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

DART News

DART to replace escalators at their only underground Dallas station

DART

DART Cityplace

Over the next three years, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is going to replace and refurbish six escalators and two elevators at the Cityplace/Uptown Station.

According to a release, replacing aging escalators is a component of DART's infrastructure improvement efforts and part of their commitment to maintaining a safe and reliable transit system.

Located at Haskell Avenue and US-75, the Cityplace/Uptown station is a stop on the Red Line, Blue Line, and Orange Line and also serves as a transfer point to the M-Line Trolley, which runs through Uptown.

While this work is underway, train service will remain unaffected. However, riders may experience minor inconveniences during the construction period. Accommodations for ADA passengers will be provided as needed.

To minimize disruption, no more than one escalator will be taken out of service at a time. Escalators at the station operate in pairs; therefore, when one is temporarily decommissioned for replacement, its counterpart will be designated for upward movement to assist passengers in accessing the platform without using stairs.

Their target completion date is 2028.

Here's a fun fact: The station is the only underground station on the DART rail system, as well as the only active underground rail station in the state of Texas. It's the stop point on a 3.5-mile tunnel that runs from downtown Dallas to SMU/Mockingbird station. Excavation began in 1991 and the station opened in 2000.

It's a "tri-level" station with escalators to boarding platforms that are located 10 stories, or 120 feet, below US-75. There are three pairs of escalators plus two inclined elevators plus a staircase with 213 steps total.

No public parking, however.

Entrances to the station are available on both sides of US-75: from the Cityplace Tower office building on the east frontage road, to the left and right of the entrance to the Cityplace Tower office building; and directly across the freeway on the west frontage road, on the edge of West Village.

transportation