Airbnb’s come a long way from blow up mattresses on a stranger’s creaking wooden floor. With its recent acquisition of Luxury Retreats, the home rental service has thrown on a tux and entered the world of glamour. May we present Airbnb Luxe.
The villas, castles, kasbahs and private islands (yep) on offer all have one thing in common – they are luxury epitomised. Each booking comes with swaggy amenities, exclusive services and a dedicated trip designer. Of course, private islands don’t come for free – prices range from the average of £14,000 for a week’s stay up to a cool £1 million.
Let’s have a snoop at the most O.T.T. homes on Airbnb Luxe…
Ezzahra Estate
Rock the Kasbah and stay pretty in pink at Ezzahra Estate.
Those tiles! That pool! The plaster pink walls!
The Ezzahra Estate looks like someone rooted around in our Moroccan fantasies and built a home using the blueprints from our imaginations. Nestled in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains, the estate is built of traditional red clay, with intricate tiles and open spaces. There’s three pools (natch) and a staff of 17 to help you with your every whim. Oh, and the garden’s ancient olive trees, date palms, pomegranate and orange trees make the air smell like Carmen Miranda’s smoothie machine. It’s a yes from us.
Sleeps 26 guests. From £10,590 per night.
Chateau de Tourreau
Game of Thrones and Chandeliers at Chateau de Tourreau
If it’s good enough for Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas… Chateau de Tourreau is where the millionaire young lovers chose to hold their second wedding (the first was a Vegas elopement). As well as famous connections, this 18th-century Provence home has swimming pools, game courts, a heliport and, of course, a chapel for weddings. Ding dong.
Sleeps 14 guests. From £4,548 per night.
Te Kahu
Mordor sure looked pretty in the dusk light. Te Kahu.
Has any house ever seemed closer to heaven?
Te Kahu is a modern wonder (it’s won awards for its architecture) set on 50 acres at New Zealand’s Lake Wanaka. TBH, we were sold with the description ‘clink glasses by the alfresco fireplace as the sun dances over the edge of the lake’…
Sleeps 6 guests. From £2,068 per night.
Nukutepipi
Cirque du Luxuray, amirite? Nukutepipi private island.
If you think villas and chateaux are for the riff raff, this French-Polynesian private island should do the job.
Nukutepipi is owned by the creator of Cirque du Soleil, and it certainly is a spectacle. Its 16 villas come with multiple pools, five-star spa facilities a chef and a masseuse. Oh, and its own TIMEZONE. Now * that’s * luxury.
Sleeps 52 guests. From £115,293 per night.
The Fleming Villa
James Bond likes his bubble bath shaken, not stirred. The Fleming Villa.
‘Do you expect me to talk?’
‘No Mr Bond, I expect you to have an outdoor bath.’
There is so much fun to be had at The Fleming Villa, the actual spot that big Ian wrote his famous spy novels in between sipping cocktails with the likes of Katherine Hepburn and Errol Flynn. Located on a sunny patch of Jamaica’s coast, the villa comes with GoldenEye-worthy amenities like spas, tennis and water sports.
Sleeps 10 guests. From £3,551 per night.
