4 excellent luxury villas to book for your next getaway from Greece to New Zealand (2023)

Forget the penthouse suite—this is the villa vacation age. It's a holdover from the pandemic-era changes, when self-catering was mandatory and boostedcitiesto a primacy they had never enjoyed before. ChangeTravelHabits (many now travel in multi-generational groups or for international family reunions) have also helped polish the allure of independent luxury like this.

So it's no surprise that it was a boom time for companies likefinesTIt is,Airbnb's luxury counterpart, launched in New York and Provence,Francewhile the French real estate agent for luxury apartmentsthe collectorsecured a funding round of over $60 million to expand its footprint globally. Top rental specialists includingTravel Master Cedric Reversade of exclusive properties and events, saw record bookings last year and sustained demand for summer 2023.

But which properties really stand out in this saturated and competitive market? Where does the discerning traveler find a villa that surpasses its competitors in design, amenities and service?Robb informedhas compiled the top four new options around the world, from a private island on the French Riviera to the ideal getawayGreeceThe busiest island in .

Flockhill

Craigieburn Valley, Neuseeland

A working sheepfold from 1857. A farm for nature lovers. An indulgent luxury villa. The land of Narnia.Flockhill, on New Zealand's movie-perfect South Island, is crowded, which is easy with an individually booked resort set on 36,000 hectares of contrasting architectural landscape.

Located in the island's iconic Southern Alps, a 30-minute helicopter ride from Christchurch, the property, which opened last September, was designed by a local architectural firm.Warren e Mahoneyto create a light-filled retreat that is as zen as a spa and invigorating as a mountain lodge. “When you enter the farm and see this view. . . you never get tired of it and it's always changing,” says Andrew Cullen, the hostel's local manager.

She notes that since it opened, the resort, which can accommodate a group of up to eight people, has attracted celebrities, couples, and multi-generational families looking for an ultra-private retreat. "There's not a lot of luxury accommodation in New Zealand that can really accommodate children," says Cullen. "But mom and dad bringing their parents and kids is what we really love. There's enough to do and enough variety to keep everyone happy."

Activities on property include hiking, biking, fishing, caving and even skiing in the winter months. Guides are on site and ready. You can engage in farming and try your hand at herding. "None of this is made," says Cullen. “The farm is built on a hill overlooking the farm building so you can stand on your patio and watch 2000 sheep in the valley and the dogs do their thing.”

Over the next two years, 14 new villas will open on the property, as well as a restaurant run by Andrew's son Taylor of Sydney's Garden on a Plate restaurant Chiswick. (Until then, you'll just have to make do with the property's private chef.)

The atmosphere, Cullen says, is "barefoot luxury, extremely relaxing."From $5,700 per night; Prices vary depending on the season and group size.Chris Cameron

the big garden

Cannes, France

It all starts with Victor, a tanned George Michael look-alike waiting at the pier, ready to guide guests through the rough waters that stretch from Cannes Bay to the shorethe big garden, a 16th-century walled estate on the eucalyptus-clad shores of Île Sainte-Marguerite.

Privately owned by the monks of Lérins Abbey until 1612, Sainte-Marguerite is the largest of the four Lérins Islands, whose rugged terrain offers a respite from the film festivals and fashion shows that dominate the French Riviera. As I approach across the water, I glimpse an imposing stone tower: my room for the following nights, once used by Napoleon as a lookout point.

Layers of history pile up like yarrows at Le Grand Jardin, punctuated by mosaic benches and vine-covered pergolas. Previous owners include Louis XIV and Vijay Mallya, the former owner of the Force India Formula 1 team. Under new ownership by a Swiss real estate agentlast capital, visitors are finally welcome. The only condition: minimum stay of one week.

Guests may be greeted by the tangy aroma of ripe citrus trees or geckos scurrying under ivy-covered arches. All pathways lined with palm trees lead to the refurbished tower with a mirrored ceiling suite overlooking the yacht-studded horizon. A further 11 bedrooms are spread across three separate cabins and a guest house, all of which vary in size and layout but share a quiet sophistication. The nubuck-lined Governor's House offers the largest bedrooms and the only indoor dining room.

In one corner of the garden is an underground spa surrounding a raised swimming pool. Five cabana-style loungers sit near the main dining area, shaded during the day and heated at night. In another corner, a garden full of fresh vegetables and aromatic herbs that the chef uses in menus inspired by his Corsican childhood; the fiadone (Corsican cheesecake) with lemons from Menton is a particular highlight (as the menus are thought out for each guest, be sure to ask).

But the best gift can be the lack of other visitors. Thanks to a strict purchasing policy, the property is fully rented to groups of up to 24 people or just one person: a fairytale retreat on the French Riviera, away from the hustle and bustle.From around $245,000 per week in the summer months.Julia Salzman

Kanada DorfMore

Copenhagen, Denmark

it's easy to loseKanada DorfMore-And that is the point. The owner, Danish businessman Anders Kirk Johansen, bought the former residence of the Canadian embassy and ambassador just over a decade ago and transformed it into an understated luxury home in the heart of Copenhagen. He has just begun renting the seven-bedroom, 10,700-square-foot villa, the world's first luxury urban villa of its kind.Denmark.

Johansen's meticulous and costly renovation included refining the original details of the 1918 Belle Epoque home, from the mahogany staircase to the hand-carved dining room cabinets, and added an annex housing a farmhouse kitchen, a conservatory and a private solarium. Terrace and even disco. To run the property he secretly hired superstar concierge Anders Ølsted Jensen from nearby Hotel d'Angleterre and says Jensen can do more than just hustle for a table in a crowded Michelin-starred restaurant: "Some [ of the restaurants] here , like Jordnær they are closed on Saturdays which is unheard of in the rest of the world and we can ask the chef to cook for you over here. That's not possible in a hotel." Are you traveling with your own chef? Im There are also staff quarters in the basement.

The basement also houses a playroom, well stocked with Lego, which is not surprising given that Johansen's great-grandfather, Ole Kirk Christiansen, founded the world-famous toy company. Take a break while you work at the Finn Juhl-designed desk in the second floor office - this is where Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, the third son of Ole Kirk Christiansen, worked and discovered how to make the first plastic building blocks - the Legos- The brand's toys were originally made of wood in the 1940s.From around $10,500 to $16,000 per night depending on season and length of stay.mark ellwood

Mykonos ML

Mykonos, Greece

Luxury villas abound in the best locations in France and Italy: perhaps the Côte d'Azur or Tuscany. Interestingly, these beachfront properties are harder to come by in the Greek islands, which is one of the many reasons why Spyros Meletopoulos' 10-bedroom property, sprawling over nearly 20 acres on the northern tip of Mykonos, is so remarkable.

The property developer built it as a family property 12 years ago but says he has started offering the property for rent now that his children are older. Don't expect the bleached sugar cubes that have become an acronym for Cyclades, a legacy of 1930s anti-cholera efforts that relied on lemon's antibacterial properties. Instead, Meletopoulos deliberately referred to earlier times on the island. The tan exterior is typical of a time when houses were smeared with dirt from the surrounding area.

"Everything in the house is handcrafted, just like the old people of Mykonos used to build," he says of the eclectic cluster of houses, set around a swimming pool and meant to resemble a small village. "No one builds the same and each has its own aesthetic." The houses here are adorned with fragments of roof tiles and salvaged wood from nearby demolished houses.

Meletopoulos grew up on Mykonos and remembers the southern tip of the island, today the tourist center around Chora, as being downright middle-class. The land is often better protected from the Cycladic winds, he explains, making any house built there cheaper to heat and more comfortable to live in. This left the windy north of the island in the hands of wealthier people; He placed his own house there on the side of a hill to prevent disturbing breezes from affecting the beach or the house while preserving the cache. It's no surprise that his place has quickly become a favorite among trendy people, especially those looking to avoid the chaotic madness further south. "This is not a house for 20-year-olds," he says. “People come here to relax. They don't even come out."From about $24,900 to $48,000 per week.MIR.