1. travel
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IO IHE WILD, MONEY RUN
AMOK WORLD OF LUXURY
VACAIION RENTALS
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BY LAUREN LIPTON
ILLUSIRATIONS
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A West Coast billionaire's
family renting a villa on Corfu
requested a daily doggie
chauffeur and a staff always
at their service-but invisible.
The bushes came in handy.
SPRING/SUMMER zor5 | 87
milestone celebrations. Another common demographic:
adult fi:iends, such as Solomon's client New York fashion designer Dennis Basso, who organized an Italian
villa rental last summer with his husband Michael
Cominotto and four other couples. The property, Villa
di Torno, is a neoclassical waterfront home from whose
rooms one can hear the gentle lapping of Lake Como
against the private doch directly below. There are a
chef, a housekeepe4, and a laundress, and two housemen/waiters; Bassot group also had a captained boat at
their disposal day and night.
"It was amazing," Basso says. "l always say,'If itt not
going to be equal, bette4 or more interesting, I would
then prefer to stay at home."'
HE SAUDI PRINCE WANTED A
winter wonderland. He was yearning for
romantic European Christmas i deux,
complete with roaring fire, big gifts in little
boxeg and lavish holiday decor. There was
just one obstacle: It was October.
a
Thewomanwith whom
he
wouldbe
vacationing "was not his wife, you see," says
Sylvia Delvaille fones, founder of Villas &
Apartments Abroad, which sets up travelers
in luxuriotu vacation rental homes all over
'
the globe. Because December z5 was reserved
for family, the prince wished to celebrate
in advance with his leggy Welsh mistress.
Could fones make Christmas come early?
She could. She contacted the owner of
the rzth-century Water Castle in Lower
Austria. "We both laughed," fones sayg "and then she got
all her friends to come dress her casrle with lights, richly
decorated trees-the whole nine yards." The prince and
his mistress were able to enjoy a storybook holiday two
montix early in "their own" beautifirlly appointed home.
For travelers who crave total privacy, unique amenities, and personalized service beyond their wildest
dreamg private villas are the new five-star hotel. More
than a third ofvacationers with annual household
incomes of g5ogooo or more stayed in a rental home
in the past two years, and nearly half were interested in
that option as an alternative to a hotel for frrture trips,
according to a zor4 survey by MMGY Global, a Kansas
City travel and hospitality marketing firm.
It's not hard to see why. Increasingly, the villa-loosely
defined as a stand-alone property rented to a single
guest or group at a time-has come to define everything moneyed vacationers are looking for. Whether
a centuries-old European estate. a modern beachllont
mansion, or a self-contained island compound, the best
villa offers all of the comforts of someone else's home.
Staying in a private villa is about "getting something
thatyou otherwise dont have access to," says Mara Solomon of Homebase Abroad, which specializes in historic
Italian properties, "because it doesnt exist anywhere
else. It is the best of everything from centuries-every
single silk on the wall, every single fitting in the bathroom, every single piece of art or antique, down to the
family's own china of the most extraordinary quality"
As do similar companies', Homebase Abroad's
guests make up, Solomon says, "a percentage of the
one percenters" in the United States and other parts of
the globe. They run the gamut {?om the phenomenally
rich and/or famous seeking total seclusion and safety
to prosperous, multigenerational families that want to
play house en masse, to groups gathering for important
88 I TOWNANDCOUNTRYMAG.COM
ECAUSE BASSO ISN'T THE
only guest who feels this way, the
boutique agencies that handle these
properties do much more than just
MIND YOUR
MANNERS
Five tipsfor being a
good renter:
#l
You break it,
you bug it.
Accidents happen, and if
you have one, it's best to
own up to it right away.
''You're more [ikety to
be treated [enientty if you're
proactive," says one agent.
And because it's standard
operating procedure for
house managers to check
for damage, it's not a good
idea to turn over a white
couch cushion after spilting
red wine, to move a chair
to cover a scratch on a
wood floor, or to try to glue
the head back on
a marbte statue"-a[[
of which have been tried.
#2
Do not redecorate.
A vi[[a reflects iis owner's
styte and taste, and
you're a guest there. "We
ask that you not
rearrange paintings, bed,
configurations, or
furnishings," says one
speciatist.
accept security deposits and pass
over the house keys. Increasingly,
these firms, as well as some of the
properties' gracious and accommodating owners, have carved a niche for themselves by
granting requests f?om villa guests that range from the
low-key to the lavish.
For Elizabeth Dorros, an events manager in New
York City, a trio of milestone family birthdays during a single week in May zor3 had her puzzlingover
how and where to entertain 3o members of her welltraveled clan, who were expecting a once-in-alifetime
spectacular. Dorros contacted Marina Gratsos of
Carpe Diem Luxury Travel, a London company specializing in glamorous excess. Gratsos not only arranged
for the group to stay together at two private residences
in Umbria over the course of a week, she put together
a party at each. The first was a Zoth birthday fete set
against the picturesque medieval and Renaissance ruins
on the estate grounds; it included jugglers and flag
wavers in period costume. The second celebrating the
4oth birthdays of Dorros's husband and his cousin,
centered on a wine-stomping competition-even
though grapes were out ofseason.
"Marina still made it happen," Dorros says. "The
entire family dove into barrels fitfor zo people, rolling
up white linen pants and beautiful silk summer dresses,
which were getting splashed with grape juice."
On the last night Gratsos organized a private home
performance by local opera singers, and members of
the villa staffconcluded the evening by breaking into
an impromptu rendition of "Memory" from Cats. Dor ros's family was bowled over. So was Dorros-who
now works as Carpe Diemt U.S. liaison. "We understand all angles of a client's needs and requests, no matter the level of demand," she says.
For these companies many requests are
fairly
fulfill. In Italy Countess Simonetta Brandolini
easy
to
d Adda,
who represents about Zo for-rent estates (mosdy owned
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SLEEPfNG WITH THE STARS
them out. Interested? Just ask the villa rental pros
Sting I I Pal agio,
(see
page 9z)
Lelsface*:ceteb*iesownsomeofthemostover-the-topuacationhomesaround,Manyatsorent
f they repraent any such prEefties. Here are afew.
MartinVilla au Soleil, sr. BARIs
After renting it himsel.f in 2008, the comedian/art
coLlector/movie star took the uttimate step and bought
this isLand-coLoniaL-styte estate-carved wood f urniture
and a[[. Martin has now put Vitta au SoLeiI back on the
market, with an asking price of $8.6 milLion. {lf you're interested,
the Iisting is being hand[ed by St. Barth Properties Sotheby's
lnternationaL.l WhiLe it awaits its next owner, the estate is avaitab[e
for rent. Situated on a hiLL in Lurin, the viILa has 180-degree views of
St. Jean Bay, aswe[[ as four bedrooms, a two-leveL infinity poo[, and
Stere
ruscaruv
Have a hankering to record your own rendition of
''Roxanne"? Lay it down in the studio at this 16th-century
viLta, which beLongs to the music superstar and his wife
Trudie Styler. The 900-acre compound includes a main
residence and outbuiLdings, sleeps as many as 50 guests, and can host
events for up to 400. Aside from the recording studio, it features gardens
by renowned [andscape designer Arabetla Lennox-Boyd, a working farm
that produces honey and olive oit, a biodynamic vineyard that yieLds wines
named after Sting hits ["Message in a Bottle," 'Sister Moon"), and a
chessboard with tife-size pieces. Book through: The Best in ltaty, Simonetta
Bra ndoli ni d'Adda. si m onetta(dthe besti nita [v. com. 0 1 1 -3? - 055 -223-064
a gazebo. Book through: St. Barth Properties, Peg WaLsh, pegwa[sh@
stb a rt h. co m. B0 0 - /,2 1 - 339 6
W
Donna Karan 'fhe Sanctua{y,
ruRKs AND cAtcos
Located in Parrot Cay, a private Luxury resort development,
this 1O-acre beachfront compound has a spa house,
a
dramatic infinity pooL, and the Eastern-inspired architecture
and cedar interiors you'd expect from the noted fashion designer and yoga enthusiast. lNaturatly, the property aLso has a yoga studio.l
The house is fitl.ed with antiques Karan has cotlected on her globetrotting
excursions. lf you fatL in love with the oversize custom teak furniture, you
can buy similar pieces at Karan's Urban Zen boutiques in New York City and
Sag Harbor. And if you want the uLtimate souvenir, two of the estate's three
residences are on the market for $39 mil.Lion. Book through: VitLas and Apartments Abroad, Sytvia DelvaitLe Jones, [email protected],212-213-6435
Joe Francis Casa Aran'tar.r,
PUNTA MlrA, MExlco
Perhaos the name of the creator of the notorious Gids
GoneWildvideos is not one you want to drop. But his estate
has hosted the [ikes of Jennifer Aniston, Eva Longoria,
Courteney Cox, and Demi Moore. Kim Kardashian, who
rented the vitla in 2014 (and, naturat[y, Instagrammed bikini seLfiesl, raves
aboutthevit[a's privacyand security. lt sits on a beach that has been
carefuLty c[eared of rocks, and it has a movie theater, a gym, a business
center, a professiona[-grade frozen yogurt machine, and a speciaI ANYTHING
button on every phone. Press it 24 hours a day for "anything you can think
of, anytime you want it, anywhere you want." Book through: Casa Aramara,
[email protected], 31 0-522-4960 L.L.
SPRING/SUMMER 2,ori | 89
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by her friends) can arrange a private dinner in fiont of
the David statue at the Accademia Gallery in Florence, or
a visit to a fiesco or sculpture restoration project in progress. "People love to go up on the scaffolding" she says.
Other villa agencies, in places ranging fiom Europe
to Greece to the Caribbean to California, connect
guests to locals for a more authentic experience. There
have been cooking lessons with private chefs, mushroom-foraging outings with expert mycologists, and
excursions to tiny out-of-the-way farms, cheesemakers,
and wineries. A local host in Croatia, upon hearing that
her American visitors had roots in the country, spent
hours tracking down two of their relatives and served
as translator at a traditional meal for the long-lost family members. The reunited kin are still in touch.
HERE'S ALSO AN ENTIRE
category of child-related requests,
from keeping kids entertainedsay, by arranging to have a local
professional soccer player drop
in and put them through their
paces-to simply making sure
they're safe and calm. That might
mean having a property thoroughly babyproofed,
ridding the pantry of any foods to which the little darlings are allergic, or even ensuring that the children are
Here, my deflf
The only thing a villa specialist could not
deliver in the Austrian castle a Saudi prince rented for a storvbook
Christmas with his Welsh mistress was the snow-it was October.
MIND YOUR
MANNERS
#3
Reward tlte
stqlf
The chefs, housekeepers,
and others who make your
stay exceptionaI re[y
on gratuities for their
Livelihood. Tip appropriate[y
but generousty, according
to LocaL custom and each
person's Level of expertise.
A Michetin star-caLiber
chef, for exampLe, wi[L
command a four-figure
gratuity.
wouLd be
better not to tip him at atL
than to hand him $1 00,"
says one agent.l lf you're in
doubt about whom and
how much to tip, ask your
traveL speciaIist.
|t
never without their preferred brand ofcoconut water.
That last, in fact, is a routine requirement for Holl1'
Cao and Bob Hellman. The Atherton, California, parents, who are both in private equity, fiequently stay rn
villas from a company called Exclusive Resorts. To keep
their twins, Tucker and Cartef three, well rested and
on schedule, the couple enlists the companyt concierge
team to help recreate the kids'room at home, including
bedding, sound machine, stuffed animals, photographs,
and familiar smells. "There's an unbelievable number of
things we've asked fol" Cao says. "But traveling n'ith
young kids, any little thing could cause a disaster"
Calamity was averted during a zor4 villa vacation ln
Maui, thanks to the on-site concierge. Before the famill
ar:rived, he went looking for Harrnless Har-vest roo% Raii'
Coconut Wate4 the discerning toddlers' favorite. (lt s one
ofthe few brands, Cao explains, that tastes like real coconut.) But it wasnt available in Hawaii. Thinking on his feet,
the concierge bought z5 fiesh coconuts. "He had them
cracked and the coconut water put in a jug for us in the
fridge, and it was ready to go," Cao says. "Crazy, right?"
Not as crazy as some requests. The staff of a villa rn
the Sri Panwa development on Phuket, in Thailand, once
T
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G TH E ANTE
lrfnity pook, outdoor dining areas, and spectacutar views are about as standard. in rhe high-ena vilta wortd as running
UPP IN
water and electricitJ). Bat some properti.es come with, well, a little something extra.
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Andros 4LMGreece
Leobo Private Reserve
Mas Mateu.Spaln
Casa Bahia Majorca
THE PROPERTY: Located on Andros,
Sourh
THE PROPERTY: This 1 Bth-century
THE PROPERTY: Enjoy extreme
an island that isn't on the beaten
THE PR0PERTY: Owned by an EngLish
tourist path but that attracts
tech dntrepreneur, this 23,000acre estate north of Johannesburg
combines vernacuLar and modern
design, including a chandetier made
from a hippo sketeton.
estate in Girona has atmost
30,000 square feet of living space,
muttip[e fireplaces, and views of
privacy and around-the-clock
security at this contemporary sixbedroom home, which has indoor
and outdoor pools and a view of the
Mediterranean.
a
number of Greek shipping famities,
this vi[La steeos 20 and includes a
pooL, a Jacuzzi, and a tennis court.
THE EXTRA: Ouzo time! When you re
o
z
I
c
n
ready to unwind, take the etevator
from the viLta's third ftoor down to
the fuL[y equipped bar and party area
righi on the beach.
B00K THROUGH: Five Star Greece,
lle ana von H i rsch, I Lea na@f ivesta r
qreece.com, 01 | -44-208-422-4885
Afica
THE EXTRA: Think James Bond in the
bush. The heticopter and alL-terrain
vehic[es are pretty sweet, but the
estate's dome-roofed observatory,
complete with research-grade
tetescope, is out of this wortd.
B00K THR0UGH: Handpicked Africa,
Kate C o [e ri dg e, kate co te ri d g eg
ha nd pickedaf rica.co. uk, 0 1 1 - 44-777?41 -0481
the Pyrenees.
THE EXTRA: Bring along your
OLdenburg or Dutch Warmbtood: The
THE EXTRA: Who's up for a drive?
property includes a state-of-theart equestrian faciLity that is used
to train Spain's nationaI dressage
team. IProfessionaL instructors can
atso provide Lessons.J
You're welcome to get behind the
wheeI of any of the 10 gLeamrng
luxury cars ILamborghini Gatlardo,
Spyker C8 AiLeron, Maserati
GranCabrio Sport, Aston Martin
Rapide S...) awaiting you in the
pristine garage.
B00K THR0UGH : VilLas and
Apartments Abroad, Sy[via Delvai lte
J
o n e
s, sy Ivi a.j
21 2-21
3-6435
o n e
s@va a ny c. co m,
B00K THR0UGH : Et Sol Villas,
M a ry Va i ra, m a ry@e Iso lvi IIa s. co m,
800-474-5765 L.L.
SPRING/SUMMER zol5I
9
IIPS & IACIICS
THE VILLA RENTAL SPECIALISTS
Want the u[tinate from y0ut viila vacation? Here are the
and sone of their standout prooerties.
pelple t0
call-
ST. BARTH PR0PERTIES Peg l{alsh, [email protected]\n,
are:
#4
Relinquish control.
CARIBBEAN
Who they
MIND YOUR
MANNERS
Live Your Dream" is
800-4zt-JJgd
the motto of this agency and concierge
service, run by an American who fe[[ in [ove with St. Bart's in the 1g8os and
nott' spends hatf her
time on the istand. Watsh can arrange anything from
vacation activities to spectacu[ar destination weddings; properties in the
firm's Grand Cru coltection offer hotet-$yte services.
Standout properties inctude: Vitta La Ptage, a seven-bedroom beachfront
home with an enormous semicircutar swimming pool and a hidden private
gate entrance from Lorient Beach.
ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, IRETAND
L0YD & T0WNSEl{D RqSE Andrew Loyd, [email protected],
0n-44-tBJ|-BL4-642
Who they are: .lonathan Townsend Rose managed British historic estates for
three decades; Loyd, his partner, has a degree in hotel management and spent
his earty career working with weatthy American famities. The two joined forces
in 1999 as besp0ke traveI ptanners, arranging classic British vitta hotidays.
Stand0ut properties inctude: A Grade A [ishd Pattadio-$yte mansion that
"noblest
ctassicaI country house," with a Whiskey
Library and historic portraits of the house's owners going back centuries. lTett
your friends they're your ancestors.J
has been calted Scottand's
GREECE & THE GREEK ISLANDS
FfVE STAR GREECE l[eana von Hirsch, lleanaqfivestargreece.com,
ur44-nB-4n-4885
Who they are: A pi0neer in the high-end Greek vitta rentaI market,
von Hirsch has been in business for 15 years and is impeccabty connected.
''We
understand what our ctients expect and aim to go beyond that, to create
the ultimate Greek istand vacation," she sals.
Standout properties inctude: Vitta Skin0s, a 400-acre estate on lthaca that
has received such visitors as Jacquetine and Aristotte 0nassis.
Part ofthe pteasure of
staying in a private house
is the chance to live [ike
a native. So embrace the
customs. Eat dinner at
the locatty normaL hour,
adopt the locaI habits, don't
insist on doing everything
exactly how and when you
do it in your normal Life.
Otherwise, you're missing
the point. As one agent
puts it, "lf you want it to be
Like home, stay at home."
/
#o
RcsDect the neiqhbors.
"W6 do not recoi-rmend
driving your sports
car 80 mites an hour down
a private one-way tane
or practicing with your
rock band at 2 a.m.," one
speciatist says. lf your own
ideas of good citizenship
and common sense
don't keep you and your
guests in Line, the locaI
po[ice may.
delivered 3o bottles of Louis Roederer champagne to a
high-profile guest celebrating an anniversary. The staff,
naturally didnt ask what one couple was going to do
with so much bubbly Housekeeping came into the room
the next morning to find the tub filled with it.
And for a wedding several years ago at the villa Don
Arcangelo all'Olmo in Sicily, the Thinking Tiavelle4,
a London company that specializes in Mediterranean
propertie$ had a r,ooo-pound Steinway concert piano
trucked in so that Lang Lang, the world-renowned pianist, could play it at the event.
Even those assignments were garden variety compared to this request from a couple who stayed for
a month last summer at Villa Nel Bosco in Sonoma
County, California. The Manhattan foodies had always
dreamed of preparing meals with vegetables picked fiom
their own garden. They wondered if the agency could
plant one and even supplied a list oftheir desired crops:
heirloom tomatoes, arugula, green peppers, broccoli,
onions, various lettuces, herbg peaches, and strawberries.
None of this would have been a problem, except that
the guests were due in two weeks and the seeds hadnt
even been sown. So the agency scoured the area's growers for fully developed plants, including a peach tree.
They had garden beds, an irrigation system, and deer
fencing installed. By the time the couple arrived, the garden was perfect, if ever so slightly jerry-rigged. "When
you're moving plants, they dont always arrive intact,"
Liza Graves, of Beautiful Places, says. "We were trying to
get the pepper plants symmetrical, and one or two peppers had fallen off. Yes, there was Krazy GIue involved."
ITALY
THE BEST
ll{ llALl Sinonetta Bnndolini
d'Adda, sinonettaqthebestinitaLy
HILE THE CONCEPT
.con, 0n-39"055-22306/+
Who they are: Countess Brandolini d'Adda, an American married to an
Itatian, $arted her business in the early 1980s after she began renting her
own property near Siena to a handfuI of friends and friends of friends. Since
then the business has btossomed; Brandotini now manages more than B0
of omnipotent specialists
who can make a garden grow overnight is
relatively new, villa travel
isnt. It has its roots in the
vi[[as, casttes, and other residences in various regions of ltaty, many owned
by her friends.
Standout properties inctude: Vitla det Lago, a pair of vitlas on Lake Como
that face the Vitta d'E$e hotet, on the opposite side of the take; La Masseria,
a unique nationaI historic [andmark in Pugtia
course and a bocce court.
that has its own four-hole golf
Icotrnrueo ot pace toa]
Greekdrama
A former pumice factory,
super-chic Santorini
Hideaway, represented by
Five Star Greece, comes
with views of the white
houses of Oia and all the
water toys imaginable.
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centuries-old custom of
the Grand Tour, in which
members of the British ruling class would travel for
months or years through Europe, snapping up paintings,
antiquities, and other pricey souvenirs, a practice later
embraced by the American upper class as well. Discriminating sojourners recognized the charms of the villa, in
which, Henry fames wrote in his Gilded Age travelogue
Italian Hours,one "might Iive over again in them some
deliciously benighted life of a forgotten type-with
graceful old sale, and immensely thick walls, and a winding stone staircase, and a view fiom the loggia at the
top; a view of twisted parasol-pines balanced, high above
a wooden horizon, against a sky offaded sapphire."
The modern iteration of villa travel began to take
as a trend about tlrree or four years ago, around the
Airbnb, the gro billion online busineis that allows
to list and lease their apartments or houses, became
most talked-about development in bargain travel.
they tend to attract different ends of the market,
accommodations and exclusive villas share a
off
time
users
the
Though
Airbnb
similar
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Theyve gotjuice
For a milestone family celebration
at a villa in Umbria, the renters requested a wine stomping
competition-even though grapes were out of season.
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they isolate themselves. "lt takes us back to the days of
Rome, except that the rich are richer now than anyone
could possibly imagine," says Adams, the author of On
Luxury: A Cautionary Tale, areflectron on the morality of
excess. An arrangement in which a tiny minority is able
to demand and get anything it wants-"a whole system
built on absolutely limitless consumption"-cant last,
he says. And the idea that one can segregate oneself
in a plush fortress is an illusion anyway. "It's trying to
control your environment completely," he says. "But you
cant control anything once you get beyond the boundaries of the villa. There are too many uncertainties."
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EVERTHELESS, THE TREND
continues. Eight percent of people
$r million. and
almost 30 percent of those rvorth
more than $25 million, spend
g25,ooo or more a year on leisure
travel, according to Spectrem
worth at least
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IAKES US BACK TO THE DAYS OF ROME, EXCEPT THAT THE RICH
ARE RICHER NOItl| THAN ANYONE COULD POSSIBLY IMAGINE IT'S
A WHOLE SYSTEM BUILT ON ABSOLUTELY LIMITLESS CONSUMPTION
IAND] IRYING TO CONTROL YOUR ENVIRONMENT COMPLITELY''
appeal. Private residences can offer a deeper experience
of a location, often away {iom the typical tourist destinations. They're also often found in places hotels cant
penetrate. In Sonoma County, for example, it would
difficult for a variety of reasons to "build
new hotel with zoo rooms on top of a hill in wine
counuy with an amazing view," says Graves, of Beautifirl
Places. But you can have that with a private estate.
Some observers warn that this trend has a dark side.
The historian and lecturer William Howard Adams
says villa travel only accentuates the "totally depressing" gulf between those who gobble up every possible
be extremely
a
extravagance, the subordinates r'r'ho indulge them, and
the teeming, impoverished multirudes from whom
Group, a consulting firm in Illinois. Five percent of rhe latter group shells out groo.ooo
or more.
To attract that kind of spender, a number of upscale
hotel chains are adding villa-style accommodations to
appeal to discriminating, deep-pocketed guests. Four
Seasons Hotels and Resorts recently appended "and
Residences" to the titles of its properties in Vail, Jackson Hole, and Whistler. (Each already included separate villa-like accommodations and wanted to be sure
potential guests knew it.) The upscale chains Vicerol'
Hotels & Resorts and Rosewood Hotels & Resorts are
also adding villa options.
While hotels are cribbing Iiom the villa business, the
villa business has learned a thing or two from hotels-
in particula4 branding. In April zor5 an invitation-onl1'
consortium of exclusive agencies and some individual
properties will launch a new partnership called UltraVilla. The idea is to guarantee a certain level of quaiity-to be the Relais & ChAteaux of the villa world.
That may come in handy when a villa stay doesn't go
as planned, as fames Martin, a New York businessman, discovered during a trip to Buenos Aires a few
years ago. He and his friends had rented an "amazing"
go million property and were on their way to it when
they got a call from their rental specialist The house
had burned down in an electrical fire. "lt was a big,
smoldering pile of ash," Martin says. Though nobody
had been hurt, there was still the question of where
Martin and his group would stay. His agency scrambled
to find them a series ofhouses along the Rio de la Plata.
"Of course, these homeowners had not been prepared for guests, so we literally went in with their laundry still in the washing machines," Martin recalls. "It
makes for a good story." o
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