Arizona Vacation Home Rentals Blog

Diamond Spirit Ranch celebrates the life of Diamond, a gentle, courageous and much loved horse. Of the many animals in the animal kingdom, few compare to the horse with its strength, grace and nobility. Horses often symbolize freedom, invite wild imaginations and manifest power of mind and spirit. Yet when we gaze across a pasture and watch horses grazing peacefully, our heart rate slows as we crave that sense of...

  Do not dismiss the desert as dusty and barren. The Sonoran Desert is lush with bold and barbed cacti, colorful and fiercely armed to protect the species as well as the water they hold in reserve. While there are many cacti to celebrate, this blog will identify and highlight the features of some of the more common cacti found in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert. Favorite destinations to see a variety of cacti are...

The greater Phoenix area which includes the East Valley is the shangri la for golfers with public and private courses at every turn. We’re also a paradise for the avid or casual hiker, biker* and horseback rider with miles and miles of trails extending in every direction.   The Biodiversity of the Desert You might envision only flat terrain because our home is a desert. The Sonoran Desert, however, is...

  My golfing experience is limited to miniature golf, called putt-putt by some. Yup, that’s it! You might think I shouldn’t write this blog but I’m writing it anyway because, despite my lack of golfing experience, here’s what I do know: Mesa is the shangri-la for golfers! With our almost perfect weather, blue skies and mountain vistas, Mesa ranks at the top of premiere golfing destinations in the Southwest.  ...

With the arrival of spring we leave the quiet and cold of winter behind to enjoy the splendor of the earth’s awakening and all that spring embodies. For baseball fans this includes spring training and the unique opportunity to enjoy informal, behind the scene encounters with favorite teams and players.   Baseball’s spring training typically begins in February when catchers and pitchers report to camp to begin workouts, and lasts...

An Owling We Will Go… If you appreciate owls Arizona should be on your list of places to visit. Our state has 13 different species: Great Horned, Barn, Western Screech, Burrowing, Long and Short Eared, Saw-whet, Whiskered Screech, Ferruginous Pygmy, Northern Pygmy, Flammulated, Elf and Mexican Spotted Owls. A few of these owls migrate south during the winter but the majority live here year-round. Most Arizona owls are creatures of...

    Service animals are dogs that are trained to perform specific tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of these tasks include assisting individuals who are visually or hearing impaired, pulling a wheelchair, retrieving items and alerting the individual to safety hazards. Only dogs are considered service animals; other species do not qualify. Providing emotional support, well-being or companionship are not approved tasks under the legal definition of service animal....

  Welcome to the vast and beautiful Sonoran Desert, home to over 60 different mammal species. One mammal you may see (and smell) should you visit our desert is the javelina (pronounced have-uh-LEEN-uh) which is the common name for the collared peccary.       Javalina Facts Javelinas are pig-like animals in appearance but are a different species than pigs or wild boars. They have large heads, long snouts, small...

Planning a trip? Willing to gamble and forego the cost of travel insurance? Let me share some true horror stories, disguised to protect the victims who now, I’m willing to bet, never travel without it.   Convincing Tales Scary Story # 1: A USA couple are on a cruise ship off the coast of the Falkland Islands when she develops symptoms of an intestinal obstruction. The ship docks; a ferry...

It goes without saying that we want you to be happy with your vacation rental home. Arizona Vacation Home Rentals’ website and the other sites that market our homes feature photos, descriptions, amenities, location, reviews and details. Our goal is to be explicit as well as crystal clear: we want you to have all the facts you need to make an informed decision when choosing the property that’s best for...