vacation plans

One Texas property makes the cut on Vrbo's best vacation rentals of 2024

Vrbo, the online marketplace for vacation rentals, has unveiled its top 10 list for 2024, and one home in Texas made the cut: The list, called 2024 U.S. Vacation Rentals of the Year, showcases the 10 best vacation rentals in North America, based on factors such as guest reviews and amenities.

The list includes properties in famous getaway locales ranging from Sedona to Big Sky to Cabo San Lucas.

The Texas entry is Toro Canyon in Austin, a tranquil retreat tucked away in the hilly Westlake neighborhood, six miles west of downtown. Designed by renowned Austin architect Michael Hsu, the home offers "timeless modernity" and "high quality craftsmanship," according to its listing. Stays begin at $2,015 per night.

The two-story home features five bedrooms and five bathrooms that overlook a luscious green backyard, temperature-controlled pool, and hot tub. The home sits on a one-acre lot, surrounded by mature trees for the ultimate privacy for guests.

Toro Canyon, Vrbo Vacation Rentals of the Year, Austin vacation home Toro Canyon is your own private retreat.Photo courtesy of Vrbo

There is ample space for relaxation and lounging outside, with a stone landing, two covered pavilions (one with an outdoor kitchen), and a second-floor balcony. Guests who want to stay active while on vacation can make use of the partial basketball court or in-ground trampoline, or they can set up a net over the pool and play volleyball.

An outdoor shower at one of the pavilions is available for guests to rinse off before heading back inside to enjoy the rest of the home.

The home accommodates up to 15 guests, with three out of five bedrooms boasting two queen- or king-sized beds each. The remaining rooms each contain a single king-sized bed.

Natural light floods every room to provide the perfect ambiance on a nice sunny day, and each bedroom blends modern features with elegant details through its wall art, decor, and bed linens.

Toro Canyon, Vrbo Vacation Rentals of the Year, Austin vacation home Only two of the five total bedrooms at Toro Canyon contain a single king-sized bed.Photo courtesy of Vrbo

For guests who want to take advantage of the home's location in the city, it's a five minute drive to Lake Austin, or a 10-15 minute drive to downtown. Popular hiking and nature destinations like Mount Bonnell, Mayfield Park and Nature Preserve, and the Barton Creek Greenbelt are all 15 minutes away.

Other vacation rentals highlighted in Vrbo's 2024 U.S. Vacation Rentals of the Year list include:

"Palatial Paradise Estate" in Sedona Arizona
"Fire Lookout Towers" in Big Sky, Montana
"Pardise Found" in Inlet Beach, Florida
"Villa Montebella" in Glen Ellen, California
"Sandy Lakehouse" in Sand Lake, Michigan
"Miracle Creek Retreat" in Epworth, Georgia
"Copley's Lakefront Cottage" in Winchendon, Massachusetts
"Villa Cin Cin" in St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands
"Casa Acantilado" in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

The most expensive rental on the list is Villa Montebella, an exclusive wine-country villa in Sonoma Valley that costs $4,750 per night. On the low end, the lodge home in Big Sky, Montana is a relative bargain at $770 per night.

This is the third year vrbo has published such a ranking. A Hill Country home made the list in 2023.

The full list of winners can be found on vrbo.com.

Toro Canyon, Vrbo Vacation Rentals of the Year, Austin vacation home

Photo courtesy of Vrbo

The spacious living room is the perfect place for you to sit and chat with your 14 closest friends.

austin westlake hills vacations vacation rentals vrbo awards

Airline News

American Airlines unveils plush seating on new Boeing 787-9 flights

There's plush new accommodations coming to American Airlines with the debut of American’s premium Flagship Suite seats aboard the airline’s newest Boeing 787-9 aircraft.

Starting May 5, customers dying to be the first to sit in the new seats can purchase tickets for the inaugural flight June 5 from Chicago O’Hare (ORD) to Los Angeles (LAX) for Flight 2012, which will then return to ORD for its inaugural Flagship Suite service to London Heathrow (LHR) as Flight 98.

Later this summer, American will also operate the new 787-9 from Philadelphia (PHL) to LHR and Zurich (ZRH).

The Flagship Suite service will then be available in the fall with service from Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) to Brisbane, Australia (BNE).

American welcomed two new 787-9 planes to Dallas-Fort Worth on Tuesday and anticipates a total of 30 new aircraft will join the fleet family between now and 2029. The airline expects to grow its lie-flat and Premium Economy seating by 50 percent by the end of the decade.

Primarily utilized for long-haul international flights, customers traveling on American’s 787-9 will delight in the 51 Flagship Suite seats at the front of the aircraft, featuring privacy doors, more personal storage space with a wireless charging pad and a one-of-a-kind chaise lounge seating option with an adjustable headrest pillow.

American AirlinesAmerican Airlines

As part of the Flagship Suite service, customers also receive Priority check-in, security, boarding and baggage handling, as well as access to American’s Flagship lounge with free regionally inspired dishes and signature cocktails. Inflight Flagship Suite service offers a multicourse meal with wines,plus amenity kits containing skincare items, a duvet blanket, and a dual-sided pillow with cool touch fabric on one side and traditional fabric on the other.

“Every aspect of our new 787-9 is designed to feel premium in nature,” said Heather Garboden, American’s Chief Customer Officer. “Whether flying for business or pleasure, having the opportunity to explore other parts of the world should be an exciting and memorable experience that begins the moment you book your flight, long before you reach your final destination.”Looking ahead, American’s Flagship Suite® seats will be available on all newly delivered 787-9 aircraft, as well as new Airbus A321XLR aircraft and the airline’s retrofitted Boeing 777-300ER.

The rollout will be as follows:

June 5: Chicago (ORD) London (LHR)
August 6: Philadelphia (PHL) London (LHR)
September 3: Philadelphia (PHL) Zurich (ZRH)
October 2: Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) Brisbane, Australia (BNE)

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