villa travel tips and stories. Vacations ideas, cruises spa and resorts

Casa no Geres is easy to love villa, located in Peneda-Geres National Park, along the Spanish border in northern Portugal, where the environment and its inviolability were crucial and the rules strict. The villa owns awesome beauty with its simple architecture, the openness of the views and the calm balance of the elements. The surrounding Nature has own way of being beautiful and this villa knows the secret.

At first glance the villa is quite unsuitable for its surroundings. From some angles the villa seems like an accident, some kind of disaster with transportation containers and building materials. One part of the villa is buried inside the hill, while another sticks out over the river.

Inside the villa is very spacious with huge windows, which makes 24/7 hours pure circulation of the air! The villa also has a cute kitchen overlooking the river, a stylish living room and two bedrooms, each with own suite bathroom. It’s prefect for families and friends vacations. The warmth and proper scale of the building become even clearer when the illuminated house is viewed at night. Casa no Geres is designed by Porto-based Correia/Ragazzi Aquitectos and it is a bold statement that hides nothing.

Among the large number of luxury-boutique hotels stands out a Pretty Beach House. This holiday house is an exclusive food-lovers Hamptons-esque private beach house resort just outside of Sydney that takes the concept of ‘weekend’ getaway to a new level. The resort is consisted of three private structures; relaxed, non-pretentious and homely beach villas nestled discreetly into a landscape full of hundreds of old gum trees which stand there like living art sculptures.

As soon as you arrived, a sense of peace and quiet descends upon you,  with fresh and stunning designer elements. The villas interiors are luxurious made of natural materials. Privacy is paramount which is why, each villa also has its own private swimming pool. There are no TVs in the villas, just a Bose Soundock with iPod and wireless internet so there’s nothing else to do but slide from day bed to pool and back again in a haze of sedation.

The real adventure in the Pretty Beach Villa begin when it’s time to eat! The Sydney chef Steve Manfredi is the master of the kitchen and largely responsible for the best part of the trip, exporting sophisticated, city fine dining into this laid-back environment. The chef often serves guests himself. If anything is worth it in your trip to Pretty Beach House is the delicious meal.

If you get tired of sleeping, lazing, eating and drinking, you can have a stroll down to Tallow Beach for a swim and a dose of dolphin watching. Or if you are looking for a piece of adventure hop into the Pretty Beach House boat or take out a helicopter ride over the area.

Wildcat is tucked into a peak in the White Mountain National Forest and is one of New Hampshire’s oldest and most iconic mountains. There is no private house, which gives the region parky landscape.

The mountain is part of the Carter-Moriah Range of the White Mountains, on the east side of Pinkham Notch. Wildcat Mountain faces Carter Dome across Carter Notch to the northeast, and Mount Washington across Pinkham Notch to the west.

Tourists ride the Wildcat Express chairlift.

The view from the 4,062-foot summit of Wildcat Mountain is an eye-level vista of Mount Washington.

Java is an island of Indonesia formed mostly as the result of volcanic events. The Losari Coffee Plantation was started in 1922 and during the years was expanded into a resort.

Central Java is both the agricultural center and the cultural heart of Java: the city of Yogyakarta is famous for its gamelan music, its kulit theater and its universities.

The Losari Resort is a mixture of older plantation buildings and newer villas.

The picture shows the Losari Coffee Plantation impossibly delicious dishes like ikan bakar colo colo, a spicy grilled fish with a sauce that is sweet, sour and spicy.

An owl at Yogyakarta’s bird market where you can find anything with wings.

The Water Palace in Yogyakarta today used for relax and meditation.

Workers stop for a break close to Sindoro Mountain in Central Java.

Steam rises from the active volcano, Mount Merapi.

This spectacular villa is located in the central Pacific area of Costa Rica (Central America) near the Manuel Antonio National Park, Quepos. First of all to be build such a holiday house it was necessary to be cleared the area of trees, but when the master project was done, it was clearly seen, no need to cut any tree that was located on the property, because of the precise structure of the villa.

In addition to reduce the consumption of water and energy, which was built with durable materials and systems so as to respect the concept of reuse and recycling, especially when one takes into account the appearance of a possible removal and reprocessing of much of the material in the long term .

The villa has several features bioclimatic and has strongly influenced the area, where the houses are projected to have a high utilization of natural factors such as wind and natural light, besides being lifted level Soil generate freshness, and the social area surrounded by a perimeter corridor that allows the integration of the exterior – inside and achieve the protection of the social area through large leaves.

The holiday house was oriented to take advantage of cross ventilation and solemnization through their spaces during different times of the year, achieving temperatures comfort and a minimum energy consumption (artificial light, air conditioning) during Most of the time of their use. These feature are included because of its 365 days booking.

Increasing natural light through windows, skylights and courtyards internally through the house to avoid the use of artificial lighting during daylight hours.

The white color helps to improve the lighting, shadows and projecting generate contrast, the black of the structure is lost with the environment and allows for full integration of nature.

The nature embraces the house and it generates a series of reflections and shadows that change according to the advance of the day and give it a spectacular drama; The light is present in the interior through internal courtyards that allow us to enjoy nature, ventilation and natural lighting inside the house.

The villa is located in such a way that suits the topography of the land and it is lifted in order to respect the environment (naturalize + animals) and prevent erosion.

Jose Ignacio is a beautiful fishing village on the Uruguay’s coast recommends to those of you, who prefer bohemian air of dirt roads, fashion stores and hostels. The only sounds are of Atlantic waves and the winds whisper. Loud clubs are forbidden and parties have a 2 a.m. curfew.

Working fishing boats on Brava beach.

Despite of the fact that Jose Ignacio has a small-town character you can find upscale dining, art galleries and boutiques like this one in the picture named El Canuto.

Hand-painted street signs.

Posada del Faro is a spectacular villa which offers Mediterranean-style rooms, surrounding by a small pool that faces beautiful  Jose Ignacio bay. High-season the price is double and starts at $380 a night.

The Restaurant Paradiso.

Uruguay is a country located in southeastern part of South America. The word Uruguay comes from the Guarani language, meaning ”river where the birds live”. The inhabitants of Uruguay before the colonization were various tribes of hunter, best known as the Charrua Indians. The country has impressive literacy traditions. Tango, candombe and murga are the three main styles of music there.

 The villa is located in Carambo, a region at the foot of thousand feet high Mantiqueira Mountain on the border of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The villa stands alone at the hill, surrounded by peaceful forests and springs.When you have a glance at the out side of the villa street, there’s a view of white tower which holds the kitchen, chemneys, water tank, heaters and a horizontal ruler comes up as the roof garden.

The level between the street and the villa is intermediate, where cars can be parked. This level takes up to the roof garden with barbeque, where guests can chill and eat, or through a little tunnel leading at the courtyard outside from the living room.

This is a party house with glass sliding doors allowing a vast view which meets the dazzling distant outlook and opening to the courtyards. Wooden sliding doors are designed for the bedrooms in case to darken its interior.

The house has a wonderful pool, where guests can dive during the hot summer vacation.

The construction of the pool and its solarium holds underneath a pool table room, a storage and the pool equipment, which opens up to the third plateau.

Borgo Santo Pietro Villa is a spectacular place located in the Tuscan hillside, not so far away from Florence and Siena, Italy. The villa is dominated from the 13^th century and has 13 acres of enchanting gardens. A resting place for wanderers on road to Rome 800 years ago, this ancient place continues to provide asylum to its guests today.

This villa is just fantastic. Elegant designed interiors provide the perfect mood for all visitors. There’re a world class cuisine created from the organic gardens, a cellar of fine international and Italian wines, Spa treatments, impeccable service and passionate attention to details.

Each room has been designed with its own unique character with warm colors of the Tuscan landscape. All double rooms, junior suites and suites have an i-pod docking station, a hidden LCD satellite plazma television, well-researched bed furnishing to give you great comfort.

The extensive grounds at Borgo Santo Pietro include an orchard, organic fruit and vegetable gardens, tranquil lawns and beautiful pool. There’re also a tennis and basketball court for the more active.

Something very interesting about the outstanding swimming pool is that it has been designed to seamlessly blend into the beautiful landscape, ensuring a truly carefree and stunning spot to soak up the surrounding views.

If you are like those guests who need a little refreshment stroll, a five minute walk along the villa will take you to the local village of Palazzetto, a small community of extremely friendly people. Tourists can also try the local pizzeria or to experience local rivalry.

So Borgo Santo Pietro for sure offers ultimate quality with the personal touch for a truly exclusive escape in the breathtaking surroundings of Tuscany.

Venetian Islands are a chain of artificial islands near by Miami, Florida. The islands from west to east are Biscayne Island, San Marco Island, San Marino Island, Di Lido Island, Rivo Alto Island and Belle Isle.

The islands form a slice of tropical suburbia that extends eastward almost to Lincoln Road in South Beach, with its proliferating shops and restaurants. They stretch west to the mainland and the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, the $461 million downtown complex that opened in 2006.

Their centralized location has helped the islands very much. They are positioned comfortably between extremes: on the one hand, downtown Miami, with falling prices and climbing inventories that have placed it at the leading edge of the nation’s real estate crisis, and on the other, the strenuously hip environs of South Beach, where prices continue to climb, albeit slowly, keeping waterfront properties out of the reach of most buyers.

The Venetians are hot. There’s still an upside here; you can get luxury properties at under $10 million. That’s true nowhere else on Miami Beach.

Alila Villas are located on a cliftop in the southern coastline of Bali, Indonesia and they are heaping of structures, terraces, pools and gardens situated one hundred meters above the Indian Ocean.

The number of the villas is 56 plus 5 cliffside villas with pool, a palm- fringed, a fully-equipped fitness centre, an extensive library, a cigar bar, an event centre, a wedding pavillion and lawn.

Just a few steps next to the villas, the guests can enjoy the Spa ALILA, where massages and beauty treatments are offered 24 hour per day.

Around the villas guests also can bump into Warung Restaurant for dining, while the Cliff Top Bar offers East Balinese cuisine. ALiLA Villas Uluwatu is the first resort in Bali designed to achieve Green Globe certification, the highest level of Environmentally Sustainable Design .

Sitted on the southern coast of Sicily with beautiful sea view and approximately 120km from Catania, Italy. The house has historical position and provide to visitors modern relaxation. Near by the holiday house is located ”Club House” just on 200 m from the shore where travellers can enjoyed a rich number of services.

In addition to its ancient location and natural amenities, the Falconara Charming House offers 64 bedrooms, most of them with a wonderful sea view.

The “Club House” also features a complete spa, including massage areas, Turkish bath and gym facilities. But the real emphasis is on careful, attentive craftsmanship, whether new or old, allowing guests to feel themselves coddled by experienced hands as they take in the southern Mediterranean in all its glory.

The Falconara Charming House offers a style breakfast as well as dinner service in the restaurant. For lunch a variety of snacks and light lunches are served at the terrace and pool bar. The house is designed by Antonio Vitale – B. Castrense and Roberto e Antonella Chiaramonte Bordonaro.

Hospes Palacio is sitted in the middle of Cordoba, which is a historical city centre next to the Plaza Colon in Spain. The whole resort has a balanced contemporary design from 16th and 18th centuries and Moorish decorative elements with painted ceiling, rich fabrics and textures and polished marble.

Hospes Palacio resort is aggregate of several buildings arranged around in a beautiful courtyard. The main courtyard is spectacular, due to the traditional paving, which has been replaced with a glass floor.

Almost everywhere inside there’re restoring paintings and frescos from the 19th century which is an example of the care and attention given to the revitalisation of past beauty at the Hospes Palacio .

The Food & Drink area is at the SENZONE Gastronomic Restaurant, which is a place to enjoy fresh, natural and local cuisine in a contemporary atmosphere.

Each villa has broadband internet connection, safe, flat-screen TV, DVD, cordless telephones, finest quality Egyptian cotton bed linen and terry towelling, set of natural essence toiletries, bathroom accessories, hair-dryer, air conditioning and central heating, private parking.

The resort also offers BODYNA Spa & Fitness area (sauna, treatments, steam bath, ayurveda, vichy showers), 5 outdoor Andalusian patios, garden, outdoor swimming pool, living room and daily press.

The Elysian Resort is sitted in Syminyak, just in two minutes from white sand beaches, restaurants, shops and nightclubs. The Resort is an approximately time of 20 minutes to the airport.

The Elysian on Bali offers 26 private villas, each with its own pool. An open pavilion surrounded by water welcomes guests and a 25-meter pool runs length of the terrace, ending in a waterfall Ballinese temple.

The look of the Elysian is contemporary Asian with stepped pathways meander between tall wispy grasses and groves of banana palms.A luxurious variety of textures provides the extensive use of teak wood nd local stone.

Each villa is equipped with broadbandinternet, bose sound system( included preloaded Nano iPods), one plazma TV(2 on request), DVD player, games, trendy minibar concept with selection of food items, enerdy drinks and funky sexy mini bar items.

As well as the guests will be amazed by the Rush Bamboo cafe & bar, which is designed to be funky & cool. The Food & Drinks menus include a large variety of freshest ingredients, sourced from local organic farms and air flown imports. Freshly grilled seafood and meats, main course salads, open faced sandwiches and sinful desserts will make for mouthwatering dining.

The Great Wall Kempinski is an amazing hotel located in one hour by car from downtown Beijing and thirty minutes from the Great Wall at Badaling. The hotel is one of a kind in the whole world, because of its private collection of contemporary architecture designed by 12 Asian architects.

The Great Wall is much more a museum of avant-guard architecture, than a hotel. It’s sitted in the Shuiguan Valley and has a private access to an unrehabilitated port of Great Wall. The place has developed in two separate phases: a Walnut Valley with eleven villas in 2002, and the almost new one, which is in collaboration with Kempinski with thirty-one new villas.

Each villa has six bedrooms, decorated with elegant colours and warm atmosphere. The place also offers a courtyard reastaurant, a conference centre, a terrace & lounge, fitness centre, art gallery & cinema, library. Finally, the Spa centre with it’s 15 luxurious treatment rooms provides a great selection of massages and beauty treatments.

Villa Florentine is a ”Historical Monument‘ sitted in Lyon. This splendid villa-museum offers extraordinary panorama view of Lyon. Lyon is a city in east central France. It is the third largest French city situated between Paris and Marseilles, and has a reputation as the French capital of gastronomy and a significant role in the history of cinema.

The Florentine villa has a charming contemporary design with lovely terrace gardens, marvelously interwine with scluptures.

The Villa offers 28 stylish decorated rooms with tastefully vibrant colours, where period piece furnishings and contemporary pieces thrive together in utmost harmony. The Standard Room, has a personalised charm: mezzanine, individual terrace, and living room area. The Villa also has fitness room at its guests’ disposal, as well as a hammam, an exterior pool, and a body-care room. Each rooms comes equipped with a marble or tiled bathroom, air-conditioning or heating, a mini-bar, a direct telephone line, television set, and a hi-fi stereo system.