Casita Tecolote

Guest: Dick (Albuquerque NM)
Date of Stay: 10/02/11 Review Submitted: 10/24/11

I had a wonderful week at the Owl Casita. It had everything I needed and then some. So convinient to everywhere in Tucson. A real bonus was the nature show right out by the patio. Dozens of fat quail visited off and on all day along with hummy birds, cardinals, tiny desert wrens, bunnys and the real topper was a Troop of more than a dozen javalinas went marching thru. So fun. I highly recommend this lovely casa.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, people with disabilities, sightseeing, adventure seekers, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Return Visit

Guest: Gina (-)
Date of Stay: 08/01/11 Review Submitted: 08/19/11

I just can’t believe how great the VRBO website was and how easy you made it for us. I would love to come again. I have lived in Minnesota my entire life and every winter gets harder and harder to handle. I just might be contacting you again very soon – your place is so beautiful and spacious. Have a great weekend

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Guest: Scott XX XXXX and Family (-)
Date of Stay: 07/01/11 Review Submitted: 07/20/11

Scott XXXX here, we just got back to the humidity in Louisiana. I just wanted to drop you a note about our stay. I was born and raised in Tucson, left 16 years ago, been back for a day or two here and there, never with my wife and kids. The Casita we stayed in was more than we expected, my kids loved the wildlife, hiking and just a total different landscape from what they have grown up in. As far as the rental I would make no changes, all the items we use at home were all there for us. Also glad to see how much Tucson has grown, not only in size but for the better. Streets were clean and the upgrades on the freeway and roads in general look great. Thanks again as my kids will remember this for many years! Hope to look you up again in the future.

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Guest: Chuck and Mary, Boulder, CO (-)
Date of Stay: 04/21/11 Review Submitted: 05/19/11

Dear MS. Woods This is an overdue note to tell you how much we enjoyed our stay at your wonderful casita in Tucson. We have two sons living in Tucson, both within a short drive from the Marriott site. The oldest is an engineer at X and the youngest a pilot for X. We get down to see them and the grandkids about twice a year. This time the occasion a family get together to see a new grandson. Up until now we have always stayed at a motel. But spending a week at your casita gave us a whole new perspective on visiting Tucson! We really enjoyed the stay and the wonderful view. Only my wife and I stayed at the casita but it was large enough that we could have a pizza party one evening with all four children, spouses, and six grandchildren there with plenty of space. Youngest daughter from New York with two little boys stayed three nights at the Marriott and really enjoyed the huge pool and other faculties. We may get down again over Thanksgiving and certainly will contact you if that comes to pass.

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Guest: Ellen and family (-)
Date of Stay: 03/27/11 Review Submitted: 05/19/11

Pamela, We enjoyed a great mexican dinner at La Fluentes - we left a sample menu in the casita. (Best guacamole I've ever had.) We ate lunch at Baggins Sandwich Shop twice. EXCELLENT!!!!!! We enjoyed Tombstone for what it was - a tourist trap. We hiked Sabino Canyon - took the tram up and walked down. Great afternoon activity - and only cost about $30.00 for the 4 of us. It was perfect for us - unexperienced hikers! Anna and I loved the Colossal Cave - another great afternoon for $24.00. Jeff and Erika golfed 2x at Starr Pass and 1x at Ventana Canyon. We checked out the shopping at the University of AZ entrance - great boutiques, cupcake bakery, and outdoor dining. Cool candy store there for the kids too! We briefly checked the 4th Avenue/Street shops - but thought it looked like a lot of tatoo shops, and skate boarding style clothing. Primo was ok - It was a nice evening. We got such a kick out of that small grassy area below the patio - it was so funny to see people get so excited over grass! (Something we don't think twice about!) We did enjoy the Catalina BBQ. The golf pro shop guys were very helpful. If you are ever in Scottsdale, try the restaurant Bandero. It was our best meal on the entire trip! Wood-fired rotisserie chicken -- amazing! One thing we observed was that the people of Arizona are very very polite and friendly! A great vacation! Yes - you can share our comments. Ellen

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GREAT R&R

Guest: Kelly (Tucson, Az)
Date of Stay: 04/29/11 Review Submitted: 05/02/11

I live in Tucson and was just looking for a place to get away..Well this is it!! Cataling BBQ the veryyyy best, the casita most relaxing..great views and trails for walking...Will definitely be back:)

Recommended for:Girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children.

April Stay

Guest: Joanne (Reno)
Date of Stay: 04/06/11 Review Submitted: 04/16/11

Another wonderful stay at Owl Casita. We had the extra pleasure of Javelina visits.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Guest: Glen and Jo (-)
Date of Stay: 02/14/11 Review Submitted: 03/03/11

Pamela Woods If the Owl Casita is available, we would like to return and depart in 2012 just about the same relative times as this year. Arriving on X, and departing X would be excellent. Is that possible? We have been having a very good time. As I told you briefly earlier we again went to the Tucson Jazz Valentine's Day bash. This year it was a concert featuring Chris and Dan Brubeck--sons of Dave Brubeck--and their quartet. They also included a a young woman who sang and a tenor saxaphone player both local. It was a terrific concert with the highlight finale being Dave Bubeck's "Take Five". We have been to the Sonoran Desert Museum, Saguaro National Park, East twice, University of Arizona, and Fort Huachuca. At Saguaro National Park we toured around on our own but also went along on two ranger-led walks--one to the Freeman Homestead and the other along the southern end of the Cactus Forest Trail to look for desert birds. We saw the usual sparrows, wrens, quail and thashers but the great treat was to spot a Great Horned Owl nesting on the side of a cliff. At the Sonoran Desert Museum we were delighted to see a new addition to their free flight bird shows. They now have a family of five Harris Hawks that they release and fly all at the same time. It's like a natural desert air show. The birds seem to take delight at flying low over the heads of the audience. Looking forward to hearing from you.

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Guest: Blurb On Running Trails for Guest FYI (-)
Date of Stay: 03/03/11 Review Submitted: 03/03/11

Get Moving, Tucson!: Tucson blessed with running trails in all directions Story Comments Get Moving, Tucson!: Tucson blessed with running trails in all directions Posted: Thursday, March 3, 2011 12:00 am | Comments Who in their right mind would willingly run on desert trails? Cactus everywhere. Sharp rocks underfoot. The hot sun beating hard against your head. Turns out, this sort of thing is actually pretty popular. The National Trail Running Association website indicates that trail running is growing in popularity, with more races and social runs on trails than ever before. Tucson is blessed with trails in all directions, from the Cactus Forest trail system of the Rincons to Starr Pass and the Sweetwater Preserve in the Tucson Mountains, from the trails around Sabino Canyon to the great mountain paths throughout the Santa Ritas. Around Tucson, there are many local trail races as well. The Fleet Feet Arizona Trail Race cruised along the beautiful Arizona Trail on Feb. 6, with its start and finish at Colossal Cave. Everyone Runs produces two trail races a year at Catalina State Park. And the Southern Arizona Roadrunners offers three cross-country trail runs, including the upcoming Sunrise at Old Tucson 4-miler, on the dusty streets and horse trails of Old Tucson Studios (Accetta is the race director), and the Spring Cross Country Classic, a 5K run over the sandy washes of Lincoln Park in southeast Tucson. But the region's longest trail run is the Old Pueblo 50, which takes place this Saturday on the trails and dirt roads near Sonoita. Sold out at 175 runners as it normally does, the Old Pueblo 50 is a 50-mile trail run along the Arizona Trail traditionally held in early March. Beginning and ending at Kentucky Camp outside Patagonia, the race winds through the rugged countryside of Southern Arizona. As the race website says, "Please be sure you are well-trained for the hills, rocks and remote nature of the event."

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Guest: Blurb From an Email I read (-)
Date of Stay: 02/01/11 Review Submitted: 02/03/11

The resort’s eco-friendly efforts extend to Primo, which serves only organic and jet fresh fish, and the Hashani Spa, which uses natural desert plant oils. The resort incorporates the natural desert into its landscape design and features direct access to Tucson Mountain Park for memorable hiking and biking trails. To quote Bill Marriott, “you can build all types of amenities but it would be impossible to duplicate what Starr Pass has, the Tucson Mountain Park.

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