Annandale
New Zealand
Remote, rugged ranches have proved to be ripe settings for cinematic romances, from The Thorn Birds to Brokeback Mountain. Capture that sense of windswept passion at Annandale, a collection of far-flung villas scattered across 4,000 acres of coastal pastureland on a working South Island ranch. The owners call this type of accommodation “gumboot luxury,” but they’re selling the property short. The most dramatic of the four villas is Seascape, which occupies a plot of land so remote it’s only accessible by helicopter or a 40-minute ride in a four-wheel-drive vehicle. The ultra-modern retreat melts into the hillside, with a tussock-grass roof and a glass facade that overlooks a pebble beach and private bay. The suspended Eero Aarnio bubble chair is a particularly great spot for staring out the window. In order to ensure total privacy—minus the 500 head of cattle and up to 14,000 sheep that call the resort home—Annandale’s culinary team offers “we create, you serve” prepared meals, meaning you can dine in gourmet style in the comfort of your super-king-size bed.
Starting at $2,150 per night, annandale.com
While You’re There:
Seascape’s gorgeous views of isolated Pigeon Bay will have you thirsting to get in the water. Explore the bay on a sea kayak or Annandale’s 60-foot Shearwater powerboat for guided excursions to spot Hector’s dolphins, fur seals, and blue penguins.
Sands Studio
United Kingdom
Nestled in the maze of cobbled streets known as Downalong, this cozy apartment brings a dose of sleek Modernism to the artistic Cornish beach town of St. Ives. This standalone studio from the team behind the nearby Trevose Harbour House boutique hotel is decorated with local artwork and mid-century furnishings (dining table by Eero Saarinen, pebble tables by Lucian Ercolani) in a sunny golden palette that reflects the creative spirit of the seaside community, which has attracted such artists as Romantic painter J.M.W. Turner since the early 1800s. Today, the village is home to both a Tate gallery and the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden. While you might be perfectly content to take in sweeping views of St. Ives Bay and Porthgwidden Beach from your private balcony, several beaches lie within easy walking distance, and the concierge service will happily supply you with a picnic of Cornish treats. The literary-minded will want to check out Porthminster Beach for its views of Godrevy Lighthouse, which inspired Virginia Woolf’s To The Lighthouse. (The writer spent childhood summers in St. Ives).
Starting at $630 for three nights, sands-studio.co.uk
While You’re There:
Catch a show at the open-air Minack Theatre. Carved into a granite cliff overlooking the Atlantic, it’s one of just a few theaters in the world where you can hear a Shakespeare monologue recited over the sound of lapping waves.
The Casina
Italy
Italian country villas may seem romantic, but unless you want to invite both of your extended families on your romantic getaway, you’ll never fill all those empty bedrooms. This is where the pocket-size Casina comes in. Billed as Tuscany’s only luxury villa for two, this one-bedroom retreat, nine miles outside Siena, is something of an architectural oddity that pairs the stone walls of a 12th-century watchtower with a sleek glass-paneled living area that looks onto olive groves. Made for relaxation, the space is equipped with a heated infinity pool, outdoor hot tub, cozy fireplace, and steam shower. And while it’s tempting never to break the spell of blissful privacy, you’ll want to make a reservation with the villa’s on-call massage therapist.
$6,800 per week, thecasina.com
While You’re There:
You’ll be a mere 15-minute walk—or five-minute ride on complimentary hybrid bicycles—from the Baroque Villa Cetinale, which was built for Pope Alexander VII in 1680 and features a stately garden traversed by a cypress-lined avenue. Just a bit farther afield are the Terme di Petriolo hot springs and Siena itself, home to the famed Palio horse race.
The Krane
Denmark
Copenhagen is one of the birthplaces of sleek, minimal design, so it’s no surprise that its rapidly transforming harbor area, Nordhavn, is home to perhaps the world’s most creative example of postindustrial reinvention, The Krane. Last year, Danish architecture firm Arcgency converted a 1944 coal crane into an impossibly sexy all-black retreat for two, nestled in a box perched about 50 feet above the bustling port below. The coal-inspired palette extends to nearly every surface of the 540-square-foot space: the steel cladding, the Dinesen Douglas fir walls, the Modernist Scandinavian furnishings. Despite the imposingly inky interior, The Krane nods to the Danish concept of hygge (coziness and comfort) with merino wool throws, custom slippers, and Krane-branded Mikkeller beer.
Architect Mads Møller has said of his design inspiration, “There are hundreds of different shades of black”—and if that thought has your imagination wandering to a certain series of books about the color gray, you’ll be happy to know that your suite-in-the-sky sits comfortably out of eyeshot.
$3,000 per night, thekrane.dk
While You’re There:
Guests enjoy access to a BMW i3 electric car and a pair of bikes, perfect for darting around Copenhagen to sample the city’s many Michelin-starred restaurants. Back at your accommodations, relax in the Amazing Space spa, which is set in a shipping container and features treatments such as charcoal facials (naturally).
Gladden Private Island
Belize
It doesn’t get more secluded than this private island 20 miles off the coast of Placencia, where you’ll essentially have an all-inclusive resort to yourself. Every experience—from meals (arrange a romantic dinner, prepared by a rotating group of visiting chefs, on the white-sand beach) to activities (swimming with whale sharks)—is entirely customizable through your personal concierge. The island is located on a protected section of the Belize Barrier Reef—the longest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere. For a bird’s-eye view of the turquoise water and the reef, take a 35-minute helicopter ride, which is included for guests staying seven or more nights. At the end of each day, retreat to the swimming pool or roof deck of your 3,000-square-foot modern Mayan-style villa. There’s no need to worry about being interrupted by overattentive staff; they reside on a smaller island a two-minute boat ride away, and the villa even has a “privacy meter” that indicates when staffers are on the island.
$2,950 per night, gladdenprivateisland.com
While You’re There:
Hop back over to the mainland and visit the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, the world’s first jaguar preserve. In addition to the elusive panther, the 150-square-mile rainforest is home to plenty of other species on any cat lover’s bucket list, including pumas, ocelots, jaguarundis, and margays.
