Location: Walla Walla, Washington State, USA (Seven minutes north of Downtown Walla Walla...astonishing.) View Map
Accommodations: Estate Vineyard, 2 Bedrooms + Convertible bed(s), 2 Baths (Sleeps 4)
This is for people who GET IT. Open vistas and seclusion. Simplicity that brings our shoulders down, offering true rest in a manner that reminds us of what it really means to relax. We heard lots of talk about energy vortexes when we visited Sedona. Maybe Grape Hill is one of these? All we know is that this special spot keeps altering perceptions and offers up a huge supply of positive charge. We keep hearing from Guests who are returning to Grape Hill and hardly even going in to Walla Walla, which is a great town a few minutes away. But it can be really hard to leave Grape Hill even for fine restaurants and lovely wine. The expanses seem to nurture expansive thinking. Think of a secluded beach with mile upon mile of open views, all to yourself, then add rolling landscape and lots of cool things to do within minutes. Prepare to happen again upon with the artist & photographer inside yourself.
The drive in to the center of Walla Walla is nothing. It is not at all a bother to go wine tasting or visiting museums and then come home to change clothes and be right back in Walla Walla. Probably no more than going to your grocery store. The biggest difference is that you get to Grape Hill and everything slows down. You hear silence, and then that silence is filled up with sounds you could have missed...a hawks wing, a tractor off in the hills miles away. You see the light as it changes constantly and watch the movement of the wind on the fields. There is Wi-Fi and TV and hawks and pheasants and deer on the hillsides.
So...choose to stay upstairs in the king bed or downstairs in the queen, there are joys to discover in each. Great reading spots abound, plenty of places to set your wine glass.
The house is built with eight-inch framing and high insulation factors for green energy efficiency and passive heating/cooling. Except in high summer or winter months it is seldom necessary to turn on either heat or ac, but both are easily available.
After finishing building the initial housing structure late in 2007, we decided recently to occasionally rent and share this stunning beauty with others. (Please note that we love kids, but children and smoking inside are absolute no-goes. BTW...no discounted rents ever on first time rentals...please do not make offers. When you come back again, and you probably will, that's when we are happy to extend a hand.)
100 mile+ views changing constantly with the light and the weather. Grape Hill is custom and unique in every sense. Over the next several years, the house and farm will continue to evolve toward a long-term vision that continues to reinforce grace with this special landscape. Our first wine went into bottle in May, 2008. Just this spring, Big Table was built out in the fields. Call it our Grape Hill slice of Provence...
From miles out, Grape Hill fits in the landscape, a metal industrial agricultural building amongst the fields; perfectly normal sight set in the farm country. We didn't want to make the house the focus, not here at such a special spot.
Once inside, things change.
Think of a chic Tribeca loft or a San Francisco modern. Clean and minimalist, but warm and unpretentious, too. Polished concrete floors and 19 foot ceilings. Eight inch moldings. Two big baths with cherry vanities. A double-head granite shower upstairs in the big loft, an over-sized granite tub with shower downstairs. DVD players/LCD TVs with movie selections in both sleeping areas. Cherry cabinets, granite and glass, stainless steel appliances and unique lighting arrangements...and who would guess it?
Views in every direction are framed by tall windows looking out to the Blue Mountains, Dry Creek, and hundred year old farmsteads in the valley below. You can spend hours on the patio or walking the fields day and night. Amazing stars and awesome sunsets. Bring your passion. You're in for something special.
Vacation Rental Features
- Amenities
- Air Conditioning
- Washer: New LG Full Size
- Dryer: New LG Full Size
- Linens Provided: Lush cotton towels and high thread count sheets, of course.
- Off Street Parking: 100 acres...
- Beds
- King Bed: There is a new king size bed with memory foam mattress upstairs.
- Queen Bed: There is a new queen size bed with memory foam mattress on the main floor.
- Convertible Bed: A convertible bed is located in the upstairs den. Please plan to let us know beforehand to have the housekeeper make up this one.
- Entertainment
- Cable/Satellite TV: Satellite TV on each floor.
- DVD
- Video Library: Abundant DVD collection with classics and recent releases, too. Lots of variety.
- Stereo System
- Kitchen
- Full Kitchen: The kitchen is very well-appointed to satisfy the chef in you. New stainless steel appliances, good china, flatware, and stemware, many utensils.
- Cooking Utensils Provided: Pots/pans, cutlery, utensils and serving dishes.
- Refrigerator: New stainless steel refrigerator with through the door ice maker.
- Dishwasher: New LG stainless dishwasher.
- Microwave: New stainless steel high-end extreme model that does everything but fly...
- Ice Maker
- Outdoor Features
- Gas/Electric BBQ Grill: A new stainless steel gas barbecue is available and can be set out for your use. Please let us know.
- Deck/Patio: Four Adirondack love seats surround the fire pit out in the fields. We will have these out during the warmer months. ALWAYS KEEP THE FIRE SCREEN ON AND CLOSED FOR SAFETY. NEVER USE WITH ANY WIND...HIGH FIRE DANGER! USE ONLY PRESTO-TYPE SINGLE LOGS...BRING THESE WITH YOU or purchase at the store. We cannot emphasize enough with the fire...dry wheat and grass are very flammable from even a tiny spark...USE EXTREME CARE and absolutely do not use when intoxicated.
- View/Location
- Mountain View: Grape Hill looks onto the panorama of the Blue Mountains to the East and Southeast. Red Mountain can be seen seventy miles to the West.
- Communications
- Telephone: Phones in all rooms.
- Free Long Distance: All domestic long distance is free.
- Computer
- Broadband Internet: High-Speed Broadband is provided with an always-on connection.
- WiFi (Wireless Internet): WiFI in every room.
- Other Amenities
- Inspiring views in all directions...wide open vistas. Photographers and painters should definitely bring along your tools and supplies. The sky and landscape is constantly changing and always inspiring. Bring your Ipod for use with the docking station.
- Suitability
- No Pets Allowed: Buck and Reese may come visiting from our closest neighbor about a 1/2 mile away, but no pets please.
- Not Suitable for Children: Grape Hill is meant for adults; the loft ladder/stairs are not suitable for kids or people who are unsteady on their feet.
- Minimum Age Limit for Renters: 16 with adult.
- Smoking Not Allowed: Please respect No Smoking. Grape Hill is strictly smoke-free inside.
- Activities (on site and nearby)
- Golf
- Shopping
- Sightseeing
- Restaurants
- Biking
- Mountain Biking
- Cross Country Skiing
- Downhill/Alpine Skiing
- Snowboarding
- Sledding/Tubing
- Wildlife Viewing
- Hiking
- Fishing
- Hunting
- Health/Beauty Spa
- Antiquing
- Cinemas/Movie Theaters
- Live Theatre
- Museums
- Horseshoes
- Other Activities
- More than 100 Wineries are within a short drive. For a really fun day of tasting you may even want to hire a limo. There are also several day spas nearby. Foodies can plan for real fun. We are happy to assist with our own reviews of local eateries.
Rate Details (In US Dollars)
$300/night (2 night minimum) .. $200/night (for additional nights)
$50 deposit due at booking; full payment due 7 days ahead of reservation.
$200 refundable damage deposit.
No discounts ever on first-time rentals.
Note: Until confirmed, rates are subject to change without notice.
Credit Cards Accepted:
Map & Owner's Profile
100 Ww Acres-100 Mile Views.7 Minutes & Light Years Away...
Year Purchased: 2003
Why the Owner Chose Walla Walla
I looked over land in the San Juans, in Kittatas County, and all over the NW for fifteen years. Nothing ever quite hit home. Sue and I came over to Walla Walla with our boys for a soccer tournament back in 1999. We decided between games to take a drive out to a new winery called Spring Valley where we met a winemaker named Devon and enjoyed the amazing wines that he was pulling out from barrels from his first vintage. After warming to wine and conversation, we drove around the Palouse and were awestruck by the rolling scenery. Three years and many trips later, we had still not found the right spot. So, Sue and the kids and I wrote letters to every land owner with at least fifty acres all around the special landscape we have come to love. One hundred and twenty five letters yielded nine responses, six telling us about rich family histories going back to the 1800s and declaring that they will never sell. Three considered selling, but only one determined to let me see the property. That one property was Grape Hill. I knew we wanted it the minute I saw these views. But there was much more to getting the OK than just writing a check. And that is another story!
The Unique Benefits at this Estate Vineyard
At Grape Hill, optimism breaks past all the negative news and overcomplicated stuff we let into our lives. Shoulders come down, time slows down, art and poetry replace demands and we find ourselves phoning old friends. Wood fires and wine, sunsets and smiles replace tensions and revitalize our souls. This is a magical place, one of these rare places on the planet that open the senses and reward us for being alive. Over in Sedona they talk all the time about energy vortexes. Well, I don't know anything about that subject, but maybe Grape Hill has the properties about which they speak. We are so out there and away...but only five minutes from the city.
Visiting is one of the most touching experiences. Our neighbors from two farms over has been restoring this plot where their ancestors were buried. Read the inscriptions to understand so much about li
Superb fruit and lovely wines from the Derby and Corkrum Families.
The fifteen minutes drive to Waitsburg takes you past old barns, through the rolling countryside filled with photo-worthy beauty, and out to the old town of Waitsburg. Victorian homes, the Whoopemup C
Here is an ATM, 24 Hour grocery, fast food, and The Blue Mountain Casino...very local.
Seven minutes to the Marcus Whitman Hotel in the center of Walla Walla.
Amazing driving up into the Blue Mountains. Superb views and dramatic topography as you meander looping up to Waitsburg and Dayton.
More lovely vineyard properties and wineries south of Walla Walla.
Owner's Map of Walla Walla
Sue and I live on an old horse-breeding property in Bellevue. We raised three delightful kids there and now watch in awe as they are turning into young adults. Sue teaches elementary school, I sell property and learn to make wine. No plans for a winery, just great joy in bringing lovely flavors from the little vineyard.
Property Photos
- Balloon Stampede viewed from Grape Hill - Walla Walla Travel Accommodations
- A Glimpse of the Kitchen and Loft - Walla Walla Travel Accommodations
- The Lounge...hang out or gaze out...your call. - Walla Walla Travel Accommodations
- Stargaze by the fire, laugh, breathe...look all around for miles and miles.
- The Big Table...when friends and wine combine and time melts away...
- First there is silence. Soon come all the sounds that usually pass unheard.
- The Upstairs Bedroom with king bed, den, and bath.
- The Downstairs Bedroom has great views (plus flat screen TV & Wi-Fi)
- Looking out to The Blues from the Master Bedroom window seat.
- Another lovely Grape Hill sunset...looking over spring vines.
- A little bit of Bordeaux...
- The sky on October 18. We saw the Cascades 160 miles out...
- This sunset looked just like a fire on the horizon.
- Simplicity in the beautiful rolling hills...
Guest Comments (16)
First (10) of (16). View all comments
Vacation Rentals by Owner Listing #155659
There have been 2195 visitors to this page since the counter was last reset in 2009.
This listing was first published here in 2007.
Date last modified - November 04, 2009
Positive Rating
Erin and Dick Whitson , Bainbridge Island, WA
Positive Rating
Dave , vancouver, bc
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Jill , Normandy Park, WA
Positive Rating
Tom and Kara M , Boston, MA
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Doug & Lynda Glass , Orrtanna, PA
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Joanne Frasene , Redmond, WA
Positive Rating
First of all, we are wine nuts and so Napa is home away from home. Walla Walla is nothing like Napa. We feel so welcome, like everyone is pouring tastes of their passion and not just running a tourist trade. Napa is gorgeous and has knockout wine and great food, so nothing against Napa. But go there off-season in mid-week when people are not in a rush and it isn't such a Disneyland atmosphere. One of the reasons we can still enjoy Napa is that we know how to avoid hassles and traffic and wine rooms that make people feel like cogs on an assembly line. We never had to elbow in to get a tasting anywhere, and the tasting room people all had their own opinions...not memorized descriptions. Ouch...I'm sounding too critical. Enough with the comparing. Leave it to say that Walla Walla is offering a delightful wine experience with serious quality wines. Nothing else anywhere we have been is like Grape Hill. I read your blog, Mike. We let ourselves meld into the pace and landscape and we really did "hear the silence". It's like there is a giant centering tone...OHM...with healing powers. I swear. Sunset at the table in the fields is magical. Forget about hotels, we'll be back to Walla Walla and staying here again. Mike and Sue, thank you for sharing this piece of heaven.
Positive Rating
Lori and Les Cooper , Sisters, Oregon
Positive Rating
Dear Sue and Mike We are entranced with Grape Hill! It is like nothing we have seen or experienced before. Each day was lovely and the tanned taupe rolling hills showed off beautifully against the blue sky. And, every evening the sunsets did not disappoint as we sat in the Adirondack chairs and watched them melt into the horizon. We read with great interest, sometimes out loud so our friends could hear as well, Mikes musings on his Blog. [The link at the bottom of the VRBO listing.] We gauged our weekend on some of his recommendations. We also took him up on the suggestion of the Oasis for biscuits and gravy. My friend Sandra is a nut about them so she was over the moon and not disappointed. Her husband Bill loved the chicken Steak with gravy (I split with him) and he is from Georgia so that should truly speak well for them! Plus the atmosphere of locals drinking and smoking at 10AM-ish while watching the football game (we purposefully ate in the front to watch the game as well as soak up the atmosphere) was a slice out of some movie that I can't quite figure out. Felt Jack Nicholson might walk in at any moment and straddle up to the bar. Matt and I slept upstairs in the "loft" while Sandra and Bill stayed downstairs. The Jefferson stairs made us think twice if we needed anything up there before we ventured up but loved it none the less. We hope we left your home in good order. Let us know if there was a problem but we pray not. Thank you for sharing your very personal spot. Good luck with the vineyard! Cheers, Alison and Matt
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Gene and Barbara , Redmond, WA