April 22nd, 2012
Whether vacationing in a luxury villa rental in St. Tropez or Miami these trends will serve you well this summer
Planning a summer vacation can be daunting enough–where to go, what to do, where to stay–but once that’s all settled, what remains is what to pack, which can be equally problematic. Depending on your destination and the duration of your stay, you may require quite a few outfit changes for any one luxury vacation. If you’re undecided about accommodation in the South of France or Miami this summer, we’d definitely suggest the privacy and exclusivity of a luxury villa rental. If what to bring is more the problem then we think a mix of the following trends will hit just the right note no matter what your vacation plans.
BIG, BOLD PRINTS – Nothing says vacation like a loud Hawaiian patterned shirt, right? Well, not exactly, although high end designers from New York to Milan have embraced the graphic nature of Hawaiian and floral prints and modernized them for 2012.
Net-a-porter.com calls the look “techno tropics” and relates how this season from “graphic Hawaiian florals at Altuzarra to Peter Pilotto’s hothouse stems, kaleidoscopic prints reign supreme…[these] blown up florals and oceanic motifs mean instant drama.”
Brightly hued and bold prints will serve you well from day (like the Alberta Ferretti shorts seen above) to night (when you can make good use of Matthew Williamson’s easy breezy belted kimono-style maxidress). A look like Roberto Cavalli’s floaty red and white maxi is a perfect vacation piece, because it can do double duty between day and night depending on your choice of accessories.
JET SET GYPSY - Boho is a trend that never really goes away, but every so often more than just the usual designers like Cavalli and Pucci’s Peter Dundas revisit the style. This season flowing skirts, lace, wedges and chunky statement jewelry are perfect pieces to pack to complete that luxe boho look.
Cavalli, Pucci, Dolce and Gabbana, and Missoni and Versace, as seen above, seem to do the luxe gypsy style particularly well. Perhaps it’s something about the romance of the Mediterranean that inspires these designers, either way these items are perfect for any luxury getaway. Missoni’s cobalt silk-chiffon Haydee skirt or Versace’s printed chiffon top are just two great options for incorporating the gypsy look into your vacation wardrobe.
PRETTY PASTELS - This spring there’s a little bit of dichotomy when it comes to color. On the one hand soft and feminine pastels were all over the runways, on the other the trend of bold colorblocking and neon brights (we’ll get to that next) seems to be hanging around for the foreseeable future. One look at the pastels designers are churning out and it’s easy to see why these pieces could easily become vacation staples.
A cropped skinny jean in a cotton candy shade, like the apricot pair from MiH seen above, is one of the must-have items this summer (add a pair of red and white pants to the mix and you’re half way to being vacation ready), one that can easily be accessorized from totally casual to acceptable for balmy evenings eating al fresco. Mixing different shades of pastels is also a great way to add visual interest to a softly feminine outfit. Of course, you’ll never go wrong packing a classic shift dress like the lavender Jil Sander seen here, which is made uber feminine by adding the floral bag from Reed Krakoff.
BLOCK IT OUT – Nothing says summer like bright hues, which is why colourblocking is one of those trends that just seems to work best with bright summer days and long summer nights. During your luxury villa rental vacation do as net-a-porter suggests and “pep up your palette with bold primary colors” like “fuchsia, mint, emerald and orange – electric block color is so bright now!”
Emilio Pucci’s colorblock sweater looks so chic paired with skinny white pants, perfect for a daytime stroll or some time on a yacht. Gucci’s colorblock silk crepe de chine top looks fabulous with their purple pants and nude heels, a versatile look that can easily take you from day to night.
GO SHORT - It seems like a no brainer when heading on vacation to a sunny and hot destination, but this summer shorts really are all the rage. From denim cut offs to smart and preppy printed versions we recommend packing at least a few to get you through the hot days and warm nights.
Reminiscent of a deck chair, Stella McCartney’s cotton and silk-blend shorts pretty much scream vacation, while who wouldn’t love Yves Sant Laurent’s red shorts paired with their lively floral blouse (you can also get shorts in the same floral print)? Meanwhile, Michael Kors’ leopard print short shorts are glamorous and exotic.
Where accessories are concerned, think about a Two Part Bag, which will work for both day and night. This printed canvas and leather clutch from Proenza Schouler comes in both a clutch and a tote, the smaller of which can easily be slipped into the larger when traveling.
As for shoes, wedge sandals are uber hot at the moment, but don’t forget a pair or two of what net-a-porter is calling the “ready to wear heel” (like Brian Atwood’s Claudia embroidered suede pumps above), which will instantly become the focus of any outfit. Of course, another option is to embrace the flat-for-night trend by choosing a pair or two of embellished flats that are easily packed and perfect for your vacation evenings.
Photo 1 – www.stylesizzle.com
All looks from net-a-porter-.com
Posted in Luxury Travel, Miami Beach Luxury Travel, Shopping | No Comments »
March 20th, 2012
Skiing, shopping and eating are three of the main draws for the throngs that convene on Aspen every year. And while people often associate the snowy slopes of Aspen with winter vacations, don’t be fooled into thinking this striking village has nothing to offer in the warmer months. On the contrary, if you’ve missed out on booking a luxury villa rental in Aspen for your winter getaway think about reserving now for the months to come. There are several great, not-to-be-missed events taking place in Aspen in the coming months, among them the
Food & Wine Classic at Aspen (June 15-17) and the Aspen Film Festival (October 1-7), which you may want to consider penciling in to your vacation itinerary.
 |
Rob Reiner and Kathy Bates at the Aspen Film Festival
Photo via filmfestivalworld.com |
If you love great food and wonderful wine then you’ll likely be enthralled with an event hosted by Food & Wine magazine. The now legendary event may have started as a gathering of winemakers, chefs and aficionados of both, but thirty years later it has evolved into one of the United States’ foremost culinary festivals. The 30th anniversary of the festival will be held in Aspen this year from June 15 to the 17th, and participating chefs include Mario Batali, Jacques Pépin, Giada DiLaurentiis, Grant Achatz, and Tom Coliccio, not to mention the internationally celebrated winemakers, brewmasters, mixologists and sommeliers who will also be convening on the resort town for the event. The festival includes tastings, panel discussions, classes, demonstrations and seminars, and 300 exhibitors showing in the Grand Tasting Pavilion. You can choose between such events as Ming Tsai’s Asian BBQ, Swill for the Grill by Danny Meyer and Undiscovered Grapes of Spain by Steve Olson.
 |
| VillaHotel Rose |
If you’re interested in the Food & Wine event then 2012 is the perfect year to attend, because in addition to the usual draws there are also several special 30th anniversary events on the schedule. These include an anniversary party, an after-hours dessert soiree and a 5 kilometre charity run. Tickets are currently selling for $1,225 (with 2% of the net proceeds being donated to Grow for Good by Food & Wine) and going quickly, so if you’re looking to attend snap up your tickets now! You may also want to consider booking a gorgeous luxury villa rental in Aspen while you’re at it, a perfect way to complete the entire culinary experience. (Our “V” Villas and VillaHotels also offer state of the art kitchens if you’d like to try out some of your new skills once the food weekend is over). Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Aspen | No Comments »
February 20th, 2012
 |
| VillaHotel Pamela in Aspen |
With the high season in Aspen in full swing, the area’s glorious mountains are no doubt calling to ski aficionados in need of a vacation. Even if you don’t ski there is a lot to see and do in luxurious Aspen, from great dining to shopping and spa activities, not to mention the après ski nightlife. Of course, an exclusive vacation wouldn’t be complete without the right kind of accommodation, and while Aspen boasts several great hotels nothing beats a luxury villa rental when it comes to comfort, exclusivity and privacy. If Aspen is your destination this winter, Villazzo boasts seven different luxury villa rentals to choose from including new additions VillaHotel Elisa and “V” Villa Silvia. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Aspen | No Comments »
January 22nd, 2012
 |
| Photo via tuyomiami.com |
If you’ve booked your luxury villa rental vacation in Miami this winter you’re likely gearing up for a getaway filled with sun and sand, food and vibrant company, as well as some world class cuisine. One option if you’re on the lookout for something new to try on the Miami restaurant scene is Tuyo, the new restaurant from Norman Van Aken that is located about the Miami Dade College’s Culinary Institute. The view from the floor-to-ceiling windows of the rooftop restaurant is worth the price of admission alone, but, thankfully, not the only reason to try out Tuyo (“yours” in Spanish). Executive chef Van Aken, officially the Director of Restaurants at MCI, is joined in this endeavour by Chef de Cuisine Jeffrey Brana and Sous Chef Travis Starwalt.
Along with the gorgeous space, Tuyo offers a seasonal menu of fresh farm-to-table options. The restaurant features a the $95 Voyager’s Menu, which includes a 5-course dinner (add $60 for wine pairing or “flight”). Of course, Tuyo also offers an extensive à la carte dinner menu that ranges from tapas to a wide variety of fish dishes prepared in a variety of ways (think black grouper served with Serrano ham and avocado or a thick, pan-basted Key West yellowtail snapper). Meats range from barbecued veal chops to pork Havana, and there are vegetarian options such as a well prepared paella. Tuyo is located at the Miami Culinary Institute, Miami Dade College (415 N.E. Second Avenue) – 305.237.3200 Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Miami, Winter 2012
Posted in Entertainment, Miami, Nightlife | No Comments »
December 24th, 2011
 |
 |
Villazzo’s December NewsletterFrom Christian Jagodzinski, President and Founder of Villazzo
|
 |
As Christmas and New Year’s are fast approaching, I would like to wish you and your family Happy Holidays from Villazzo. Thank you to all of you who made for another very successful year at Villazzo.
I am very happy that more and more guests embrace the “next level in vacation rentals” – our VillaHotel concept – in Miami, St Tropez, and Aspen.
 
As a Christmas gift, I want to offer you two properties with very special pricing; and both are still available over the holidays.Everything else has been booked… and a lot of it very last minute. We just booked 3 properties in the last 2 days… and only 3 days to go before Christmas.
My warmest regards,
Christian Jagodzinski
President and Founder
Villazzo LLC
Back to top |
|
 |
In Miami Beach, our latest portfolio addition, “V” Villa Amanda, can now be booked at 20% off the normal peak season rate — $8,400 per week instead of $10, 500. And we have reduced the minimum rental to 10 days instead of two weeks. This is the last Miami property that’s still available… while at the same time being the most affordable one.
Click here to book now before “V” Villa Amanda becomes unavailable!
Back to top
|
 |
In Aspen, stay at VillaHotel Pamela and receive more than 25% off your entire stay – just $13,900 per night instead of the standard $19,100 rate. Plus, we are also including a free airport transfer, free massages on arrival, and a welcome toast with champagne.
Contact us as soon as possible to make your reservation with these incredible reductions!
Back to top |
VillaHotel Elisa and “V” Villa Silvia in Aspen
|
We’re proud to be offering two stunning, new properties to our Aspen vacation destination. If you’re looking for the ultimate vacation experience in Aspen – it doesn’t get any more luxurious than six-bedroom VillaHotel Elisa. This estate is only five minutes away from downtown Aspen and the area’s top ski slopes, but you would never know it: it sits on a pristine, private piece of land overlooking the entire area – and has so much inside space, you will feel more like in a Castle than in a home.
Also joining the Aspen roster is “V” Villa Silvia. Silvia offers a different take on the typical look and feel of a lodge-style Aspen luxury villa. The modern, Asian-inspired 5 bedroom, 5 bathroom Silvia is located only a stone’s throw from downtown Aspen and the area’s top ski slopes, putting you right in the midst of everything.
Back to top |
Villazzo in Cannes at the ILTM
|
 |
On a final note, Villazzo is proud to note that we exhibited at this year’s International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) in Cannes. |
It was a wonderful opportunity for us to showcase our unparalleled VillaHotel concept to the luxury travel community from around the globe, who regularly meet in Cannes every December. We look forward to attending again next year.
Back to top |
|
Posted in Uncategorized, Villazzo Newsletters | No Comments »
December 19th, 2011
 |
Art Basel Miami 2011 – Photo by Photo by
Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images via Yahoo |
This month the who’s who of the modern art world, along with a horde of A-listers, jet setters, and famous faces, descended on Miami for the 10th anniversary of Art Basel. The art exhibition has gone a long way to re-energizing Miami’s international image, making the city the place to be in early December and kicking off the Miami high season with a bang. After a whirlwind of exhibits and parties talk is already turning to Art Basel 2012 (December 6 – 9), and now is the perfect time to pre-book your luxury villa rental if you’re planning to be in Miami this time next year.
The 2011 addition of Art Basel Miami was punctuated with a variety of exhibitions from newcomers to more established and well known artists, as well as a whirlwind of parties and promotional events. From November 30th to December 3rd, Miami was the place to be, showcasing work from 260 international galleries. With a reported 50,000 attending, a multitude of private jets touching down at Opa-Locka Airport and big names like the Yankee’s Alexander Rodriguez hosting VIP events it’s safe to say that Art Basel 2011 in Miami was nothing short of a whirlwind. As for the art, which for all intents and purposes is meant to be the real star of the show, reports are that even in this somewhat uncertain economic climate sales were brisk (the majority of the buyers were said to be American, a departure from recent years that saw many from Russia, Brazil and China). Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Art Basel
Posted in Miami, Nightlife | No Comments »
November 19th, 2011
 |
| Makoto Miami - Photo: billwisserphoto.com |
With the vacation season in Miami about to kick into high gear we’re sure many heading South are already considering the age old question of where to eat after a day spent basking in the sun or touring Art Basel. Sure, if you’ve managed to secure an opulent and private luxury villa rental, there’s definitely the option of staying in, but even those with their own butlers and fully stocked kitchens will likely also want to sample some of Miami’s restaurant scene. Here are some suggestions for your days and nights out:
The Dutch – Chef Andrea Carmellini has always drawn on his roots as the son of Italian-Americans when creating his restaurants (like the lauded Locana Verde in Manhattan) and his dishes (Locana specializes in uncomplicated Italian fare). Carmellini’s The Dutch, which first opened in SoHo and is now debuting in Miami, is a little more Americana, a little more comfort food than the chef’s previous ventures. Fans of the original The Dutch will find that the hotly anticipated, now open Miami version incorporates a Southern spin, which includes dishes like oyster sliders and an abundance of pies. 2201 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, 305-938-3000
Makoto – Many looking for a good meal in the Bal Harbour Shops now have another alternative, the refreshing Japanese menu put forth by chef Makoto Okuwa at his eponymous restaurant. Okuwa has taken advantage of the fresh seafood available in Miami by presenting an interesting mix of sushi and sashimi options, along with grilled meats and innovative noodle and rice dishes. Adventurous? Try the “hotate” (live scallops). 9700 Collins Avenue, 305-864-8600
 |
New Look: Morgans on the Beach -
Photo via Miami NewTimes |
Morgans on the Beach – Joe Allen’s was a Miami lunch staple and when many regulars found out it was being replaced by Morgans on the Beach they were quite upset, even demanding that certain dishes be kept on the menu (the kitchen staff has largely remained the same). This second outpost for Morgans has proven to be successful–breathing new life and decor into an iconic restaurant. Along with the old favorites, chef Paul Suriel has added new dishes to the menu included pulled pork sliders, mac and cheese, and pizzas. The restaurant also has a respectable cocktail menu that includes a lemon basil margarita. 1787 Purdy Avenue
De Rodriguez Cuba – The newest offering from Douglas Rodriguez, one of the forefathers of New Latin cuisine, De Rodriguez Cuba’s menu is heavily influenced by the fresh seafood available in the ocean nearby. A vacation in Miami isn’t complete without some Latin flavor and Rodriguez’s new offering is definitely gourmet with selections like oxtail in a spicy red wine sauce and chocolate cigars. 101 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, 305-672-6624
 |
| Pastry Chef Hedy Goldsmith – Photo via Ocean Drive |
The Villa by Barton G. – If you want a special occasion restaurant in a gorgeously opulent setting, in this case the luxe mansion of the late Gianni Versace, then The Villa is a great choice. It may be difficult for food to stand out amidst such gorgeous surroundings, but the cuisine served up by Jeff O’Neill–including the foie gras ambrosia–certainly manages. 1116 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, 305-576-8003
Thinking of dessert? Try Hedy Goldsmith’s delicious creations at Michael’s Genuine Food and Drink (130 NE 40th Street), which include gourmet versions of childhood faves like Oreos and Pop-Tarts, or try Buttercream in Coral Gables (1411 Sunset Drive), where many Floridians flock for the cupcakes.
If you’re thinking of a vacation in Miami this winter consider the gorgeous luxury villa rentals offered by Villazzo — privacy, beauty and five-star service to rival any hotel.
Tags: luxury villa rentals, Miami Beach restaurants
Posted in Miami, Miami Beach Luxury Travel, Restaurants | 1 Comment »
November 14th, 2011
"V" Villa Silvia - Exterior
Amidst the many lodge-style Aspen luxury villas, “V” Villa Silvia features an Asian design sensibility that makes it stand apart from traditional Aspen aesthetics.
When it comes to luxury destinations like Saint Tropez, Miami Beach, and Aspen, there is usually one architectural and design motif that dominates the luxury villa market there. The “luxury look” of an Aspen villa has always been a rustic charm: stone, wood, exposed beans, vaulted ceilings, and large hearths with roaring fires.
Every once in a while, however, a luxury villa comes along that sheds some new light on traditional designs. In Aspen, that luxury villa is “V” Villa Silvia.
Unlike the many lodge-inspired Aspen luxury villas out there, “V” Villa Silvia features an Asian-inspired look both inside and out that is hard to miss. It’s layout evokes the look of a symmetrical, Japanese-styled furoba, with two large wings on each of the house. Unlike most Aspen villas, which feature a predominance of stone face, “V” Villa Silvia utilizes a predominance of rich, cedar siding, with a flagstone base that completes a wide terrace overlooking the rugged vistas of Aspen.
But while the exterior of “V” Villa Silvia still evokes the general trappings of an Aspen luxury villa, it is the interior that truly departs from the “Aspen ordinary.”
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: "V" Villa Silvia, Aspen luxury villas
Posted in Aspen | No Comments »
October 16th, 2011
Miami Offers Sun, Shopping and All Manner of Exclusivity for Luxury Villa Rental Users
 |
| Photo via inhabit.com |
Miami has long been a land renowned for it’s sun, nightlife and ability to draw the well heeled and celebrities to it’s sandy beaches in the winter and summer alike. Of course, those looking for a relaxing and luxurious vacation often prefer to choose a private
luxury villa rental in places that also offer world class dining and shopping. While Bal Harbour has long offered stores for the world’s biggest designers, now Miami’s Design District is emerging as the newest, hottest shopping destination for those looking for the biggest names in design.
Luxury brands like Louis Vuitton (just opened at the Aventura Mall), Cartier (plans have been announced for a temporary store to open in the Design District in November) and Dior have all announced plans to open stores in the Design District. It is expected that other LVMH-owned brands will follow the lead of Louis Vuitton in making the move to the up-and-coming district. Most recently the uber exclusive French brand Hermes has followed suit. According to
The Miami Herald, Herme’s Bal Harbour store lease expires in December 2012. Hermes has now announced plans for a “10,000-square-foot, two-level flagship store in the Design District in Fall 2013,” and will be temporarily housed in the area starting the end of 2012 or the beginning of 2013. The new Hermes store is set to feature womens, mens and house products. Next door will be the first St. Louis crystal store in the United States.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: shopping district
Posted in Miami, Miami Beach Luxury Travel, Shopping | No Comments »
September 10th, 2011
The Iconic Fashion Designer and Rapper Snoop Dogg Appear in Video for Jean-Roch’s VIP Room
 |
The Iconic VIP Room Nightclub in St. Tropez
Photo via worlds-luxury-guide.com |
St. Tropez’s bustling nightlife is one of the key reasons that people are drawn to the classic vacation spot again and again. Even as the summer season is drawing to a close, and the well heeled and the famous are departing from their luxury villa rentals and their yachts, we’re reminded that some of the biggest names in the world, who could vacation anywhere they choose, consistently return to St. Tropez. Just take the outspoken Karl Lagerfeld who has made his love for St. Tropez known on countless occasions. Not only does the designer vacation in the town, but has also used it as the site of Chanel Resort fashion shows and videos he’s directed to promote the iconic brand. Now, appearing in a video for the famous St. Tropez nightclub VIP, Lagerfeld once again reaffirms his love for St. Tropez. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Karl Lagerfeld
Posted in Saint-Tropez | No Comments »
August 21st, 2011
Luxury Event Planning from Villazzo
The Villazzo luxury vacation experience has met its match – Villazzo now provides world-class event planning at our vacation villas, and even at your own home!
Since our inception, Villazzo has blazed a new trail in creating luxury vacations that no other company can come close to matching. Through our unparalleled VillaHotels and elite luxury vacation destinations in Saint Tropez, Miami Beach, and Aspen, we’ve brought the best aspects of the 5-star hotel experience to the world’s most exclusive private luxury rentals villas.
Now, in conjunction with an in-house, internationally acclaimed Event Production, Entertainment & Design Team, Villazzo is teaming with the Executive Producer of E Squared Concepts to offer Villazzo customers and Villa guests alike the same level of detail in event planning as they receive from our comprehensive luxury vacation services.
E Squared Concepts is one of the most dynamic & creative teams we have ever had the pleasure to work with – they truly embody the same level of quality and attention to detail that Villazzo employs when planning luxury vacations for our guests.
If you travel to or live in Saint Tropez, Miami, or Aspen, whatever your event needs may be, from an anniversary, Valentine’s day, a special birthday, New Year’s, or just an intimate dinner party – Villazzo and E Squared Concepts will deliver the event of your dreams from concept to completion. From catering & staff, florals & linens, to tents & transportation & of course live bands, DJs & specialty acts to add that wow factor to your event. E Squared Concepts book & produce stars like Rod Stewart, Celine Dion, Jaime Fox, Josh Grobin, Michael Buble, Harry Connick Jr., Bill Cosby, & Penn & Teller for exclusive events, just to name a few.
If you are interested in learning more about what Villazzo can do for your next big event at home or while on vacation, feel free to drop us a line and we will be happy to schedule a free consultation. And please don’t hesitate to call us with any questions.
Tags: luxury even planning
Posted in Entertainment, Luxury Travel | 1 Comment »
August 21st, 2011
Everything From Jeff McInnis’ Soon-to-Open Resto to Haute Living’s Top 5 Coffee Spots in Miami
 |
| Jeff McInnis via Haute Living |
Visitors flock to Miami for many reasons; sun and sand, art and culture, the vibrant nightlife. If you’re planning a Miami luxury villa rental vacation you have the option of eating in your own state-of-the-art kitchen or venturing out to find your meal in one of Miami’s celebrated restaurants. There are classics–Joe’s Stone Crabs, Nobu, Palme d’Or–and trendier locales, not to mention a variety of different cuisines.
Like in most big cities, in Miami new restaurants from big name chefs are cause for a ton of buzz and anticipation. One such chef is Jeff McInnis, who disappointed many Miami diners when he left his post at Gigi’s earlier this year. Miami’s Top Chef has now been tapped for the new Yardbird Southern Table and Bar, which according to its website, is set to open in Fall 2011 at 16th and Lenox on South Beach. If the restaurant stays on schedule (reports have it opening in September), you’ll be able to give it a try if you head to Miami for your luxury villa rental location in the off-season or in time for Art Basel.
 |
Five Napkin Turkey Burger – Photo by billwisserphoto.com
via The Miami New Times |
Michelle Bernstein is another chef with a high profile on the Miami dining scene. Bernstein’s new offering, Crumb on Parchment, may be laidback but it is attracting well-heeled lunchers and foodies alike. The restaurant on 3930 NE Second Avenue has a café-style vibe, serves all day breakfast and scrumptious options like classic baked goods (delicious chocolate chip cookies) and elevated lunch food (tuna sandwiches served with kimci aioli and spicy pickles). While a luxury villa rental is the perfect place to throw a bash, Crumb is also a site to consider for a private party, especially one where food wrapped in parchment and utensils served up in pails only adds to the charm and ambiance.
Having a cup of coffee brewed in the state of the art kitchen of your luxury villa rental is a great way to the start the day or unwind at night, but where to go for your java fix when you’re out and about in Miami during the day? To answer that question HauteLiving.com has published their picks for the Top Five Coffee Shops in Miami: Café Demetrio, Nespresso, David’s Café, Pasion del Cielo and Versailles. Of the five we’re partial to Demetrio’s gorgeous location and gourmet brews.
And, lastly, if you’re looking for some more casual dining you’ll be happy to know that Miami has been overrun as of late with gourmet burger joints. Take Shake Shack, for instance, which just announced its opening another location in Coral Gables. The Miami New Times recently compared the newly opened Five Napkin Burger (located on Lincoln Road) to BGR the Burger Joint, which is on Miracle Mile. The results? According to the critic Lee Klein, BGR has the better “signature beef burger,” while Five Napkin wins when it comes to turkey burgers. And that’s the beauty of Miami–high or low, luxury or laidback, the city really delivers.
Villa Contenta, seen here, is just one of the gorgeous luxury villa rental options that Villazzo offers for the Miami area. Visit Villazzo.com for information on the different villas available, their unique features, stunning locations and modern amenities.
Tags: luxury villa, Miami Beach
Posted in Miami Beach Luxury Travel, Nightlife, Restaurants | No Comments »
July 20th, 2011
 |
| Tony Parker on Water Propelled Jet Pack via TMZ.com |
Increase The Fun of Your Luxury Villa Rental vacation in Saint Tropez with Sports and Exclusive Toys
Shopping and clubbing, sun bathing and sailing are all hallmarks of a luxury villa rental vacation in St. Tropez. If you’re interested in something a bit more high energy, however, the exclusive resort town offers several different options you can consider. NBA star Tony Parker was recently seen motoring around the Mediterranean on a futuristic “jet pack,” one of the many grown up toys that you can choose from during your St. Tropez luxury vacation.
The JetLev reportedly costs more than $130,000 to own, and Parker spent about $5,000 to rent one in St. Tropez. So how does this modern answer to parasailing actually work? The JetLev, made by a Canadian company, gets strapped to your back and propels you through the air using water, sucked in through a tube trailing in the ocean, as its fuel. Perhaps not the exact image of the flying jet packs we’ve been promised by movies and science fiction, but definitely a new and unique way to enjoy the sun, sand and sea of St. Tropez. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Entertainment, Luxury Travel, Saint-Tropez
Posted in Entertainment, Luxury Travel, Saint-Tropez | No Comments »
July 14th, 2011
 |
|
|
Villazzo’s July Newsletter
From Christian Jagodzinski, President and Founder of Villazzo
|
 |
Summer is in full swing here in Saint-Tropez, and as we get closer to late July, all indications are that the resort will be super-packed this season unlike any other time in recent memory! Stars, socialites, dignitaries, and the most discerning luxury travellers of the world are descending on Saint-Tropez for July and August . . .
|
. . . will you be here with us as well?
On your behalf, I have worked tirelessly along with my operations and sales team throughout the winter to hand pick the finest luxury villas in Saint-Tropez and Miami. As you know, Villazzo doesn’t just rent you a villa – in our famous “VillaHotels”, we set up a private five-star hotel just for you before your arrival (and convert it back to owner use after your departure).
The vast majority of our top VillaHotels and “V” Villas in Saint-Tropez were booked solid back in the spring. There are, however, a select few properties with very limited availability during Saint-Tropez’s peak season!
In order to make a Villazzo Summer vacation a reality for you, we are offering an exclusive 10% off promotion on the remaining summer dates for one of our top Saint-Tropez VillaHotels! In addition, we have a recently added “V” Villa offering, as well as some availability at one of our top properties. Be sure to read below for all of the details.
These last-minute offerings are perfect reasons to finally book your summer Saint-Tropez vacation with Villazzo at one of our exclusive VillaHotels and “V” Villas, and get a great deal in the process!
And don’t forget: while Saint-Tropez is buzzing, it’s the low season in Miami Beach. If you love Miami in the summer, we have some absolutely incredible deals that you simply cannot pass up!
Be sure to read about our highlighted VillaHotels and “V” Villas in both Saint-Tropez and Miami below, and contact us if you have any questions about the properties and available Summer dates for your vacation plans.
Thank you as always for choosing Villazzo – we look forward to giving you the luxury vacation of a lifetime!
My warmest regards,
Christian Jagodzinski
President and Founder
Villazzo LLC
Back to top
|
|
A Few Spots at Select Saint-Tropez VillaHotels Still Available For Summer!
|
We have an amazing deal on our “V” Villa Sogno di Luce that you simply cannot pass up! Villazzo is offering over 10% discount on Sogno di Luce if you book a vacation between August 1st and 12th – the peak of Saint-Tropez’s summer season. This reduces the weekly booking rate from 46,200 € to 39,999 €! This magnificent 6 bedroom, 6 bathroom villa is perched atop a high hill with a commanding seaside view, and puts you close to all of the action.
Now is the time to take advantage of this great deal on one of our finest “V” Villas in Saint-Tropez!
Another available option in Saint-Tropez this summer is newly-added “V” Villa Kim. Located in the coveted Domain de Sinopolis near “V” Villa Sogno di Luce , “V” Villa Kim gives luxury vacationers a spectacular, hilltop view of the sea! Its 4 bedrooms and en-suite bathrooms are surrounded by beautifully decorated living and dining areas, as well as a garden-rich exterior, complete with teak terraces, swimming pool, and outdoor Jacuzzi.
For this property Villazzo offers a special last minute rate of 13,100 € for a week, hurry up to get this amazing deal!
“V” Villa Solea is also still available for the start of peak season in Saint-Tropez – we have availability from July 15th through the 31st. Solea features a unique floor plan that really brings the sun and warmth of Saint-Tropez in summer into the villa experience. And with 5 bedrooms and bathrooms, it has ample room as well.
Finally, we have some exciting, late-breaking news on Villazzo in Saint-Tropez: we are just about to add a phenomenal new property — similar in style to “V” Villa Kim — that will have full availability for the remainder of Saint-Tropez’s peak season! This brand new, 4 bedroom beauty is close to Tahiti Beach, and very nice. Contact us if you’d like to hear more about it!
Don’t get left out of the 2011 summer season in Saint-Tropez! Contact us now to book your vacation!
Back to top
|
Villazzo Miami VillaHotels Are A Great Deal in the Summer – Take a look!
|
Even though the Summer months are considered the “low season” for Miami, Villazzo’s luxurious VillaHotels and “V” Villas remain the hottest properties around. We are currently offering incredible rates and promotions on several of our properties:
Miami Beach’s Palm Island can be described as nothing less than “luxury on luxury” – an ultra-exclusive community of the finest properties in all of Miami. VillaHotel Contenta is truly one of the finest luxury villas of Palm Island, with 11,000 sq ft, 6 bedrooms with spa-inspired en suite bathrooms, spectacular views across Biscayne Bay towards South Beach, and a magnificent pool, terrace area, and plenty of privacy and luxury amenities that, along with Villazzo’s 5 star hotel-inspired VillaHotel services, make VillaHotel Contenta the luxury villa of choice in Palm Island.
VillaHotel Contenta features an amazing low season rate of 50% off peak season, at just $8500 a night for a weekly booking. Some dates are still available for summer – please enquire.
With architectural details that conjure the splendor of Alhambra Palace, VillaHotel Jasmine offers Miami Beach vacationers a Moorish-style luxury villa experience on an exclusive waterfront property. The 8,500 sq ft, 6 bedroom, 6 en-suite bathroom mansion features a modern, open floor plan with chic Indian and Moroccan-style furnishings throughout. Outside, an ultra-private terrace, garden, swimming pool, and Jacuzzi make VillaHotel Jasmine the perfect choice to luxury travellers.
We have an exclusive summer promotion for VillaHotel Jasmine: in addition to Jasmine’s low season rate of $7300 a night, we’ll add an additional 20% for any weekly summer booking. Take a look!
We also have a host of other stunning Miami properties available throughout the remainder of the summer, such as VillaHotels Valentina and Catia. You can take a look at all of our Miami properties here.
If you’re ready to make plans for your summer vacation experience, don’t delay! These incredible deals are going fast, and summer will be over before you know it! Contact us to check on availability for all of these fine Villazzo properties.
Back to top
|
|
Tags: Miami, Miami Beach, Saint-Tropez, St. Tropez, v villa, villahotel, villazzo newsletter
Posted in Villazzo Newsletters | No Comments »
June 19th, 2011
As we enter the summer high season when many are planning to jet off to luxury villa rentals in St. Tropez or Capri, it’s important to start thinking ahead to winter plans. Luxury villa rentals of the calibre offered by Villazzo–many complete with customized five-star VillaHotel amenities and services–are few and far between and book up fast. While it may seem premature to be talking about December’s Art Basel in Miami when the Venice Biennale just kicked off, if you’re planning to attend you should start thinking about booking your accommodations now to avoid being disappointed.
While Miami is famous for sun and sand, gorgeous vistas and raucous parties, it is also becoming quite the mecca for art in North America. Indeed, Art Basel in Miami Beach is arguably the most prestigious art show in the United States. The sister of the original Art Basel in Switzerland, the Miami version is held in the city’s Art Deco District. Perfect, too, if you’re a sun lover as the exhibition spaces are located quite close to the beach. Art Basel Miami 2011 is being held from December 1st to the 4th and will feature “an exclusive selection of more than 250 leading art galleries from North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa [that] will exhibit 20th and 21st century artworks by over 2,000 artists. The exhibiting galleries are among the world’s most respected art dealers, offering exceptional pieces by both renowned artists and cutting-edge newcomers.” Visit artbaselmiamibeach.com for more information.
A month later, from January 13th to the 16th, the Miami International Art Fair 2012 will be taking place. Having débuted in 2010, MIA has quickly become a contemporary art fair that draws thousands of visitors and VIPs. According to the fair’s website “MIA features contemporary art of all media, including photography, installations and video. The fair also integrates innovative educational art projects – linked to important museums and other art-related organizations. An array of vibrant social activities attract collectors from throughout the US, Latin America and Europe.” Visit mia-artfair.com for more information. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Art Basel, Miami Beach
Posted in Luxury Travel, Miami Beach Luxury Travel, Nightlife | No Comments »
June 1st, 2011
|
En una cálida y amena charla con Christian Jagodzinski en su exclusiva villa La Contenta ubicada en Palm Island en Miami Beach, conversamos sobre como comenzó con este nuevo y novedoso emprendimento hotelero.
Christian nos cuenta, que uno de sus grandes placeres son los viajes de lujo. Decidía vender su empresa de internet y viajar por el mundo, a lo largo de esos viajes nunca pudo encontrar una experiencia hotelera a la altura de sus expectativas. Los hoteles 5 estrellas eran menos personalizados de lo que esperaba y los pequeños boutiques de lujo carecían de calidad y constancia en sus servicios. Read the rest of this entry »
|
Tags: Autos & Viajes, Christian Jagodzinski, luxury villa rental, Spanish
Posted in Press | No Comments »
May 15th, 2011
 |
Kristen McMenamy in
Monochromatic Chanel Swimwear |
Planning a summer getaway in a luxury villa rental always begs the question of exactly what to pack. If you’re looking to add some new additions to your summer outfits, or the ones you’ll need for next year, then Karl Lagerfeld has some suggestions for you. Last year Lagerfeld held the Chanel Cruise 2011 collection in St. Tropez, which is, of course, one of the most exclusive vacation destinations in the world. This year Kaiser Karl kept to the South of France when unveiling Chanel’s vacation looks. The Chanel runway show attracted many boldface names, just adding to the star power currently descending on France with the Cannes Film Festival.
The Chanel show opened with a variety of suits in yellow and lilac, and the soft pastel hues continued for the first part of the show. While celebrity attendees from Blake Lively and Rachel Bilson to Vanessa Paradis and Alexa Chung looked on one smart resort look after the next was trotted out (over 60 in all). There was a polo-style shirt with striped hem and cuffs, a pair of smart cream shorts paired with an embellished twinset, and some great fitted suits. Floaty fabrics and subtle florals also made notable appearances.
The light colors and pastels soon made way for classic Chanel black-and-white. One piece swimsuits were paired with traditional Chanel tweed jackets and models sported low-heeled, thong sandals, large glamorous sunglasses and bowler-esque straw hats. Lagerfeld also created knee-high, pseudo boot versions of the same sandals. Accessories also included some gorgeous Chanel Haute Joaillerie pieces. While Coco Chanel may have popularized costume jewelry, Lagerfeld showed many of his casual pieces with the real stuff including diamonds and pearls.
This summer, if you’re looking for a change from the traditional little black dress Chanel had several options. We agree with Lagerfeld that with a St. Tropez tan a little white dress seems absolutely right. And not only did Chanel offer a variety of swimsuits and coverups, but also a multitude of chic daywear and fashionable outfits to wear once the sun sets. Whether you need something cool and casual (flowing pants in black or cream, sleeveless vests, pretty floral dresses) or fancy (a stunning selection of floaty chiffon, embroidery, sequins and beautiful gowns including one featuring a shooting stars motif) this collection delivers.
And while many were focused on the stars in the audience, others were just as excited to see star models like the white haired Kristen McMenamy, Stella Tennant and Frankie Rayder making appearances on the Chanel runway.
If you’d like to plan a luxury rental villa vacation just perfect for the looks seen in the Chanel Cruise 2012 show then you should check out the options available from Villazzo. Unbelievably beautiful and luxurious villas–with or without five-star VillaHotel service–is the ultimate in exclusive vacations. Forget hotels, it doesn’t get much better than your own private lodgings in a gorgeous villa complete with butler service and all the amenities of your favorite hotel. Take a look and reserve your date for next year’s high season in the South of France.
Photos via harpersbazaar.com iPhone 5
Tags: Chanel
Posted in Saint-Tropez, Saint-Tropez Luxury Travel | No Comments »
April 9th, 2011
 |
| Villazzo’s “V” Villa Sogno di Luce in Classic St. Tropez |
While many magazines, newspapers and tour operators are constantly touting the hot new thing and far-flung destinations as the epitome of luxury travel, it seems that the trend is now going in the opposite direction. While the lure of the new and undiscovered will always hold some appeal, it seems that the well-heeled are constantly being drawn back to their tried and true vacation haunts like St. Tropez and Ibiza, and exclusive accommodations like
luxury villa rentals. Or so claims Nota Bene, the bespoke, membership-only travel management service.
 |
| Villazzo’s VillaHotel Nathalie, St. Tropez |
In a recent article in the
Huffington Post, Nota Bene’s Anthony Lassman expounds on what he sees as the true trends where luxury travel is concerned. Namely that everything old is new again. “Why are the media so focused on the new? Why do upmarket weekend supplements assume we are no longer interested in the traditional ‘watering holes’; ready to forsake them for new pastures, new hotels and the so-called ‘hot’ destinations?” Lassman asks. ”How much of this is true and what are the current most popular vacation choices of the international cognoscenti?”
 |
| Villazzo’s “V” Villa Pompea, Capri |
The answer, it seems, is the same naturally beautiful, exclusive places that have drawn the wealthy for decades. Places like St. Tropez and Capri in the summer, and Aspen during the winter, will never lack visitors. And while there will always be a market for so-called experimental travel (like “Mongolia’s Gobi Desert [or] Norway’s remote terrains” according to Lassman), not much beats landing a luxury villa in St. Tropez during the peak months. If your
luxury villa rental also happens to have VillaHotel Service–basically the advantages of a five-star hotel in the privacy of your own “home”–then so much the better.
Of luxury travelers Lassman writes: “They still want to ski in Aspen, St Moritz, Gstaad and Courchevel over New Years…have summers in the Hamptons, St. Tropez, Ibiza, Capri and Mykonos. One year Ibiza may have more pull over Mykonos; Gstaad may be more popular than Courchevel…but, in overall terms, the jet set locations will continue to attract the same audiences over the holidays, in peak periods and for key sporting events” Lassman writes. ”So, while the undiscovered is exciting, it is unlikely to replace the old.”
The pull of the classics like St. Tropez and Ibiza is strong, so booking your luxury villa rental early is definitely recommended if you’re looking forward to a summer getaway in 2011. Visit
http://www.villazzo.com/ for more information about top notch, stunning vacation villas. Choose between Villazzo’s VillaHotels, with their five-star amenities and private butler services, and the “V” Villas that offer more flexibility and independence for your luxury European vacation.
Tags: Saint-Tropez
Posted in Saint-Tropez, Saint-Tropez Luxury Travel | No Comments »
March 12th, 2011
In Saint-Tropez, fashion and luxury travel go hand in hand. Read about the latest designer handbag trends for 2011, and which bags are perfect of the luxury vacationer in Saint-Tropez.
With spring break around the corner, and the time to plan summer vacations in European luxury villa rentals already here, thoughts understandably turn to what to bring on your vacation–and what to pack it in.
There are many choices for gorgeous, well-made luxury luggage including traditional choices like Goyard, Louis Vuitton and Globe-Trotter and the new kids on the block, such as the newly launched Jimmy Choo 24:7 line and the beautiful crocodile bags and accessories offered by Nancy Gonzalez. Here we’ve gathered four great brands to help you on your way to choosing the perfect luggage for your vacation.
Globe-Trotter Luggage is synonymous with luxury and durability, and is even the brand chosen by Queen Elizabeth II for her honeymoon bags (one wonders what Kate and William will choose). The brand has six collections of sought after travel cases including the Original, which features the first Globe-Trotter model–a square suitcase featuring the company’s signature Vulcan Fibre corner details– and the Safari, a popular 1920s style. Also available is the vibrant blue Cruise collection cases with navy blue detailing and a white-and-blue pinstriped lining, the Centenary (featuring hand-made leather trim and great color and print options), and the uber luxurious Orient line, a perfect meeting of East and West. Keep in mind that not many Orient cases are available for purchase at any one time as each undergoes a time consuming and painstaking Urushi lacquer process, which is responsible for the cases’ high sheen. Bespoke options are also available. globetrotter1897.com
Famed French firm Hermès has its roots in equestrian products and has retrained their ability to produce functional items that are also beautiful and luxurious. In addition to traditional cases, Hermes’ travel line also includes handmade tote and weekend styles fashioned out of supple calfskin and durable canvas. The company also makes some pretty nifty travel products like this 100% cowhide Ties Only case for men, a perfect way to store your Hermes tie when travelling. hermes.com
Jimmy Choo isn’t just a producer of perfect sandals and great handbags anymore. As of this year the brand’s 24:7 collection is available for purchase and includes the perfect luxury luggage for any fashionista. The line includes everything from weekenders to carry-on trollies as well as matching laptop cases, luggage tags and chic passport holders in various fabrics, prints and colors. Think leopard, like the “Terence” luggage above, croc and sequins. jimmychoo.com
Goyard is another of those fabled French luxury firms, one that has been supplying the world’s well-heeled with luggage since 1853. Grab a case or a weekender bag (like the “Overnight” seen here) in the signature Goyard print and you’re assured a gorgeous piece. Whether buying retail or going the bespoke these are really bags you can’t go wrong with. goyard.com
Have your perfect luggage and wondering where to go? Villazzo is excited about the upcoming summer vacation season, including the debut of the gorgeous Villa Nathalie in St. Tropez. If you’re looking to book a luxury villa rental in Europe this summer then take a look at Villazzo’s gorgeous options and be sure to book soon–they definitely won’t last long!
Tags: globe-trotter luggage, goyard, jimmy choo
Posted in Luxury Travel, Saint-Tropez, Saint-Tropez Luxury Travel, Shopping | No Comments »
March 11th, 2011
Villazzo's Founder & CEO Christian Jagodzinski
When it comes to luxury travel, it takes a lot to impress me.
That, after all, is what inspired me to start Villazzo in the first place: I wanted to create a luxury villa rental company that offered exclusive world travelers the finest luxury villas in the world’s top vacation destinations, complete with five-star luxury hotel service. This is what my VillaHotel Concept is all about.
Through my travels, I’ve been able to ascertain what I believe to be the world’s top luxury resorts, and they are the destinations that Villazzo currently focuses on: Miami Beach, Aspen, Saint-Tropez, and Capri. To be sure, there are other destinations that could be added to our selection (and maybe will someday), but currently these specific destinations are the ones that have a sufficient crop of luxury villas that meet Villazzo’s strict standards.
The next step is always to find the most exquisite, private, luxury villas in these destinations that can then be transformed into VillaHotels.
In a place like Saint-Tropez, that’s harder than you think: there are hundreds of houses in and around Saint-Tropez whose owners would like to think are considered “luxury villas.” But in order to determine if a house is truly deserving of the VillaHotel treatment, my team and I have to personally search and inspect the entire villa market in every destination. Most of the villas we see fail to impress.
But I recently came upon a new luxury villa in Saint-Tropez that might be the finest I’ve ever come across in Saint-Tropez!
The view, pool & patio at VillaHotel Nathalie
VillaHotel Nathalie
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Christian Jagodzinski, luxury villa, Saint-Tropez, VillaHotel Nathalie
Posted in Saint-Tropez, Saint-Tropez Luxury Travel | 1 Comment »
March 10th, 2011
|
|
Villazzo’s March Newsletter
From Christian Jagodzinski, President and Founder of Villazzo
|
|
As the vacation season comes into full swing in 2011, Villazzo has been busy adding breathtaking, new VillaHotels and “V” Villas to our roster of luxury properties in order to meet our personal goal of offering five select VillaHotels and 10 “V” Villas for each Villazzo destination.
Looking ahead to summer, we’ve also expanded our selection of luxury villa rentals for Saint-Tropez, which will be a major focus for us heading into the warm weather.
|
In the off-season, my team and I personally analyzed the entire luxury villa market of more than 200 villas in Saint-Tropez and discovered three of the best properties there. VillaHotels Nathalie, Nicole, and Isabelle are by all standards the top three luxury villas in all of Saint-Tropez for their size, décor, privacy, and amenities.
We also discovered “V” Villa Janina for this season as well, which offers one of the best values in all of Saint-Tropez based on its affordable weekly rate.
In addition, Villazzo has added exciting new properties to both the Miami and Aspen destinations. Since we are currently in the midst of the Aspen ski season, we’ve focused specifically throughout the winter on adding three stunning Aspen properties, all of which capture the charm, comfort, and luxury that Aspen is famous for.
Please take some time to read about our new VillaHotels and “V” Villas below, and plan to book your luxury vacation for the summer before it is too late!
Thank you for choosing Villazzo.
My warmest regards,
Christian Jagodzinski
President and Founder
Villazzo LLC
Back to top
|
|
Want To Be In Saint-Tropez For the Peak Season? Then NOW is the Time To Book Your Villazzo VillaHotel!
|
As you know, summer is upon us – and Saint-Tropez is gearing up for another season of exclusive fun and relaxation. If you’re planning on vacationing in Saint-Tropez for the peak summer season between July 15th and August 15th, then there’s no time to delay – all of the top luxury villas are being booked now and are going fast!
We’ve just added several brand-new VillaHotels and “V” Villas to our wide-ranging selection of properties in Saint-Tropez. VillaHotel Isabelle (starting at €10,000/night) is a luxury villa designed to bring the sunny St. Tropez summer right to you both inside and out. The villa features an impressive nine bedroom, nine bathroom design amidst traditional Mediterranean architecture.
VillaHotel Nicole (starting at €7,300/night) features plenty of outdoor amenities to entertain yourself or guests, such as an impressive swimming pool, lush gardens, and sunny terraces, while the six bedrooms and bathrooms, along with a comfortable, roomy interior offers comfort and luxury at its finest.
Last but not least, VillaHotel Nathalie (starting at €7,300/night) is perhaps the most spectacular luxury villa we have come across in Saint-Tropez to date, and is by far our premiere VillaHotel. This spacious 5-bedroom luxury villa features an incredibly private surrounding with helicopter pad, large swimming pool, and terraces with breathtaking views of the sea and beach, while the interior offers guests a level of elegance and comfort that is simply unmatched in Saint-Tropez.
Villazzo also has a new “V” Villa in Saint-Tropez as well. “V” Villa Janina (starting at €11,400/week) is a four bedroom, four bathroom luxury villa that features sunny terraces, beautiful views, an inviting swimming pool, and more. We believe it to be one of the best values in all of Saint-Tropez. Along with the new “V” Villa Clara (starting at €23,400/week), we now have a wide selection of affordable “V” Villas to choose from.
Here at Villazzo, we’ve already booked VillaHotel Nathalie for July. The good news, however, is that peak season vacation slots for our other top-notch VillaHotels, Isabelle and Nicole, are still available.
But time is running out, and all of our best properties will be completely booked for summer very soon!
Don’t get left out of the 2011 summer season in Saint-Tropez! Contact us now to book your vacation!
Back to top
|
|
March in Miami With Villazzo Means Music, Sun, and Fun!
|
While the world seems to be snow and ice covered, balmy Miami beckons to us all, with its abundant sun, salty breeze, and luxury living. Because Villazzo is headquartered in the heart of Miami Beach, we have our finger on the pulse of what’s hot and what’s not for each season.
And speaking of pulses, hearts will be racing to the beat of two of the world’s top music festivals, the Winter Music Conference and the Ultra Music Festival. The Ultra Music Festival runs from March 25th to 27th and features the world’s top electronic, house, and dance musicians on one stage, including Underworld, The Chemical Brothers, Moby, and New Wave progenitors Duran Duran.
Luckily for you, Villazzo has a wide range of VillaHotels and “V” Villas available for you to book for Ultra, or just getting away from the miserable end of winter!
We’re particularly excited to announce a new addition to our roster – VillaHotel Valentina(starting at $7,300/night). When you think of Miami luxury, you imagine a contemporary luxury villa with clean lines, panoramic windows, a stunning view, and amenities inside and out that satisfy your every desire. VillaHotel Valentina delivers all of this and more.
As an added bonus, we managed to negotiate special introductory pricing for VillaHotel Valentina that is well below its true market value and should normally rent for much more. Take advantage of our incredibly low rates on VillaHotel Valentina now!
Back to top
|
Villazzo Explodes Onto the Winter Vacation Scene in Aspen!
|
As we begin to see an end to the winter season, now is the last chance to book your exclusive luxury Aspen vacation with Villazzo! For a limited time, we are offering a 20% off promotion for VillaHotel Rose ($4,300/night instead of $5400/night). The sprawling, 7-bedroom layout, rustic décor, and private views of Aspen’s mountain vistas make VillaHotel Rose one of our favorite Aspen properties.
The 2011 ski season is quickly coming to an end in Aspen, so be sure to book your final ski vacation with Villazzo at VillaHotel Rose! Contact us for more information.
Back to top
|
|
Tags: Aspen, Miami, Saint-Tropez, v villa, villahotel, villazzo newsletter
Posted in Villazzo Newsletters | No Comments »
March 1st, 2011
|
Villazzo VillaHotels is one component of Villazzo, the boutique villa company well-known in the US and Europe, partly because it is one of the most expensive, and luxurious, and also because it is modeled on a unique hybrid, combining the boutique hotel and villa models into one. Read the rest of this entry »
|
Tags: Aspen, Luxist, villahotel
Posted in Press | No Comments »
February 13th, 2011
 |
| zai for Bentley |
Planning on hitting the slopes this year? Lucky enough to have snagged a luxury villa rental in Aspen? You’ll likely need skis, of course, and we’ve rounded up some of the most luxurious options out there. These skis are not only great for hitting the slopes, but will also look fab at your après-ski spot of choice.
Buy a pair of handmade skis from Swiss luxury brand zai AG and you’ll be landing yourself one of the hottest brands on the market. Unique machines, like zai’s computer controlled press, are also used in some stages of the manufacturing process to achieve the company’s promise of lightweight flexibility. These beautiful looking skis–like Zai’s newest model, the Nezza–are made of cedarwood, UD carbon fibre, carbon nano tubes and the revolutionary Zaiìra®, and are made to work for skiiers of any level of experience. Zai is also the first manufacturer of skis to utilize a high-tensile polyethylene fibre called Dyneema®. If you’re interested, in Aspen Zai skis are available for purchase at the Aspen Mountain Store (970-544-1814). Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: skiing, skis
Posted in Aspen, Entertainment, Shopping | No Comments »
February 2nd, 2011
|
Villazzo, the world’s leading ultra luxury villa rental company known for servicing distinguished clientele globally, has re-opened its Aspen office with a spectacular inventory of premium ultra luxury estates. Read the rest of this entry »
|
Tags: aspen office, aspen villa, luxury travel magazine, luxury villas
Posted in Press | No Comments »
January 28th, 2011
|
Want Aspen affluence? We hear Villazzo, a luxury villa rental company, has reopened its Aspen office, and with it has brought a host of premium ultra luxury estates.
The 2011 season includes three VillaHotels, namely VillaHotel Natasha, VillaHotel Pamela and VillaHotel Rose. Read the rest of this entry »
|
Tags: Aspen, aspen villas, Luxury Travel, luxury travel magazine
Posted in Press | No Comments »
January 21st, 2011
High season in Aspen is moving into full swing, which means the arrival of well-heeled travelers from far and wide who are not only looking to hit the slopes, but to have some fun
après ski as well. If you’ve booked a
luxury villa rental in Aspen this season–or are thinking of doing so–you’ll likely want to think about where to eat and what to do when you’re not enjoying the great outdoors.
The 2010/2011 season has seen some interesting additions to the Aspen restaurant scene, in addition to the tried and true classics that every traveller to this ski heaven should try at least once.
Casa Tua
If you’ve been to Miami, you’ve likely sampled the wares at Casa Tua’s outpost in that city, which is set up in a gorgeous Mediterranean-style house, circa 1925, that is also home to a member’s only club on the upper level. Aspen’s Casa Tua has opened up in the space that once belonged to Ruth’s Chris and Guido’s, and is a sprawling 5,000 square foot, two-story mix of elegant and Aspen rustic.
The menu has definitely taken a page from the Miami original, and chef Sergio Sigalai’s kitchen will be serving food all day. Some delicious dishes you may want to sample include homemade pastas like Tagliolini with crème fraiche and caviar, a whole Branzino that is deboned at your table, and yummy Wagyu steaks served grilled. Mickey Grendene’s club and eatery will definitely be catering to the after hours crowd as well; if you’re interested in a membership the set up is similar to the
Caribou Club, with a choice between short and long term options.
447 East Cooper Avenue, 970-920-7277. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 2011 season, aspen restaurants
Posted in Aspen, Restaurants | 1 Comment »
January 4th, 2011
|
|
Villazzo’s December Newsletter
From Christian Jagodzinski, President and Founder of Villazzo
|
 |
As 2010 comes to a close, Villazzo stands at an exciting crossroads. Behind us, 2010 has been a roaring success in adding new properties and destinations for our customers to enjoy. The present has us gearing up for holiday festivities here in Miami as well as in our new winter haven in Aspen. And the future shines bright for 2011, with Villazzo adding yet more properties in all of our destinations, including Ibiza.
|
We’re excited about the future of Villazzo, and we’re ready to pass that excitement along to you through our unparalleled collection of luxury villas, destinations, and services.
Thank you for choosing Villazzo.
My warmest regards,
Christian Jagodzinski
President and Founder
Villazzo LLC
Back to top
|
|
Last Chance To Book Your Villazzo Holiday in Aspen!
|
Time is running out on your chance to book a holiday vacation at one of Villazzo’s stunning VillaHotels in Aspen – but properties still remain!
If you’re looking for a snowier, picturesque Christmas vacation, consider the captivating VillaHotel Isabella, a truly luxurious masterpiece of mountain contemporary design and architecture. Use promo code “Newsletter 1210″ when booking VillaHotel Isabella and get a 10% discount! We’re also featuring an amazing Christmas promotion for VillaHotel Rose. Nestled amidst the snow-topped Rockies, it’s our newest VillaHotel in Aspen, perfect for creating holiday memories that will last a lifetime. Book now for Christmas and receive an incredible 20% off your stay. With the discount, you’ll pay just $5,700 a night instead of $7,100!
 Don’t delay any longer! These final few properties are sure to be booked up very soon! Click here to contact us to book your holiday vacation.
Back to top
|
Villazzo Makes a Splash in 2010 with “V” Villas, New VillaHotels & New Destinations
|
Looking back at 2010, Villazzo made a big hit by expanding its list of “V” Villas and VillaHotels in all of our luxury destinations. Because our team of luxury travel experts regularly visit destinations like Miami, and Saint-Tropez, we’ve been able to add a full roster of “V” Villas in all our vacation destinations. 2010 also saw the opening on our new office in Aspen. If you haven’t already familiarized yourself with our “V” Villas, new VillaHotels, and the Aspen vacation destination, please be sure to visit Villazzo.com to see what we have to offer.
Back to top
|
Looking Ahead to 2011: Ibiza and St. Tropez
|
2011 will see the addition of many new luxury villa rental properties in all of Villazzo’s exclusive resort destinations. We are very excited to announce that preparations are underway to launch a selection of new “V” Villas in Ibiza, which will be available for rental sometime in early January 2011. Be sure to check back at Villazzo.com for new additions to our Ibiza destination.
Also, now that the summer is over, Saint-Tropez has now returned back to being the sleepy little seaside village that endeared it to luxury travellers some 40 years ago. And although Saint-Tropez remains inactive during the winter months, preparations are already underway to make the 2011 summer season there spectacular.
Since booking luxury villas will begin in earnest at the start of 2011, now is the time to reserve your spot in Saint-Tropez. Be sure to browse our selection of VillaHotels and “V” Villas in Saint-Tropez. Use promo code “Newsletter 1210″ when booking a VillaHotel or a “V” Villa and get a 10% discount!
Back to top
|
|
Tags: Aspen, Christmas, new VillaHotels, villazzo newsletter
Posted in Villazzo Newsletters | No Comments »
November 30th, 2010
|
|
Villazzo’s November Newsletter
From Christian Jagodzinski, President and Founder of Villazzo
|
 Thank you for taking the time to read about the news and events coming up for Villazzo in November. 2010 has been a busy and successful year for us, and we’re planning on ending the year with a bang. In this issue of the newsletter, you’ll read about all of Villazzo’s new properties, the opening of our new office in Aspen, Christmas availability, and more. We hope we can help create the next luxury vacation of your dreams.
Thank you for choosing Villazzo.
My warmest regards,
Christian Jagodzinski
President and Founder
Villazzo LLC
Back to top
|
Miami and Aspen Properties Now Available for Christmas |
We at Villazzo understand that some travellers like to flock to snowy Aspen for a winter ski trip, while others prefer spending a balmy winter in Miami. Even though many returning clients have booked already, select VillaHotels and “V” Villas are still available over Christmas / New Year’s.
Holiday availability in Miami:
VillaHotel Jasmine: Book now with promo code “Newsletter 1110” and receive a 10% discount!
VillaHotel Stella: Get the full, hotel-inspired experience of a VillaHotel at an entry price for the VillaHotel line of properties. Available now due to a last-minute cancellation. One of our clients’ favorites!
V Villa Florence: A spectacular “V” Villa choice for Miami Beach.
If a wintry landscape, world-class skiing, and snow-topped chalets are more to your liking, then now is the time to book Christmas in Aspen with Villazzo!
Holiday availability in Aspen:
VillaHotel Rose: I discovered this captivating Aspen villa and we just recently added it to the Villazzo line-up – a fantastic property at a great price!
Back to top
|
Villazzo Opens Shop in Aspen |
Throughout my travels around the world, I’ve always found Aspen to be one of the captivating luxury destinations in the world today. That’s why Villazzo is pleased to announce that, due to high demand from our customers, we have opened a new office in Aspen and are offering several exclusive rental properties there. Alexander Lehnen and Trevor Williams are the General Managers on site. They have toured dozens of properties and selected the best ones for you.All of Villazzo’s luxury villas are among the most private and luxurious in Aspen, and feature that quintessential, lodge-inspired “mountain contemporary” design inside and out. And because Villazzo has a direct presence in Aspen again, we’re also able to offer VillaHotels as well as “V” villas. Our Aspen VillaHotels feature the same 5-star luxury hotel amenities that our VillaHotels in Miami or St Tropez are famous for. Take a look at what Villazzo has to offer in Aspen!
|
Let Villazzo Host Your ArtBasel Experience in Miami! |
The whole city of Miami is gearing up for this year’s ArtBasel Miami Beach Expo, which will be held December 2 – 5 with exhibitions throughout the Art Deco district. By now, ArtBasel Miami has already outdone its “Founding Father” in Basel in terms of attractiveness among the art connoisseurs. If you’re planning on attending this year, why not stay in one of Villazzo’s exclusive Miami Beach VillaHotels? A private home is much more spacious and accommodating than a hotel suite, and paired with Villazzo’s VillaHotel setup and service can also make a perfect place for your guests or an ArtBasel cocktail. Feel free to contact us
for more information on how Villazzo can enhance your ArtBasel experience!
Back to top
|
New Miami Properties |
It all started in Miami, over 8 years ago. Today, while Villazzo now has local operations in St Tropez, Capri, and Aspen, Miami still remains a core destination for our company and clientele. It’s no wonder that nobody has the inside track on the finest luxury in properties in Miami like Villazzo. New to our roster of Miami properties are “V” Villa Babette and “V” Villa Julia. Plus, we’re also close to adding three more magnificent villas to our roster, “V” Villa Sonia, “V” Villa Marita, and “V” Villa Palmyra. All of our new Miami “V” Villas were chosen with the same level of care and excellence as all of our “V” Villas, and give you an even wider range of impressive luxury villas to choose from in Miami Beach.
Back to top
|
|
Tags: Aspen, Christmas, Miami, St. Tropez, villazzo newsletter
Posted in Villazzo Newsletters | No Comments »
October 27th, 2010
1500°
Housed in a historic building on Collins Avenue the new 1500° restaurant is a result of a $220 million renovation of the property that houses it. Built in 1956 this structure was designed by the great Morris Lapidus, an original purveyor of Miami Beach style and design, and has now had new life breathed into it with the extensive renovations and the opening of the hotly anticipated 1500° this month. According to the restaurant’s website their firm belief is that “no dish can be better than its ingredients.” With that thought in mind Chef Paula DaSilva has prepared a seasonal menu made up of largely fresh and local ingredients with a decidedly steakhouse bent. Not only has the ownership here brought in DaSilva, a chef with more than 10 years of experience at Miami’s 3030 Ocean restaurant among others (she was also a finalist on Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen), but also the experienced restaurateur Seth Greenberg who is tasked with collaborating with DaSilva to make 1500° the place a well-heeled gourmand will want to frequent whether they live in Miami or are staying on in a luxury villa rental. “Our goal is to appeal to visitors and locals alike,” Chef DaSilva states. “Whether you’re a foodie tourist on a culinary exploration of Miami’s best restaurants, or a local looking for an exquisite meal in a gorgeous setting, 1500° will fit the bill.”
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: New Miami Restaurants
Posted in Miami, Restaurants | No Comments »
October 20th, 2010
Ever wonder what Karl Lagerfeld’s world would look like if he could design more than just the clothes in it? Well, you’re about to find out. Kaiser Karl has gone and done it–he’s designed his own island. Not content to rule just the world of fashion the celebrated designer, in collaboration with Miami’s Oppenheim firm, has rolled out plans for a man-made island twenty kilometres off the coast of Dubai dubbed, quite fittingly, Isla Moda or Fashion Island. The project, backed by the KOR Hotel Group and spanning 1.2 million square feet, will feature 150 luxury villas and three hotels. Word of this project first spread in 2008, but after the bubble burst the project seemed to go quiet. Now, with plans for the futuristic-looking buildings being revealed, it appears that Karl’s island is still a go after all. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Karl Lagerfeld, luxury villas
Posted in Luxury Travel | No Comments »
October 11th, 2010
Cox and Kings Travel Announces Its Top 10 Trends for 2011 – Luxury Villa Rentals Conspicuously Absent.
Recently, Thomas Stanley, the COO of the well established
Cox and Kings travel company, released what he believes to be the ten hottest trends in luxury travel going into 2011. Cox and Kings have been around for awhile, about 250 years to be exact, so when they make a proclamation those in the travel industry usually listen. Of course, whether or not these predictions are entirely accurate remains open to debate. While the list cites the
Revival of Tour Groups as one of the ten, and a way to offset costs and make luxury travel in the current economy more affordable, it seems that a whole segment of the luxury travel market
not looking to cut costs is forgotten when considering such a trend.
Tags: Cox and Kings, Luxury Travel Trends 2011, luxury villa rentals, Thomas Stanley
Posted in Luxury Travel | No Comments »
October 2nd, 2010
Thanks to the rise of European-inspired Luxury Villas in Miami Beach, North America’s “Riviera” Remains an Exclusive Travel Destination.
If your summers are reserved for St. Tropez, the Amalfi Coast or the Spanish islands, one of the best places to turn for some warmth during the cold winter months is Miami. The lush and vibrant city is diverse enough to offer an ideal vacation for every kind of traveller and is one of the only places in the United States able to stack up to Europe’s A-list travel spots. While the middle class may flock to the Miami they see on CSI or Jersey Shore, there is a whole other dimension to the city not readily available to most travellers.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Biscayne Bay, fisher island, Hibiscus Island, luxury villas, Miami Beach, North American Riviera, Palm Island
Posted in Luxury Travel, Miami | No Comments »
October 1st, 2010
The recent bankruptcy announcement of the Ultimate Escapes private luxury vacation rental club proves that vacation and destination clubs are a risky investment and offer disappointing vacation experiences.
The private luxury vacation rental industry typically remains under the radar as far as the news is concerned. Lately, however, corruption and poor service has begun to affect luxury vacationers on a level that even the press is taking notice. Last month, we reported on how a Russian billionaire was frauded out of thousands of dollars by an concierge and luxury vacation rental provider in St. Tropez who charged their client for a fireworks show that was put on my the city. While this is an isolated case, it sadly has become indicative of many luxury vacation rental providers throughout the world.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: luxury vacation rentals, Ultimate Escapes, vacation clubs
Posted in Luxury Travel | 1 Comment »
October 1st, 2010
 |
New Florida hotels and travel services awaiting discovery
4. Top Of The Line. Villazzo, the concierge travel company that provides luxury rental properties all over the world, has just launched its newest service in Miami, V Villas. This concept provides travelers with luxury residences for rental anywhere from a week to a month. The new service also offers a selection of five-star hotel amenities that include private butlers, personal chefs, Bulgari spa products, and transportation services (limousine, yacht and helicopter charters). All amenities are available à la carte or in a package. Read the rest of this entry »
|
Tags: "V" Villas, florida international magazine, Luxury Travel, Miami
Posted in Press | No Comments »
September 24th, 2010
France, as chosen by Vogue and Mr & Mrs Smith, is a luxury villa rental paradise for newlyweds.
What do people look for in a honeymoon destination? Privacy and romance, usually, adventure sometimes, and
luxury in most cases. According to
Vogue Australia and elite travel site
Mr and Mrs Smith,one of the best places to get all of the above is a classic choice: France. While Paris has been done to death by honeymooners for generations, the South of France remains an idyllic getaway destination for those looking to bask in their fresh nuptial happiness. “Prefer a sexy yet stylish beach getaway? The French Riviera is for you. The coast that defined seaside glamour is still a balmy playground, equally endowed with look-at-me glitz and laid-back cool,” Mr and Mrs Smith explains to
Vogue. “Fancy something a little more cutting-edge?” they ask, then St. Tropez is where you and your honey need to be.
Tags: Honeymoon, luxury villa, luxury villa rental, Saint-Tropez
Posted in Saint-Tropez | No Comments »
September 18th, 2010
On the heels of the recent St. Tropez luxury villa rental frauds comes word that vacationers in high-end destinations are being preyed on in yet another way. According to The New York Post one Russian billionaire was duped out of 10,000 Euros by a concierge hired to make his time away the vacation of his dreams.
Most people who turn to luxury villa rentals for their vacations are looking for more privacy and luxury that your usual five-star hotel offers, but they also want the added perks of services like housekeeping and onsite laundry. Unfortunately, despite what some advertise, most luxury villa rentals don’t come with these extras. At best what you’ll find once you arrive is an estate agent who is generally unequipped to provide the kind of services that guests require. Another option is to hire an independent concierge service to fulfil your needs during your luxury villa rental stay, but even then it’s difficult to know what you’re getting and on what kind of a timeline.
The majority of people hoping for a memorable luxury villa rental vacation in gorgeous places like St. Tropez or Miami don’t want to have to worry about mundane tasks like cleaning or doing laundry, tasks that with most villas will fall squarely to them. If not that then the adventure of trying to find a housekeeper or cook in a foreign locale during high season will. Neither seems particularly appealing when one is hoping for a relaxing, luxurious getaway. Worse still is the reality that hiring a concierge service to fulfil your needs while you’re away from home can lead you to being duped out of large sums of money. There are many concierge horror stories floating around from harried concierges attempting to serve the needs of several renters at the same time to services promised but never rendered. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Saint-Tropez, St. Tropez scam
Posted in Luxury Travel | 1 Comment »
September 12th, 2010
Those Vacationing in Miami Beach Luxury Villa Rentals May Want to Check Out What All the Fuss is About with 1111 Lincoln Road and its Neighbors
Lincoln Road in South Beach is one of those rare pedestrian-only streets in a city of cars and traffic that reminds one of Barcelona’s tourist-trap Las Ramblas in many ways. Except now several companies, developers, and designers have moved in to rethink Lincoln Road and regentrify the area, producing buildings, stores, and restaurants meant to usher in a new era for the foot traffic on this road. Real estate developer Robert Wennett’s 1111 Lincoln Road is the biggest and showiest of the projects here and seeks to “further Miami’s international prominence as a 21st-century destination for art, commerce, and culture.” While Wennett has managed to pull in several international retailers for his multi-purpose building, it remains to be seen if he will have the same success with Lincoln Road as he has had with his other projects, like the Meatpacking District in Manhattan. If you’re planning a vacation in one of Miami’s luxury villa rentals you may want to head down to Lincoln Road to see for yourself the evolution currently taking place here. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: lincoln road, Miami, New Miami Restaurants
Posted in Miami, Nightlife, Restaurants, Shopping | No Comments »
September 4th, 2010
Fashion, wine, and the prelude to Luxury Villa Rental season make for a great Fall South Beach getaway.
As the summer season draws to a close, that doesn’t mean all ideas of vacation need flee until winter. In many locations, as seen in St. Tropez, autumn is the perfect time to visit. Usually you will find less of a crowd and, in the case of Miami Beach, some great events to help pass the time when you’re not whiling away the hours poolside at your
luxury villa rental. In October alone, the city of Miami is hosting two great events that shouldn’t be missed if you’re vacationing there at the time. In fact, they’re pretty great reasons to plan a jaunt to Miami in October, even if you had no prior plans to visit.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: luxury villa, luxury villa rentals, Miami Beach
Posted in Miami, Restaurants | No Comments »
August 27th, 2010
When most people think of St. Tropez, they think of summer; maybe visiting for a couple of weeks in July or for a month at the beach in August, which is Europe’s traditional time for vacations. While the Cote d’Azur is undoubtedly beautiful in the high summer months, it can also be quite hot, congested, and expensive. An alternative to jostling among the summer crowds for a beach chair or restaurant reservation is to book a luxury villa rental and head to St. Tropez as the busy summer season draws to a close. The weather at this time is still mild and the atmosphere is decidedly more casual, two of the reasons The Guardian just named St. Tropez one of their Top 10 choices for autumn sunshine vacations, together with such gorgeous places as Sardinia and Dahab.
 |
| Beat the Crowds – Visit St. Tropez in Autumn – Photo via |
So why choose fall over summer? For a variety of reasons, the first of which is the weather. Instead of sweltering heat you will be able to enjoy much more moderate temperatures of around 25C while sunning yourself by the pool at your luxury villa rental or taking a stroll in St. Tropez’s town center. Browse through the luxury shops or stop for brunch without being inundated by the summer crowds of jet-set vacationers and gawkers. As The Guardian notes, St. Tropez, the “summer playground of the glitterati, the flashiest seaside resort in the Côte d’Azur takes on a whole new identity come autumn…Most of the crowds are long gone, leaving behind a more laid-back town. Beaches which are usually packed are blissfully quiet, as are its posh boutiques.” So if you really want to enjoy St. Tropez without the bother, then visiting in the autumn could definitely be the right choice for you.
 |
| Annual Autumn Event: The Voiles de St. Tropz – Photo via |
And don’t think that the end of summer means the end of fun and activity in St. Tropez, either — nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, one of the biggest events of the year here,
The Voiles de St. Tropez, takes place in the fall. This year, the Regatta is being held from September 25th to October 3rd, when the Société Nautique hosts about 300 sailing yachts in the annual competition. Teams from fifteen different countries will take part in the race and the entire town will be alight with the festivities that go along with this important yearly event. So don’t worry that once the summer is over, the paparazzi have packed away their lenses and N.E.R.D. stops performing at V.I.P., there won’t be anything to do in St. Tropez.
If you do decide to book an autumn getaway in St. Tropez, then a luxury villa rental, complete with VillaHotel service, (think five-star hotel then add a star, gorgeous grounds and complete privacy) is really the way to go. Of course, if you ever get tired of hanging around your own private paradise, there will still be lots to do in town, from the less busy beaches to new restaurants like Pierre Gagnaire’s Colette in the new Hotel Sezz. So forget the crowds and the sweltering sun–choose autumn for your stay in St. Tropez.
Tags: luxury villa rental, Saint-Tropez, St. Tropez in Fall
Posted in Saint-Tropez | No Comments »
August 21st, 2010
St. Tropez Villa Frauds Makes Booking Through a Reputable Luxury Villa Rental Outfit Increasingly Necessary
The land of sea and sun, St. Tropez is where the wealthy go to get away from it all for a few blissful weeks every summer. Many yearn to be part of the St. Tropez scene and go about booking their vacations well in advance to ensure they will be sipping champagne beachside with the stars come out in July. Unfortunately, for several U.K. families recently, dreams of a fantasy vacation were dashed when they realized the deposits they put down on what they thought were luxury villa rentals were gone. Their money stolen and the villas they rented not in existence, these victims are now beside themselves as to what to do next. This vacation scam is becoming all too common and reinforces the need to book your luxury villa rental vacation through a reputable firm that not only knows St. Tropez well, but personally inspects each luxury rental villa to ensure your vacation will be the perfect, stress free getaway you’ve been dreaming of.
According to Britain’s Daily Mail the St. Tropez villa fraud is one of the biggest of its kind in recent memory, with over £250,000 having been stolen from unsuspected travellers yearning to join the jet set on the Cote d’Azur, and others still looking to vacation in Spain or Austria. The newspaper spoke to one couple, Claudia and Keith Louch, who lost £10,000 on a St. Tropez luxury villa rental for a family reunion. Only after arriving in France and driving to look for the villa did Claudia Louch and her husband realize that there had never been a villa at all. Understandably upset, the couple had to call their other family members to cancel the vacation, many of them being forced to lose the price of their plane tickets when they cancelled at the last minute. Worse still for people like Claudia Louch, travel insurance doesn’t generally cover these types of situations.
The problem that many of these duped vacationers are reporting is not being able to tell the real from the fake. The ads they found were on reputable websites that are, however, just listing pages for villa advertising — not a company that checks on the validity of the ads. In many cases ,the villas were also offered at a suspiciously reduced rate, making them irresistible for those who long to enjoy the St. Tropez lifestyle. Now that the truth has been revealed, of course, it seems more of a case of getting what you paid for in the most unfortunate way.
 |
| St. Tropez at Night |
A solution for those longing for the experience of a luxury rental villa in St. Tropez, but don’t want to worry about who they are handing over their money to, is to go through a reputable rental company. There are only a handful of truly specialized luxury villa rental providers in the exclusive St. Tropez area, and you want to look for one where the managers check each property before the keys are handed over to guests. The reputable firms are also well versed in the local culture. Aside from this intimate knowledge of St. Tropez, these reputable rental companies also offer ”value added” services that make you feel as though you are sleeping in a hotel, but with a ton much more luxury. Think gaggles more privacy, gorgeous grounds, a refreshing pool, and a staff that can cater to your needs just as if you were staying at an upscale hotel. A win, win it seems.
Most long for the pristine beaches and vibrant nightlife of St. Tropez, but if you’re planning to head out to the Cote d’Azur take care where you decide to stay. Many would understandably prefer a luxury rental villa over a hotel for their stay, but choosing the right one is fraught with pitfalls as the stories out of the U.K. tell us. If you want worry free vacationing then turn to a reputable villa rental company, which will work around the clock to ensure your stay is not only as perfect as possible, but tha you never want to leave.
Tags: luxury villa rental, luxury villa scam, Saint-Tropez, U.K. Vila scam
Posted in Saint-Tropez | 1 Comment »
August 14th, 2010
Hotel Sezz St. Tropez
As luxury villa rentals are becoming more and more favored among elite St. Tropez vacationers, hotels are switching to to a “villa” format.
In most of the world’s most famous and exclusive vacation destinations, hotels usually become the predominant tourist infrastructure for vacationers. Ranging from economy to ultra-high pricing, you can usually find a wide range of hotel accommodations, offered by the world’s most popular hotel chains. This is most directly seen in Florida and California in the U.S. and in places like the Algarve in Portugal as well as many of the Spanish tourist destinations.
St. Tropez, however, has always been an exception to the rule.
Because St. Tropez has always managed to retain its small-town personality — in spite of the fact that millions of people visit the town annually, there are less than 6,000 Tropéziens that live there year round — large hotel chains have never been able to fully dominate the St. Tropez vacation experience. Add to this a new movement to tear down clubs and businesses along Pampellonne Beach in order to preserve the natural beauty of St. Tropez, and it becomes even clearer why Hilton, Sheraton, or Marriott has not been able to stake a claim to its tousrist market.
The hotels that dominate St. Tropez tend to be more of the boutique hotel and bed and breakfast variety. No mega-hotels, to be sure. But what has been the strongest vacation tradition in St. Tropez are luxury villa rentals — magnificent homes on the beach or overlooking the sea that give vacationers to St. Tropez the full native Tropéziens experience. From quaintly traditional to neo-contemporary, these luxury villas span the entire spectrum of size, decor, and price.
The popularity of luxury villa rentals in St. Tropez is clearly not going away anytime soon. In fact, some luxury villa rental companies are beginning to offer luxury hotel-style services, turning the villa living experience into a combination villa-hotel vacation.
As a result, new hotels in St. Tropez are beginning to take on the look and feel of luxury villas. Take, for instance, the Hotel Sezz Saint
A bird's eye view of Hotel Sezz
Tropez — the newest addition to luxury hotels in St. Tropez. At first sight, Hotel Sezz seems like many other boutique hotels in St. Tropez: 37 rooms, designed by architect Jean Jacques Ory and designer Christophe Pillet, modern architecture and décor, spa complex, champagne bar, and soon-to-be Michelin-rated gourmet restaurant headed by chef Pierre Gagnaire.
At closer look, however, the Hotel Sezz is set up more like a cluster of small luxury villas — not a “hotel complex” alla The Ritz-Carlton or Hilton. The 37 rooms are classified as bungalows (30m²), cocoons (40m²), or actual “villas” (90m² with private pool), and each of them offer direct access to the hotel’s facilities, such as the swimming pool, garden, and terrace.
The only problem is, no matter how much Hotel Sezz or any of the other boutique hotels in St. Tropez try to offer their guests the luxury villa experience, the shared, public facilities never offer the same privacy and exclusivity as a true luxury villa rental. And because luxury villa rental companies like Villazzo now offer VillaHotel services that rival the finest five star hotel services, it remains to be seen if even
Villazzo's St. Tropez Luxury Villa Rental "La Forge," complete with VillaHotel services.
these small, exclusive luxury hotels will be able to keep up with the luxury villa rental industry in St. Tropez.
Furthermore, as St. Tropez’s city council continues to move in the direction of natural preservation of the town and beach, private luxury villas will continue to be favored in new construction permits over hotel complexes, since single family dwellings ultimately offer less erosion to natural beauty and minimal increase in the use of resources.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that luxury hotels are going anywhere in St. Tropez. To be sure, many people stay in them each year and continue to keep that portion of the travel industry up and running. More and more, however, guests in these boutique hotels look to stay in luxury villa rentals for next trip to famed St. Tropez.
Tags: Hotel Sezz, luxury villa rental, luxury villas, Pampelonne Beach, St. Tropez hotel
Posted in Saint-Tropez | 1 Comment »
August 13th, 2010
Well-heeled travelers amid the luxury villa rentals of St. Tropez now seem to prefer covering up to baring all
St. Tropez is known as a place of glamorous excess, where the rich frolic in the sunshine and party well into the night. In the past it was also quite famous for its topless beaches, a Cote d’Azur tradition that seems to be in decline in recent years. Vacationers from yacht owners to those staying in luxury villa rentals will have noticed that fewer and fewer women are daring to bare their breasts lately. French sociologist Jean-Claude Kaufmann has been following the issue since the 1990s and has published books about his findings. Kaufmann has recently updated his old data with interviews with a new generation of women and has not only confirmed the trend, but has attempted to work out the reasons for the cultural shift.
Only fifteen years ago, when Kaufmann first conducted a study on the popularity of toplessness on the Cote d’Azur, he found that the majority embraced le monokini (bottoms only) for their beach wear. The style was especially popular in St. Tropez where topless and nude beaches have been all the rage since they were introduced in the 1960s. Tahiti Beach, for instance, is constantly showing up on Top 10 Lists, from one of the best beaches on the Cote d’Azur to one of the world’s top nude beaches. The secluded Plage de Tahiti is located about four kilometers from St. Tropez’s city center and can be found along the north part of famous Pampelonne Beach. Yet, even on beaches where topless women were once everywhere, a marked downturn can be seen. The recent trends in swimwear–like the cut-out one pieces so popular in 2010 and seen in St. Tropez on the likes of Paris Hilton–also seem to support this new keep-the-top-on modesty.
 |
| Kate Hudson debuted an array of stylish cover ups in St. Tropez this summer. |
Kaufmann’s new interviews have led him to draw the conclusion that, “cultural reference points have completely changed in the last fifteen years. What was once fashionable has now become old-fashioned, and young women in particular no longer think twice about stigmatizing in a very emphatic manner the ‘old women of 50′ who dare to take off their bikini tops.” Furthermore the sociologist has found the reasons for this new way of thinking include keeping a semblance of modesty as a form of seduction, the fear of skin cancer and out-and-out shyness.
 |
| Supermodel Heidi Klum is stylish in a modest black cover up - Tropez 2010 |
According to RUE89, which published an article based on Kaufmann’s findings, it is not nudity itself that makes modern women blanch, but outright public nudity. “A tiny inlet or by a river or somewhere like that where there’s only me and maybe some people I know very well,” one woman told the publication about where she would be comfortable bearing it all. “I don’t feel at ease on a beach.” It seems that the current generation of women would be much more comfortable going topless poolside at a secluded luxury villa rental rather than a crowded St. Tropez beach.
While toplessness in the 60s was a sign of the Love Generation revolution and women’s lib, this new modesty seems to be the take of the new feminists who, while comfortable with their own bodies, prefer to only show them in more private places, like around the private swimming pool of a luxury villa rental. While everyone has their own ideas about what is fun and appropriate it seems that more and more women are choosing to cover up when in the glaring sun and the public eye.
Image Source: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
Tags: luxury villa rentals, Pampelonne Beach, Saint-Tropez
Posted in Entertainment, Saint-Tropez | No Comments »
August 7th, 2010
Famed Nikki Beach Club in St. Tropez- Photo via NikkiBeach.com
Locals from yacht owners to luxury villa rental vacationers anticipate proposed eco-inspired changes to one of the world’s most exclusive strips of sand
Well-heeled jet setters look forward to their summers in St. Tropez and don’t mind paying exorbitant sums for sun chairs, not to mention hundreds of euros for drinks and food, at the exclusive local beach clubs in the area. While this has made St. Tropez a glamorous haunt for the rich and famous for decades now, that the glitzy nightlife of St. Tropez’s club scene is now threatened by a new ruling by the council that oversees the area. These exclusive clubs, like the famed Club 55 on Pampelonne beach, are facing being shut down in the light of this ruling and are making the option of a private pool in your own luxury villa rental seem like a better option every day.
| According to The Australian, the council of Ramatuelle, which rules over matters that affect the St. Tropez area, has decided that the beach clubs that cater to the likes of Paris Hilton and Eva Longoria Parker are an environmental hazard. The twenty-seven businesses located on celebrated Pampelonne beach are thought to be damaging the nature in the region. The plan is to reduce the businesses on the stretch to twenty-one and to make the structures both smaller and portable, so that they can be packed away in the winter months. Not surprisingly this has both the business owners and locals, many of whom depend on tourist dollars for their livelihoods, steaming mad. |
The chairwoman of the owners’ association, Carole Balligand, spoke to The Australian about her outrage at the proposed changes. According to the paper, Save Pampellone, Balligand’s organization, is not going away without a fight and is determined to block the proposed changes, which will not only change the look of the beach, but will also turn this land of sun and relaxation into a building site for the foreseeable future. For now only questions remain–about whether this proposal will indeed go forward and what, if anything, this means for businesses and vacationers in St. Tropez in the future–and will only be answered by the final ruling, which will be made by the French government.
 Club 55 in St. Tropez - Photo via TaraBernerd.com Regardless of the decision that is made, it seems clear that St. Tropez will always be a favourite vacation spot for those looking for a little glamour and exclusivity to go with their sun and sand. Perhaps, though, it will mean pulling up stakes from the beaches, and leaving the €20 beach chairs behind, for some real privacy and first class service at a luxury villa rental, where a pool can be enjoyed without the threat of cranes or protests. |
Tags: Club 55, luxury villa rental, Pampelonne Beach, Saint-Tropez
Posted in Saint-Tropez | No Comments »
July 23rd, 2010
Find out what a portion of water will cost you in the land of stars, sand, and luxury villa rentals
Ever since Bardot turned the world’s eyes on St. Tropez in the 1950s, the area has been a beacon to the rich, famous, and those who’d like to be. So it’s no surprise that when Wealth Bulletin came out with their list of most expensive places to dock a superyacht, St. Tropez was not only on the list, but in the top five. While the Italians have the lock on the first three priciest yacht spots, the report makes it clear that saving yourself a berth in one of the marinas of St. Tropez won’t come cheap. And with only thirty mega-yacht berths available, throughout the St. Tropez waterway, both price and space are making staying on a yacht for a St. Tropez vacation prohibitive for even the world’s most lavish travelers.
In compiling their report, the Wealth Bulletin used a 230-foot yacht, the longest length that some exclusive marinas will allow, as their
sample. To be as accurate as possible, the prices cited do not include dates of high activity in certain ports like the film festival in Cannes or Monaco’s F1 race.
So how much will it cost you, exactly, to moor a 230-foot vessel in St. Tropez? €1,300 a day.
And with just thirty mega-yacht berths available, the peak periods of June through August for the Cote d’Azur are consistently booked, which is why vacationers to St. Tropez routinely see yachts dotting the bay’s azure horizon.
Considering the high percentage of yacht-wielding socialites, celebrities, and otherwise wealthy jetsetters, it might seem strange that so few berths are made available by the St. Tropez port authority, especially considering that it is one of the most famous ports in the world for luxury travel. But size, quality, and environmental considerations play key factors in limiting the number of yachts allowed in St. Tropez’ bay at one time.
First off, the bay is quite small compared to others: while the U.S.’s vacation-oriented Chesapeake Bay stretches 200 mi (322 km) long by 30 mi (48 km) wide, the Gulf of St. Tropez’s coastline is only 7.45 mi (12 km) long by comparison, allowing for only a limited number of safe berths for large yachts.
In addition to the limitations in size, the St. Tropez port authority also seeks to limit the number of yachts in the bay in order to control water pollution as well as unsightly boat traffic.
Of course, there are even more expensive places to moor your yacht in Europe.
Seven of the top ten marinas can be found in Europe with the most expensive, in Capri, costing €2,900 ($3,914 U.S.) per night. The bargain of the bunch? Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island Marina at €421 per night. Of course, these costs don’t include all the other annual expenses that go along with owning a yacht, which can run up to about twenty percent of the vessel’s total value.
Despite the high cost of owning a yacht and anchoring it in St. Tropez, the berths in these high-end marinas are always full and often taken by boldfaced names. If you’ve booked a yacht or luxury vacation villa in St. Tropez this summer you’ll be sunning yourself alongside the likes of Paris Hilton, who has been seen jumping off her yacht Tatoosh and getting sprayed with champagne on club roofs in the middle of the day.
Paris Hilton aside, for many of the elite travelers to St. Tropez, it’s becoming much more comfortable and convenient to book a luxury villa rental instead. With gorgeous grounds and round-the-clock service, luxury villa rentals in St. Tropez offer just as much luxury service and amenities as any superyacht, but with the added bonus of being much closer to the beaches and center of town. Getting into town from a yacht, after all, requires an inconvenient ride to shore on a dingy.
What’s more, you’re guaranteed to find ten times as many luxury villa rentals to choose from in and around St. Tropez, compared to only thirty slots for yachts in the St. Tropez bay. So, if you’re ready to experience the full luxury of St. Tropez, spend your time there in a luxury villa hotel and simply enjoy the yachts from a distance.
Tags: luxury villa rentals, Paris Hilton, St. Tropez marina
Posted in Entertainment, Saint-Tropez | No Comments »
July 22nd, 2010
Although the new trend in St. Tropez is supposedly “authentic luxury,” the new crop of ultra-contemporary hotels there seem to be out 
of place. But this luxury villa really combines a modern interior with a traditional exterior for total luxury throughout.
Search the web about St. Tropez these days and you’ll come across a lot of coverage about the new boutique hotels that have been appearing there, just in time for the peak summer season. The Muse Hotel has made a lot of news: with its 15 little “villas,” its layout is supposedly a reflection of the trend toward traditional, authentic St. Tropez luxury , much in the way that Bardot discovered it back in the day.
But these new hotels are about as authentic and traditional as the Guggenheim Art Museum.
The manager of the Muse recently was quoted as saying, “We want to build a brand of boutique hotels that offer refinement and culture and puts excellent Asian service into a French cocoon.” Correct me if I’m wrong, but Asian service — regardless of what you may think of it personally — is most certainly not going to give you an authentic St. Tropez experience.
Similar questions can be raised about the other new players in the St. Tropez boutique hotel market: La Réserve Ramatuelle is another contemporary art masterpiece — impressive, no doubt, but about as quintessentially St. Tropez as Disney World.
The fact is, luxury villas are the only real option for experiencing St. Tropez the way it used to be. And what’s for, if you still have a thirst for contemporary decor, you can both.
Set amid the rugged terrain of the countryside, VillaHotel Imana offers an exquisite blend of traditional French elegance with modern décor and amenities. Private, garden-lined terraces invite you spend your days outside on the manicured lawn or pristine, Olympic sized pool, or entertain into the night with an outdoor barbeque and covered lounge.
This luxury villa features large windows and an open floor plan that give you an exceptional view of the gardens, pool, and outdoors around every turn of VillaHotel Imana, while the villa’s traditional exterior design gives way to sleek, minimalist contemporary décor inside. In addition, the living and 
dining rooms as well as the 4 bedrooms and en-suite bathrooms are all remarkably unified in their furniture and decoration, offering a mix of artistry and comfort. The kitchen and bathrooms all feature contemporary appliances and fixtures that will captivate your senses, while the rest of VillaHotel Imana offers plenty of space and comfort.
And because the VillaHotel Imana features Villazzo’s industry-leading VillaHotel services, you get the perfect combination of five-star hotel services with the comfort and privacy of a traditional luxury villa in St. Tropez.
So, if you’re looking to experience the authentic St. Tropez holiday, be sure to choose a luxury villa like the VillaHotel Imana — it’ll give you the best of both worlds.
Tags: luxury villas, Saint-Tropez, The Muse Hotel, villahotel
Posted in Saint-Tropez Luxury Travel | No Comments »
July 21st, 2010
Luxury villas are a dime a dozen in Miami Beach, and few really stand out among the crowd. But Villazzo’s V Villa Julia’s design, décor,
A view of Villazzo's V Villa Julia - a luxury villa in Miami Beach
and features bring the very best that Miami Beach has to offer to your own vacation experience.
Few luxury villas in Miami Beach capture the sun, sea, and warmth quite like V Villa Julia. Decorated in bright, inviting textures and featuring an open design both inside and out, this luxury villa lets in the light and natural beauty of this 5 bedroom, 5 bathroom bayside property seep into your luxury vacation. Large windows highlight the living and dining areas as well as the kitchen and bedrooms, giving you an enchanting view of the bay, pool, and terrace night and day. Luxurious bedrooms with sitting areas and en suite bathrooms making going to sleep and waking up a pleasure.
Outside, V Villa Julia luxury villa features a multi-level terrace – perfect for outside dining and entertaining – as well as a vanishing edge pool with cascading waterfall, barbeque area, and a bayside dock. And because it’s just 5 minutes from the beach, V Villa Julia has everything you need from a luxury villa to experience the very best of Miami Beach.
The living and dining areas of luxury villa V Villa Julia
In recent years, the contemporary design movement has overtaken Miami Beach, and though this exclusive neighborhood of luxury villas boast modern, sprawling, mansion-sized homes, many of them appear as pastiche recreations of authentic contemporary Miami properties. Julia, however, features a layout that is seldom seen in recent luxury villas in Miami Beach: it connects the interior with the exterior by way of its capacious windows and tasteful decor.
Around every corner, you’ll find a minimalist yet inviting set of furniture, housewares, and design elements, most of which are done in white or beige. This bright, blank color palette, however, perfectly complements the rich, colorful palette of the outside landscape, which pours into virtually every square foot of this luxury villa by way of its windows. As you can see from the photo to the right, palm trees, blue skies, and the bay serve as the color throughout V Villa Julia.
Article by Michael Nace
Tags: luxury villas, Miami Beach, v villa
Posted in Luxury Travel, Miami Beach Luxury Travel | No Comments »
July 19th, 2010
The recent opening of the Muse Hotel in St. Tropez illustrates how luxury villa rentals have the set the tone for exclusive vacationing along the French Riviera.
Although the resort town of St. Tropez is world-famous, it still remains a small, quant town that is dominated less by mega hotels and more by exclusive luxury villa rental properties. Perhaps that is why the most recent hotel launch in St. Tropez was not a massive Hilton, Ritz Carlton, or Four Seasons, but rather the botique Muse Hotel. Located on the Ramtatuelle ‘route de plages’ road, the Muse is minutes from the Place de Lices as well as the famous sunny beaches and azure waters of St. Tropez. However, the Muse isn’t catering to throngs of average vacation goes, but rather the same set of wealthy, famous jet-setters who would otherwise stay in a private luxury villa rental.
With only 15 villa-style rooms and a wealth of luxury features that are designed to appeal to people looking for a luxury villa experience, the small villas at the Muse feature large walk in closets, luxurious, spa-like bathrooms, and the latest in-room technology, including a 42” Loewe plasma screen with over 100 channels, Playstation, an iPad, and and iPhone. Add to this a list of exclusive guest services, such as Bentley shuttles to the beaches, butlers, and other hospitality, and you get a perfect synthesis of hotel and luxury villa rental.
Services like these, however, are not a new idea in St. Tropez vacationing, but rather a reaction to keep up with the burgeoning luxury villa rental industry there.
The fact is, luxury villa rentals in St. Tropez have boasted hotel-like services along with their privacy, luxury, and exclusivity for years. In recent years, luxury villa rental companies such as Villazzo have taken the promise of offering luxury villa rentals with five-star hotel services even further by creating “VillaHotels.” These VillaHotels offer the same level of exceptional services that you’d find in a small boutique hotel, while offering a level of privacy that a hotel simply cannot offer.
Because these luxury villa rentals have become increasingly popular, hotels in St. Tropez have gone out of their way to make their premises and facilities feel as much like a real luxury villa as possible. The result, however, has been met with mixed results: many wealthy and famous visitors to St. Tropez seek larger, private amenities, away from the thousands of gawking vacationers. Hotels — no matter how private and exclusive — simply cannot offer the level of privacy and service that this level of clientele is searching for.
So, as you read more and more about these villa-style boutique hotels opening up in the French Riviera, remember that the true VillaHotel experience can only be gotten by staying in a luxury villa rental that offers comprehensive, 5-star hotel services.
Article by Michael Nace
Tags: Boutique Hotel, luxury villa rental, Muse Hotel, Saint-Tropez, villahotel
Posted in Saint-Tropez | No Comments »
July 14th, 2010
St. Tropez natives and luxury villa rental vacationers alike look forward to new and improved editions to one of the world’s most exclusive shopping districts.
St. Tropez is famous for many things–yachts and luxury villa rentals, glitzy late night parties and celeb spotting–and it’s no surprise with the calibre of vacationers the village draws that one of the things it is most known for is great shopping. High-end shopping. In anticipation of this year’s high season of July and August, many designers are opening and revamping stores in the chic resort town.
Tod’s
The Italian luxury brand founded and run by the elegant Diego Della Valle has been having a banner year. Not only did they recently announce a great coup–namely signing Karl Lagerfeld to design a special collection for their Hogan brand, which was started by Diego’s son Emanuele–but they are also redesigning all of their flagship stores. From Beverly Hills to St. Tropez, the new Tod’s stores have been unveiled one by one to reveal interiors meant to evoke the feel of a friend’s home–albeit a very stylish friend.
Every store features different furniture and art, and are made up in warm colours and luxurious fabrics, so as to make the customer feel like they have just passed the threshold of one of the inviting and impeccable luxury villa rentals that dot the area around town. The St. Tropez store features rich woods and chairs done in deep blue velvet and yellow leather with chic nailhead detail. It seems clear that the darker, richer furnishings and Tod’s new “Home Concept” have been inspired by the classic and luxe designs of Derek Lam, the brand’s creative director for ready-to-wear and accessories.
Tod’s, Place de la Garonne, St. Tropez
Louis Vuitton
The luxury brand also recently renovated their St. Tropez boutique and celebrated with a glittering party and a special edition Neverfull beach bag. Only 500 of these limited edition monogrammed “St. Tropez” GMs were produced and they were only sold out of the new St. Tropez store. The renovation means an expanded retail space in a gorgeous villa with sleek interiors filled with blond wood, lavish beige furniture, and framed black and white photographs. One of the most beautiful elements of the store is it’s charming Provençal-style garden courtyard, which makes you feel like you’re in an authentic St. Tropez luxury villa rental rather than a bastion of commercial excess.
In celebration of the event, LVMH has also commissioned graffiti artist André to produce limited edition drawings, some of which will be available for sale at the store.
Louis Vuitton, rue François Sibilli, St. Tropez
Chanel
2010 is the year of Karl Lagerfeld in St. Tropez as the French resort town seems to be the venerable designer’s current amour. Not only did Lagerfeld hold the Chanel Resort collection runaway show in St. Tropez, but the company also produced a star-studded ad campaign here and held a glittering fête to celebrate. To cap off the St. Tropez obsession, Chanel recently opened a seasonal “pop-up” store in an 18th century mansion located near the Place de Lices.
Decorated in very Chanel black and white, as well as chic reds and beige, the store also boasts stencilled walls, a gorgeous garden and, of course, racks and racks of gorgeous clothing items. The only downside is that the pieces are all from the house’s fall ready-to-wear collection and, while it may seem a little incongruous shopping for tweed while wearing a floaty caftan, it is Chanel after all and there really is no wrong time to snap up some interlocking Cs. Some of these pieces are bound to end up in the closets of those staying in luxury villa rentals in St. Tropez in 2010.
Chanel, 25 rue François Sibilli, St. Tropez (Open from June 23 to October 3, 2010).
Lanvin
On the heels of the Chanel pop-up store comes news that Lanvin is following suit. Of course, pop-ups may be the wrong word here. These are not exactly hastily thrown together retail outlets, but true lessons in glamorous luxury. Now, only a short walk from the beach, you can flip through Alber Elbaz-designed summer and pre-fall pieces and revel in the feminine whimsy of the boutique’s design. Like the Chanel store nearby, and the many sun worshippers coming in to vacation in St. Tropez luxury villa rentals, the Lanvin boutique will disappear come October.
Lanvin, 30 rue Francois Sibilli, St. Tropez
So, darlings, where will you be laying down the Black AMEX this summer?
Image Sources: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
Tags: Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld, Lanvin, Louis Vuitton, luxury villa rentals, St. Tropez Boutiques
Posted in Saint-Tropez, Shopping | No Comments »
July 12th, 2010
In perhaps the most exclusive resort destination in the world, luxury villa rentals define the epitome of privacy and luxury for the rich and famous.
Over the years, the glittery French resort town of St. Tropez has become synonymous with sun, beauty, glamour and all the good things in life. The quaint medieval town set on a bay has been drawing the world’s who’s who for decades with its sandy beaches and cloudless skies. Even before becoming known as St. Trop (trop being the French word for “too much”), this village was called the Montparnasse of the Mediterranean, because of its appeal to artists and writers. Illustrious personalities from Paul Signac and Matisse to Colette, Anaïs Nin, and Françoise Sagan, were all drawn to the beauty and isolation of this place. For as popular as St. Tropez is, it is still just as hard to reach. With the exception of the peak summer season, which draws millions of vacationers, St. Tropez remains a quaint, sleepy town for the remainder of the year. And while there are plenty of luxury hotels in and around the center of town, St. Tropez is the kind of place you can best experience by staying in one of the luxury villa rentals that dot the surrounding area—some with all the amenities of a five-star hotel—that offer great access to the beaches and hotspots that make St. Tropez so popular.
St. Tropez has come a long way since it first became known internationally as the place to be. That distinction came thanks to a pouty-lipped Brigitte Bardot who arrived in town to film Roger Vadim’s
And God Created Woman–after which nothing was ever the same for St. Tropez again. Suddenly the sleepy fishing village was catapulted to the top of the Côte d’ Azur’s hot list and the rich and famous began descending en masse, especially during the high season months of July and August. The fact that the village was (and still remains) both remote and isolated only served to make it that much more popular and exclusive. Today St. Tropez remains a gorgeous place to vacation in a
luxury villa rental with much to keep you entertained.
Beaches
Days in St. Tropez are best enjoyed at one of the area’s exclusive beach clubs, like the famed Nikki Beach, or by the private pool offered in many of the luxury villa rentals in the area. Many of these pools feature “vanishing edge” designs that appear to blend directly into the Mediterranean Sean. Remember — reservations are mandatory at most of the beach resorts. Many of the area’s best beaches, found along the Baie de Pampelonne, require a drive from the town, but head west from the city center and there are others that can be found within a reasonable walking distance. Other beaches you might want to try: Bouillabaisse Beach, Plage des Graniers, Salins Beach and Caneliers Beach.
Eating and Nightlife
Aside from beaches, shopping (both luxury stores and the open air markets at the Place des Lices), and wandering around the charming city center, a vacation in St. Tropez would not be complete without ample good food and great nights on the town. Try Café de Paris for delicious sushi and sashimi or Caprice des Deux for traditional regional fare. Great dining experiences can also be had at Leï Mouscardins, Château Hôtel de la Messardière, La Bouillabaisse and Café Senequier, which offers great breakfast options.
The nightlife in St. Tropez usually gets started around 11pm and mainly consists of exclusive nightclubs and private parties. From the legendary Les Caves du Roy and the cash-only Voile Rouge Beach Club on Moorea Beach to the hip Brasserie des Arts (open to 3am in the summer) and the Papagayo Club, St. Tropez is a celebration of wealth and celebrity status when it comes to getting your groove on at glamorous nightspots filled with people to watch and ever-flowing champagne.
St. Tropez and its
luxury villa rentals offers a chance for a once in a lifetime vacation filled with white sand beaches and endless nights. This is a spot that mixes natural beauty with glamour and excess—the perfect elements for the town’s official sports, the
de rigueur activities of people watching, celeb spotting and sun worshipping. But then, surrounded by such beauty, both natural and otherwise, how could one really think of doing anything else?
Image Sources: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6
Tags: luxury villa rentals, Saint-Tropez
Posted in Saint-Tropez | No Comments »
July 7th, 2010
Villazzo had an amazing season this past winter in Miami - the best that we’ve ever had before. Thank you so much for your continued support! It is our customers’ devotion to the company and your continued business throughout the years that makes Villazzo the leading luxury villa rental provider in the world. Thank you again.
Now it’s time for the summer: Welcome back to Saint-Tropez!
Just as we have done in Miami, we’ve re-invented Villazzo in Saint-Tropez by moving our best people from Miami to Saint-Tropez for the whole summer! For you, it means you will now get the same
impeccable “Miami” luxury villa rental service and villa selection in the South of France!
When we arrived in St. Tropez in late May, we talked to all the agencies in town, browsed through hundreds of property presentations, and personally inspected dozens of the most luxurious ones. We’ve now selected the ultimate vacation homes, both for our VillaHotel concept, and – new in 2010! – for our “V” Villa selection. We have done the work for you – you don’t need to slave over questionable property listings at luxury villa rental websites or other agencies any more – we’ve seen all the luxury villas in St. Tropez and picked only the very best, based on our very strict Villazzo standards. We know that for you, only the best will do.
As it’s getting very close to high season, the majority of spectacular luxury villa rentals are already booked – but a selected few remain available for certain travel dates. You’ll find a list of them below. But don’t delay — these amazing luxury villa rentals get booked every day now, so if you haven’t made any arrangements yet, now is the last chance to still get something nice!
VillaHotels — Luxury Villa Rentals in St. Tropez with 5-star hotel service
VillaHotel Sogno di Luce (6 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms; views of the Golf of St Tropez)
Specifications: http://www.villazzo.com/villahotels/sttropez/sogno-di-luce/
Rate per night: €7,100 + tax
Booked: Jul 1 – Aug 15
Remaining availability: Aug 16 – 31
Our comment: One of the most spectacular houses in all of Saint- Tropez. The best possible views over the bay and village; 10 minutes from the center.
VillaHotel Josephine (4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms; views of the Golf of St Tropez)
Specifications: http://www.villazzo.com/villahotels/sttropez/josephine/
Rate per night: €3,800 + tax
Booked: Jul 1 – Aug 15
Remaining availability: Aug 16 – 31
Our comment: Brand new house, great location, all the technical wizardry – excellent value. The founder of Villazzo stayed there himself last year.
VillaHotels La Forge and Jabri are unfortunately already committed for the whole season. Book now for 2011!
“V” Villas — Luxury Villa Rentals in St. Tropez
“V” Villa Whitney (5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms; views of the Golf of St Tropez)
Specifications: Just added, email us for more pictures
Rate per week: €34,000 / per month: €95,000
Remaining availability: July
Our comment: Designer excellence in a lush setting.
“V” Villa Nikki (5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms)
Specifications: Just added, email us for more pictures
Rate per week: €21,500 / per month €79,000 (reduced from €100.000)
Remaining availability: July/August
Our comment: Fantastic decor, ocean view, walking distance to Nikki Beach! Great price reduction due to last minute cancellation.
“V” Villa Antonia (5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms)
Specifications: http://www.villazzo.com/villahotels/sttropez/antonia/
Rate per week: €19,500 / per month €65,000
Remaining availability: August
Our comment: Very modern, very calm and zen-like setting, right at the entrance of St Tropez.
“V” Villa Imana (4 + 1 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms)
Specifications: Just added, email us for more pictures
Rate per week: €18,900 / per month €62,000
Remaining availability: July 15 – Aug 23
Our comment: Splendid views of the Gassin Golf Course; just finished construction; designed for himself by reputed builder/architect.
“V” Villa Martha (4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms)
Specifications: http://www.villazzo.com/villahotels/sttropez/martha/
Rate per week: €14,000 / per month €48,000
Remaining availability: August
Our comment: Brand new gem in a gated community just off the Saint-Tropez tennis club. 5 minutes to downtown and beaches!
“V” Villas Patricia and Dolce Vita are unfortunately already committed for the whole season. Book now for 2011!
We hope you’ll find our selection useful for making your final summer travel plans.
As you know, the best experience of any villa rental is still Villazzo’s “VillaHotel” program – mansions that come with complete “private hotel” setup and full hotel services. That’s what makes Villazzo the first choice for celebrities and billionaires.
“V” Villas are the less expensive option, with some VillaHotels services available at extra charge.
You can upgrade most “V” Villas to “VillaHotel” level, please ask us for details.
Tags: luxury villa rental, St. Tropez villas, v villa, villahotel, villazzo newsletter
Posted in Saint-Tropez, Villazzo Newsletters | No Comments »
July 7th, 2010
Luxury villa rentals in St. Tropez, Marbella, Miami Beach, and beyond offer the privacy and exclusivity that you cannot get from even
the most expensive 5-star hotel. But is the risk of picking a “luxury lemon” worth giving up on a reliable luxury hotel experience?
Wherever there is sand, sun, and sea in the world, you’re bound to find a crop of luxury villa rentals to choose from. Whether it’s St. Tropez, Marbella, Miami Beach, or Ibiza, you can always find a huge selection of amazing rental properties that span traditional to contemporary architecture and that will put you in the middle of the action and nightlife as well as the middle of nowhere. For those who have a already made a few trips to these exclusive vacation havens and have tried out a few different hotels, the prospect of having their own private luxury villa seems like the next logical step in experiencing the ultimate luxury vacation.
However, with luxury villa rentals, there is always an unknown quantity — or, more specifically, an “unknown quality.”
Luxury villa rental companies are notorious for showing only the best aspects of the luxury villas they list. Sure, they might show a bunch of photos of a villa’s pristine pool, charming terrace, and well-appointed master bathroom. But they fail to show how the plasma TV doesn’t work, or how the villa’s wall that faces the seaside is crumbling, or how the bathroom hasn’t been renovated for 25 years.
I recently read an article about “how to choose a luxury villa rental in Tuscany.” The writer told a hilarious yet tragic story about how once he had chosen a majestic Tuscan villa to stay in, thinking that it would be a single-family luxury vacation rental. When he arrived, he was dismayed to find out that the villa, “had been carved up into apartments with thin dividing walls.” He paints a miserable Tuscan vacation in that villa, saying, “One doesn’t go to Italy to be woken by renditions of Take Me Home, Country Road – at 6am, in German.”
Oh, the horror!
This writer’s article, as well as many others who write about the luxury villa rental market, go on to list all of the due diligence required to ensure that what you see is what you get when choosing a luxury villa rental. In order to ensure a high quality villa rental, writers suggest so much comprehensive research and scrutiny over a property that you would be completely exhausted by the end of the search! Some writers suggest finding a contact in the city that you want to stay in and paying them a small sum of money to independently check out the villa rental you are considering. Another writer suggests that you “pack a small tool kit and a cache of batteries in various sizes (for TV remote controllers, torches and the like; never presume a villa’s inventory will be complete).”
Who is going to pack a tool kit for a vacation in a luxury villa rental?
The only way you can truly assure yourself an amazing villa vacation experience that lives up to your expectations is to work with a luxury villa rental company that visits and hand-selects the villas that it offers. If you use this criteria to select luxury villa rental companies to work with, you’ll find that there are very few of them in the world today who can vouch for the properties that they list on their websites.
For example, Wimco Villas, which is one of the largest luxury villa rental companies in the industry, offers this vague explanation in the “About Us” section of their website: “Each [Wimco] staff member is required to visit several of our vacation destinations each year and familiarize themselves with the villas and hotels there so they can serve you better.” How many is “several,” exactly? Which villas listed on their site have been visited and inspected, and which ones have not?
Other luxury villa rental sites, such as Jetsetter, use a small logo on their property pages to show prospective clients which of their properties have been checked and visited by a staff member and which have not. This is a much more transparent way of finding luxury villa rentals that you can trust to live up to what is posted on a website. Of course, it also limits the number of “safe” luxury villa options to choose from.
However, smaller, ultra-exclusive villa rental companies, such as Villazzo, guarantee their entire list of luxury villa rentals. Companies like these hand-select the properties they offer, and usually maintain an office in all of the vacation destinations where they offer luxury villa rentals. This is by far the best way to find the luxury villa of your dreams, since you can be assured that the villa has had a thorough walk-through and is determined to be a property that lives up to the high standards of the company that lists them on their website.
So, the next time you go in search of a luxury villa rental online, remember to look for a company that offers the best guarantee of quality, and the largest selection of luxury villas that have been hand-selected and approved. Stick to this approach and you can be assured that you won’t have to bring a toolbox with you on your next vacation!
Tags: Ibiza, luxury villa, luxury villa rentals, Marbella, Miami Beach, Saint-Tropez
Posted in Luxury Travel | 4 Comments »
June 1st, 2010
|
There’s a new player in the luxury villa rental niche. The name is Villazzo (www.villazzo.com) and we happen to have the scoop on the brand’s spiffed-up and slimmed-down new rental program, “V” Villas.
Luxury Travel Advisor chatted with Christian Jagodzinski, Villazzo’s founder, who gave us the skinny on this new concept. It’s a fresh twist on the traditional villa rental, he tells us (think more flexibility and the option to add features on request). We call it bespoke villa renting. Read the rest of this entry »
|
Tags: luxury travel advisor, luxury villa rental, v villa
Posted in Press | 1 Comment »
May 3rd, 2010
Luxury villas have populated Capri since the 1950s. But the new crop of luxury properties on the island are a far cry from sixty years ago.
It’s ironic how the vast majority of exotic luxury tourist destinations throughout the world once were nothing more than modest fishing villages, agrarian communities, and isolated islands. As far back as Roman times, there have always been resort destinations for the ultra-rich and powerful. But these destinations come and go, and what ultimately seems to attract this new generation of luxury travellers is not just modern architecture, contemporary decor, and a bristling nightlife, but rather a mix of these things with a setting that is quaint, traditional, and features natural, untouched beauty.
Perhaps this is why the Italian island of Capri has quickly become a luxury travel destination that rivals St. Tropez and Marbella. Like these other famous vacation spots, Capri is an old, humble settlement in the Mediterranean. In fact, people have been living on the island consistently since the Roman Empire. But it wasn’t until the 1950s that Capri because a place where people wanted to vacation in luxury.
Since that time, Capri’s reputation as a haven for luxury, privacy, and exclusivity has continued to increase, attracting more and more upper-income luxury travelers year after year. For many years, the level of luxury found in the villa rentals on the island failed to match the expectations of the clientele, opting instead to stay in hotels as opposed to luxury villas.
In 2010, however, we find a remarkably improved collection of luxury villas on Capri that offer amazing views, captivating properties, and the ultimate in comfort and luxury.
The Villa Venere, for example, personifies the new crop of ultra-private l
uxury villa rentals that command an amazing view of the island. While the villa is only a few minutes from the center of town, Venere’s convenient locale is counterbalanced by an incredibly private, panoramic setting that offers incredible sea views overlooking the other islands of Capri.
The grounds and outdoor facilities around Venere match its captivating views, with a natural, well-tended garden, pristine swimming pool, walkways, and terraces for outdoor enjoyment, all set against the brilliant alabaster façade of the villa’s traditional-meets-modern exterior. The interiors of this l
uxury villa are also worth noting, infusing a mix of modern and antique furniture throughout the roomy, comfortable living and dining areas.
This approach of bringing guests of luxury villas in Capri out into the natural beauty of the island has even stretched beyond the island’s borders to the nearby Sorrento peninsula, where ferries regularly traffic vacationers from the Italian mainland. Here, we also find a new collection of distinctive
luxury villas that offer amazing luxury, privacy, and communion with the enchanting Italian coastline.
The Villa Terranova, for instance, is nestled of a picturesque wooded hill, overlooking the Gulf of Sorrento. Terranova offers luxury vacationers a virtual haven of luxury and comfort. Because the villa features a unique split-level design that blends seamlessly into the hill itself, enriching outdoor gardens and vistas blend seamlessly with indoor living.
Outside, Terranova is surrounded by lush lawns, gardens, and terraces that overlook the sea. Most notably, a rooftop terrace features a unique swimming pool that allows guests to swim above a panoramic view of the region. Together with a lounge area and barbeque, guests have access to a space that is perfect for lounging, dining, or sunbathing amidst one of the most enriching vistas in Sorrento.
True to form, the interiors of Terranova are equally as unique, featuring a unified modern décor and furniture throughout, as well as provocative lighting, sun-lit windows, and French doors. A full-function spa, complete with large Jacuzzi, Turkish bath, and shower, complete Terranova’s vision of luxury and comfort.
The quest for the ultimate in luxury travel will never cease; the travel industry will always continue to develop new means of vacationing in
privacy and luxury. The island of Capri and its surrounding region, however, are now most definitely at the vanguard for offering
everything that the luxury traveler is looking for in an exclusive vacation destination.
Tags: Capri, luxury villas
Posted in Luxury Travel | 4 Comments »
April 14th, 2010
The rise of the internet and the information age is directly responsible for the luxury villa rental market as it exists today. Without high-speed internet connections, impressive websites, and the ability to get information at the click of a mouse, luxury world travelers would never be able to search out and find the luxury villa rental of their dreams in their desired vacation destination. In the past, the villa rental process was cumbersome: usually, your first trip to a locale such as Miami Beach, St. Tropez, or Marbella involved staying in a hotel and investing a day out of your vacation schedule to be shuttled around town by a rental agent in hopes of finding a luxury villa to rent for your next vacation.
Now, however, luxury villa rental agencies provide a wealth of crisp photos, specifications, and details for their entire roster of luxury villas, allowing prospective renters to find the luxury villa of their dreams. Together with online booking features, luxury villa rental websites make it easier than ever to find a luxury villa in the destination of your choice.
Luxury Villa Rental Websites: What the Photos Don’t Show You
When you peruse the typical luxury villa rental website, you’re bound to be wooed by a litany of enchanting photos of a picturesque villa set against the backdrop of a pristine, private beach, azure sea, and balmy, breezy skyline. You’ll see shots of fabulously decorated living, dining, and bedrooms, gourmet kitchens, sunny terraces, and vanishing-edge swimming pools. Together with the size and amenities of the villa, you’ll be convinced that, upon arrival, your luxury villa rental will look exactly as it is represented on the website.
Think again.
The fact is, the vast majority of luxury villa rental agencies spend the majority of their efforts gathering up vast lists of villa rentals from all over the world. Typically, their approach is “quantity over quality,” opting to give prospective luxury villa renters a vast list of rental options rather than quality that customers can count on. Quite often, arriving at a luxury villa rental result is great disappointment.
The photos on the website may have shown a sunny terrace with a beautiful swimming pool. Upon arrival, however, you’ll see what the camera failed to show: the stucco on the back side of the villa is crumbling off of the house, and the swimming pool is badly in need of a cleaning.
Inside, photos of the living rooms and bedrooms had boasted flat screen TVs and deluxe entertainment centers. When you arrive, however, the master bedroom TV is broken, or even worse — the satellite is misaligned, and the only channels you can get in are from the Albanian state-run television service.
Luxury villa rental linens, however, tend to be the biggest letdown. Photos on luxury villa websites tend to show what look like clean, well-decorated bedrooms and bathrooms. The reality, however, is that the sheets, towels, and linens haven’t been replaced in years, and have seen a lot of work. Dingy, stained sheets, threadbare towels in the bathroom, and worn out linens and housewares are quite typical in even the most promising luxury villa rentals.
What’s more, don’t expect the typical online luxury villa rental company to have the power – or the inclination – to do anything about these completely unacceptable conditions once you arrived. The fact remains that luxury villa rental agencies simply list properties; they rarely visit and inspect them first-hand. Furthermore, they rarely have any office or base of operations in the vacation destinations where they offer luxury villa rentals. So, aside from making a nasty phone call, these agencies will do little else to fix the problems that you encounter with your luxury villa rental.
Finding Online Luxury Villa Rental Agencies You Can Trust:
Given this reality, how can you ever trust online luxury villa rental agencies? There are two characteristics to look for that can assure you that you’re working with a company that is giving you a fair representation of the luxury villas it offers for rent. First off, look for an agency that hand-selects its luxury villas. You’ll be hard-pressed to find luxury villa rental agencies that claim this, and few others who can back up the claim. Chances are, however, that if the agency has a gigantic selection of villas from all over the world, they haven’t personally seen 99% of them. Only agencies that feature very limited, exclusive luxury villa rentals in a handful of the most exclusive vacation destinations can truly be trusted.
Second, see if the agency offers any kind of money-back guarantee on te quality of their luxury villa rentals. If the agency has seen and inspected the villa first-hand, then they won’t be afraid to vouch for its quality. We wary of any agency that isn’t willing to put its money where its mouth is for its luxury villa rental offerings.
Additionally, luxury villa rental agencies that offer in-house concierge or hotel-style services along with their villa rentals are more trustworthy, given the fact that they must have some kind of branch office in the locations where they rent properties. One must be careful, however, since many so-called “concierge services” are often outsourced to a local company that would have no expertise in selecting and approving high quality luxury villas for rental purposes.
In short, as a prospective renter, you need to trust the expertise of the agency you use. Does the agency boast of its experience in luxury world travel? Is it run by people who seem to know what luxury travel is all about? In the online luxury villa rental industry, agencies are only as good as the people who run them, and whether they have taken the time and expense to back up their listings with a quality guarantee. Otherwise, you’re risking a rude awakening when you arrive at your luxury villa rental for the first time.
quality guarantee. Otherwise, you’re risking a rude awakening when you arrive at your luxury villa rental for the first time.
Tags: luxury villa, luxury villa rental
Posted in Luxury Travel | 21 Comments »
April 8th, 2010
Searching for a luxury villa with concierge services? What you see isn’t always what you get.
If you’re fortunate enough to be a luxury world traveller, then you know that the addition of concierge services to luxury villa rentals is becoming more and more of a selling point for villa rental agencies. As luxury hotels become increasingly more “corporate,” villa rental companies are looking to capitalize in the decline of personalized hotel services by promising professional, hands-on concierge services for the duration of your stay in a private luxury villa.
When you think of “concierge services,” most likely you have visions of attentive, polite professionals who arrive to your room at your beck and call to fulfil any last-minute need or impulsive whim that strikes your fancy. Or, perhaps you imagine an exquisite spread of fine wines, champagne, Iranian caviar, and fresh fruit waiting for you as you return to your room. Maybe even dedicated turndown services, chauffeurs, butlers, chefs, and other service personnel come to mind when you imagine your next luxury villa stay that is supposed to include true concierge services.
Unfortunately, what you imagine and what you get are two completely different things.
The Reality of Concierge Services
The vast majority of concierge services you’ll encounter when renting a luxury villa fall way short of the mark compared to 5-star hotels. Instead of a well-dressed, polite, professional on-site concierge, you’re more likely to get an unshaven “gopher” named Gaston who arrives at your villa 40 minutes after you’ve called him, sweating profusely from the hot mid-day sun in St. Tropez and the fact that he has three or four other “concierge calls” to take care of all over town.
And you can forget the fantasy of arriving home to your luxury villa with an exquisite buffet or attentive butler waiting to serve you. Upstairs, the beds won’t be turned down, the bathroom will not be ready, and dinner will not be prepared.
In fact, the lack of hands-on service will feel less like a luxury vacation and more like home. Or, if you’re accustomed to hands-on service at home, it’ll feel even less than home.
The fact is, luxury villa concierge services are nothing like the attentive service you’d receive in a luxury 5-star resort. This is because concierge services are not pro-active but re-active. Generally, they operate out of a small, dingy office in the center of town that is filled with dirty vacuum cleaners, cleaning supplies, and crates of cheap giveaways that bear no resemble to the level of quality that luxury travellers are accustomed to.
Similarly, concierges are not trained, refined hotel professionals, but rather are under-qualified amateurs who were more likely bike messengers in the past than concierges at the local Ritz-Carlton. In short, these concierge services cannot give you the level of service that they promise.
What to Look For in Luxury Villa Concierge Services
Sadly, there are few concierge services for luxury villas that you can rely on to give you that personalized touch that you are looking for. Be sure to avoid luxury villa rental agencies that use third party concierge services, or ones that offers few details on the kinds of services that are included in their rental fees. Many of these luxury villa rental companies throw around the word “concierge” to enhance their company profile, when in fact that they little to offer.
Instead, look for luxury villa rental companies that have their own in-house concierge services and state exactly what it is they offer. What you’ll want are concrete details, such as a full-time butler, welcome champagne and a buffet when you arrive at your villa, daily reliable housekeeping services, chefs, and more.
In addition, only a concierge service that invests its own resources into the villas that it rents out can really offer you a hotel-like experience. Look for luxury villa rental companies that spend tens of thousands of dollars worth of luxury goods and service personnel to take a luxury villa into a private luxury hotel experience and that don’t “nickel and dime” you over every detail.
Don’t settle for less. Do your homework and know for sure you’re getting top-notch concierge services before you make a decision.
Tags: concierge services, Luxury Travel, luxury villas, Saint-Tropez
Posted in Luxury Travel | 11 Comments »
October 1st, 2007
|
Wohnen in luxuriösen Privatresidenzen, verwöhnt von luxuriösem Hotelservice, und das an einigen der schönsten Urlaubsdestinationen in den Staaten und Europa. Das „VillaHotel” –Konzept von Villazzo macht ungewöhnliche Visionen wahr.
Die Idee Entsprang der Unzufriedenheit des Villazzo-Gründers, des deutschen Unternehmers Christian Jagodzinski. Wohnsitz: Miami, Florida. Read the rest of this entry »
|
Tags: German, high life, Luxury Travel, villahotel
Posted in Press | 1 Comment »
September 1st, 2007
|
With residences in Miami, St. Tropez, Courcheval, Paris, Marbella and Aspen, the Villazzo residence club experience offers guests a general manager and full hotel staff (including child care, chef, bartender, masseuse, maid service and more) in what would traditionally be a villa rental package. Hotel style decor and amenities (like Bulgari toiletries and a business center) create an experience like being ˝the only guest in a private boutique hotel in the best locations, ˝ according to Villazzo VP Thierry Morali. Read the rest of this entry »
|
Tags: Elite Traveler Magazine, luxury villa rentals
Posted in Press | No Comments »
July 1st, 2007
|
5 Go really grand
The top end of the market is catered for by www.villazzo.com, which offers a five-star service in exclusive rented properties, with chauffeur (or even helicopter) service from the airport and teams of staff at the villa to unpack your bags, prepare your meals, pour your drinks and massage your aching limbs. Read the rest of this entry »
|
Tags: GQ, Luxury Travel, villahotel
Posted in Press | No Comments »
July 1st, 2007
|
Parce qu’on ne devrait théoriquement pas avoir à choisir entre le confort du palace ou l’intimité d’une somptueuse villa pendant ses vacances, Villazzo a imaginé un concept plutôt malin : la VillaHôtel. L’idée ? Retrouver tous les “petits plus” des hôtels de luxe dans des résidences privées, évidemment fastueuses, en location. Du chef maison à la secrétaire polyglotte, du transfert en hélicoptère ou limousine au garde du corps personnel, tout est possible. Vous voilà donc libéré des contingences matérielles… A 3 500 euros au bas mot la journée, on n’en attendait pas moins! Read the rest of this entry »
|
Tags: French, Luxury Travel, Paris International Magazine, villahotel
Posted in Press | No Comments »
July 1st, 2007
|
Während damals seine 13- und 14jährigen Altersgenossen gegen pubertäre Schübe und lästige Pflichten ankämpften, hat Christian Jagodzinski seine Leidenschaft für Computer entdeckt, diese ausgelebt, den ersten Online-Bookshop mit einer Datenbank von einer Million Buchtiteln erschaffen, mit Amazon ein lukratives Geschäft mitsamt dickem Aktienpaket unter Dach und Fach gebracht und wurde Millionär. Mit 16 Jahren erhielt er die Lizenz, seine eigene Firma zu gründen und war Deutschlands jüngster Firmeninhaber. Read the rest of this entry »
|
Tags: Christian Jagodzinski, German, Prestige, Villazzo
Posted in Press | No Comments »
July 1st, 2007
|
Three concepts; extraordinary properties, outstanding accessories, and exceptional service made Villazzo. In 2002 Christian Jagodzinski founded Villazzo and developed a new hotel concept bringing the five-star hotel experience to hotel-quality private residences, in some of the most desirable holiday locations worldwide; St. Tropez, Marbella, Miami, Aspen, Courchevel and Paris. The result is a place that guests don’t have to share with anyone, that combines all the advantages of both villa and hotel, without the disadvantages of either. Read the rest of this entry »
|
Tags: Flair Magazine, luxury villa rentals
Posted in Press | No Comments »
June 1st, 2007
|
Sarah Modlock meets Christian Jagodzinski, founder and chairman of Villazzo
The British are not known for speaking up when things are unsatisfactory. To avoid creating a scene, we prefer to stiffen our upper lips, and our G&Ts, whilst turning a blind eye to the most elephantine of problems. On this basis, it’s safe to assume that if Christian Jagodzinski had been born British then his company, Villazzo, would not exist.
“It all stemmed from my own experience as a disappointed client in the luxury travel industry,” he explains. Read the rest of this entry »
|
Tags: Christian Jagodzinski, luxury villa rentals, Square Mile Magazine, Villazzo
Posted in Press | No Comments »
April 1st, 2007
|
With floor-to-ceiling windows in its bedrooms, lounges and dining areas, your VIP clients will have a hard time peeling their eyes away from spectacular views of the Mediterranean from VillaHotel La Forge in St. Tropez. Set among manicured gardens and sweeping lawns, guests of the five-bedroom villa, available through Villazzo (www.villazzo.com), can relax by the infinity poolor sip cocktails in the main lounge by the full-size tree sculpture, which has a fireplace at the base of its trunk. Though your clients will have access to chefs, waiters and butlers, they can also order room service or take advantage of the “Spa at Home” option and choose from a full range of massages, facials and nail services. Read the rest of this entry »
|
Tags: luxury travel advisor, luxury villa, luxury villa rental, Villazzo
Posted in Press | 1 Comment »
© Villazzo LLC - Private Hotels in Miami, St Tropez, Ibiza, Capri, Paris - Luxury Villa Rentals and Vacation Homes with Full Hotel Service