Perfect Time For A Holiday... Southern Turkey

While I was enjoying a gorgeous afternoon out in garden today, I put my thoughts forward to the sunny days that we have ahead of us with warm weather.  Then I stumbled upon this beautiful holiday spot in an Aegean town in Southern Turkey...it was perfect timing.

Reach out and you can almost feel the cool of the swimming pool below.  Six historic houses make up the Alavya Hotel, each in a different style, with 25 rooms facing the pool.  A rustic garden of fruit, mulberry and olive trees, a spa, a fitness center, a yoga space, a yacht for hire and apparently a great restaurant with a popular cheesecake made with local cheese.  Mmmm, did someone say cheesecake?

Outside, the perfect mix of pastel pink render, delicate steel balustrades, sea blue window frames and low walls made of local stones.  Inside, an eclectic mix of rugs, warm rustic terracotta palettes, detailed walls, relaxing divans, low side tables and artisan handiwork.  I love that glass pendant hanging the sitting room below.

I'm just reminded of that 'Serenity Now' catchphrase from Seinfeld... and leave the angst behind!

Via Style.com
Via Alayva

Perfect Time For A Holiday... Portugal

Just because I would like to sit by a pool and do nothing... a view poolside at Villa Extramuros in Portugal.

Image via SousStyle

A Perfect Time For A Holiday... Pyrenees, France

I don't think I need to elaborate on the image below... swimming pool, luxe b&b, dramatic sky overhead and a secluded, rugged mountain setting.

Yep... I could see myself there.

Metaford Bed & Breakfast, the Pyrenees, France.

Via SousStyle

Perfect Time For A Holiday... Florence

Aah, Firenze... I can see myself there right now.

My friends just returned from Italy a couple of weeks ago and I borrowed a couple of images to share.

Isn't this a great shot from atop the Duomo?  (perhaps not so good if you suffer from vertigo!)

Photos by Cat

Perfect Time For A Holiday... Santorini

Some people I know have either just jetting back from, or are just about to fly out to, Greece.

It is the perfect time for a holiday isn't it?

Anyone care to join me for some bubbles?

Via Pinterest

Via The Lane

Perfect Time For A Holiday... Amalfi Coast

Did someone say holidays?

Aaaah, just dreaming of the Amalfi Coast...

Image by Nicholas Coe
Via Vogue

Perfect Time For A Holiday... Portugal

A friend was recently telling me she travelled back to Portugal a few months ago, which sounded like fun.  Then I did a bit of searching and came across the amazing Villa Extramuros in the small city of Arraiolos!

A raw & natural landscape, modern designer fitout, a pool, a dining room for you to feast on Portugese, Mediterranean and French cuisine, a fireplace, orange trees, olive groves, market towns, wineries, tennis, a golf course, a beach, herds of sheep temporarily grazing on the grass from the National Ecological Reserve neighbouring the property, and rooms filled with art and treasures from the 50s to today.  Oh, and I'm quite taken with the bathroom below!

There's plenty of room for a few more...anyone?

All images photographed by Adria Goula

Via Villa Extramuros

Perfect time for a holiday...Marrakech

Ah, sun where have you gone?  There is no sun in Melbourne today, LatteLisa tells me there is no sun in Luxembourg today, and there is hardly ever any sun in Dublin or London (anyone?)... wait, I think I found it beaming in Marrakech.

La Sultana, a riad situated in the bustling centre of Marrakech, glows with warmth and vivacity not only from the sun in North Africa but from the jewel like colours that decorate each room.

This 28 room accommodation originally consisted of 5 riads that were used as private residences, which have since been merged together to form La Sultana.  Enter the riad from the noisy and crowded streets and be transported into a luxurious, hushed and tranquil environment.  Artisan carved doors lead you into a world not unlike an elegant set from a classic 'Road To' movie starring Bing Crosby and Bob Hope - colour, pattern, texture, beautiful details abound with handmade materials and carvings, individually decorated rooms and their own lavish bathroom - (How beautiful is that green bathroom below?.  But rather than being overdone, the palette offers a lovely assembly of tones and hues layered with intricate craftsmanship and cultural handiwork.  There are kilims from North Africa, lamps from the Middle East and masks from South Africa and a collection of art and furniture that the owners have collected on their world travels.

There is a spa/hammam for your use, a swimming pool and a restaurant which beckons and entices you with a myriad of flavours and spices.  I can only imagine the menu and the aroma from that kitchen.

If it's unique cultural beauty within a stylish and tranquil environment you seek, then I have to say La Sultana looks like it has that in spades.   It's all in the detail...and that shady day bed I think.  Now, for some mint tea.. anyone?

stunning bathroom detail and equally stunning mosaics

some shady relaxation and the beautiful details

 there is the sun in the central courtyard

aah, that view!

via la sultana marrakech,  via glass magazine

Perfect time for a holiday... Mykonos

We've heard of pop up fashion shops, pop up jewellery shops, pop up cafes, pop up bakeries,...  well how about a pop up hotel!  And if you're going to go down the road of a hotel, then why not in Mykonos in the sun?  Oh how I wish I was winging it there now...

If you want an authentic experience in the Cyclades then this is offers you just that as your best option.  We all know Mykonos is well known as a party island but this designer accommodation allows for a sophisticated laid back approach to island hopping.  Sure you can still party with the best of them (if you're up for it) at any one of the islands bars and restaurants, but you can also luxuriate in some beautiful bohemian inspired surrounds.

The look is rustic and refined; the views reviving and soothing... it's just understated luxe - you know, don't scream about it, just enjoy it!

"Its like visiting the summer home of your coolest friend..." - the photos tell the story.


More images at San Giorgo website here.

Perfect time for a holiday...Kenya

Because its such a lovely warm day in Melbourne today, where else would you rather be ... well maybe somewhere just as warm with a view over the Indian Ocean perhaps?

This holiday beach house is located on the Lamu Archipelago in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa.  Renovation of the  house has been sensitive to its surroundings with a nod to the Arabic influence of the area.  Imagine sitting under a palm tree whilst gazing at the colour of the bougainvillea on your right and enjoying the scent of the aromatic ylang ylang across the way.

The house caters for family or friends (up to 12 people) with 5 rooms all with views of the Indian Ocean.  A large kitchen on the ground floor and a terrace for dining and of course, the obligatory pool.  Four staff members are on hand to pamper you during your stay.

It sounds as though it is catering to travellers in search of an authentic experience; there are no cars in the 17th century town of Lamu (unesco world heritage site), but a maze of alleyways to explore, a fish market to sample local produce and unspoilt white sand beaches for swimming, snorkelling, surfing, fishing, or sailing.

I think it looks like somewhere James Bond might hang out for a few weeks while he recuperates after one of his adventures!

How is that view from those arches?   Just heavenly...

via welcombeyond via responsibletravel