Required Reading and Frequently Asked Questions
Is this a house and who owns it?
Slopes to Sands Dream Vacation Homes are owned by the Cacciutti family, close friends and relatives. Each masterpiece is the work of former automotive designer John Giovanni Cacciutti who now makes a hobby out of constructing luxurious and entertaining Estates, Villas, and Chateaus for the sole purpose of spending quality time with family and friends. Maximizing fun for all ages is his passion and it is obvious in the wildly creative and entertaining design elements in these properties.
However, these creations are only rented a limited number of times each year to families who understand that these are not hotels or event venues and respect them as very exquisite homes. Occupancy is by invitation –after a short screening process - and the Cacciutti family requests that invited guests kindly leave them the way they were on arrival. Please keep in mind that this is NOT a hotel, commercial venue, event venue, banquet hall, or bed and breakfast, it is a single family home. When the owner is not using the property it is occasionally rented to single family groups for that specific use ONLY - as per local zoning ordinance. Occupancy is by invitation only. Due to local zoning ordinances we do not rent to large parties, and events, it is for single family use only. The pool room is not available for independent use for any reason whatsoever.
Who gets in and who doesn't ?
This is a very special estate with complex equipment that takes some study and respect to operate, so the owners require us to screen interested guests as much as possible. They typically get more inquiries than occasions that they are interested in renting, and while the decision is ultimately theirs, it largely comes down to how the house will be used and if they feel that the potential guests have taken the time to fully understand and agree to the limitations below.
Most pool rooms are hot, humid, chlorine-smelling environments. Ours is not that way, but here is why and what you must know to enjoy it that way.
1) The tropical room has a heater, air-conditioner and dehumidifier which can keep the room to a balmy temperature in the low 80s with a comfortable 60-65% humidity, low 80s pool water temperature and mid 90s hot tub swim-up bar temperature, providing that the guests leave the Auto thermostat settings alone (detailed below) and put the pool cover on overnight in the winter. (In the Autumn, Winter and Spring, the heat is set to come on at 79 and the air conditioning is set to come on if the tropical room temperature rises above 83. In the summer, you can just leave the exhaust fan on to draw air in and the doors open with screens).
2) Why shouldn't these fall, winter and spring temperature and humidity settings be changed?
The dehumidifier turns the air conditioning on to remove humidity from the room and the heater comes on at the same time in order to re-heat the dry air. The room air temperature must always be at the same or a higher heat setting than the pool, or the difference in temperature will cause exponentially increased evaporation (like a boiling pot) that the dehumidifier will not be able to keep up with and the room will become humid.
3) Tropical Room, Pool and Hot Tub/Swim-up Bar Temperatures - The pool heater is set to heat the pool to 82 degrees and the hot tub/swim-up bar to 96 degrees.
4) Why is the 82 degree pool/air temperature setting the most comfortable? Remember that the air temperature can't be set colder than the pool temperature, so if you raise the pool/air temp setting above 82, then the air temp may begin to get too hot when you are not in the pool. Eighty-two degree pool water may feel a little cool to the touch, but once you get fully in and play volley ball or swim, it feels fine to most people. Plus, guests can plunge into the hot-tub when finished in the pool.
5) Why is the 96 degree Hot tub/Swim-up bar temperature setting the most comfortable? Because this is designed to be a social swim-up bar experience that people hang out at. This is not a 101-degree spa with jets that make rumbling bubbles and steam because 1) it is not safe or comfortable to stay in spas for more than 5 minutes, and 2) with all the steam and bubbles that spas create, guests would not be able to enjoy the audio/visual equipment, conversations, or the overall swim-up tiki-bar experience that it was designed for. If you would like the temperature turned up a degree or two, the concierge will be happy to comply, but we know from experience that 97 and 98 soon make people sweat, and we end up having to turn it back down.
6) Can guests request that the pool temperature be raised a degree or two also? Yes, the concierge can be called to increase the pool temperature to 83 or 84, but as explained above, he will also have to increase the air temperature to 83 or 84. With the overhead patio fans running and people in wet bathing suits, 83- to 84-degree air temperature isn't too hot for most people, but again our experience is that 82-degree water temperature with 79- to 82-degree air temperature and 96-degree swim-up bar temperature is the most comfortable seet-spot for everything.
7) The one exception to all of the above is that guests can lower the tropical room temperature to 70 degrees theater temperature, but only if they first put the pool cover on completely.
8) Are there any other exceptions to accomplish the pool, hot-tub, air or humidity conditions that guests may desire for a particular time or event? Yes, many things are possible if you just discuss it with your concierge as far in advance as possible. We have formulas that take in many more variable - including forecasted outside conditions - that would take a book to explain here but if you communicate your desires (before you start changing settings) they are often possible. Our concierge staff has been with us for a many years and takes great pride in delivering the very best -Disney level - customer experience and complete satisfaction.
9) What will happen if guests disregard these precautions and turn the air-conditioning down to 70 degrees with the pool cover off and go to bed? Basically they will wake up to a rain storm inside the tropical room that can cause a lot of damage to electronics, etc. With the heated pool water and cold air above, evaporation will increase exponentially, condensate overhead and turn the room into a humid, drippy castle. To avoid this, simply call the concierge before changing any settings and if in doubt, pull the pool cover out before going to bed.
10) When there are freezing temperatures outside, guests agree to put the pool cover on before retiring for the evening. This will allow the heater and dehumidifier to dry the air more efficiently during the cold night conditions so the heater can return to heating the pool for your enjoyment the next day.
13) Amenities that may need repair during your stay Five Falls Estate has a great deal of electronics and equipment, such as routers, theaters, cable TV, bubble hockey, multiple stereos, water pumps and speakers galore! These items receive much more use than those in a typical home. We buy quality items, keep them maintained and buy service contracts on them, but unfortunately they are not immune to breakdowns and occasionally need repairs. Five Falls Estate is somewhat like an amusement park that may occasionally have an attraction that is out. We try to keep spares of some items, will call repairmen immediately, but will NOT provide refunds if an amenity is not working due to circumstances beyond our control. (A few speakers are controlled from inside the owner's locked offices and cannot be used but these are not included in the 38 speakers that we advertise and offer tenants).