journal

Travel therapy… Our pick of homes that clear your mind. CASA HUALLE, PUCON, CHILE A view of the Villarrica volcano from spacious, soothing interiors. All the drama without the stress.   VIGOTAS HOUSE, MELGACO, PORTUGAL Wine tasting and vineyard rambles in Portugal’s wine country. Sweeping sheets of windows display the view like oversized paintings.   VILLA SLOW, CANTABRIA, […]

Out of the office into the wild… Our off-site picks for your creative team, and off-the-grid spaces for your creative juices. Pictured top: Casa X Catalonia, Spain (photo ©Sandra Pereznieto). This masterpiece by award-winning duo Cadaval & Solà-Morales will get any architecture addict hung up on the X. Sensitive to its surroundings, the unorthodox shape is actually a response […]

Missing vacation season like a teenager in boarding school? Pack your weekenders and get behind the wheel! Here’s our pick of great small trips…   3 hours from Berlin Baltic Sea House Prerow, Germany Hit the road and don’t stop till you reach the meadow that opens up to Darsswald Forest, where this beautiful juxtaposition of traditional thatching, Corten […]

Everybody knows that getting the clan together for a Thanksgiving dinner is approximately 24 phone calls and one mini meltdown away. We’re here to help! Here’s our pick of family-ready homes with a seat for everyone at the table.   Just like the movies Harbor Cottage  Martinsville, Maine, USA If you dream of spending Thanksgiving in a Nancy Meyers film set with interiors that […]

Livable, enjoyable rooftop spaces are the cherries on top of great homes. Be it a bed, a bathtub, a magnificent view, or all of the above, it’s always a happy surprise to discover that your vacation rental has a brilliant rooftop. Time to hit the roof? Here’s our pick of eight sigh-worthy toppings. Pictured top: Sorrento Villa Gulf […]

A little warmth goes a long way… For instance, waking up with the morning light on your face, a drizzle of maple syrup on your pancakes, and these honey-hued homes that infuse everything with a welcoming glow. Here are our warm wood picks for a perfect wind down after a whirlwind summer. Pictured top: Pella Roca Labastide […]

Eclectic dreams… This week, we take you from olive groves to islands, and countryside to city center, with new properties that respect and reflect the charm of their surroundings. Contemporary or historic, minimalist or rustic, there’s something for everyone here.   Casa Luum Sant Barbara de Nexe, Portugal Milky whites and botanical delights… The owner of this […]

New with a view… Craving a break from your screens? Here’s our pick of seven new gems to widen your horizons! Sit back and take it all in, or wander gently into the landscape… be it city, mountains or sea. Bolton Residence Quebec, Canada Living on the edge… This gorgeous cantilevered home floats among the treetops in […]

Choose your own adventure. This just in! Five new additions to the BoutiqueHomes community, each dancing to the beat of its own drum, just like you. Artists, urban explorers, nature lovers and sun-worshippers: let the traveling begin. Pictured top: Flanders Art Suite Tielrode, Belgium   Flanders Art Suite Tielrode, Belgium Anything but ordinary… If the point of a holiday is to get […]

Rivers and roads… Does the idea of a beach holiday make you think of sunburn and sand in all the wrong places? We’ve got you covered with summer getaways that feature fresh water, shady forest walks, and leafy glades. A for away… as in away from the madding crowd. Find yourself surrounded by rustling meadows, secret swimming holes, and miles and […]

Pack light or call the movers… How about throwing a little permanence into your vacation? Here’s our pick of five new vacation rentals that will make you feel at home. Or two beautiful properties on the market for you to set up home. Inside or outside… is the constant dilemma of those in love with nature. This beautiful home in […]

New additions… Our favorite kind of math! Here’s a pick of our latest gems with more than a few plus points for you to find your balance this vacation season. Color blocking opens up all sorts of ideas. Just ask this apartment in the Embajadores-Lavapiés district in the heart of Madrid named after Picasso himself, who called this neighborhood […]

It takes all kinds… Beach or mountain, lake or ocean, minimalist or bohemian? All that matters is that it’s a vacation! We all have our own special idea of what makes a break, so here are seven new vacation rentals on BoutiqueHomes… with something for every personality. Pictured top: A-Place, Warsaw, Poland. For the minimalist with a […]

We can never resist a good story at BoutiqueHomes. After all, the soul of a home is the life that it has seen. Here’s our pick of four properties with heart and history, present and future, and tales to tell.   I Conversi in The Abbey of San Giusto Tuscania, Italy Six hundred years ago, the Abbey of […]

Discreet and unassuming but never the wallflower, black houses are the tall, dark and handsome strangers of architecture. It’s a bit of a thing at the moment, and rightly so. All around the world, architects are turning to black as it blends better into the mossy barks of surrounding trees, scorched volcanic stones, and shady […]

This summer, get willingly lost in unfamiliar streets, try a few of the restaurants on everybody’s lips, visit a museum or two, and sip a glass while watching the locals. Here are seven urban vacation rentals for you to live like you’ve always been there. And one new villa away from it all… because we couldn’t resist. Play in the […]

Live the dream… Take a trip to a bygone era with our collection of mid-century modern homes. Created by renowned architects, they’ve been carefully restored by their new owners, and curated with original features and design details that allow you to travel in time. Stay a while and immerse yourself in the mid-century lifestyle. Our […]

Sweet dreams are made of this… Villa rentals that make us want to travel the world and the seven seas. The sea spans wide and silent when you look at her from afar, the way you would from this duo of off-grid, perfectly self-contained villas built with local quarried stone. Far from the madding crowd and luxurious in […]

Here are three new ultra-cool vacation homes to make even the most nonchalant, autonomy-hungry teenagers proud to vacation with the parents. Family-friendly vacation rentals? Go ahead, bring the whole brood! Starting with Casa 1413 Ullastret, Catalonia, Spain (pictured top). This airy, sunny holiday home in the beautiful region of Girona sleeps 12, and comes with impossibly chic bunk beds to call […]

Get back in touch with your little self with these tiny houses around the world. The heartwarming Corsican stone masonry of this little house set in a multi-level garden of fruit trees hides a mini updated loft bedroom that may feel a little like the inside of the treehouse you longed for as a kid. Pictured above Little Stone House Calenzana, Corsica, […]

What’s new? Throw open the windows to the eagerly approaching sun… with our latest light-filled additions to the BoutiqueHomes community… Pictured above: Medina Riad Marrakech, Morocco. Sun-washed and sublime, the rooftop terrace on this peaceful riad in the heart of Marrakech’s medina is perfect for soaking in the last rays of the day. And when the heat rises, find shade […]

Bucolic Spring… Country homes, bowing branches, and rippling pools to usher in the blooms on BoutiqueHomes. Enjoy a barefoot breakfast in the olive groves of Provence at Maison Alegria, France (pictured above). Stretch out in the sun beside ripening peaches in the Italian Riviera… Chiavarese Villa Liguria, Italy Wake up amidst the rustling treetops in a lush Portuguese valley… Mountainside Hotel Alvados, Portugal Welcome the Spring […]

Small wonders… Cool little apartments we have a big crush on. Pictured above, Numero Venti Rm.3 in Florence, Italy… Create and collaborate in a Florentine space made by artists for artists. Rest up in a nomad’s nook in Essaouira… Nomad House Essaouira, Morocco Get your rock ‘n’ roll on in a rad London flat… Rock Star House London, England Travel back in time in technicolor on the […]

Can’t leave home without a trusty tome? We share your recurrent dream of an idyllic escape with that tumbling pile of books on your nightstand. Here are our ideal spots to curl up with good reads. Read on! Starting with Verana, Yelapa (pictured above). What’s better than getting into your summer novel suspended in a pod, lost in the Mexican jungle beside […]

We recently spent the weekend at the Berlin Travel Festival and checked out some great German homes… Like the Miniloft, a cool futuristic hotel in the heart of Berlin’s historical Mitte district (pictured above). We also visited Apartment Flow, an elegant, Asian-inspired apartment… Apartment Flow. Berlin, Germany Other great German vacation rentals include this modernist gem by architect Bruno Taut, part of a World Heritage site […]

We love properties with history, but when they have clever design twists, they’re irresistible. Here are 10 great examples of living history… Like La Maison sur la Sorgue, Provence, France (pictured above)… This 18th-century mansion combines old world and new with great style. We’ve also fallen for this fortified medieval village brought back to life… Sextantio Albero Diffuso. Abruzzo, Italy A restored nobleman’s residence with a […]

Aah, food… a big part of your next vacation. Explore local ingredients, outdoors and indoors, have local chefs prepare them, or go for the full culinary experience with cooking classes and wine tastings. We have the perfect places to stay. Pictured top: eating in the great outdoors at Far Meadow, just outside Yosemite National Park, California. At Verana (below), […]

Whatever your idea of vacation is, we have options… from sitting by the pool to exploring a winery. Pictured top:  Seaview Treehouse Villa. Benissa, Spain Get away with the family and get creative in a recording studio which is included at Chez Georges. Chez Georges. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Cook and dine with your friends in Porto… Rosa Et Al Townhouse. Porto, Portugal Bring your furry pal to the Natural Houses in Penela… Natural […]

We’re inspired by history… and living with colors. Featured top: Casa Roberto, Montevideo, Uruguay. Royal Card Suite. Viterbo, Italy Beach Court Studio. Cornwall, England Forte Sea House. Sicily, Italy Cooking time… We just love the compact feel of this kitchen in Munich… Glockenbach Loft. Munich, Germany Villa Morena. Seville, Spain Looking for an event venue in Spain?  Check out Villa Morena and Can Valldaura… and discover the flavors of Seville and Barcelona. Can […]

Our Bond Apartment in London inspired us to look for properties in our collection that are worthy of James Bond. From the otherworldly Dome Villas in Lombok, Indonesia to the space-age styling of Casa Boucquillon in Tuscany, we’ve got 007 covered. Here’s where to go to unleash your inner spy… The Dome Villas. Lombok, Indonesia Villa Extramuros. Alentejo, Portugal Casa da Rampa. Sintra, Portugal […]