Villa Rental of the Week - Anguilla

Bliss Villa at night
copyright, Bliss Villa

Bliss Villa is a 4000 square foot luxury villa rental on the Caribbean island of Anguilla. Despite the spacious living quarters, the villa only has two bedrooms, perfect for an intimate vacation for either two couples or a small family unit.

The master bedroom (king bed) and second bedroom (queen bed) each have a private bathroom, with the master bath boasting a jacuzzi tub. Each bedroom also has a shaded terrace that overlooks the 3000-square foot outside veranda, which overlooks the infinity pool and beach. The bedrooms are on either side of a massive great room with high ceilings that invite the Caribbean breeze. Furnished in comfortable cool fabrics with splashes of color, the great room is an inviting place to relax while enjoying the output from the kitchen. The adjacent informal dining room provides seating for 6.


Bliss Villa master bedroom
copyright, Bliss Villa

A large upstairs loft provides guests with office space: it includes a telephone, fax, computer and wireless access for those with laptops is also available. A sofa is included for lounging and can also pull out to provide a queen-size bed for children or a third couple.


The great room at Bliss Villa
copyright, Bliss Villa

Amenities at Bliss Villa include two cable TVs with DVD/VCRs, a sound system, A/C in the bedrooms. Outdoors, guests will find pool equipped with pool toys and there is also an outdoor shower.

The villa is only 12 minutes from the airport and is close to many of the Anguilla's excellent restaurants.


Bliss Villa pool
copyright, Bliss Villa

Bliss Villa can be rented directly from its own website, bliss-villa.com, which has an availability calendar and reservation form. Rates are $600 per night in low season (May 1 - October 31) and $800 per night in high season (November 1 - April 30). Christmas and New Year's weeks are $1200 per night. For more information, call 203.461.8883.

The Land of Make-Believe

Talk about having your vacation inspired by your children…

Our daughter is – how do we say this – very imaginative. We've recently learned that, formerly unbeknownst to us, she has a whole other family, including parents, a brother and a sister, all of whom live in a big house. Every now and then we are told that if we behave, we will be allowed to visit this house. Conversely, when we are doing things she disapproves of – like reminding her for the 5th time to brush her teeth – the prospect of a visit is whisked away from us, as she informs us that she will not be taking us to Citia.

Because apparently, that’s where this estate, complete with secondary – or, depending on her mood, primary – family, is. In Citia.

We’re not sure if that’s how it’s spelled, because she's just now learning that her name starts with D. So for fun, we decided to do a search on Citia. After all, it is possible that somewhere on the planet there exists a place with that name, and wouldn’t it be funny if we found it and went there?

Lo and behold, there is a Sitia, on Crete. Furthermore, online you can find an amusingly earnest travel guide to Sitia with a rather sketchy view of its history and tourist attractions, which are mostly in the form of taverns and beaches – which is absolutely fine with us.

We were thrilled to find that there is actually the possibility of a luxury family vacation, at the Elounda Gulf Villa & Suites. The 18-villa & 10-suite boutique hotel is a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World. While there isn’t very much here that is geared towards children aside from the children’s pool – which is often enough - your young ones are welcomed, and either very young children or those old enough to not to need constant “kiddie” entertainment should be fine here.


Spa Villa
copyright Elounda Gulf Villas & Suites

The hotel’s accommodations consist of a mix of suites and villas, with the smallest suite ideal for a couple with one child. The villas here are real stunners – each has its own pool and a large terrace with teak lounges that look out over the Gulf of Mirabello. European-style kitchens make in-house relaxation easy, or the Argo Restaurant will feed you an authentic Greek lunch and dinner, with a special menu just for the little ones.


Elounda Gulf Suite bathroom
copyright Elounda Gulf Villas & Suites


We don’t know exactly when we’ll be visiting Sitia. If we were to go anytime soon, it might be more than her 3-year old imagination could bear: we don’t want to traumatize her by robbing her of her special world, although she probably wouldn’t accept that it was Sitia anyhow. But maybe when she's left her personal Sitia behind, we’ll make a visit to the Elounda Gulf Villas & Suites, with a special thanks to her for leading us there.


Elounda Luxury Villa pool
copyright Elounda Gulf Villas & Suites


Rates for the Elounda Gulf Villas & Suites start at 240 Euros per night for a Luxury Senior Suite; Villas with private pools start at 575 Euros per night. Rates for suites include continental breakfast in the hotel's restaurant. Children under 12 stay free of charge in the suites, and the hotel provides complimentary baby cots, high chairs and playpens. To book, click here or call the hotel's reservation line at +30 2810 227132.

Villa Rental of the Week - Santorini

Villa Vassilikos living area
copyright Indigo Lodges

On lovely Santorini you'll find the exquisite Villa Vassilikos, several old houses that have been combined to give you spacious accommodation with excellent views of the Caldera and the Santorini sunset. Only 15 minutes by car from the airport and 5 minutes from town, Villa Vassilikos is ideally located for your luxury family vacation.

The 5-bedroom villa sleeps a total of 10 guests. Each guestroom is ensuite, with its own private entrance as an additional luxury. The ground floor has a cozy and comfortable living area along with an open kitchen and casual dining space. You'll also find an outdoor patio for dining and relaxing on this level, and the master suite.


Villa Vassilikos suite
copyright Indigo Lodges


The upper level has another living and dining area, which makes this villa perfect for people wishing to lounge in separate areas. On the lower level, you'll find 3 double bedrooms and a private studio with double bed. The swimming pool is also on this level.

Amenities for your stay include a flatscreen TV, DVD player, a safe deposit, and of course the pool. Your 7-night minimum rental includes daily cleaning and the services of a private chef, as well as the services of an onsite (but discreet) host whose attentions include serving you cocktails each day at sunset. The representing company, Indigo Lodges, can also arrange other services, such as babysitting, full meal catering, luxury vehicle rental and massage services.


Outside stairway of Villa Vassilikos
copyright Indigo Lodges


Rental of Villa Vassilikos starts at approximately $22,000US a week. For more information or to book this property, contact Indigo Lodges in Geneva at +30 210 72 23 404 or via their website.

Villa Rental of the Week - St. John, USVI

2B at Peter Bay porch view
copyright McLaughlin Anderson Luxury Villas


Oops!

We really should have posted this on Tuesday, which is when we normally bring you our Villa Rental of the Week. But no fear, your villa rental is here. And in keeping with today's theme of warmth, warmth, warmth, we're bringing you a breathtaking villa via McLaughlin Anderson, which has a superb collection of villas throughout the USVI and the BVI, most with gorgeous views. We wouldn't be surprised if they've had to force people to leave...


2B at Peter Bay Pool View
copyright McLaughlin Anderson Luxury Villas


The villa, called 2B at Peter Bay, can host a maximum of 8 people (children included). The bedrooms include 1 king suite and 3 queen suites, all air-conditioned (elevated twin airbeds can be provided for people not sharing a bed). All bedrooms have safes for valuables. Two of the upper queen suites have alfresco showers with lush landscaping for privacy, while the third queen suite has its own private balcony and private indoor shower. The spacious king suite enjoys a surrounding balcony, and lighted stone walkway connects this suite to a garden terrace complete with hot tub.


2B at Peter Bay bedroom
copyright McLaughlin Anderson Luxury Villas

One of the most lovely features of this villa is the way outdoors meets indoors, with its covered gallery and high ceilings that allow for soothing sea breezes. The villa also has its own pool, and is a mere 100 feet away from Peter Bay Beach. The villa is well-equipped with 36-inch satellite TV, DVD-player & VCR along with a collection of movies, and books and games. Maid service is currently provided once a week.




2B at Peter Bay bathroom
copyright McLaughlin Anderson Luxury Villas

2B at Peter Bay is available on a weekly basis. Rates for the summer season (April 14 - November 16) are $8200 a week. For more information or to book this villa, see the website's extensive page of information or call McLaughlin Anderson at 800.666.6246.

Villa Rental of the Week - Sicily

Although we normally present a Special Offer of the Week on Thursdays, there were so many options in yesterday's Easter travel to Europe post, with stateside options to come tomorrow, that we decided to entice you with two Villa Rentals of the Week today. Enjoy!



Villa Jada, copyright Scopello Villas


Charming Villa Jada is only a few miles away the village of Scopello, where Brad Pitt and company filmed Ocean's Twelve. Start your explorations there and continue as far as your heart desires, using Villa Jada as your comfortably unpretentious homebase.

Villa Jada is actually a main house and smaller guesthouse, accommodating 12 people (8 in the main villa). The main house features 2 double bedrooms, 2 twin bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, while the guesthouse sleeps 4 in its double-bedroom and twin bedroom. Both the main and guest houses feature fully-equipped kitchens, full air-conditioning and sitting/dining areas with satellite television.


Villa Jada pool, copyright Scopello Villas


A child's travel cot and stair gate are also available for small children. The villa enjoys excellent views of the surrounding groves and mountains, with a beautiful dining terrace that overlooks the pool. The pool is open from April to October, or you can make the trip to Guidaloca (4 kms) to the beach.



One of Villa Jada's twin-bedded rooms, copyright Scopello Villas


Rates for Villa Jada from March 31-June 30 and Sept 1-October 27 are approximately $1600 per week for 4-6 people. From June 30 to Sept 1, rates for 4-6 people are approximately $2000 per week. (Rates are in euros; the dollar rate we're quoting is based on the current conversion rate.) For more information including exact rates, and to book this villa, contact Scopello Villas by clicking here.

Villa Rental of the Week - Los Cabos

Casa Duckett, copyright Sun Cabo Vacations



One of the hallmarks of an excellent vacation rental villa is outside space that is just as lovely to bask in, if not more so, than the indoors. Casa Duckett, in the Palmilla section of Los Cabos, delivers that handsomely, with shaded courtyards and stairways, magnificent deck space, an infinity pool overlooking the Sea of Cortez, and even a putting green.

Casa Duckett, copyright Sun Cabo Vacations


On the pool level, you'll find the master suite which holds a king-size bed and comes with full bath including a sunken bathtub and dressing area. A large terrace offers a stunning views. A children's room is also on this level, with two twin beds and an ensuite bath.

Up one level are three more suites, each with ensuite bath. Two of these bedrooms have double beds and share an interior connecting door as well as a large terrace, while the third bedroom is queen-bedded and boasts its own private terrace.

The main living area includes a dining area and commercially equipped kitchen including a 6-burner gas stove. The comfortably-furnished sunken living room has direct access to the pool area, and also includes a wood-burning fireplace.

Casa Duckett Kitchen, copyright Sun Cabo Vacations


Casa Duckett living room & terrace, copyright Sun Cabo Vacations

Heading down a few steps past the infinity pool, you'll find a huge palapa with sea views and a hammock, just perfect for napping. Steps on the other side of the pool lead to a jacuzzi and the putting green. Just a few more steps past the jacuzzi leads you to the glistening white sands of the beach.

Casa Duckett palapa, copyright Sun Cabo Vacations

Casa Duckett has 5 bedrooms and 5.5 baths. Rates start at $7000 a night. For more information or to book this villa, call Sun Cabo Vacations at 800.710.CABO(2226)

Villa Rental of the Week - Ka`anapali Beach, Maui

A suite at Hawaiiana House


The elegant yet supremely comfortable Hawaiiana House on Ka'anapali Beach is one of Maui's finest villas, available to you through Tropical Villa Vacations. Sitting right on the beach, Hawaiiana has 4 private bedroom suites including full baths, and an additional one full bath and one half bath. You'll also enjoy the added pleasures of an iPod docking station, a beachfront pool, an outdoor hot tub, and a fully equipped in-house gym.

Service from Tropical Villa Vacations is also superb: a rental here includes Personal Concierge Service, light daily housekeeping with towels refreshed daily and a linen change every 3 to 4 days, fresh floral arrangements and exotic bath treats from Maui. They will also deliver your rental car directly to the villa should you use them to make arrangements. A private chef is also available for your stay so that you can spend yet more time enjoying the hot tub, pool or beach.

The agency notes that due to the quality of the furnishings and artwork, this villa may be more suitable for older children, but younger children are not barred: parents are cautioned to exercise extra care and the security deposit required may be higher for those traveling with young children. Children count towards the maximum number of guests (eight).

While the service here is exemplary, the villa itself is the real draw. Visit the Tropical Villa Vacations website for 28 additional pictures of the comfort and splendor of this beautiful villa.

Rates for 2007-2008 are $4500 per night + taxes, with a minimum stay of 7 nights. Click here to get to the Tropical Villa Vacations website, or call 888.875.2818 ext. 206 or 203.

Villa Rental of the Week - Provence, France

Provence villa, available through Wimco Villas & Hotels


Located in a quiet countryside area that is only a 5-10 minute drive to town, this week's villa overlooks the Alps and provides a beautiful home base for your two-week minimum stay.

Boasting 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, the villa is comfortably and simply decorated. The master bedroom comes with king-sized bed and ensuite bath with bath, shower and two sinks, and enjoys a view over the garden. A second bedroom has a twin bed with a view of the pool and the mountains, and shares a bathroom (shower only) with the third bedroom, which has a king bed. A separate pool house (available for an additional charge) has its own queen bed, small kitchen and small bathroom and is perfect for teens, nannies, or grandparents. Maid service is provided 6 hours a week.

Many touches make this villa an excellent choice for those with children: the large garden of lavender, olive trees and other plants of Provence is a perfect outdoor play area, while the swimming pool is thoughtfully equipped with a children's alarm. A TV and DVD player are also provided for your entertainment.

This villa is available from June 3rd to September 29th. Rates start at $4297 a week. For more information about renting this villa, contact Wimco Villas at 866-483-8071.