Posted: Feb 1, 2016
Live in a castle, houseboat or hilltop villa: our pick of the best properties for sale around the globe
If your idea of the perfect getaway is to idle away the hours, with the breeze ruffling through your hair and not much more, then these luxury retreats are for you.
1. Highland Perthshire, Scotland £390,000
If you’ve ever thought of owning your own castle, now’s your chance. Taymouth Castle Golf & Spa Resort is located in Highland Perthshire. You can buy a studio suite in these grand surroundings. The properties are metres from the castle’s state rooms, made famous by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s stay in 1842. Today, residents can benefit from all the facilities the retreat has to offer – including the golf course and a private section of the River. Two spas, an equestrian centre and restaurants are being built. A time-share option is also available.
2. Berlin £148,000 (€199,000)
From dream retreats to dreamboats … As our cityscapes become more congested, people are coming up with other ideas for urban living. Schaaf is famous for its high-spec yachts and motorboats, but now it is branching out into floating apartments. Its high-end units provide all mod cons and are self-sufficient with their own water treatment and power generation facilities. The boats are moored around Wannsee in Berlin and Charlottenburg, but they are fully mobile and can venture further if permits are obtained.
3. Santa Gertrudis, Ibiza, Spain £3.5m (€4.75m)
Famous for its clubbing and nightlife, Ibiza has plenty of other attractions, too. For many years, artists have been drawn to its laidback charm. Its azure skies and extreme clarity of light has delighted painters since the 1930s. Santa Gertrudis is a small village at the very centre of the island. This community is well served by bars, cafes, restaurants and boutiques. Just outside the village, this striking modern building offers a sleek living space bounded only by the vast windows. Outside, the decking leads to a 20m-long infinity pool with views across the island.
4. Languedoc, France POA
When you think of the south of France, what comes to mind? The sapphire sea? The vineyards? The sun? This single development in the Languedoc can deliver all three. Set among the vines and alongside the sea, these apartments and villas offer up to six bedrooms and eco credentials. Residents will have the amenities of the on-site five-star hotel to hand and the opportunity to be involved in the running of the vineyard.
Agent: Signature Residences Worldwide; 020 7095 8701; (www.signatureresidencesworldwide.com)
5. Benahavis, Spain £4.37m (€5.9m)
This Moorish mountain village near Marbella has been called the dining room of the Costa del Sol because of the numerous restaurants here. It is also famous for the golf courses in the surrounding area. This four-bedroom luxury villa gives you great views of the Spanish countryside.
Agent: Fine and Country; 0034 952 764010; (www.fineandcountry-marbella.com)
6. St Lucia £3.87m
With St Lucia’s twin peaks, the Pitons, it is more mountainous than other Caribbean islands and it even has a volcano with a bubbling crater you can drive through. The Cap Estate sits on a hilltop at the very northernmost tip of this tropical paradise. It has panoramic views, four bedrooms and staff quarters.
Agent: Agent: Brown & Co; 001 758 451 6151; ( www.brown-co.com)
7. Sosua, Dominican Republic £1.01m (US$1.5m)
Palm-fringed, white sand beaches and secluded coves define the Dominican Republic. It shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti. Christopher Columbus arrived in 1492 and five hundred years later it is one of the most visited countries in the Caribbean. It’s known for its beach holidays, but there’s plenty more here. Jungly mountains with fast-flowing rivers offer hiking, canyoning and white-water rafting. This airy, four-bedroom villa in the gated community of Haciendas El Choco has views to the northern coast, and a pool in its tropical gardens.
8. Corralejo, Fuerteventura, Canary Islands £1.03m (€1.4m)
Closer to Africa than to its motherland, Spain, the island of Fuerteventura is known as the land of eternal spring due to the warm and dry conditions throughout the year. The northernmost settlement of Corralejo retains its sleepy fishing village charm in the old town, transforming to a vibrant resort in the new town. The rolling dunes views out to sea, to Lobos Island and beyond that, Lanzarote on the horizon..
9. Mossel Bay, South Africa £155,000
On the Garden Route, halfway between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, Mossel Bay boasts the world’s mildest year-round climate after Hawaii. The fynbos, or floral heathland, unique to the Cape, is one of the richest habitations in the world, too. The Gondwana Game Reserve is a five-star resort offering holiday homes for sale. Three-bedroom thatched lodges are ready to buy for £155,000, or you can purchase your own plot for just £44,288.
10. Domaine de Bel Ombre, Mauritius £446,000 (US$659,000)
A top destination for year-round sunshine, the island of Mauritius is situated just above the Tropic of Capricorn. Its interior is mountainous and covered in rainforest. Its coast is fringed by coral lagoons and pale sand beaches. This Villas Valriche development is set in 525 acres of tropical, landscaped grounds overlooking the ocean. The plantation-style properties have from two to six bedrooms and owners become automatic members of the golf club, the beach club and can enjoy special rates on food, drink and services at the neighbouring five-star hotel.
