Villa seekers

GO VILLA HOLIDAYS:Villas offer something special when it comes to size, charm and location – and they sure can add a touch of romance to your holiday, writes SANDRA O'CONNELL

WHEN IT comes to booking a villa, you’re not looking for a home from home. If that were the case you’d simply do a house swap. No, what you’re looking for from this kind of holiday is a property that far surpasses what you’re leaving behind, whether in size, charm, or location.

What you choose also depends on what you want it for, from a large venue fit for a family reunion to a bijou gem for two. Here are some of the nicest European villa options around.

Big groups

The Villa di Ulignano, in Volterra, Tuscany, was home to the Italian film director Luchino Visconti during the late 1960s. Today it’s a sumptuous set for everything from a big family reunion to an intimate family wedding (it has its own chapel).

A beautiful 17th century house, with 15 bedrooms, it can accommodate up to 40 guests. Bedrooms are huge, with four-poster beds, beamed ceilings and antique furnishings.

Spacious reception rooms include a dining room with a table large enough to handle all of you at the one time. Or opt for balmy outdoor dining in the poolside pergola.

On your doorstep: you’ll need a car but there is no shortage of sightseeing options either, with Volterra, San Gimignano and Siena all an easy drive. The villa is also convenient for trips to Florence, Pisa and Lucca. The beach at Baratti is an hour away.

Price: €8,250 to €13,500 a week.

Book: thebigdomain.com.

Chateaux

You may live in a standard semi but, if you’ve got the cash, there’s no reason why you can’t holiday in a castle. Bern is a magnificent eight-bed chateau near Aire-sur-l’Adour in Gers, southwest France with room for 12 in sumptuous comfort.

Approached by a sweeping driveway, with an impressive courtyard and imposing stone entrance, the house is beautifully furnished throughout with a formal salon with grand piano, large library and billiards room.

Outside there’s a pool and sauna, plus 120 acres of lawns, mature garden and forestry. Spend too much time walking the grounds however and you’ll miss the delights of this part of the Midi-Pyrénées.

On your doorstep: the shops and restaurants of Aire-sur l’Adour are 6km away and the spa village of Eugenie-les-Bains a 40-minute drive.

Price: €4,445 to €7,409 a week.

Book: gascony-secret.com.

Family

For all the comforts of someone else’s home, and then some, you’ll be hard pressed to beat Villa Rustica, a five-bedroom villa in Cap d’Antibes, the exclusive enclave between Antibes and Juan-les-Pins.

Situated in lush gardens – entered via electric gates – the 200sq m (2,153sq ft) house, which sleeps 10, features an Italianate courtyard with fountains, lavender and lemon trees. Just standing in it is enough to give your senses a holiday.

There’s are two heated pools, the main one and an interlinked children’s pool just 45cm deep. Alongside is a large sunbathing terrace which doubles as an alfresco dining room. Inside there’s a 42-inch plasma TV, Sky channels and DVD player.

On your doorstep: daytrips to Cannes and Nice plus, if you feel like staying local, the daily market in Antibes. There’s no shortage of gourmet restaurants in the area and the beach is 500 metres away.

Price: €3,500 to €7,750 a week.

Book:holidayhomesdirect.ie.

Two-family

For kids, few things beat the fun of going on holidays with the cousins. What the grown-ups need when the kids get together is loads of space to be able to throw them all out to play.

Torrepietro is a 13th century Tuscan lookout tower with terrific views over the surrounding countryside. Though it doesn’t have a pool, if you’ve loads of unsupervised kids running amok that may well be a positive.

Recently refurbished as a holiday home, it shares access and parking with a 19th century holiday villa and the two can be rented together or separately.

Altogether they can accommodate 13 people and make a great base for two families keen to tour the area, with the novelty of the tower nicely balancing out the spaciousness of the villa.

The property is reached via a 200-metre dirt track and, while the tower isn’t suitable for very young children – the tower is all stairs – those with kids old enough to go off exploring the countryside will love it. Fill it up and it’s great value on a per person basis too. Off season you could get the lot for just over €100 per person, per week.

On your doorstep: Tuscan touring delights of Florence, Lucca and San Gimignano are all easily reached via motorway.

Price: €1,402 to €2,628 a week.

Book: cuendet.com.

Budget

For the price of a mobile home on a campsite you can rent the 13th century La Casa Dipinta, “The Painted House”, straight from quirk heaven with green shuttered windows and a roof-top terrace looking out over the ancient village of Lucignano, near Cortona.

The three-storey, three-bedroom house, which can sleep five, has been lovingly restored by a Milanese couple with fluent English.

Situated in the centre of the tiny but thriving town it makes a great base for exploring the scenery around Arezzo.

Of particular note is the beautifully painted sitting room. If you’re lucky enough to catch one of the classical music recitals that frequently take place in the courtyard below during summer, just throw back the windows and enjoy it from the comfort of your own private box.

From the kitchen there’s a balcony with wonderful views out over the village to the countryside beyond.

On your doorstep: don’t miss the bric-a-brac and antique shops of Monte San Savino, 8km away, while the Etruscan museum and gold shops of Arezzo and the gorgeous hill town of Cortona are around 30km away, the same distance as the ferry boats that take you out to the islands of Lake Trasimeno. Lucignano has shops, banks, bars and restaurants.

Price:€930 a week.

Book:summerleases.com.

Laid-back

The Beach House in San Carlos, the north-eastern (non-party) end of Ibiza, is a gleaming white house with panoramic sea views and the double whammy of backing on to a nature reserve – no being overlooked by holiday apartments here. The villa, which sleeps eight, is set over two levels with a separate chill-out room and kitchenette downstairs – handy, if you’ve got teenagers looking for a little extra space of their own.

At second storey level there’s a 1,000sq m (10,764sq ft) terrace from which to make the most of the panoramic sea views. With a hammock, cane furniture and tables you’d be tempted to stay here for the entire week, except that there’s a roof terrace with even better views. A third terrace at ground level is for barbecuing so you’ll hardly be indoors at all.

On your doorstep: the area between San Carlos and nearby Santa Eulalia is known for its community of artists and laid-back atmosphere. Quieter than Ibiza or San Antonio, the most hectic event here is the weekly hippy market.

Price:€1,050 to €1,750 a week.

Book:spain-holiday.com.

Grown-ups

There are sea views and then there are sea views. Those at Villa Eze, a luxury property in a quiet residential area below the stunning cliff top town of Eze on the Côte d’Azur, are well worth writing home about, not to mention paying a premium for.

The owners have made the most of the panorama with a wraparound terrace and – the pièce de résistance – a gorgeous infinity pool. And when you’ve had enough of that it’s only a three-minute walk to the beach.

The Provencal-styled villa of 155sq m (1,668sq ft), which sleeps seven in three bedrooms, was built in the 1950s and was recently renovated. It’s promoted by the owners as ideal for a three-couple party, each of the double bedrooms having its own en suite with king or queen-sized beds while the kitchen and reception rooms are open-plan.

The large terraced gardens have tropical vegetation and the heady scent of fragrant orange and pine trees. There’s a boulodrome for petanque in the garden and a tree-shaded public tennis court 50 metres away. Full maid and chef service is available, for an extra fee.

On the doorstep: you’re spoiled for choice and don’t even have to drive. There’s a train station at the bottom of the road with a local train to Nice, Cannes, St Tropez and Monaco. Nice is a 20-minute drive away, Monte Carlo 10 minutes. There are good restaurants a five-minute walk away, or have coffee on the terrace at the hotel Château Eza, and compare views.

Price:€6,030 to €8,120 a week.

Book:southfrancevillas.com.

Resorts

The big appeal of a resort villa is that they offer the best of both worlds, the privacy of a villa plus the amenities of a hotel property. Your kids are also guaranteed to find other kids to play with too, so everyone’s happy.

Paradise Island Villas is a boutique villa hotel resort just outside Hersonissos in Crete with 12 elegant houses each with stylish pools and gardens. Think traditional Ionian architecture and then add such touches as Italian crystal chandeliers, polished Greek marble and super comfortable beds. As well as full guest services, there is a lounge, cocktail and wine bar as well as a good restaurant on site.

On your doorstep: the beach is less than 1km away while the bars and restaurants of lively Hersonissos are 2km away. For the kids the island’s new aquarium is a 10-minute drive while, being Greece, you’re only a stone’s throw from archaeological artefacts – the Dikteon Andron Cave, where Zeus was born, and the ancient Palace of Knossos are around 25km away.

Price:€474 to €660 a night, based on a superior villa sleeping six.

Book:luxuryvillascrete.com.

Lotto winners

Villa Lake Como XIII in Italy is set on a seven-acre island which, though not completely private, is accessible only by boat, which should help keep the hoi polloi away. The last word in luxury, each of its seven bedrooms has its own remote-controlled entertainment system, there’s a drawing room with stunning lake views, a large family kitchen and a dining room with courtyard views capable of seating 24 people.

As well as the main villa, there are three other homes here, all secreted amid the property’s large gardens, themselves among the most famous on the lake for their tall Cyprus trees and expansive lawns. Further facilities include a pool, cinema, tennis courts and a gym.

Guests get the services of their own butler, housekeeper and cleaners, and there is separate accommodation should you decide to bring your own household staff with you.

On your doorstep: all the other lakeside villas, including the famous Villa Carlotta. There are great restaurants and shopping across the lake at Bellagio and, of course, there’s always the chance of spotting part-time resident George Clooney.

Price:€115,000 a week.

Book:privateislandsonline.com.

Serviced

Al Jafar is a magnificent Moorish castle with pool overlooking the Egadi Islands near Trapani in northwest Sicily. Small but exquisitely formed, the four-bedroom property (with four bathrooms) sleeps seven and is beautifully furnished. It also comes with maid service and, should you wish, a cook.

Entry is through a gated tower leading to the fortified, internal courtyard. The castle has its own chapel while a stone staircase leads down to an Arabic garden featuring palm and olive trees plus an outdoor barbecue and dining area. There is also a long, two-lane swimming pool.

The main bedroom is at the top of one of the property’s many towers. It opens on to a terrace with spectacular views and is serviced from the kitchen by a dumbwaiter, so that’s breakfast in bed sorted.

On your doorstep: the towns of Trapani (18km away and serviced by Ryanair), Erice and Marsala all have wonderfully restored centres and great restaurants. Or check out the Phoenician island of Mozia just offshore. The nearby salt pans are home to flocks of migrating flamingos while, for history buffs, the Greek temples of Segesta and Selinunte are not to be missed.

Price: €5,050 to €8,050 a week.

Book: thinksicily.com.

Hotel standard

Villa Orpheus, a gleaming sugar cube of a house filled with Mykonos sunlight, is as far from the underworld as you can get.

Filled with Jacobsen furniture and art works by Anton Smit and Annie Morris, go with kids and you’ll spend your time fretting about handprints on the walls. Go with a bunch of well behaved adults, though, and you might think you’ve died, gone to heaven and discovered freshwater infinity pools.

The owner’s mission here is to twin the delights of a villa with hotel-style hospitality, so expect to feel as if you’ve commandeered your own boutique hotel. The property can hold up to 10 guests, each enjoying restaurant quality dining courtesy of an optional private chef (available at an extra charge).

There’s a bartender on hand to keep your drink refreshed, and a tally of the cost. Beauty and massage services are also available.

Despite the massive expanses of white, children are actually welcome, to the point that there are no extra charges incurred by anyone under eight, making it an option for big family celebrations, especially as there’s a neighbouring house (Villa Eurydice) owned by the same company which also sleeps 10. You can even get married here, Villa Orpheus has its own little Cycladean chapel.

On your doorstep: the boutiques and restaurants of Mykonos town are eight minutes away by car. Make sure to

take the boat to the open-air museum that is Delos Island. Your villa overlooks it and no trip to Mykonos is complete without visiting it.

Price: €7,700 to €17,500 a week.

Book: villacrew.com.

Pets

If pets are part of your family, then you’ll want a place that can accommodate Fido as much as it can accommodate you.

A holiday house in Perros-Guirec, on Brittany’s pink granite coast, sleeps up to eight people, has wonderful sea views and is perfect for a family holiday.

At around 70km from Roscoff, it’s an easy drive from the ferry too.

The big attraction here are the reception rooms with French doors opening out onto a garden with wonderful views down over the beach of Trestraou, one of Brittany’s finest and perfect for walking the dog.

If you’re lucky with the Breton weather you’ll be spending all your time eating alfresco, with ample amounts of outdoor furniture supplied for the purpose.

And if you’re not so lucky, Brittany is super-picturesque anyway, even in the rain.

On your doorstep: Perros-Guirrec has several shops, cafes and bars near the beach, while the town proper is a two-minute drive away, with a good market on Friday mornings. For more dramatic dog walking, head for the preservation area of Landrellec and its coastal walks. The medieval towns of Lannion and Treguier are an easy drive away.

b€889 to €1,541 a week.

Book: lovetoescape.com.

Beach

If it’s beaches you’re after, you’d be hard pressed to beat this one for location, situated as it is right on the beach on the Golden Mile between Marbella and Puerto Banus.

Villa Casa Dos is part of the Oasis Complex, a small development of 20 villas, only some of which are right on the seafront. This south-facing, four-bedroom property sleeps eight and was recently upgraded.

Ideal for kids, they can play on the sand right outside their own patio. The complex has its own pool area too, also overlooking the beach.

On your doorstep: just 52km from the airport at Malaga, the real appeal here is the fact that you are minutes from Puerto Banus (a 12-minute walk along the boardwalk outside the door) or Marbella (25 minutes in the other direction). And with eight restaurants within a five-minute walk the biggest hassle facing you is choosing one.

Price: €2,350 to €5,500 a week.

Book:homeaway.com.