The Water Tower House

You can spot The Water Tower House from a good distance down the road --- the stone base, the heavy timber, and the tower rising off the roofline like something a railroad crew might have built a century ago and then decided to live in. It's the kind of home that makes people slow the car. Then you pull in, the Cascades line up across the whole western horizon, and the house stops being the main event.

The great room does most of the introductions. Vaulted ceilings carried on rough-hewn beams, a stone fireplace tall enough to anchor the entire wall, and glass on the view side so the peaks are in the room with you. Custom ironwork, carved wood and hand-picked pieces turn up everywhere you look; the home was clearly built by someone who cared how every corner came together. The kitchen is the big, social kind --- long stone counters, a double oven and a range that can handle a real dinner, a butler's pantry to hide the mess, and a chef's table pulled up to the island so the cook has company. Upstairs there's a second full kitchen and family room, which quietly solves the two-families-one-house problem: one group can make breakfast without waking the other.

Then there's the tower. Climb up and you land in a round room ringed with windows, a card table for six in the middle and deep leather chairs along the wall. Poker night lives here. So does sunrise coffee, and the hour before dinner when the mountains go pink. Downstairs, the daylight basement is set up as a proper game room --- foosball, shuffleboard, a dartboard, a wall word-scramble game for the kids, and a big TV lounge for the ones who'd rather watch. A separate casita gives one couple or a set of grandparents their own quiet corner away from all of it.

Sleeping is spread across three levels, and every one of the five bedrooms is a true ensuite with its own private bath --- something most homes in Brasada Ranch can't say. The primary suite on the main floor is the showpiece: a king under vaulted beams, its own fireplace, and a soaking tub set beneath a window that frames the Cascades. A second main-floor ensuite holds three twins, which is the easiest way to keep a trio of kids or cousins together. Upstairs there's another king and a room with a queen and a twin, each with a bath of its own; the lower level has a third king with its ensuite and a door straight out to the patio. Twelve guests across five bedrooms, and not one of them has to share a bathroom. Two laundry rooms mean nobody's waiting on a machine, either.

Outside is where the evenings go. The covered outdoor kitchen has a built-in BBQ and a long dining table, a stone fireplace throws heat into the seating area beside it, and the upper deck is the spot to watch the sun drop behind the mountains while the high desert goes quiet. The nights out here are dark and clear; the stars don't need any help.

The house sits inside Brasada Ranch, a gated community of juniper and sagebrush in Central Oregon's high desert, with the community's golf course and trail network winding right through the neighborhood. Redmond and its airport are about 20 minutes away, Bend's Old Mill District and downtown are roughly a half hour, and Prineville is a short drive in the other direction. Smith Rock State Park --- some of the best hiking and climbing in the state --- is about 30 minutes north, Prineville Reservoir and its certified dark skies are a similar drive east, and Mt. Bachelor is around an hour for ski days. Five ensuite bedrooms, a tower, and a deck facing the Cascades: most groups find they spend more of the week outside than anywhere else, and nobody complains.

AvantStay provides a personalized hospitality experience to elevate your stay. With our Concierge Service, guests have access to our tech-enabled services like fridge stocking, private chefs, massages, transportation, special occasion celebrations, baby gear rentals, ski gear, beach gear, and more. For anything you need, we're at your fingertips via concierge@avantstay.com.

Along the Deschutes River in Central Oregon, rugged landscapes and scenic Cascade Mountains invite visitors to embrace endless outdoor adventure. Whitewater rafting, fishing, biking, trail running, golfing, hiking, paddleboarding and rock climbing are some of the great ways to enjoy the warmer months. Come winter, admire the views by mountain on skis, snowboards, or snowshoes. No matter the season, you won't want to miss dining at seasonal restaurants, touring the breweries, and socializing at the cocktail bars downtown.

Local Attractions: Bend Ale Trail, Mt. Bachelor, The Deschutes River Trail, Deschutes National Forest, Deschutes Brewery, Whitewater Park, Tumalo State Park, Pilot Butte Volcano State Scenic Viewpoint, Zydeco Kitchen & Cocktails, Benham Falls, Old Mill District Shopping, Drake Park and Mirror Pond, Bos Taurus Restaurant, Crux Fermentation Project, Hayden Amphitheater, Sisters Coffee, The Open Door

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