Spring Awa­kening

Manzara by the sea! The architect couple Gabi Kern-Alt­indis and Erdoğan Alt­indis have brought their suc­cessful Manzara concept from Istanbul to the idyllic Turkish harbour town of Ayvalik: Manzara style, that means living among locals in apart­ments that are excep­tional and where you quickly feel at home. There are num­erous smaller beaches and secluded bays in the island of Cunda (Alibey) off Ayvalik. Sarimsakli south of Ayvalik is THE local beach.

Due to its location on a hillside above the bay of Port Sóller on Mal­lorca, CASA AL MAR benefits from breath­taking views over the harbour to the open sea. Interior designer Anke Schei­deler has com­bined modern archi­tecture with ori­ginal mate­rials to create rooms that reflect the light and mood of the island in a way that is as luxu­rious as it is dis­creet. The cubist villa offers plenty of space for a holiday with family or friends on two floors and 180 sqm of living space.

With its but­terfly roof, the Villa Gran Atlantico looks like a but­terfly that has landed on the steep slope near the west coast of La Palma. The building con­sists of two floors con­nected by an external staircase: the pan­o­ramic floor and the ground floor, which is clad in natural stone. Both are 100 sqm in size. Room-high glass fronts blur the tran­si­tions between house and nature. Depending on space requi­re­ments, only one floor or the entire house can be booked.

The Loft is close to the Medi­ter­ranean Sea as well as many beau­tiful cities like Nar­bonne, Tou­louse, Mont­pellier, Per­pignan, Béziers or Car­cas­sonne. The Canal du Midi is also within easy reach. On the grounds of an old farm, the owners have trans­formed one of the large out­buil­dings into a spa­cious, casual holiday home that can now accom­modate up to 12 people on 300 sqm. Pool included!

Facing the sea. Villa Nyland is located at Cap Bénat, one of the most beau­tiful scenic loo­kouts on the Côte d’Azur. Sur­rounded by old stone pines, oaks and pine trees that extend down to the beach. The fact that ever­y­thing here seems as if time and tourism have stood still is due to the fact that the entire sett­lement dedi­cated itself to the pro­tection of the coast 50 years ago. A heritage that Villa Nyland also upholds, com­ple­menting its his­toric ground floor from 1949 with a modern, res­trained structure.

This rural pro­perty on the Croatian pen­insula of Istria con­sists of a his­to­rical complex of main house and out­buil­dings grouped around a central square. If you are tra­velling with your extended family or a large group of friends, the spa­cious pro­perty can accom­modate up to 16 people. It is a 15-minute drive to the coast, and of course only a few steps to the pool!

Maison Kamari on the Greek island of Paros offers 180 sqm of space for six people. As well as the bedroom in the guest house, there are two further bed­rooms (all with en suite bath­rooms) in the main house. The cen­tre­piece is the com­bined living, dining and cooking area with brick benches and shelves. The fur­nis­hings with Mid-Century pieces lend warmth and indi­vidual flair to the rooms, which are cha­rac­te­rised by clear, purist forms.

Up to 12 people can stay in this holiday home on the Greek island of Lefkada. The pan­o­ramic location makes sure that you have a view of the sea from ever­y­where. From the living space with its sitting, kitchen and dining areas, you have a view of the Ionian Sea, the town of Lefkada and over to the mainland. In front of the bed­rooms, which also all have sea views, there is an open portico and a terrace with a 20-metre infinity pool. The nearest beach is one kilo­metre away. A little further, but wort­hwhile, are various spots for wind or kite surfers.

The small village of Afife on the Por­tu­guese Atlantic coast is home to an extra­or­dinary house: Casa Afife. Since windows and doors with shutters can be com­pletely hidden in the facade, when the shutters are closed the holiday home for six people almost looks like a sculpture. The design of the house was signi­fi­cantly influenced by the neigh­bouring church: For in this way the house does not disturb the harmony of the reli­gious place, but still retains its inde­pendent cha­racter.

Sur­rounded by a sand dune, this exclusive holiday home is only 400 metres from Praia do Pego, which has been named Por­tu­gal’s best beach several times. Located south of Lisbon, the house – a com­po­sition of glass, con­crete and pine ter­races – has a simple, straight­forward design and 265 sqm of space for up to six people. On the large roof terrace with the heated pool, you are com­pletely undis­turbed and can even swim in winter.

Gnarled olive trees and the blue shim­mering sea in the distance: Casa di Monti wel­comes its guests with this view of the land­marks of Apulia. The refe­rence to the sur­roun­dings cha­rac­te­rises the entire design of the holiday home, which is located on a 1.2‑hectare plot near the town of Ostuni. A little way from the house is the infinity pool framed by a wooden terrace, and the nearest beach is five kilo­metres away. Up to six guests can stay here for holidays with family and friends. Note: The house is not recom­mended for families with small children!

Where the dra­gon­flies live: On a Sicilian hill, amidst citrus, almond and olive trees, vines, palms and cacti rests the Dimora delle Libellule. A light and airy ensemble for up to eight guests, it com­bines Orient and Occident as well as ori­gi­nality and modernity. The sprawling pro­perty is a com­bi­nation of a his­to­rical main building and a newly designed guest house, both con­nected by a long narrow pool. Sur­rounded by a two-hectare private park that com­bines almost ever­y­thing Sicily’s flora has to offer.