Book in for luxury

JAMES VILLA HOLIDAYS has published its luxury villas guide for 2016, featuring more than 150 up-market holiday homes across the Mediterranean and beyond.

The guide also has tips about local markets, culture, festivals, and events.

jamesvillas.co.uk


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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/128496494@N04/14931906564">Boats, sun, sea, island of Lastovo, Croatia</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license)

All-American villa on coast

ON the northern tip of Nantucket Island, 30 miles off the coast of Massachusetts, Anchorage House is the latest addition to the Wauwinet Hotel’s luxury accommodation, and the first of its type on the island.

The house, close to the hotel, offers villa rental guests access to all of the Wauwinet’s facilities, including access to Nantucket Bay and the hotel’s private beach.

It’s a three-bedroom, three bathroom house for up to six guests. The house has a large living area complete with a 60-inch flat screen television, a dining room in which to have home-cooked meals, and a private garden.

Nantucket is a short ferry ride from the Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod, or a short plane journey from Boston and New York City.

Rates for Anchorage House from £1,000 ($1,550) per night.

www.nantucketislandresorts.com

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7327243@N05/8301353387">Brant Point Lighthouse - Nantucket, Massachusetts</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">(license)

Manhattan options

DELTA VACATIONS is giving family travellers more options with new apartments in New York City.

The additions to its property portfolio are: 888 Apartments on Sixth Avenue at Herald Square; Kimberly Apartments in Midtown on East 50th Street; and the Madison Avenue Apartments on 38th Street.

Along with more space than standard hotel rooms typically provide, these studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments offer more flexibility and options when planning their vacations.

The self-catering apartments with fully-equipped kitchens are in Midtown Manhattan and close to attractions including Times Square, the theatre district and Central Park.

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Picture Credit: NYC wideangle south from Top of the Rock by Daniel Schwen - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons 

A house on the beach

ONCE upon a time it was a beachfront bar in north-west Spain. Now it’s a four-bedroom holiday villa, new on the books of One Off Places.

Casa Minerva has a pool, a roof terrace, and, of course, a beach on the doorstep.

It’s close to the towns of Porto do Son, Porto do Sin, and Noia, and the medieval city of Santiago de Compostela is a 40-minute drive.

www.oneoffplaces.co.uk


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Picture Credit: Courtesy of www.oneoffplaces.co.uk

Calling all hobbits!

THIS vacation rental in North Carolina could be the smallest self-catering property in the Western world. (Let me know if you know it isn’t!) 
The three-storey property is 850 sq. ft. small, into which is squeezed two bedrooms and a living room, plus kitchen and shower room. It sleeps six.

Hobbit House, inspired by The Lord Of The Rings, is deep in the woods 4,000 feet up in the Blue Ridge Mountains, so you’d need a 4W-drive to reach it.If guests get a touch of cabin fever, they can go for a mountain walk, or there’s a hot tub in the yard.

The house can be rented for $250 (approximately £164) a night from via the letting agents, Carolina Mornings, in Asheville, North Carolina. (www.carolinamornings.com)

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Picture Credit: www.carolinamornings.com

Make-over for Ayers Rock holiday apartments

AYERS ROCK RESORT'S self-catering accommodation, Emu Walk Apartments, has been refurbished with a modern indigenous-inspired design.

All 63 apartments have undergone a total internal make-over.

ayersrockresort.com.au/emu

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Luxury on Bali

GOT $3,500 (£2,300) per night to spare for a self-catering villa holiday? 

This eight-bedroom villa in Kaba Kaba, Bali, is set in three acres of garden extending into rice terraces that stretch to a volcano-dotted horizon. 

The house has been designed for lavish entertaining, supported by a staff of butlers, housekeepers, gardeners, and a chef. 

There is a Moroccan-themed media room with a 106-inch screen, and a 60-inch TV, plus a library, games room, gym and spa. 

Oh, did we mention the swimming pool, plunge pools, tennis court, croquet lawn, and lotus ponds. www.kabakabaestate.com

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New in South Africa

NEW on the self-catering market in South Africa is La Clé des Montagnes – a cluster of four villas in the Winelands village of Franschhoek.

Set in gardens and with private pools, the houses are for couples, friends, and families seeking the privacy, space, and the conveniences of a private home, yet with daily servicing, a 24-hour concierge, and a butler. 

Services range from private chefs and childminders to helicopter transfers and golf excursions.

A 45-minute drive from Cape Town, the Franschhoek area features 40 wine cellars and a higher concentration of award-winning restaurants than anywhere else in South Africa.

Prices range from ZAR4,050 (£224) per person per night: www.lacle.co.za

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Picture Credit: "Franschhoek Valley" by User:Da_Legend - Own work via Wikimedia Commons; "Pool" courtesy lacle.co.za

Well done! Award for Go Holiday writer ...

Go Holiday travel writer Juliet Rix has won an award for her article about Sicily, commissioned by GH and published in our recent Winter 2014 issue. 

It was judged Best Article On-line in the 2014 Italian National Tourist Board Travel Writing Awards.

Her article – and the entire magazine – can be seen, bought and downloaded at http://www.presspadapp.com/digital-magazine/go-holiday-worldwide. 

When the APP, available for Android and Apple systems, is downloaded readers can see – free of charge – the first eight pages as a taster. 

Juliet worked for BBC Television before being posted to Indonesia for BBC Radio. 

Since then, she has also written for Guardian, Times, Independent, and Daily Telegraph, and she has written a comprehensive guidebook to Malta and Gozo, published as a Bradt Travel Guide.

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Up to 40% off for Rio Carnival lets

 BESPOKE BRAZIL, a specialist Brazil tour operator, is offering up to 40% off luxury apartments and penthouses in Rio de Janeiro during next month’s carnival -February 13-17. 

The agency has a range of properties throughout Rio, for couples, small groups or families.

Says Bespoke Brazil director Simon Williams: ‘If you thought the World Cup was fabulous, Rio Carnival will blow your socks off! The sheer energy of the Cariocas (the people from Rio) will overwhelm you and is totally infectious. It's a period when you cannot fail but have fun, whether it's joining in a local street party or simply sitting by the beach and emerging your senses in the colourful sights and sounds that surround you.

‘If you only visit Brazil once in your lifetime, do it at carnival time!’

www.bespokebrazil.com
http://rio-carnival.net

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Picture Credit: ''Orlando skyline' by The Floridian Boricua via Wikimedia Commons

Jamaica tops for weddings

JAMAICA has triumphed at the World Travel Awards… the island won five awards, including the title of the world’s leading wedding destination. It also won the award for the world’s leading heritage project – for the port of Falmouth, where the town’s English colonial architecture has been preserved.

Round Hill Hotel & Villas at Montego Bay collected the award for the world’s leading villa resort.

Elizabeth Fox, regional director UK/Northern Europe for the Jamaica Tourist Board, said: ‘These awards reflect the extensive offering that Jamaica has to offer travellers in search of every type of holiday, from honeymoons to cruises to luxury get-aways.’

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Picture Credit: 'Montego Bay East' by WPPilot-Own work via Wikimedia Commons

American choices for 2015: Australia tops, Spain slumps

IN a New Year travel resolutions survey from Fly.com, Australia has trumped Italy to become North America's most desired destination for 2015. 

Islands in the South Pacific dominate the list this year, with New Zealand and Fiji ranking third and fourth respectively.

In Europe, the rising destination is Greece – a country that finished a very close sixth behind perennial favorite France. Conversely, South Africa and Spain are no longer trending as top destinations compared with two years ago.

2015 Top Most Desired Countries

•  Australia

•  Italy

•  New Zealand

•  Fiji

•  France

•  Greece

•  Britain 

•  Ireland

•  French Polynesia

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Picture Credit - From Top: "HarbourBridge0011 - Sydney - Australia" by Sardaka via Wikimedia Commons; "Tasman Valley - Aoraki Mount Cook - Canterbury - New Zealand" by David Briody from Edinburgh, Scotland via Wikimedia Commons

A card for the Caribbean

BLUE SKY LUXURY has launched the Aspire Blue Card, the Caribbean's first villa loyalty programme.

It’s free for repeat guests and property owners, and has no complicated points system to navigate. 

 Members will get a Blue Sky Luxury Concierge Can welcome, arrival gifts on their Barbados villa holidays, and a 5% discount on future villa bookings in Antigua, Dominica, Jamaica, St. Barts, St. Martin/St. Maarten, and Saint Lucia.

The company - www.blueskyluxury.com - manages more than 250 holiday villas in the Caribbean.

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Picture Credit: 'St. Lucia - view of The Pitons' courtesy blueskyluxury.com

Expanding your luxury self catering options..

LUXURY COTSWOLD RENTALS has gone international with the launch of a sister website, Luxury Retreat Rentals which initially features a Provence townhouse, an American ski lodge, and a chalet French Alps.  They’ll soon be joined by Caribbean properties.

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Adelaide apartments

ADELAIDE’S Quest Serviced Apartments are now open. Located in the heart of the city centre, Quest King William South features 105 studio and one- and two-bedroom apartments.

Services available include pantry shopping, dry cleaning, and baby-sitting. www.questapartments.com.au


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Picture Credit: From Top - "Adelaide at night from Mount Lofty" by Original uploader was Maggas at en:WP - Transferred from en:WP via Wikimedia Commons; "Adelaide - The Festival Centre and Torrens Lake" by myself - Own work via Wikimedia Commons

Travel trends, as seen by Lonely Planet

TRAVELLERS will favour face-to-face recommendations instead of online reviews, according to Lonely Planet. Holidaymakers will also demand more ‘unplugged travel’ and secret escapes as the pace of modern life continues to get faster.

Top of Lonely Planet’s list of predictions is that travel will soon become fully integrated into our lives as opposed to a special event. The increasing volume of commercial flights has brought a large shift in travellers’ mind-sets and Lonely Planet argues the concept of travel as a rare treat is disappearing, replaced by travel as a lifestyle choice.

Lonely Planet also predicts that green travel is on the rise as a new generation of travellers builds sustainability into every step of their journeys.

Sourcing online reviews remains second-nature for travellers, but hunger for local secrets is emboldening them to embrace face-to-face or local recommendations. Lonely Planet experts suggest online reviews will remain part of a traveller’s toolkit, but a local recommendation – whether from a taxi driver or in-the-know café owner – has never been more highly prized.

The pressures of modern life are also recognized, as Lonely Planet expects an increase in ‘unplugged travel’. With no e-mails or mobile signal, guests can immerse themselves in their destination and truly forget about work and everyday life.

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Millions ready for winter dashes to the sun

MORE than 12 million people in Britain are set to take a winter holiday during the coming months according to research by the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), with similar numbers still considering holiday plans.

As temperatures drop, winter sun is the most popular option with 43% of people planning a winter break heading to sunnier climes. While city breaks have overtaken beach holidays to be the most popular type of holiday throughout the year, they take the second spot for winter holidays. A further 18% are planning a winter sports holiday, with an increase in numbers since 2012 due in part to so-called ‘lapsed skiers’ planning a return to the slopes as the economy recovers.

For winter sun, popular destinations include the Canary Islands and North African countries including Tunisia and Morocco. Antigua, The Maldives, Mexico and Thailand are among the most popular long haul winter sun destinations.

Favourite European city destinations are 

• Berlin, 
• Frankfurt, 
• Paris, and 
• Vienna with 
• London, 
• Edinburgh and the Frankfurt Christmas Market in Birmingham all popular in the UK.

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Picture Credit: From Top: "Imagebysafa2" by Safa in la but uploaded by Mardetanha - http://www.safainla.us via Wikimedia Commons; "Playa de las canteras palmas gran canaria" by Fernando Carmona González (Madrid) via Wikimedia Commons

The art of luxury

ART DE VIVRE has launched its winter sun designer villa rental collection, which showcases properties in Africa, the Caribbean, Central and South America, and the Indian Ocean. 

The themes are Back to Nature, White Cube and Masterpiece Design.

Art de Vivre is a British family business with more than 20 years of experience in luxury villa rentals. It also has a range of designer chalets for rental across the Swiss and French Alps.

www.artdevivre-collection.com/collections/aw14/autumn-winter-villa-collection

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Picture Credit: 'VILLA MEXICO 702, PUNTA MITA' via artdevivre-collection.com

French escapes …

FRENCH mountain resorts are increasing and improving the range of accommodation for visitors, from a palace to a yurt.

New self-catering accommodation for the coming winter includes:

• Valmorel: La Grange aux Fées – Luxury self-catered apartments including pool and spa facilities. Open from December 20.

• La Rosière: The 4* Le Miravidi opened with 13 3-4 bedroom apartments in July. The residence has a hammam and fitness room, and the apartments are designed with families in mind. 

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Picture Credit: 'Col de la Madeleine en hiver' by Florian Pépellin (Own work) via Wikimedia Commons

Still ‘looking for a road less travelled?’.......

........Still hankering for those unusual holiday destinations ...... then here’s more from OPERA, makers of the web browser, and its list of stand-out-from-the-pack travel websites that might help you to discover some amazing, quirky and unusual travel experiences well of off the trodden track.

Tarfala Valley, Sweden

Gogobot: Coined as the Facebook of travel, this site can help you discover globetrotting destinations from more than 700,000 reviews and four million photographs by seasoned travellers. And, if you’re a bit unsure about where to go, you can scan through categories such as best summer festivals, top ski resorts, or check out the Go Tribal section, which recommends places to visit, depending on your preferred style of travelling, such as adventure, business, or luxury travel.

Designtripper: For those with an eye for personality rather than luxury, this is a pretty neat website for uncovering some unique lodging destinations tucked away in different parts of the globe. 

So, if you’re ready to overlook that plush hotel with a Jacuzzi and plasma in favour of artist-designed inns or treehouses, this is the website for you.

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Picture Credit: From Top -  Tarfala valley panorama" by Alexandar Vujadinovic via Wikimedia Commons; Diving serenity courtesy Malta Tourist Association