Sayles Ranch

Sayles Ranch specializes in offering guests a level of luxury and seclusion not available anywhere else in the area. Sayles Ranch allows its guests to choose from eleven upscale rental properties that vary in size and are available individually or in combination, depending on your needs.

Sayles Ranch is the ultimate West Texas getaway. “John Wayne at Starbucks” best describes this West Texas style getaway. Modern luxury and a Texas heritage décor make this 4 bedroom, 2 bath property one of Abilene’s most interesting and upscale accommodation alternatives. Limestone walls, hardwood floors and a fully equipped kitchen with a granite island define the living/dining/kitchen combination. Mesquite furniture, oriental rugs, antique quilts and lots of hides horns and hats complete the picture. There are three TVs, with the big-screen and X-Box located in the Bunkhouse. Two bedrooms feature queen size beds, one has a pair of twins, and the Bunkhouse has 4 twins—two downstairs and two up in a sleeping, bunk-style loft. All the beds have top quality mattresses and high thread count sheets. One of the bathrooms showcases a Jacuzzi tub and both have Ralph Lauren towels. Out back, an inviting, private swimming pool, gas grill and entertaining deck make The Sayles Ranch the ultimate place to hang your hat.

Cabin Fever

This 1923 Carriage House is located on the alley behind The Sayles Ranch owner’s private home and has about 800 sq. ft. It is accessed from the alley through a private courtyard, and has its own parking space and is just next door to the Sayles Ranch. Inside, you will discover an openness created by high ceilings, rustic wooden beams, antique ceiling tin and brick and wood floors. Cabin Fever showcases a great room/kitchen combination with a 40 inch, flat screen TV, a Neiman Marcus sofa and new stainless steel appliances. Accessories include Indian blankets, antique quilts and old Texas maps. The master bedroom is located where originally the Model T Ford was parked features a queen size four poster bed and brick floors. The upstairs attic sleeping loft bedroom has a pair of twin beds and overlooks the great room, below. Vera Wang mattresses and high thread count sheets provide comfort and luxury, and the bathroom is equipped with double limestone vessel sinks and a walk in shower. An interesting note is that actress Joan Crawford’s father was one of the original contractors for this property, when it was built in 1923.

Falling Star Lodge

Falling Star Lodge is a 1938 shingle style, Craftsman cottage that got its name when a meteorite fell in the backyard in December of 2006. Falling Star Lodge has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. Two of the bedrooms have queen size beds and one has a pair of twins. The beds have Vera Wang mattresses and high thread count sheets, and the bathrooms have Ralph Lauren towels, providing a level of luxury that is unsurpassed in this area. The décor was inspired by Native American heritage with antique Navajo rugs. Hardwood floors, original wooden, shiplap walls and rustic, antique accessories give The Falling Star Lodge a log cabin ambiance. It has a large, open living room with a 40 inch, flat screen TV, a dining room with a table that accommodates 6-8, and a fully equipped kitchen with new stainless steel appliances. An added bonus is the 16 x 20 foot, screened porch off the back of the house that functions as an outdoor living/dining area.

City Slickers

City Slickers is the known as the “swankiest” Sayles Ranch property. City Slickers provides 4 bedrooms (one with a king bed, two with queens, and one with two queens), 3 bathrooms and a beautiful, salt water, swimming pool that has been featured in Southern Living Magazine. It boasts a Texas-sized kitchen that is very open to the Living Room and Dining Room, a 56 inch Flat Screen TV in the Living Room, and nearly 1,000 books! The decor is “uptown” with a sleek style, but still remembers its West Texas heritage. All the headboards are upholstered in this house, and all beds have Vera Wang mattresses, 600 thread count sheets, and Historic Pendleton Blankets. Contemporary photography by Chase Browder, graduate of the Chicago Art Institute, decorate the walls across the entire house.

Cotton Eye Joe

Cotton Eye Joe is a 1930s Cottage with 3 bedrooms (one with a king bed and two with queens), and 2 bathrooms. Its most talked about feature is probably the hand painted floors that were inspired by antique quilt patterns. Light and airy with high ceilings, plantation style shutters, and statement style lighting, this house seems much bigger than its square footage admits. Decorating features include a lantern in the living room, which was previously a 19th century Belgium street light, bedroom walls papered in 1890s deed and abstract records and dining furniture upholstered in an 1870′s quilt which was found at a garage sale a couple of blocks away! A 42 inch, Flat Screen TV and bistro style kitchen provide unexpected amenities.

Cottage Clare

This gracious “Doll House” reminded owners, Terry and Laura Browder so much of their lovely daughter, Clare, that they named this property in her honor. It has 3 bedrooms (one with a king, one with a queen, and one with a pair of twins) and 2 bathrooms, high ceilings, and a family/TV room in back, in addition to the front formal living and dining rooms. The color palette is predominately grays and turquoises with some greens and peacock blues added. Cottage charm, luscious color and a slightly more feminine air lilt through this 1930′s property. The backyard has a brick paved terrace and abundant shade trees –a must consider for “Girlfriend Getaways”!

The Dance Hall

The Dance Hall was built as Dottie Botkin’s Ballet Studio in the 1950s. The Dance Hall is Sayles Ranch’s Texas urban loft style space, where back in “the day,” half of Abilene learned to dance! 2 bedrooms (one with a queen and the other with two twins) and 1 bath are tucked into this open, high ceilinged, apartment. The master bedroom headboard was constructed from the turquoise doors of a “57″ Chevy pickup truck and a 30 foot long wall is covered in the backs of 200 blue and turquoise books. Polished concrete floors, tract lighting and a kitchen counter backsplash covered with 2,700 pennies create conversation and intrigue. Raw wooden beams, antique ceiling tin tiles and lots of silvery metal accents compliment the turquoise and French blue color scheme. The second bedroom is called “The Bunker” because the twin beds are built in, much like a ship’s cabin. There’s lot of “eye candy” here, and innovation reins in this sleek, two bedroom, one bath Loft.

The Hayloft

You’ll think you are in Colorado when you step inside this rustic, “barn-like,” two bedroom (one with a King and the other with two, extra-long twins), 1 bathroom. The patina of the original, yellow pine walls and ceilings are complemented by a persimmon colored, leather sofa, antique quilts, Indian blankets and colorful auto license plates as the backsplash in the kitchen. The Hay Loft has plank floors, a luxurious King bed in the master, and a tiled, walk in shower. Stainless steel appliances in the kitchen and a secondary bedroom with built in twin beds modernize this “barn.” This place will make you wish you had been “raised in a barn”!

The Hideout

The Hideout is evocative of a 1940’s retro mountain cabin. It is accessed through a private courtyard off the alley and has its own private parking space. The Hideout’s focal point is a Texas Cedar log, queen size bed with a Vera Wang mattress and Ralph Lauren sheets. Knotty pine paneled walls and scored, stained concrete floors envelope a sitting area with sofa, recliner, desk and flat screen TV. The Hideout also has mini-kitchen with small refrigerator, microwave, toaster and coffee pot. The bathroom features a shower and a vanity made from an antique pulpit. The private courtyard is sequestered by antique “convent” doors from Old Mexico, and has a small bistro table for “al fresco” dining.

Sweet Dreams

This private guesthouse is a 1 bedroom with a queen bed, 1 bath and a “petite” mini kitchen. Neutral colors, beautiful linens, and trendy decor ensure sweet dreams. Great for a couple’s getaway.

Sayles Landmark

The original Sayles home, this 1889 Queen Anne Victorian was the original home of Henry and Hattie Sayles, after which the Boulevard was named. It has 6 bedrooms, 6 baths, plus a 2 bedroom, 1 bath Carriage House. It is listed on the National Register and has a Texas Historical marker, as well. Sayles Landmark is considered by many to be the “Crown Jewel” of historic properties in Abilene. It is currently undergoing the “redemption” process, and is estimated to be completed in the summer of 2012.

For more information, contact Terry Browder at 325-669-6856 or info@saylesranch.com.

Also, view pictures and learn more about Sayles Ranch at www.saylesranch.com