Description La Cresta Firelight: El Cajon

Tucked into the hills of El Cajon, this house is built around a tropical pool terrace where a rock waterfall drops into the water and a thatched palapa shades the hot tub beside it – the kind of outdoor setup that keeps a group firmly in place all weekend. When evenings arrive, the outdoor fireplace comes into its own. Inside, the double-height games room with pool and ping pong tables gives everyone somewhere to be, while the bold kitchen handles crowd-scale cooking with ease. Cuyamaca Rancho State Park's forested mountain trails are a forty-minute drive when you're ready to venture out.

Home truths:
* With up to sixteen guests sharing three bathrooms, mornings can involve a queue – it's worth coordinating between the group.
* One of the bedrooms has two double-over-double bunk beds that can sleep up to eight people in total – we think this room might be best suited to children.