Sure, luxury villas are ideal for holidays with friends or family, but with assured privacy, a ‘come in, have some wine’ attitude and often a hidden-from-voyeurs pool for swimsuit-free fun, they make excellent crashpads for couples, too. So, ditch the entourage, bring a board game and make these romantic luxury villas for two your own…
MONTEVERDI SAN PIETRO PRIVATE VILLAGE HOUSE
Tuscany
Part time-machine, part luxury hotel, Monteverdi is set in the medieaval Tuscan village Castiglioncello del Trinoro and – like its namesake – hits all the right notes. The San Pietro village house is one of three, each furnished with pencil-post beds, travertine-tiled bathrooms and kitchens chock-full of chef-grade cookware (plus an espresso machine, naturalmente). They’re topped and tailed with beamed ceilings and flagstone floors, too. The village is open year-round, so you can watch the Val d’Orcia change from green to gold and try your hand at season-appropriate pastas in the culinary academy. Or, romp around the 12th-century castle ruins, hit the hammam and see what’s happening in the gallery and performing-arts venue, set in a 14th-century Romanesque church.
DOMAINE LES ROULLETS
Provence
Provençal pleasures are present and correct at this sweetheart of a stay at the foot of the Luberon mountains. Domaine Les Roullets’ two-bedroomed cottage is laced with lavender, adorned with antique candelabra and fauteuil-style chairs and has très, très jolie gardens, with a pool and plentiful white-rose bushes. When not skipping hand-in-hand through wildflowers or tripping along cobbled alleyways in dinky villages, you’ll have a glass in one hand and a fork in another. The hotel’s kitchen-gardens, fruit groves and truffle forest are plumped for seasonal plates and there’s a petit vineyard for rosé and red, plus a constellation of star-turn wineries.
ANNANDALE SEASCAPE
Pigeon Bay, New Zealand
You can be assured that only your partner will see you lying around in your pants (well, them and a few nosy sheep) in this breathtaking glazed cabin – part geometric lookout, part submerged nature watch – overlooking Pigeon Bay in New Zealand. At Annandale Seascape, you’re a bumpy off-road drive or helicopter ride away from your nearest neighbour and have a whole bay to yourselves. Admire the rugged surroundings from your bed or perhaps the cool swinging bubble-chair by the fireplace. Or share the spa bath on your deck (there’s a fire pit for chilly eves) and spy dolphins and seals frolicking in the Pacific.
FINCA CORTESIN
Marbella
A sleek white-cube exterior hides a little of the Spanish avant-garde at Finca Cortesin‘s two-bed Marbella villa, furnished with scrawly wicker seating, Eero Saarinen chairs, antlers and, um, a doll’s house, alongside Moorish lattice-work, rugs and hangings. Couples have a plunge pool, shaded lounging area and Mediterranean garden to enjoy – plus, a barbecue to chuck a few Merguez on. But make sure you make the flip-flopped pilgrimage to the main hotel for its enormous beach club, Thai-style spa, tennis courts and trio of fine-dining restaurants. And, world-class golfing, too, if you possess a pair of plus-fours.
UXUA ALMA A CASINA
Bahia
Floppy sun hats off to local designer Manoel Amorosino, who’s blended traditional Brazilian architecture with chic contemporary style at Uxua Alma a Casina. Tropical light dapples in through giant palms that line the cute plunge pool and relaxed-yet-refined decking space, perfectly private for sharing the outdoor shower, secluded sumba sessions or, well, whatever you fancy getting up to at this Bahian beauty.
OLD WALLS AT THYME
The Cotswolds
If you’ve driven through the Cotswolds, eyed up a sweetly ramshackle honey-stone cottage and immediately assessed your mortgage eligibility, then Old Walls is a commitment-free way to experience the picturesque country life. Set in the winsome, old-with-an-E village of Southrop, just steps from the excellent Swan pub (a traditional country meet-up that assumes dining duties for Thyme), it’s a perfect summer picture of dry-stone wall, honeyed brick and creeping florals. Inside, wood beams, reading nooks and a wood-burner up the rustic romance. Book a breakfast basket and unload at the alfresco picnic table (or conservatory, if the weather’s a bit ‘English’), then head to the main hotel for country pursuits: seasonal cooking classes, naturally inclined spa treatments, floristry classes and kitchen-garden tours.
THE SIAM POOL VILLA COURTYARD
Bangkok
Find waterfall-soundtracked seclusion at the heart of Bangkok‘s riverside city stay the Siam. In the hotel’s lushly landscaped gardens, the pool villas off the courtyard are honeymooner havens dressed in polished art-deco style by revered hotel stylist Bill Bensley. A private courtyard has greenery galore, a plunge pool for two and restful dining area dining area. You’ll feel like you’re in your own little world, yet you’re steps from a lengthy monochrome pool, the pier where you can hitch a ride on the hotel’s private speedboat, a Muay Thai practice ring and a spa where you can get Sodashi facials, a crash course in tai chi or sacred tattoos.
SUBLIME COMPORTA’S TWO-BEDROOM CABANA
Comporta
Comporta’s unruffled stretch of golden sand has caught the eye of the ‘in-the-knows’, but it’s still a spot for peace, quiet and a whiff of authenticity – something serene hideaway Sublime Comporta has taken heed of. Each wood-lined, glass-fronted villa is inspired by old-school Portuguese fishing cabanas, simply dressed in driftwood furniture and blue-and-white Danish linen. Sustainable to a tee, the hotel has a botanical spa, yoga pavilion, impressively diverse kitchen-garden supporting both a fine diner and intimate alfresco chef’s table. And, villas have private pools and decks and views across the ample grounds.
For more inspiration, house-hunt your way around our villas for families and friends…