The Destination Journal
Travel tips and stories from each villa location.
Travel notes and stories from the destinations in the Collection: what a week is really like in each villa location, written by the iLuxuryTravels desk.
marrakech
Marrakech: Riad, Palmeraie or Desert
Three houses within forty minutes of each other, and three quite different weeks. What each one actually feels like.
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meribel
Meribel: taking a chalet at the centre of the Three Valleys
Why Meribel's position beats its neighbours for mixed-ability groups, and which of its hamlets to take a chalet in.
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dubai
Dubai in February: The Case for the Second Half of the Season
The weather in February is indistinguishable from Christmas. The rate is not.
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megeve
Megeve: the village-first alternative to the high Alpine resorts
Low altitude, real village, best restaurants in the Alps. Who Megeve suits, and when the snow actually works.
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aspen
Aspen in January: The Week Nobody Books
The second and third weeks of January are the best skiing and the lowest rates of the winter. Here is how to use them.
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corsica
Corsica: the south, the Cap, and the mountains in between
Porto-Vecchio's sands, Bonifacio's cliffs and a mountainous interior most guests never see. Placing a Corsican villa week.
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ibiza
Ibiza: The North Is a Different Island
Es Cubells, San Jose, Santa Gertrudis and the north each attract a completely different guest. A short guide to picking your side.
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folegandros
Folegandros: the Cyclades without the crossing everyone else makes
A small island with one road, one Chora and no airport. Why Folegandros suits a villa week better than its famous neighbours.
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bali
Bali: Choosing Between the Cliff, the Rice Fields and the Sea
Uluwatu, Ubud and the north coast are three unrelated holidays. Most disappointing Bali weeks come from picking the wrong one.
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douro valley
Douro Valley: harvest weeks and what a river quinta week involves
Terraced vineyards, a slow river and September harvest. Where to base in the Douro and how to plan the tastings.
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val d isere
Courchevel, Val d'Isere, Chamonix or Megeve: choosing the right week
Four French resorts, four very different weeks. How ski access, altitude, evenings and the drive from Geneva should shape the resort you book.
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barbados
Barbados: The Difference Between the Two Coasts
The west coast and the south coast are two different holidays on one small island. Choose the wrong one and the week never quite settles.
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puglia
Puglia: masseria weeks, and the difference between the two seas
Adriatic or Ionian, Valle d'Itria or Salento. How to place a masseria week in Puglia so the drives stay short.
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punta mita
Punta Mita: What the Gates Actually Buy You
A resort peninsula that works as a private estate destination, provided you understand what sits inside the gate and what does not.
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amalfi coast
Amalfi Coast: Positano, Ravello, or the Sorrento side?
The three bases on the Amalfi Coast behave completely differently. Steps, boats, drivers and where a villa week is easiest.
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st barths
A Week in St Barths, Off the Festive Calendar
Everyone books the fortnight between Christmas and New Year. The island is better in the three weeks either side of it, and costs a fraction of the price.
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menorca
Menorca: the quiet Balearic, and why the south coast books first
No high-rises, no superclubs, and calas you walk to. What a Menorca villa week looks like, and which coast to take.
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mallorca
Mallorca: the southwest, the north, and the drive between them
Son Vida and Port d'Andratx are a different holiday to Pollenca and Deia. Where to take a villa on Mallorca, and how the island actually splits.
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courchevel 1850
What 'catered' really means in a French chalet
Chef, host, driver, housekeeping — the staffing behind a catered chalet week, what is usually included, and the questions worth asking before you sign.
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chamonix
Getting to your French chalet: airports, transfers and the last hour
Geneva, Lyon, Chambery or Grenoble — how the arrival airport quietly decides the shape of your first day in the Alps, and how to plan the final road hour.
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