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Entire home

Stargazers' Sabbatical

Photo gallery for Stargazers' Sabbatical

Computer monitors
Property grounds
Towels, toilet paper
Exterior
2 bedrooms, desk, WiFi, bed sheets
Experience the Sonoran Desert's remote beauty at this former mining town turned artist colony. Enjoy live music and dance shows, literature and art presentations, open air markets, and artisanal culinary offerings in Ajo. Unwind under its dark night sky with minimal light pollution or explore nearby attractions like Puerto Peñasco.

Reviews

9.4 out of 10
Exceptional

Entire home

2 bedrooms1 bathroomSleeps 4

Popular amenities

  • Dryer
  • Washer
  • Parking available
  • Kitchen
  • Outdoor Space
  • Air conditioning

Add dates for prices

About this property

Entire place

You'll have the entire home to yourself and will only share it with other guests in your party.

Stargazers' Sabbatical

Sadly necessary preface: All available dates are on the calendar. All bookings must be completed through the Vrbo website. There will never be any exceptions. Messages reflecting ignorance of this paragraph will be ignored.

Phew. Okay, now the fun stuff.

Our little house was one of hundreds built by the Phelps-Dodge mining company to house the workers at its New Cornelia copper mine between 1916 and 1985. We recently completed the first phase of a long term renovation plan and it's ready for people to enjoy.

This former mining town turned artist colony is emerging as a base camp for outdoor adventurers, astrophotographers, and everyone else who wants to revel in the remote beauty of the Sonoran Desert.

The town's burgeoning scene includes live music and dance shows, literature and art presentations, open air markets, and a growing range of artisanal culinary offerings, all with a Sonoran Desert twist that is unique to Ajo.

Phoenix and its metropolitan amenities are two hours away by car, and the laid back culturepalooza of beautiful Tucson is only a 2.5 hour drive along scenic AZ 86.

If you're feeling the need to get your beach on, bring your passport and pop down to the former fishing village and current resort town of Puerto Peñasco, a two hour jaunt across the Mexican border to the Gulf of California (don't forget to buy Mexican car insurance in Ajo before you go).

As beautiful as the desert is, Ajo's greatest natural attraction is its dark night sky. More than a hundred miles from the nearest major city, the absence of light pollution allows Ajo visitors to see the night skies of their ancestors. The backyard of the house is on the lowest fringe of Bortle 4. Bortle 3 is a five minute walk, and Bortle 2 is a five minute drive. (You'll need camping gear and a 4WD vehicle to enjoy Bortle 1.)

The property is slowly being optimized for amateur astronomy, because its owner hopes to spend his winter nights that way upon retirement. In the meantime, you can enjoy its already ample charms.

Property manager

David Powell

Languages

French

Property amenities

Pool/Spa

  • Communal pool

Internet

  • Available in the house: WiFi

Parking and transportation

  • Parking on site

Kitchen

  • Coffee/tea maker
  • Cookware, dishware, and utensils
  • Dishwasher
  • Ice maker
  • Microwave
  • Oven
  • Paper towels
  • Refrigerator
  • Spices
  • Stovetop
  • Toaster

Dining

  • Dining table

Bedrooms

  • 2 bedrooms
  • Bedsheets provided

Bathroom

  • 1 bathroom
  • Toilet paper
  • Towels provided

Living spaces

  • Dining table

Entertainment

  • Games

Outdoor areas

  • Firepit
  • Patio

Laundry

  • Laundry facilities
  • Washing machine

Work spaces

  • Computer monitor
  • Desk
  • Desk chair

Comfort

  • Air conditioning
  • Heating

Pets

  • No pets allowed

Suitability/Accessibility

  • Smoking not allowed

Safety features

  • Carbon monoxide detector not reported (host has not indicated whether there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property; consider bringing a portable detector)
  • Smoke detector not reported (host has not indicated whether there is a smoke detector on the property)

General

  • At least 80% lighting from LEDs
  • Local culture and ecosystem education
  • Recycling

Policies

Check-in

Check-in time starts at 4:00 PM
Minimum check-in age: 25

Check-out

Check-out before 11:00 AM

Special check-in instructions

You will receive an email from the host with check-in and check-out instructions

Pets

Pets not allowed

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome
Note from host: Parent/guardian must be present for < 18 guests

Events

No events allowed

Smoking

Smoking is not permitted

Important information

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
Onsite parties or group events are strictly prohibited
Host has not indicated whether there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property; consider bringing a portable detector with you on the trip
Host has not indicated whether there is a smoke detector on the property
This property is managed through our partner, Vrbo. You will receive an email from Vrbo with a link to a Vrbo account, where you can change or cancel your reservation

Property is also known as

Vrbo Property
Stargazers' Sabbatical Ajo
Stargazers' Sabbatical Private vacation home
Stargazers' Sabbatical Private vacation home Ajo

About the neighborhood

Ajo is home to this vacation home. Ajo Plaza and Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument are local landmarks, and the area's natural beauty can be seen at Cabeza Preita National Wildlife Refuge and Bud Walker Park.
Visit our Ajo travel guideOpens in a new window
View more Vacation Homes in AjoOpens in a new window
Map
AZ, Ajo

What's nearby

  • Ajo Plaza - 15 min walk - 1.3 km
  • Gibson Neighborhood Park - 3 min drive - 1.6 km
  • Ajo Museum & Historical Society - 5 min drive - 2.7 km
  • Ajo Country Club and Golf Course - 12 min drive - 11.0 km
  • Desert Diamond Casinos and Entertainment Why - 19 min drive - 26.7 km

Restaurants

  • ‪Circle K - ‬20 min walk
  • ‪Agave Grill - ‬4 min drive
  • ‪Oasis Coffee - ‬16 min walk
  • ‪Sonoran Sweet & Savory - ‬17 min walk
  • ‪Marcela's Cafe & Bakery - ‬19 min walk

Frequently asked questions

Is Stargazers' Sabbatical pet-friendly?

No, pets are not allowed at this property.

What time is check-in at Stargazers' Sabbatical?

Check-in begins at 4:00 PM.

What time is check-out at Stargazers' Sabbatical?

Check-out is at 11:00 AM.

Where is Stargazers' Sabbatical located?

Situated in Ajo, this vacation home is within a 10-minute walk of Bud Walker Park and Ajo Recreation Center. Ajo Plaza and New Cornelia Branch Hospital are also within 1 mi (2 km).

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Stargazers' Sabbatical Reviews

Reviews

9.4

Exceptional

Rating 10 - Excellent. 15 out of 20 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 4 out of 20 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 0 out of 20 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 1 out of 20 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 20 reviews

9.6/10

Cleanliness

10/10

Amenities

9.0/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.0/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

john w.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Lovely Stay in Ajo

Great place, very clean and great location. Loved the decor and outdoor space. Thanks for a pleasant stay
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2025

10/10 Excellent

alma d.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Nice place. Comfortable and clean.

Short but good. Ajo is a nice, friendly town.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2025

10/10 Excellent

Jay & Lisa P.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Nice home, great neighborhood!

Nice clean comfortable home. Great neighborhood.
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2024

10/10 Excellent

Douglas T.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Amazing property!

This home is a fantastic base camp for exploring the area! The property manager was friendly and very quick to reply. I would absolutely stay here again.
Stayed 13 nights in Dec 2024

10/10 Excellent

Ingrid

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities, communication
The property had all the essentials that were necessary and more. For the area it was more than we expected. We had a couple of questions and they were answered immediately. We highly recommend this Verbo. It is a comfortable drive to Organ Pipe national reserve.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2025

10/10 Excellent

Rachel R.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Clean and quiet

My family and I had a nice stay while exploring Organ Pipe National Monument. The house is in a safe and quiet neighborhood. The home is clean. We enjoyed the fire pit in back.
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2024

10/10 Excellent

Kitty L.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Comfortable home

Plenty of room for my daughter and I. The beds were comfortable and the shower great. The kitchen was well supplied, except that the dishwasher wasn’t functional. The covered patio was very nice. I don’t remember a view of the mountains, but the night sky was great.
Stayed 6 nights in Dec 2024

10/10 Excellent

Erin M.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Lovely lodging

Everything was great at this house. Good shower pressure, plenty of hot water. Comfortable queen bed. Property was clean. Quiet neighborhood. Barking dogs on the block but couldn’t hear from inside. Nice covered backyard patio. Operational windows for fresh air. Would (and have already) recommend to others.
Stayed 10 nights in Feb 2025

10/10 Excellent

Mary C.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

quiet neighborhood

close to many hiking ares
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2024

4/10 Poor

michael m.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication
Disliked: Location, listing accuracy

Wouldn’t recommend.

Not a nice area of town. Kind of shoddy neighborhood. Lots of junk in neighbors yards.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2025

10/10 Excellent

Joseph G.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Exceeded expectations.

Its hard finding a good place to stay in Ajo when visiting Organ Pipe National Park but this house solved that problem for us. This is a older house that has been kept in great shape and is well equipped. Anything you can think of or want is supplied. The house was very clean and well kept. Looking forward to staying here again in the future.
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2024

8/10 Good

michael f.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great communication and support.

There was a minor mixup with our reservation but the owner and manager handled it perfectly. Great location in a part of Ajo we had not been before. Close to everything and good birding right from the house. Dark skies!
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2024

8/10 Good

Jim S.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Home was fantastic; town was disappointing

The VRBO home was really nice. Clean, good neighborhood, reasonable and outstanding property manager. Challenge is that the town is closed on Sundays and many of the sights are only open certain days and not the same days as others. If you're star gazing, this is definitely the place for you but we just wanted to see an old AZ town and there was nothing to see. Their website gave you the sights available but not the days/hours open. Final challenge is that there is NO t-mobile coverage so went without phones or internet while there except for the evenings with the home wifi.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2025

8/10 Good

JOHN R.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, location, listing accuracy

Organ Pipe holiday visit

Nice bungalow in a quiet neighborhood well situated for visits to Organ Pipe and dark sky locations. Not far from historic Ajo town center, but not right in it either. This would have been a five star review if not for communications issues that may have been outside normal circumstances. The local host left a nice note in the front room giving us her phone number and inviting us to call with any questions, but then did not answer phone calls and left voicemail full so unable to leave a message. No welcome packet was provided so we were left to our own devices to figure out how to handle several issues that arose, or know exactly what was expected of us upon departure. Hopefully the owner will address these issues in the future.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2024

10/10 Excellent

Shirley

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities, communication
Clean, comfortable house in interesting small desert community. Large back patio, many thoughtful extras for a hassle-free stay. Enjoy the very large cactus in area yards.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2025

10/10 Excellent

Carol H.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Quiet Place to Relax

Very quiet neighborhood, close to the plaza and main highway. Would stay there again.
Stayed 7 nights in Feb 2025

8/10 Good

jake g.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Stayed 5 nights in Jan 2025

10/10 Excellent

Kristy P.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great place for exploring Organ Pipe National Monument

The location was perfect for exploring Organ Pipe National Monument. The house was nice and was exactly what was described. We would definitely stay there again.
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2024

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great home

Very nice home, clean, comfortable and accommodating. Had everything you need. Much better than a hotel room. On a very quiet street. Would definitely recommend and hope to stay there again.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2023