For one weekend, we lived like Rock Stars
A stay at Overnight Digs at Rockstar proves Arkansas’ most memorable escape is closer than you think
There are places you stay, and there are places that become part of the trip. Within minutes of walking through the doors of Rockstar in Hot Springs, I knew which one this would be.
Music history covers the walls. Rock legends stare back from wallpaper in the bathroom off the karaoke and game room. An amplifier has been cleverly transformed into a sink. Elvis, concert history, and decades of rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia appear throughout the home not as an afterthought but as part of its personality.
I am a details person. I notice when someone has thought beyond what looks good in a photograph to consider how a space can actually make people feel.
At Rockstar, the details are the story.
The eight-bedroom, nine-bath luxury property is part of the Overnight Digs portfolio in Hot Springs, but describing it by its size misses the point entirely. Every bedroom has its own personality, offering distinctive art, views and atmosphere. There is something unexpected around nearly every corner, and I found myself noticing something new each time I walked through the house.
While Rockstar certainly makes an entrance, it also does something much harder: It makes you want to stay awhile.
A HOUSE THAT CHANGES WITH YOU
Anyone who knows me knows that a getaway does not necessarily mean my laptop stays closed. One afternoon, reality called, and I needed to work, so I found my nook in the living room, settled into some of the most comfortable furniture imaginable and got down to business.
For a while, Rockstar became my office. Then, a few hours later, the computer disappeared, and the house transformed. Music was playing. People were gathering. The karaoke room came alive. Outside, the pool, televisions, fire features, hot tub and putting green created an entirely different atmosphere.
Now Rockstar was the party.
That ability to shift from retreat to gathering place is one of the home’s greatest strengths. You can find a quiet corner when you need one without sacrificing the energy that makes traveling with friends and family memorable.
The outdoor living area is especially impressive. Built around a private pool with a waterfall, it offers enough room for a large group to spread out, eat, watch television, gather around the fire or simply enjoy a Hot Springs evening. There is plenty of luxury, but Rockstar never feels precious. It begs to be enjoyed — and we did.
WHEN HOSPITALITY COMES TO YOU
The property may get your attention first, but the service behind it is what ultimately distinguishes an Overnight Digs stay.
Before we arrived, groceries had been arranged and the refrigerator stocked. That might sound like a small thing until you have started enough vacations standing beneath fluorescent grocery-store lights with a shopping cart when you would rather already be enjoying your destination. Instead, we walked in, unpacked and began our weekend.
Chef Alex Zumwalt provided an on-site culinary experience and even cleaned up before he left.
That philosophy — removing the work from getting away — extends through Overnight Digs’ concierge offerings, which can bring experiences directly into the property. For us, one of those experiences arrived in the form of Chef Alex Zumwalt, who took over Rockstar’s gourmet kitchen while we did something far more enjoyable: relaxed. No reservations to make. No cars to retrieve. No clock telling us it was time to leave. We could enjoy the house and one another while dinner unfolded in the kitchen.
Zumwalt began with his own interpretation of a Caesar salad before serving an exquisite filet with creamy mashed sweet potatoes, asparagus and flavorful sauce. His blackberry creme brulee was a fitting finale to an incredible meal.
What I appreciated almost as much as the food was the ease of the entire experience. Chef arrived, prepared everything, served an exceptional dinner, and then he cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom. When he left, there was not a stack of dishes reminding us that our evening was not quite over.
That is a detail I can appreciate.
Our couples massage followed the same philosophy. Instead of leaving Rockstar for a spa appointment, the spa came to us. The music softened, the pace slowed, and for a while, the weekend became completely quiet. No phones. No schedules. No next appointment.
By the end, it felt as though every inch of stress had disappeared.
Those experiences changed my perception of what a vacation rental can be. A stocked refrigerator, private chef and in-home massage are not simply amenities, they protect the most valuable thing we have when we travel: our time.
A pool, putting green and other luxe amenities give the Overnight Digs Rockstar rental everything needed for a fun and relaxing weekend.
THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE PROPERTY
As much as I enjoyed Rockstar as a guest, the businesswoman in me could not help paying attention to what was happening behind the scenes.
A beautiful house is easy to recognize. Excellent hospitality is harder to see because when it is done correctly, most of the work is invisible. Overnight Digs has built its model around that idea.
The company manages luxury short-term rentals while handling the operational pieces guests rarely consider — property preparation, communication, bookings, maintenance, marketing and the countless details required to keep an experience running smoothly.
For a guest, the result is simple: You do not feel alone after receiving the door code. There are real people behind the experience available when something is needed.
Rockstar is only one property in the Overnight Digs collection. Its portfolio includes accommodations suited to different group sizes and experiences, giving travelers the ability to choose the Hot Springs getaway that fits them rather than forcing every vacation into the same mold. That is particularly important in a destination like Hot Springs, where no two weekends need to look alike.
THE CITY BEYOND THE FRONT DOOR
The greatest challenge of staying somewhere like Rockstar may be convincing yourself to leave it. Venturing out is a must, however, since just beyond that front door is one of Arkansas’ most alluring destinations.
Hot Springs has mastered a contradiction few places can pull off: It is nostalgic without being stuck in the past. The history of Bathhouse Row and Hot Springs National Park remains the city’s foundation but today’s Hot Springs has evolved around it, bringing in restaurants, boutiques, galleries, entertainment and attractions that give visitors reasons to return again and again.
My overriding advice for taking in Hot Springs is to not overplan it. Start downtown with a matcha from Kollective Coffee + Tea, and walk to explore Central Avenue. Step inside the shops, wander through a gallery, and look up at the architecture instead of only through your phone. Walk Bathhouse Row, and remember that one of America’s most distinctive national parks runs directly through an Arkansas downtown. That is something we should not take for granted.
MAKE A DAY OF MAGIC SPRINGS
For families — or adults like me who still believe a great summer day should occasionally involve a waterslide — Magic Springs Theme and Water Park deserves more than a quick stop.
The weekend provided plenty of time to enjoy Hot Springs activities such as riding rides at Magic Springs and grabbing a cheeseburger at Deluca’s.
We made a day of it, and one of the best decisions we made was renting a private cabana. Having our own shaded home base gave us somewhere to retreat between rides and trips through the water park.
Our cabana also included tubes we could keep with us, which made enjoying the wave pool and other water attractions that much easier. It is a small convenience that makes a big difference when you are spending an entire day at the park.
There is something wonderfully nostalgic about Magic Springs for Arkansans, but the park also continues to give visitors new reasons to return. Guests can chase the thrill rides, cool off in the water park, float the lazy river, hit the wave pool and then retreat to their private cabana when ready for a break.
Magic Springs is not only about the rides and water, either. Timberwood Amphitheater hosts the park’s summer concert series, bringing performers from different genres to Hot Springs throughout the season. Special events and seasonal programming provide even more reasons to check the calendar before planning your visit.
My advice here is simple: Visit the Magic Springs website before your Hot Springs weekend. See who is performing, look at the special events, and build your visit around what is happening while you are there. That is another reason Hot Springs works so well for a getaway; you can make the weekend whatever you want it to be.
Spend part of the day floating the lazy river at Magic Springs, catch a concert, and then head back to Rockstar, where your own pool, hot tub and outdoor living space are waiting. That is a pretty incredible Arkansas vacation, and you never even had to board an airplane.
Like I said: Do not overthink it.
A HOT SPRINGS RITUAL
Then there is Deluca’s Pizza.
No trip to Hot Springs is complete for me without a stop at Anthony Valinoti’s celebrated restaurant. People rightly talk about the pizza, but longtime readers probably already know what I am about to say: Get the cheeseburger.
(Photo by Jamie Lee)
More importantly, let Valinoti make it the way he believes it should be eaten: medium rare with American cheese and those incredible homemade pickles. One bite, and you will understand me when I say the best chefs earn your trust; Valinoti has earned mine.
Deluca’s became part of our weekend, and sitting there, I was reminded why Hot Springs continues to work so well as a destination. Within one trip, you can experience historic Arkansas, contemporary food culture, family attractions, local shopping, the outdoors and genuine luxury without spending half the weekend traveling between them. Everything feels close enough to enjoy.
THE DIFFERENCE IS IN THE DETAILS
On my final walk through Rockstar, I found myself noticing the same things that caught my attention when I arrived.
The faces of rock legends on the bathroom wallpaper.
That unforgettable amplifier sink.
Elvis.
Concert memorabilia.
The artwork and individual personality of each bedroom.
The comfortable living-room nook where I managed to get a little work done.
Outside were reminders of an entirely different part of the weekend: the pool, fire pits, putting green and spaces where we gathered and celebrated.
One final look over my shoulder, and I knew the things I would remember most:
Opening a refrigerator that had already been stocked for us, and Zumwalt working in the kitchen while we enjoyed our evening.
I remembered blackberry creme brulee, the stillness after our massages, the laughter coming from the karaoke room. Those are the moments that separate a beautiful property from a memorable trip.
In my work, I have the privilege of seeing Arkansas through a unique lens. I meet the entrepreneurs, restaurateurs, tourism professionals and visionaries who are constantly challenging outdated ideas about what our state can offer. Experiences like this matter because they change the narrative.
Luxury travel does not have to involve an airport, an extraordinary culinary experience does not always require a restaurant, and one of the best weekends you take this year may be waiting a short drive from home.
Hot Springs already gives us history, lakes, restaurants, entertainment and unmistakable personality. Overnight Digs adds another layer by creating properties that do not simply provide somewhere to sleep after experiencing the destination but become part of the destination.
That is what Rockstar became for me. For one weekend, it was my office, my restaurant, my spa, my gathering place and my retreat. It gave me space to work when I needed to and plenty of reasons to close the computer when I did not.
Most importantly, it gave us a place to be together.
With karaoke, a pool table and rock star-themed artwork in every corner, there was no shortage of fun to be had at the rental.
Somewhere between Zumwalt’s creme brulee, a quiet massage, a Deluca’s cheeseburger, an afternoon at Magic Springs, evenings beside the pool and more than a little karaoke, something happened: We stopped feeling like guests.
For one unforgettable weekend, we lived like rock stars.
SEE THE FEATURE BELOW AND IN OUR SEPTEMBER ISSUE OF AY MAGAZINE.
