From a palazzo in Palma to a teak longhouse near Chiang Rai – consider one of these glorious new villas for your next big break, writes Francesca Syz
With space and privacy the ultimate post-pandemic commodity, dreamy exclusive-use homes are in high demand. Thankfully, there's a fleet of new offerings on the villa rental market to suit every style and taste.
Cliff Beach House, Waterford, Ireland
This joyously contemporary beach house in the seaside resort of Ardmore is the latest offering from food-lovers' favourite next door, Cliff House Hotel, and great dining is part of the offering. The house officially launched in 2020 but was unable to welcome guests for a long time due to lockdown, so is still hot off the press.
Light, airy and spacious, with floor-to-ceiling windows through which to enjoy the staggeringly beautiful views, there are six bedrooms, two living rooms which open out on to a long terrace and a great big oak dining table positioned in front of an open fire.
Have fun cooking in the impressively-equipped kitchen or let the hotel's executive chef, Ian Doyle (ex-Noma) pop round and cook for you. There are lots of fun add-ons available from beach foraging and fishing trips to wild swimming lessons.
From EUR2500 per night ($4135), the house sleeps 12. cliffbeachhouse.ie
Villa Glycine, Provence, France
Sitting in the heart of the Luberon National Park, this idyllic converted 17th Century farmhouse, which sleeps up to 11, captures all the romance of Provence. From its wisteria-covered shady terraces to the great big Provencal kitchen-dining room with its original fireplace, there are multiple places to gather and relax, as well as nice additions like the Baby Steinway piano.
The gardens, which overlook the Luberon mountains, are lovely to explore and include a private tennis court and swimming pool. Close by, you'll find the pretty cobbled village of Oppede, and Menerbes, captured in Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence is just 4km away. A concierge lives in a separate cottage tucked away but close at hand to attend to your needs.
A low-season week at Villa Glycine costs from £8032 for six people ($15,670). oliverstravels.com
Podere Polino, Umbria, Italy
The most luxurious Italian villa to join the Scott Williams collection yet, Podere Polino, a five-minute drive from the sleepy Medieval village of Piegaro in Umbria, is now available to rent.
Sleeping up to 10 in five double en-suite bedrooms, the house is a design-lover's dream, mixing vintage pieces and shelves filled with antique books with custom-made features like Tivoli marble floors, specially commissioned Badari chandeliers and a slick Gullo kitchen with soaring ceilings.
The house is set within 11 acres of grounds which includes formal Italianate gardens by Sicilian garden designer Daniele Spitaleri, a private vineyard and an oxygenated heated outdoor pool (and pool house, with the fifth bedroom and a huge open fireplace). A stay comes with a daily maid service and the preparation of breakfast, then lunch or dinner by the housekeeper or chef. There's also an impressive wine cellar and tasting room.
POA. scottwilliams.co.uk
Palacio Can Ferrer, Palma, Mallorca
Missing city breaks? How better to ease yourself back in than by renting an amazing villa in the middle of Palma's Old Town. Down a quiet street, the extraordinary Palacio Can Ferrer is a five-bedroom house forged from a historically important building, arranged over several floors. A staircase (or lift) off a central courtyard takes you up to the first floor where the residence begins.
Above two levels of spacious bedrooms is a vast open-plan living area with sofas, a baby grand piano and a picture window looking straight across to the Gothic rose window of the Church of Santa Eulalia next door. Past French doors leading out on to terraces, is a bright and beautifully-equipped kitchen with a central island and dining area with a wooden table for 10. Completing the picture is a long, private terrace with a raised solarium and a black-lined plunge pool.
From €18,130 per week ($29,985), based on six sharing. thethinkingtraveller.com
Villa Grand, Cote d'Azur, France
Onefinestay has added the South of France to its portfolio (and will be adding Mallorca, Ibiza and Santorini later in the year). The regal Villa Grand is one of four new properties available in and around St Tropez and sits in its own exquisitely manicured grounds a 15-minute drive south of town or a 10-minute blast in the villa's private speedboat.
An elegantly restored 19th Century Domaine, the house sleeps 22 in 11 en-suite bedrooms and has all the facilities of a 5-star hotel, including a commercial chef's kitchen with walk-in fridges, a cocktail bar, a large heated pool with pool house, a private helipad, motor yacht, electric buggies and a spa treatment room.
From €84,535 per week ($139,820). onefinestay.com
Villa Octola, Finland
This luxurious little wilderness retreat for just four people is set in 300 acres of Finnish Lapland within the grounds of Octola wilderness lodge, the most exclusive of its kind in the country, owned by Luxury Action travel company, which specialises in high-end experiences across the Nordic Region.
The house features floor to ceiling windows looking on to the wilderness, a master suite and a second bedroom, a spaciously cosy central living and dining room, kitchen, private sauna, outdoor Jacuzzi and two large terraces.
It also comes with Michelin-standard chefs, butlers and a resident wilderness guide for excursions. While it comfortably sleeps four in two bedrooms, it also works really well for a couple, with the second bedroom transformable into a private gym, wellness or yoga space.
From €79,254 ($131,087) for seven nights in winter. octola.com
Aurora Lodge, Norway
The exclusive-use, sea-facing Aurora Lodge in Norway's Lyngen Alps, built by renowned architect Snorre Stinessen, sleeps up to 12 people in six bedrooms and is being offered exclusively through Black Tomato. Clad in traditional patinated green copper on the outside, it is anything but traditional within.
Expect legendary Hastens beds, Antonio Lupi bathrooms and double-height floor-to-ceiling windows. The lodge has an outdoor Jacuzzi, a sauna near a small creek and comes with all meals and a bespoke programme of wilderness experiences.
You can spend your days cross-country skiing, snowshoeing in the forest, husky sledding and on private boat trips watching and tagging orcas, accompanied by award-winning nature photographer and marine biologist Audun Rikardsen to document the day. It's also the perfect place to see the Northern Lights.
From £75,000 ($146,223) for a five-night stay, based on 12 sharing including helicopter transfers from Tromso. blacktomato.com
The Estate Villa at Four Seasons Resort and Residences, Napa Valley, California
Four Seasons' first wine country resort, in Calistoga, comes with some pretty amazing villas. The finest will be The Estate Villa, a great big three-bedroom vineyard-side house in a secluded corner of the resort.
In addition to spacious vineyard-facing bedrooms and a living room with an open fire, there's a private garden with an outdoor pool, three wet-room style bathrooms with deep soaking tubs and both indoor and outdoor dining spaces. It also comes with a private bar and a 20-bottle temperature-controlled wine refrigerator stocked with a selection of premium local wines and spirits and all the facilities of a hotel.
Villas at the resort start from US$1400 per night ($2050), price for the Estate Villa on request. fourseasons.com
The Branson Estate on Moskito Island, British Virgin Islands, The Caribbean
Fans of the BVIs have been flocking to Richard Branson's Necker Island for years. Less known is that Branson has also been developing another island, less than 4km away, to provide a similar offering. The 125-acre Moskito Island, almost twice as big as Necker, is made up of 10 individually-owned private estates, including the Branson Estate.
Branson's sleeps 22 people in three villas (Headland House, Mangrove Villa and Beach Villa) with 11 bedrooms between them. Each has a freshwater infinity pool, open plan living areas with kitchens, living rooms and dining rooms and doors that can sweep back all the way round the house.
There's also a communal beach house, infinity-edged pool, bar, tennis courts, dining pavilions and a watersports centre, plus mountain biking, sailing kite surfing, stand-up paddleboarding, water skiing, snorkelling and scuba diving. The estate also comes with a dedicated beauty therapist.
Exclusive use of The Branson's Estate starts from US$25,000 ($36,621) per night in low season (June 1-September 30), for up to 22 people. virginlimitededition.com/en/moskito-island
Fynbos Family House, South Africa
The husband-wife team behind Fynbos Family House, the new villa at Babylonstoren, one of the oldest Cape Dutch farms in the Franschhoek wine valley, now a hotel, spa, restaurants, farm and vineyard, are better known in the UK for opening The Newt hotel in historic Hadspen House and Estate in Somerset in 2018.
This new five-bedroom rental (sleeping 10) combines all the comforts of a family villa with the rustic charm of a country farmhouse. Its distinct architectural style, featuring lime-washed walls, high roofs and ornate gables, honours the rich heritage of the farm. In an elevated position on the estate, set above the farm dam, it feels private while being just a few hundred metres from the heart of the estate and its restaurant, winery and gardens.
Each bedroom has a fireplace and en-suite bathroom and three, along with a contemporary glass family kitchen, are arranged around the house's private walled garden which has an outdoor swimming pool at its core. Guests will have full access to the wider farm offerings – including the gardens, farm-to-fork restaurants, garden spa, winery, olive oil tours and workshops.
From approx. £2920 per night ($5693). babylonstoren.com
Camps Bay Villa, South Africa
An hour west of Babylonstoren, on a hillside in the Cape Town suburb of Camps Bay, Stay One Degree is offering a new private home to rent. This minimalist contemporary home is just minutes from the water in the shadow of Table Mountain and is designed to showcase the natural setting at every turn.
All rooms – from the pared-down drawing rooms to the eight bedrooms (all en-suite) - face the ocean and most have doors that sweep back so you can step out into the terraces and gardens. Once outside, the focal point is a long sun terrace with loungers, a pool and a shaded dining area.
The house also comes with two fully-equipped kitchens (one professional, the other more casual) and a full-time chef can be arranged upon request.
From US$2165 per night ($3171). stayonedegree.com
Pa Sak Tong, Northern Thailand
Set in 10 hectares of rice fields, lotus ponds and tropical gardens at the foot of Doi Chang mountain, a 10-minute drive outside Chiang Rai in Northern Thailand, exclusive Pa Sak Tong is made up of two teak longhouses with 11 bedrooms between them. The two are linked by walkways that crisscross the estate and are lit by tiki torches at night.
The first, Baan Sak Tong houses five suites in a teak house overlooking a lotus pond. On the other side of the estate is Khum Sak Tong, a luxurious longhouse decorated with exquisite local art and textiles divided into four individual houses with six bedrooms and a 30m heated pool.
There are three spas, two fitness centres, a steam room and a dedicated team of therapists. The estate's executive chef provides a delicious mix of traditional Thai cuisine and European dishes throughout the stay.
Low-season stays start from THB126,000 per night ($5474), for 12 people sharing. pasaktong.com/en