Every Rather Be Home, Sorted by What You Want to Do
All 31 Rather Be Properties vacation rentals, grouped by destination and by what you want to do – Outer Banks, Coachella Valley, San Diego and more.
The short version
Hi, I'm Elissa. My husband Al and I manage 31 vacation rental homes across nine destinations, and this page lists every single one of them, grouped first by where they are and then by what you might actually want to do. Booking one of them direct saves you about 10% against a like-for-like flexible booking on a platform, and the cancellation terms are on screen before you pay.
Which Rather Be homes are on the Outer Banks?
Eleven of them, which makes the Outer Banks the biggest part of what we do. They sit in Corolla, Corolla Light, Duck, Avon and Frisco — five towns that feel genuinely different from each other, so the town matters as much as the house. If you are still deciding between them, the Corolla vs Duck vs Avon comparison is the honest version, and soundfront vs oceanside settles the other big question.
Which homes do you have in the Coachella Valley?
Ten, spread across Palm Springs, Indio and Desert Hot Springs. Nearly all of them are built around a pool, because in the desert that is what the house is for. The season runs roughly October to May; Palm Springs in the fall covers the shoulder weeks, and the neighbourhood guide explains why two homes ten minutes apart can feel like different trips. For Indio specifically, there is what to do in Indio and the family rentals rundown.
Where else do you have vacation rentals?
Ten more homes, in San Diego, Orange County, Tucson, Chandler, Big Bear, Raleigh and High Point. These are smaller markets for us — in most of them we manage one or two houses, not a portfolio. That is a real limitation and we would rather name it here than let you work it out by clicking. For Tucson there is the Saguaro guide, and Orange County has a Mission Viejo write-up.
Which home should you book for the trip you're actually taking?
Most people don't start with a city. They start with a problem — fourteen people, or a dog, or a week in February when they just want to be somewhere warm and quiet. Each of these points at the guide that answers it properly, rather than repeating it here.
Why book these homes direct rather than on a platform?
Because on a like-for-like flexible booking it saves you about 10%, and because you deal with us rather than with a middle layer. There is no platform service fee on a direct booking — though direct booking does carry a card processing fee of about 4.6%, which we would rather state than imply away. Our cancellation terms are 96% back up to 14 days before arrival and 46% up to 7 days, shown at checkout before you pay. Across 311 Google reviews we sit at 4.9, and SD Voyager wrote about how we got here.
So which one, in one line?
If you only read one section, read this one.
Questions about Rather Be Properties vacation rentals
The ones we get asked most often by people looking at the whole list for the first time.
How many Rather Be Properties vacation rentals are there?
Thirty-one homes, across nine destinations: the Outer Banks, the Coachella Valley, San Diego, Orange County, Tucson, Chandler, Big Bear, Raleigh and High Point. Eleven of the thirty-one are on the Outer Banks, which is our largest market by some distance.
Can I book Rather Be Properties vacation rentals in both the Outer Banks and Palm Springs?
Yes. We manage eleven homes on the Outer Banks and ten across the Coachella Valley, including Palm Springs, Indio and Desert Hot Springs. They are booked separately, but the same direct booking terms, the same team and the same phone number apply to both.
What do I save by booking direct instead of on a platform?
About 10% on a like-for-like flexible booking. There is no platform service fee on a direct booking, though direct booking does carry a card processing fee of roughly 4.6%. We would rather show you both halves of that than only the flattering one.
What is your cancellation policy on a direct booking?
You get 96% back if you cancel up to 14 days before arrival, and 46% back up to 7 days before arrival. Those terms are shown at checkout before you pay, not buried in a confirmation email afterwards.
Which home should I book for a family vacation rental by city?
It depends on the city. For a family beach week, start with the Outer Banks houses in Corolla, Duck, Avon and Frisco. For a desert trip with a pool, start with Indio or Palm Springs. For mountains and a swing set, Villa Grove in Big Bear. If none of them fit, tell us your dates and group size and we will say so.
What if none of your homes suit my trip?
Then we will tell you. We are deliberately small, so in any one market you are choosing between a handful of houses rather than hundreds. We would rather lose the booking than put your family in the wrong house and spend the week apologising.
Start with where you want to wake up
Two guides, two very different weeks. If neither is right, call us and describe the trip — we will either point you at the house that fits or tell you we don't have one.
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Because there's no place you'd rather be.
