View from the street looking south over the house at "Shadow Mountain"
Location: Sun Valley, Sun Valley Area, Idaho, USA (2 mi NORTH - easy access, wide open, mtn views, river close)
Accommodations: House, 4 Bedrooms + Other (See Description), 4 Baths (Sleeps 8-9)
Compare this property to all those agent-represented deals. The location, quality, condition, equipment and amenities cannot be matched for anything close to this price. We understand that you are looking for value! This home is surrounded by mountains and open spaces BUT ALSO close-in. Sun Valley visitors are nature lovers who crave space, sunshine, views, privacy and room for the dog to roam. They also like to be free of commute traffic, congestion and other complexities they're trying to leave behind in cities, and to be close to the river, convenient to hiking, biking and fishing, the ski mountain, and the world-class cross-country skiing.
Then, they like their accommodations to be NICE - tastefully decorated, fresh, uncluttered, exceptionally clean, fully-equipped, spacious and with a bathroom for every bedroom, a hottub, extra living rooms with extra audio-visual... and of course a big granite kitchen open to everything. Oh, and they like it to be fairly priced.
Well, that's this house... four doors from Governor Schwarzenegger and about a mile from Senator and Theresa Kerry in one of Sun Valley's most desirable and lightly populated NORTH valleys, just two miles from central Ketchum, an easy tra la la on a bike into town for dinner, concert, craft fair, etc. By car it's a quick five minutes to those activities or to park by the lifts in winter.
This 4 bedroom, 4 bath 4,100-sf-house is owned by the retired founder of SV's largest property management company. It is set up optimally for visitors, offering everything that a vacationer wants to find in a rental property - at the right price and in the right location....
A big attraction is the all-new, all-pillowtop beds and quality bedding. Four bedrooms, each with its own bath (and each bedroom in its own wing), two living rooms plus a library/den/office with roomy desk, four TVs, including a 42" LCD home theater (with DVR!) in the main living room, wifi throughout the house, garage, decks, private hottub, playhouse, gas BBQ, beautiful Restoration Hardware dining room on the east end of the great room.... from the moment you arrive you'll be saying this is just what you were hoping for!
Because Lake Creek flows next to the property, much of the nearby land is remains open, natural, green (or white) and inviting. Beds are K,TT(k),TT(k),Q + sofa sleeper in 2nd living room. All the beds are new and all are pillowtops. The top floor master is almost 1,000 square feet, with private view deck, one of those lavish marble bathrooms, and indoor corner jettub, plus huge walk-in closet.
You won't find this home cluttered with personal stuff. The cabinets and closets are empty and ready for your use! The house is very tastefully and comfortably decorated and equipped with our guests in mind!
The Lake Creek Trailhead, Sun Valley's best mountain biking, hiking, and fishing area, is just down the street. Take the dog for a swim in the river while you cast for catch-and-release whoppers. And in winter the same trailhead begins the pristine grooming of the North Valley Trails for classic and skate skiing. Doggy trails too!
WATCH OUT FOR AGENT-REPRESENTED PROPERTIES! You will pay much more for what you get. Be especially aware of location factors. Anything south of Ketchum is in the commute traffic! If our's isn't the right property for you, ask us for guidance or ideas.
Vacation Rental Features
- Amenities
- Washer
- Dryer
- Linens Provided: Almost all linens are extra-high thread count.
- Garage: 3-car garage
- Gas Fireplace: We switched to state-of-the-art gaslog f/p for convenience, coziness and tidiness. It's much better than wood-burning!
- Beds
- King Bed: The master has a very grand king bed. Each of the two matching guest bedrooms have twins that can be made into kings, or not.
- Queen Bed: This is the bed in the 3-room main-level guest suite
- Twin/Single Bed: Two sets of twins can be either king or twins. They are all new pillowtops - comfy quilts in either format
- Convertible Bed: New - queen-sized sofa sleeper -in second living room
- Entertainment
- Cable/Satellite TV: Main living room TV is 42" flat screen and has a DVR, three provided movie channels, and HD
- DVD
- VCR
- Video Library: there are videotapes, which are mostly for kids, and some very good movies for adults on DVD
- CD Player
- Stereo System
- Jetted Tub in Bath: Double jettub in huge master bathroom - plus glass shower
- Private Hot Tub: Brand new fall of '08. Unbelievable views from this strategically located tub.
- Kitchen
- Full Kitchen: Very large and elaborate
- Cooking Utensils Provided: More than complete. You can hold Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners here as if you were at home.
- Refrigerator
- Dishwasher
- Microwave
- Ice Maker
- Outdoor Features
- Gas/Electric BBQ Grill: gas BBQ on deck
- Deck/Patio
- Balcony: Private balcony off master suite
- Gazebo: Not exactly a gazebo - a children's playhouse about 40 feet off the back deck
- View/Location
- Mountain View: Sparsely populated side-valley has mountains all around. Light traffic, not seen or heard from the house, doggie freedom and a gentle sledding hill on the property. Big sledding/snowshoeing hills all around.
- Communications
- Telephone
- Free Long Distance: As long as it's within the U.S.
- Broadband Internet: Cable modem in library/office
- WiFi (Wireless Internet): Home network works everywhere in the house.
- Other Amenities
- There is no clutter whatsoever, Closets and cabinets are empty and equipment is optimized, Here are some of its attributes: bath for every bedroom, each bedroom in separate wing, remote-controlled gaslog fireplace, land-line phone, cable modem, 4 TVs, 42" surround sound in main living room,with DVR, about 20 movie channels, VCR in second living room, 2 stereos with CD, office/library off master, huge open granite kitchen, ice-on-door refrigerator, turnkey cooking and serving utensils, high-quality linens, washer/dryer, double jettub in master, outdoor hottub, 2-car garage, Gas BBQ, handbuilt playhouse in yard.
- Suitability
- Pet Friendly: We welcome dogs, but we do not invite them up on the furniture or beds. Outdoors, your doggie will be at least as happy as you are, for he/she will have freedom, adventure and companions. It's ideal.
- Wheelchair Accessible (may have limitations): This is workable, as downstairs suite is readily accessible from two-step entryway (could make ramp available). All other functions are on ground floor, including access to deck.
- Kid Friendly: Intentionally hard-to-hurt
- Smoking Not Allowed
- Activities (on site and nearby)
- Golf
- Tennis
- Shopping
- Sightseeing
- Restaurants
- Rafting
- Kayaking
- Parasailing
- Swimming
- Biking
- Mountain Biking
- Cross Country Skiing
- Downhill/Alpine Skiing
- Snowboarding
- Snowmobiling
- Sledding/Tubing
- Wildlife Viewing
- Hiking
- Fishing
- Hunting
- Rock Climbing
- Fitness Center/Gym
- Cinemas/Movie Theaters
- Live Theatre
- Museums
- Horseback Riding
- Other Activities
- Sun Valley is an outdoor paradise, not spoiled by commercialism. No outlet malls, fast food joints, The town is sophisticated but SMALL, friendly with great restaurants, No waterslides or amusement parks, but PLENTY to do as we are surrounded by public lands, mountains, streams and wildlife. World-class flyfishing is a major attraction, and the river is 2 blocks from our house. There is a just-completed YMCA with a wonderful indoor waterpark and elaborate climbing gym - lessons too. 30-mile bikepath, much of it riverside. Take a lift to the top of the ski mountain, or hike or ride a bike up it, If you do that, the ride down is free (easy on the knees). SOME attractions, Road and Mountain Biking, endless hiking, White Water Rafting, 220 Kilometers Groomed Skate and Classic Cross-country Skiing, Paragliding, Car-access or hike-to Mountain Lakes, Wine Auction, Arts/Crafts Festivals, Free Outdoor Summer Symphony (unbelievable new music pavilion), Architectural rubbernecking, July 4th/Labo
Rate Details (In US Dollars)
Regular Summer nightly rate is $550, 4-night minimum
Regular Winter nightly rate is $550, 4-night minimum
Summer weeks $3,000 - $4,000
GUEST PAYS DEPARTURE HOUSEKEEPING FOR ALL STAYS
Off-season nightly rate is $450 plus housekeeping - inquire!
Presidents Week, 2010: $4,250
Christmas Week, 2009: $6,000; New Years Week, 2009: $8,000
Note: Until confirmed, rates are subject to change without notice.
Owner's Profile
Owner Description
Year Purchased: 2000
We are active seniors (63 and 79), just the two of us at this point. One son lives locally and helps look after our place when we are elsewhere. We are big skate skiers and actually pretty much abandoned gravity-based skiing for the self-propelled variety, considering the wealth of groomed trails in the wilderness. We mountain bike and road bike, utilizing the very extensive bike trail and roads in all directions. Nick has a membership at SV Golf and loves the new White Clouds course which actually occupies the uplands between our home and SV Village. Hiking is a regular thing for Kathy, pretty much all-season; the environment seems custom-made for snow-shoeing, as the pyramidical mountains are like being on the most scenic of all possible stairmasters. And the weather, of course....
Why the Owner Chose Sun Valley
...we are not the only ones who say that the Sun Valley climate is just about perfect. There are said to be 300 days per year of sunshine. Nothing is ever extreme, nights are cool (no AC needed), and every morning in summer gives you a taste of springtime before warming to lusher temps. So it's the weather, to start. But then there's the uniqueness of the "resort." SV is like no other resort because, fundamentally, the place is not owned by a corporation; it's owned by a privately-held oil company (Sinclair), and profits do not have to be distributed, or even reported. So the company invests in grand facilities and answers to no one, presumably just treating it all like a tax haven. Well, the upshot is we have beautiful, exceptional facilities but the place isn't set up like an arcade, just for raking in money. It's done for taste and style and experience, not for bottom lines. Does that explain anything? SV has everything you want, but doesn't have so much of what you don't want - like malls and fast food joints and strip development. The valley is very small (only a half-mile or so across where Ketchum sits), so there's no room for sprawl. This makes it expensive, no doubt about that, but the removal from commercialism is quite rewarding.
The Unique Benefits of this House
Our house is in what many say is the best location in the valley. First, you don't have any commute traffic influencing the roads. Then, it's CLOSE to Ketchum/SV, so easy to access the attractions of town and ALSO just go down the street to swim or fish in the river or to hike or trail jog or mountain bike in all different directions, or drive northward to the wilderness areas, skate skiing, lakes and epic Sawtooth outings.... But, with that proximity, the setting is all mountains and open spaces. Lake Creek is a very sparsely populated side valley, owing to the estate-style development. The neighborhood is pretty splendid - the governator chose it for a reason. We hike/jog right out our door. Dogs are blissful here as they get the freedom not found in "fenced yards" without much of a car factor. Wildlife ambles through, especially while we are doing twilight hottubs. After dark, remarkably, the neighbors tend to honor the dark night sky, and all the constellations are displayed as you never see them in cities. As for the house, it's always so comfortable to have guests because their bedrooms are totally private. The house is easy to keep cool in summer. Some we enjoy are the big, multi-cook kitchen, my mother's wonderful art quilts and Nick's father's original artwork, the stylish Bhutan area rugs, the expandable Restoration-hardware dining settup - or outdoor dining on the deck, the roomy office/library - or wifi where you like, the excellent audio-visual arrangements for catching all the essential sports events, the very separate guest suite where kids like to hang out away from the adults, the spectacularly comfortable beds which at "our age" are crucial, the fact that we can have enough twin beds for all the possible group configurations, or they can be kings, the light comforters that are good summer or winter, the airy entryway for leaving transitional footwear and garments, the spacious and connected three-car garage...
Property Photos
- View from the street looking south over the house at "Shadow Mountain" - Sun Valley/Ketchum, ID - Idaho Ski Resort Lodging
- June from across the creek - Sun Valley/Ketchum, ID - Idaho Ski Resort Lodging
- Kitchen has lavish counter space & light, open to great room,window to entry - Sun Valley/Ketchum, ID - Idaho Ski Resort Lodging
- Bed flexibility: Beds can be KKKQ or KttKQ or KttttQ + new Q sofa sleeper
- The huge master suite has some private sitting and reading spots
- This king can be split into two pillow-top twins with down comforters
- Either or both twin bedrooms can make up as king. All pillowtop beds!
- This queen with handmade heirloom quilt is in the suite bedroom
- The cozy suite sitting area has queen-sized sofa sleeper too!
- Main living room has 42-inch LCD surround sound home theater in cabinet
- The spacious office/den has a movable stationary bike, opens off master
- Bhutan carpets accent reading/dining/kitchen areas. Live plants everywhere!
- Sophisticated art quilts are a decorating theme
- Lake Creek Valley seen from a nearby hiking trail - the reason you're coming?
- Lake Creek - one of Sun Valley's most exceptional neighborhoods.
- Your hosts - X-country skiing is an often-unmentioned attraction - 200k!
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Vacation Rentals by Owner Listing #32673
There have been 2544 visitors to this page since the counter was last reset in 2009.
This listing was first published here in 2004.
Date last modified - November 08, 2009
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We recently completed a long-dreamt-of remodel of our Sun Valley home, and we are SO happy with the outcome. We added 2,000 sf to the original 2,900 sf and re-did pretty much everything else also, from new carpeting and paint to new bathrooms to new kitchen. The home is just a pleasure - even the plants are jubilant. I just retired, having started, built and sold Sun Valley's largest property management company. And now there are many other wonderful places on earth we want to visit, so we have set up our home especially for others to enjoy in our absence. From our deep knowledge of what renters want we have created a vacation home that will more than meet your needs! And we've done it in such a way that you are quite welcome to bring your canine friend (so long as he/she isn't too YOUNG) - the location/setting of our home is a paradise for dogs as well as humans. We've also made the price mighty fair, so please give us a call and we'll talk about your potential visit. Our first-ever rental was in February 2004. The home is available year 'round. Our preference is a week or more - you can't really get to and enjoy Sun Valley in much less time than that, you'll see - but we can talk about shorter stays too.