The holiday house Alpenblicke is located in Kruen, a Bavarian mountain village near Mittenwald and Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The house was built around 1936 and renovated in 2008/2009 radically. It now offers contemporary comfort for 6 to 7 people. Bavarian cosiness here is perfectly combined with modern design. The high-quality furnishing in combination with rustic elements creates a comfortable atmosphere. In fine weather you can enjoy the alpine panorama from the large terrace. The Upper Bavarian mountains attract visitors with a variety of activities: skiing in winter, and in summer the house is a good starting point for hikes and excursions.

Country/Region: DE-Germany, upper Bavaria, Kruen
Name: Alpenblicke
Scenery: situated in a village in the Alps, close to the lake Walchensee
Type of accommodation: house
Architecture: old&new
Completion: 2009
Architect: Wimmer Architekten, Duisburg
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Homepage: www.alpenblicke.de
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The childhood dream of a tree house can be fulfilled in The Hidden Treehouse Resort (Resort Baumgeflüster). With rustic wooden huts, however, the houses have little in common. Here you live high up among the trees without having to sacrifice comfort.

The four houses on stilts are located in a forest clearing only three km from the Zwischenahner Sea. The made of larch wood houses are built in cubic form and can accommodate up to four people on about 40 m². Furnished in stylish, high quality contemporary design, the houses appear cosy thanks to the larch wood walls. On the big terrace fixed with steel cables in the trees you are very close to nature.

Even for breakfast one need not descend. Over a winch the breakfast picnic basket is pulled up. When one leaves his retreat the unique landscape of Ammerland with moor, heath, forest and meadows offers many opportunities for walking and cycling and the East Frisian coast is just 40 minutes away.

Country/Region: DE-Germany, Lower Saxony, Bad Zwischenahn
Name: BaumhausSuiten Resort Baumgeflüster – The hidden treehouse resort
Scenery: Nestled in the woods in the parklands of Ammerland, near the lake Zwischenahn
Type of accommodation: house
Architecture: modern
Completion: 2011
Architect: Andreas Wenning, Bremen, www.baumraum.de
Press/Publication: ZDF – heute journal (german TV), radio, several magazines e.g. Weser-Kurier, Nordwestzeitung, Wohnrevue (Schwitzerland)
Awards: ./.
Homepage: www.baumgefluester.de
Special Features: The houses are equipped with underfloor heating. Dogs not allowed in the houses, Boarding kennels close

Relaxed Holidays. Naturally. The mineral house in Viana do Castelo, Portugal is part of a diffuse world between the natural and sophistication. From an old house linked to an arable land in hillside comes a house, between stones, built where the soil was less productive. All that was recently constructed respects this condition. Among rocks, draw shapes and spaces, making the stone an inner landscape, a garden wall and support. This house has the virtue of integrating the inherited landscape and add to it a new experience of holidays and comfort, a clever balancing act between the pre-fabrication of structures and craftsmanship of the carpenters, stonemasons and metalworkers. The house has a wealth space in an amount of courtyards and balconies, windows and spaces, allowing affinity throughout the year: in summer, opening the house to the green, in autumn, sitting in courtyards protected from the wind, in winter seeing the water falling between the stones and in spring, using the coverages and indoor gardens. The relationship with the outside is timeless.

Country/Region: PT-Portugal, Viana do Castelo, Carvoeiro
Name: Mineral House
Scenery: between green trees in a smooth valley
Type of accommodation: house
Architecture: modern
Completion: 2005
Architect: António Barbosa, Portugal
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Homepage: www.mineralhouse.net
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In the eastern part of Tuscany, close to the umbrian border and not far away from the lake Trasimeno travellers can visit the Terzo di Danciano. It is an ancient fortified hamlet, consisting of the main house and a huge rural warehouse. Both have been carefully restored for several years until 2010. The main house with its massive stone walls is  called the villa and dates from the 18th century. It offers four rooms and a apartment for up to 16 guests.
The warehouse was constructed in the 19th century. In the beginning, it was used for sericulture. Today, there are two halls on the ground floor and a large, eight meters high hall in the first floor, which is called teatro del baco. It is a perfect place for study groups, art events, parties or seminars. Outside the buildings guests can enjoy the mediterranean garden or take a dip in a swimming pool which is perfectly positioned to get the sun until late evening.

Country/Region: IT-Italia, Tuscany, Cortona
Name: Terzo di Danciano
Scenery: country, in a gentle valley, surrounded by woods
Type of accommodation: house
Architecture: old&new
Completion: 2010
Architect: Luca Francia
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Awards: ./.
Homepage: www.terzodidanciano.it
Special Features: private swimming pool without chlorine

The eastern hills of Holstein are also known under the name Holsteinische Schweiz (Holstein Switzerland). This landscape with its small forests, low hills and a lot of lakes was formed by the last ice age. Here, just some kilometers away from the Baltic Sea, you can find the house Coast Cottage P14 / Papenkamp 14. The detached red-brick house, situated on the outskirts of Lütjenburg, was built in the early 1930s and is now, after a renovation, a small holiday home for up to 3 people. The interior is a mixture of traditional and modern style with a regional influence. The property includes a garden with fruit trees, which can be used by the guests. And if you want to explore some regional history, there is a medieval visitor center with a towerhill-castle and an ice age museum nearby.

Country/Region: DE-Germany, Schleswig-Holstein, Lütjenburg
Name: Coast Cottage P14 (Papenkamp 14)
Scenery: Situated on the outskirts, 6 kilometers to the Baltic Sea, part of the Holstein Switzerland
Type of accommodation: house
Architecture: old&new
Completion: 1932 – conversion 2009
Architect: Nina Baering, Markus Liebold (conversion)
Press/Publication: Brigitte (Top 10 Holiday Tips 2010)
Awards: ./.
Homepage: www.papenkamp14.de (German)
Special Features: The fruits of trees on the property may be used, reduced green fees for the local golf club. The conversion was planned by the owners themselves.

Free-running horses, cats, beehives, an orchard, view to the mountains: the FerienStadel BienenAlm is for nature lovers ! The old barn in the Zmöllach Valley has been transformed into a modern, comfortable house for up to 6 guests. A house to enjoy the tranquility of the surrounding mountains. On the terrace there is a bathing tub with a view to the landscape.
If you like a little more adventure, you can ride with the horses to the ruins of castle Kaisersberg, which is nearby.

Country/Region: AT-Austria, Styria, St. Stefan ob Leoben
Name: BienenAlm
Scenery: in an orchard at 1000 m altitude in the mountains overlooking the valley
Type of accommodation: house
Architecture: old&new
Completion: 2010
Architect: DI Norbert Humer
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Awards: ./.
Homepage: www.bienenalm.at
Special Features: Hot Pot (wooden hot tub), swimming pond, mountain bikes, horses, petting tigers, apiculture

At the northwestern end of Lake Constance, lies the tranquil town of Bodman-Ludwigshafen. “Sonnenhaus am See” (Sun house at the lake) is located above the village and is an excellent starting point for trips in the area of Lake Constance. The house was built in 1995 and modernized in 2010. Primarily ecologically sustainable building materials were used: clay plaster, natural insulation and a lot of larch wood. These materials were combined with a modern steel structure that remains visible inside. The result is a cozy house with an exposed roof and a spacious living and dining area for up to four travelers. Then you have the choice either to enjoy the view to Lake Constance from the terrace or take a trip into the Grießbach gorge, starting just a few feet behind the property.

Country/Region: DE-Germany, Baden-Württemberg, Lake Constance, Bodman-Ludwigshafen
Name: Sonnenhaus-am-See (Sun house at the lake)
Scenery: on the outskirts of Bodman-Ludwigshafen, overlooking the lake and forest
Type of accommodation: house
Architecture: modern
Completion: 2010
Architect: Braungardt, Überlingen
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Homepage: www.Sonnenhaus-am-See.de | Translation
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Nefta is a small town in the south of Tunisia, an oasis near the Chott El Jerid salt lake and not far from the Algerian border. The Dar HI Hotel has opened in December 2010. It is a luxurious hostel for people who are interested in becoming acquainted with the Tunisian culture.
Located on a hill above the town, and only accessible on foot, the complex has been constructed following the traditional design: a group of houses, brick walls with the typical ocher color, roofs and doors are made from palm wood. The Dar HI offers 17 rooms, divided into different concepts: from introverted cave style types to rooms with views over the city.
Responsible for the design was the french designer Matali Crasset. Not only she has been inspired by the surrounding culture and landscape, also Hollywood knows the attraction of the area: Star Wars, The English Patient and other movies were filmed in the area.

Country/Region: TN-Tunisia, Nefta
Name: Dar HI
Scenery: on a hill overlooking the town and the desert
Type of accommodation: hotel
Architecture: traditional/modern
Completion: june 2010
Architect: Mohamed Nasr (execution), Matali Crasset (Designer)
Press/Publication: diseno interior (spain)
Awards: ./.
Homepage: www.dar-hi.net
Special Features: natural source of hot water flowing under the basement, also used for the hammam and the pool.
HI offers two more design hotels in Paris and Nice

Photos : Jérôme SPRIET

The ASI Lodge is surrounded by dense forest, green meadows and the peaks of the Limestone Alps, the lake Achensee is nearby.
The house was formerly known under the name Hotel Windegg: In 1989 the new building by architect Hans Peter Peter was regarded as a modern answer to the traditional Tyrolean hotel buildings.
Meanwhile, under new leadership, the old main house and the central building were demolished. A new wing expands the building with open, light-flooded rooms, a new lobby, dining room and bar. At the spa area, the landscape opens up to the valley.

Country/Region: AT-Austria, Steinberg am Rofan (Achensee), Tirol
Name: ASI Lodge
Scenery: Mountains, Alps. On a meadow glade in the valley of Steinberg, overlooking the idyllic Achensee.
Type of accommodation: hotel
Architecture: modern
Completion: 2005
Architect: Dieter Mathoi
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Awards: ./.
Homepage: www.asi-lodge.at
Special Features: The Lodge is a good basecamp for hiking or snowshoeing.

Information about the history of the building (Hotel Windegg)

Building an innovative contemporary home in the English Lake District – a conservative National Park where traditional architecture dominates – was not an easy project! The Love Shack has been a true labour of love for owners Karen Guthrie (an artist and film-maker) & Adam Sutherland (director of Grizedale Arts) …

Country/Region: UK-Ambleside, Cumbria
Name: Lake District Love Shack
Scenery: Lake District
Lodging: house
Architecture: modern
Completion: 2009
Architect: Sutherland Hussey Architects, UK-Edinburgh
Press/Publication: ./.
Awards: RIBA 2011 Award
Homepage: lakedistrictloveshack.com
Special Features: views of Lake Windermere