Frequently Asked Questions

The recreation fee helps to pay for many of the amenities and services unique to the area including the tennis courts, complimentary bicycles, snow plowing, Sunriver Nature Center, Oregon Observatory, and High Desert Museum.

AIRPORTS: We are 43 Miles from the Redmond airport (RDM), 136.6 miles from the Eugene airport (EUG) & 178.4 miles from the Portland airport (PDX).

MT BACHELOR: 20.6 miles, 31 minutes

BEND: 17.6 miles, 24 minutes

We have a maximum of 2 dogs per property throughout the duration of your stay.  We may welcome more than 2 dogs on a case by case basis and often with a refundable deposit. No other pets allowed.

CANCELLATION POLICY:
If Guest cancels their reservation not less than 30 days prior to the Arrival Date, Guest will receive a refund, less a 10% cancellation fee (up to $250 max). Guest may not change the dates or home less than 30 days prior to the Arrival Date. If Guest cancels their reservation less than 30 days prior to the Arrival Date, Guest forfeits all monies paid.  COVID19: COVID19 and ongoing on-again/off-again travel restrictions are no longer unforeseen events. As long as Sunriver and Bennington Properties are legally able to stay open for business, our cancellation policy will apply to all COVID19 related cancellations (including limitations on, or reductions in, the size of your group). You are welcome to gift your reservation to a friend, co-worker, or family member in the event you choose not to travel due to COVID19 or related restrictions. If you decide to do this, please let us know so we can change the contact and credit card info (for damage) on the reservation. As long as your info stays on the reservation, you will be responsible for any damage, so this is an important step.

TRAVEL INSURANCE:
We encourage our guests to purchase CSA Travel Insurance at any point monies are at risk, but NO LATER than your final trip payment is due (30 days prior to your arrival). It costs 7.10% of your total rent to protect your vacation investment. A little expense now will protect against a BIG loss later.  Please be mindful that travel insurance will not cover situations foreseeable at the time of purchase. Coverage will begin at 12:01 a.m. the day following our receipt of your plan payment. Please read your policy carefully and call CSA at (866) 999-4018 with any questions regarding the coverage offered to you.

HomeAway is the parent company of the website VRBO.com. In early 2016 they began charging all guests (regardless of who they book through) a “booking fee” for use of their website. VRBO.com, along with Airbnb.com (who also charges a “booking fee”) are the largest sources of vacation rentals on the internet.

Bennington Properties pays VRBO.com and Airbnb.com a fee to list all our vacation rentals on their website. To use these websites to list our homes we have to agree to their terms and conditions which include allowing them to charge you a “booking fee.” We have no control over the amount of the fee and we do not see a single penny from this fee. When you book directly from VRBO.com and Airbnb.com you are agreeing to pay this fee to them and it is often hidden within the grand total you are quoted. When we charge you our portion of the rent you will notice that it is LESS than what you were quoted by VRBO.com or Airbnb.com.  You should have received an email from VRBO or Airbnb shortly after you booked.  This email includes a breakdown of all charges, including their booking fee.

We wouldn’t advertise our vacation rentals on these websites if we didn’t have to, but so many people use VRBO.com and Airbnb.com to find their vacation homes it has become a critical resource for our business. Essentially you can see this “booking fee” as the price you pay for the convenience of using these websites.

It always pays to book direct. If you plan to travel to Sunriver again in the future (and why would you not?), we recommend you come directly to our website or call one of our very friendly and helpful LOCAL vacation planners. Not only will you get the help you need in finding that perfect vacation home, but you will actually be paying less.

We charge a non-refundable cleaning fee so our guests can just relax and enjoy their vacation.  We ask you to do a few small things before departure, otherwise our team will handle everything else so your departure from Sunriver is as stress-free as we can make it.

We do not allow weddings, wedding related events, or any large events in any of our homes.  Many of our homeowners will not allow anymore people in their home than is listed on their occupancy limit.  In other words, if the house sleeps 10 no more than 10 people should ever be in their home even if its only for 15 minutes (the occupancy limit excludes children under 5 years of age).  Some homeowners will allow small gatherings that exceed the occupancy limit but we must get their approval before we can authorize it. Unauthorized gatherings may result in an eviction, so please contact us before making plans.

We have partnered with 4 Seasons Recreational Outfitters and Village Bike & Ski in the Village at Sunriver to offer our guests additional discounts on bike and helmet rentals.  Additional adult bikes can be rented from Big Dog Rec.

Sunriver rules and regulations prohibit parking on the roadways or common areas at any time. No recreational vehicle, trailer, and/or boat may be parked at the property except for loading and unloading and for no longer than 48 hours. Secured overnight parking is available through the SROA, or guests are welcome to utilize our personal parking lot at the Bennington Properties office in the Sunriver Business Park.  The Sunriver Police Department will issue permits for special event parking.  This special event parking is only for a few hours at a time.  Events are not allowed in Bennington vacation rentals without homeowner approval. Click here for the application.

We have a very easy way to check in and check out. No lines, no searching the map for our office, you can go straight to your vacation home. All Bennington vacation homes have high security digital locks for our guests’ added convenience and comfort.  You will receive a personalized 6 digit pin number via email that will allow you and your family to come and go from the property with ease.  Don’t forget to use the star key after you enter your 6 digit pin.

Sunriver does not have as strong of infrastructure for television and internet as many cities do. Please be patient with our system, as it may be slower and have more connectivity problems then you are used to. Most of our homes have 100 mbps internet which when working well should be plenty of speed for most of your school or work from home needs.

There is so much to do in Sunriver that we hope you will not have much time to spend in front of the TV.  We also know that sometimes there is nothing better than a comfy chair and your favorite TV show/movie.  All Bennington homes have at least one TV, but most have many TVs throughout the home.  Frequent power outages may cause disruptions in the programming of your vacation rental’s TV requiring it to be reprogrammed.  Please test the TV when you arrive to make sure everything is ready for your watching enjoyment.  We are available to assist you with any questions or issues you may experience.  Here are the basic channels available in most of our homes Sunriver Channel Line-up.

Our homes are stocked with the majority of what you will need.  You’ll find cookware and dishware, clean linens, bath towels, hand towels, wash cloths, and hot tub towels. We also got you covered with a starter supply of toilet paper, paper towels, dish soap, dishwasher soap, laundry soap and bar soap (5-7 nights worth).  If you find yourself down to the last TP square, come by our office and we are happy to hook you up with more of what you need.

What to Bring or Buy.  Nunchucks (for defending against wild squirrels), food, clothing (pack some warm clothes, it gets cold at night even in the summer), your favorite spices and condiments, cooking oil, butter, zip-lock bags, plastic wrap, aluminum foil, bike helmets, flash lights (for night time exploring), specialty cooking items (wok, rice cooker, etc.), and your favorite organic-coconut-ginseng-infused shampoo & conditioner.

HEATING: All of our homes have either a furnace or electric baseboard heating.  If you need anything such as additional heaters or more blankets to keep you comfortable, please let us know.

COOLING: Most of the homes in Sunriver do not have air conditioning.  To keep your Sunriver vacation rental cool, we recommend that at night you use fans to blow the cool air in (make sure the thermostat HEAT is set at or below 50 degrees). In the morning close up all the windows and window coverings to lock that cool air in all day. You might be a bit chilly while you sleep, but you will be grateful for that cool air during the heat of the day.

Unlike your refrigerator at home which is stocked full of food, a vacation rental’s refrigerator will be completely empty upon your arrival.  The food in a refrigerator helps to keep the temperature inside the unit cooler.  Without that food a refrigerator takes longer to cool down.  Therefore it may take up to 24 hours for your food to completely cool and the refrigerator to stabilize.  Do not fill the unit with hot items such as soda pop that has been in the trunk of your car for the last 4 hours.  Let the refrigerator cool your perishable food first, then add the warmer items later.  If you need a cooler for drinks, please give us a call.

Keep the refrigerator controls set just slightly above the mid range for maximum efficiency. Although it may seem logical to adjust the fridge and freezer to the coldest temperature setting, this may backfire. If the compressor runs continuously, the coolant lines will freeze and the fridge will not produce cold air.

The garbage cans are located in an enclosure outside of the garage.  There is no road side pick-up in Sunriver or Caldera Springs, so the cans do not need to be moved.  Garbage is picked up once a week (twice a week in July and August).  Often guests will arrive to a large quantity of garbage in the garbage enclosure.  This is normal as visitors can accumulate a lot of garbage and you may have arrived before the scheduled pick-up day(s).

If you leave something at our home and the item appears to be of value, we will conveniently not be able to find it for you. Totally kidding. We take extra special care to make sure those items are returned to you. Other items, like cell phone chargers and dirty underwear, we won’t call you about. We keep those less important items for 14 days and then donate them to a local charity. Click here if you have left behind a personal item.

These are the standard kitchen items you will find in most of our homes.  If any of these items are missing when you arrive please let us know so we can replace it for you.

Getting lost is a part of the Sunriver experience.  To enjoy the full experience, we recommend NOT reading these tips.

1. You can find step by step driving instructions to your vacation rental via our guest portal.
2. Don’t trust your GPS. It is not super reliable in Sunriver.
3. There are maps to grab at roadside stations throughout Sunriver.
4. Most streets make a loop where the home #’s increase clockwise around the street always starting with 1, 2, 3, etc.
5. Save a photo of the front of your vacation rental on your phone for easy recognition (the streets and houses tend to look a lot a like).

Please be advised that beginning October 1st through Memorial Day, BBQ’s and outdoor furniture are not guaranteed to be available for use. To protect our home’s amenities, we begin a winterization process in October due to our often unpredictable fall and winter weather. If your reservation falls within this timeframe, we recommend planning your grocery shopping with this in mind.

Are you sure you want to relax in hot, bubbly water while breathing in mountain fresh air and staring up at the starry sky?  All hot tubs are managed by professional hot tub companies and serviced between guests.  Often the hot tub will need to be drained and cleaned on the day of your arrival. On average it takes 8 hours for a hot tub to get hot after being fully cleaned.  This means that you may not be able to jump right into the hot tub when you arrive, but you should be able to enjoy it later that night.

We put up a safety sign by every hot tub. We recommend you follow the safety pre-cautions. Hot tubs are incredibly fun to have while on vacation and sometimes, like all machines, they stop working. We will refund 10% of your rent each night you can’t use the tub.

ADA trained service dogs are welcome in all Bennington homes (pet-friendly or not), but not Emotional Support (ESA), “companion”, or “comfort” animals. A service animal is defined by the ADA as a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability. The task(s) performed by the dog must be directly related to the person’s disability.

ESA dogs are welcome in our pet-friendly homes with a nightly pet fee.

Bennington Properties may request the removal of any dog that is out of control, destructive, unhouse broken, left alone at the property, or bothering neighbors if the guest is unable to effectively take action to control the animal. Bennington Properties reserves the right to charge the credit card on file for any property damage or extra cleaning required.

Sunriver is known for its awesome summer weather! Daytime temperatures are typically in the 80s and 90s with nighttime cooling down to the 50s and 60s. It’s perfect! But have no fear! Your rental home should stay in or below the mid-70s during the day due to the ample amount of shade and low-humidity conditions.

Click here for some tips and suggestions from our guests on ways you and your family can stay cool during your visit to Sunriver.

The Sunriver boat launch has become overcrowded and Sunriver is restricting access. At this time we are unable to get you access. There are four launches close by (just outside Sunriver) that are open. La Pine State Park, Big River Boating Site, Harpers Bridge and Besson Day Use Area.  Click here for info on great places to play in the water in and around Sunriver.

There are no open flames, such as fireworks and fire pits, allowed within Sunriver or Caldera Springs.  Houses outside the resorts may allow fire pits depending on the season.  Please check with Bennington on current fire regulations.

Currently there are no facilities in Sunriver that offer boarding.  We recommend trying rover.com for personal boarding services.

We recommend Big Dog Rec, Village Bike & Ski and 4 Seasons.

For commercial flights, Redmond Airport.  For private flights, Sunriver Airport.

Floating the Deschutes River is the perfect Sunriver summertime experience.  We recommend the following float trips.

1. LaPine State Park to Big River Boating Site (5 Hours)
2. Big River Boating Site to Harper Bridge (4 Hours)
3. Harper Bridge to Besson Day Use (1 Hour)
4. Besson Day Use to Sunriver Canoe Take Out (5 Hours)

Steps to float the Deschutes River (requires at least 2 vehicles)

1. Load kayaks, canoe, or innertubes onto/into two cars.
2. Drive both cars to your final destination.
3. Leave car #1 parked at final destination
4. Drive car #2 to launch site.
5. Enjoy a leisurely float down the river.
6. Beach boats at final destination.
7. Load people and boats into car #1 and go and retrieve car #2.

Don’t forget your sunscreen!

SHARC is the Sunriver Homeowners Aquatic & Recreation Center.  It is open to the public year round (outdoor pool summer only, indoor pool year round). Entry passes can be purchased at the front desk.  Click here for more details.

** COVID restrictions has caused the SHARC to limit entry.  Please check website for details before making plans.

Caldera Springs is a beautiful lake side resort next door to Sunriver. Amenities for guests staying in our Caldera Springs homes include use of the Quarry Pool and Fitness Center, Discovery Park, Ponderosa Park, Sable Rock Park, lakes, fishing, paved and barked pathways, tennis/pickleball courts and basketball court. When searching for homes, choose “Caldera Springs” as the location to see available homes.

Tennis and pickleball passes must be purchased at Tennis Hill.  541-593-5707 or www.sunrivertennis.com for reservations.  In the off season when Tennis Hill is closed (between Labor Day and Memorial Day) passes can be purchased from the front desk of the SHARC. Call 541-585-5000 for more information.

Sunriver Towncar is a family owned and operated business that offers service throughout Central Oregon.

Widgi Creek (in Bend) and Quail Run (south of Sunriver) offer discounts to Bennington guests.  Please contact golf courses for current offerings.

Most of the Deschutes National Forest recreational sites require a Northwest Forest Pass or Sno-Park permits.  You can purchase a day pass online or you can purchase a pass in Sunriver at the Sunriver Country Store or Ace Hardware.

Sitters or organizations listed here do not indicate an endorsement by Bennington Properties.  Please do your own research before allowing anyone to care for your children or pets.

Snappy Sitters

Care.com

Sunriver Nature Center 

High Desert Museum 

Adventure Camp in Sunriver (summer)

Bend Park & Rec

If you leave something at our home and the item appears to be of value, we will conveniently not be able to find it for you. Totally kidding. We take extra special care to make sure those items are returned to you. Other items, like cell phone chargers and dirty underwear, we won’t call you about. We keep those less important items for 14 days and then donate them to a local charity. Click here if you have left behind a personal item. Upon submission you will receive periodic updates on the status of our search. If your item is recovered we will send you return options and payment instructions.