction during your stay, please notify me immediately so I can have it repaired as soon as possible.
Tucson is in the desert, and comes complete with the usual assortment of wildlife including mule deer, coyotes, javalinas, snakes (including rattlesnakes), scorpions and other assorted critters.
The property is surrounded by a wall to try and keep all animals out. It is imperative that the gates leading from the yard to the outside stay closed at all times. We had a guest who left a gate open and the javalinas (think a dog-sized wild pig) set up shop and ate all of the landscaping in a two hour period one night.
The house is regularly sprayed inside and out for bugs, but you should never let doors and screens wide open for extended periods of time, especially in the late spring/early fall time period. While the house is equipped with yellow lights that do not attract bugs, they will still come in if you leave the door wide open.
As far as snakes (and scorpions, etc.) they want as little to do with you as you with them. If you're smart and respect the desert, you will be fine.
As indicated earlier, pets must be approved in advance and declared. Dogs are the only acceptable pet and we reserve the right to decline pet requests based on breed (no Pitbulls, Rottweilers, Chows, etc.) and age of the dog (basically, no puppies). There is a designated pet area off the Game Room for pets to relieve themselves, and dogs must be leashed while being walked in the neighborhood. The Pet Fee and the Cleaning Fee do not include picking up pet waste…please clean up after your pets.
A few more items regarding pets:
• Pets are NEVER allowed in the pool, hot tub or garden area. They are only allowed outside in the designated pet area behind the “Alien” sign.
• You are responsible for all damage to flooring, rugs, furniture, etc. caused by your pets.
• Pets are NEVER ALLOWED on furniture or beds.
• Please respect these rules for the health and safety of all our guests.
Any undisclosed pets will result in the doubling of the pet fee., which will be payable immediately.