Tenbosch House

Take two art nouveau houses circa 1906 in Brussels, Belgium. Renovate in white white white. Mix well with an enviable collection of mid 20th Century Scandinavian furniture. Layer with original art. Shake well in the cocktail bar and pour out the smoothest long cold drink of a getaway guest house you could ever wish to order. Cedric Meuris and Bernard Devaux had the vision. Tenbosch House, an exclusive small hotel is the result. It's Friday. It's virtual getaway day. I'll meet you in the bar at 7. Date?

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Faded luxury

Thank goodness that week is over. I seem to find myself musing over holiday getaways on Fridays. I wonder why? I smell rose and musk, orange blossom and exotic spice. Water gurgles and staff whisper just out of earshot. There is  rhythmic music slowly pulsing somewhere in the riad but here in the salon it is cool and dark, peaceful but oh so decadent. From the rooftop terraces the view extends across the city to the Atlas Mountains. Perhaps it's time to sun like a cat by the pool. Life is just too difficult isn't it? Dar Darma in Marrakech via Welcome Beyond.

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Bed & Breakfast

Fancy getting away from the hustle and bustle? The idea of a guest house, a bed and breakfast more appealing than an impersonal hotel room? A little bit of paradise in the middle of the Italian countryside? Oh yes please! Toss aside your big city cares and settle into this Upper Tiber Valley barn conversion. It's part of the owners' home. Mid century classics and rural Italy. Sounds like a great marriage. Add a private swimming pool and five hectares of land to explore, fig trees to pluck fruit from, a bocce court in the woods. What more could you want for an escape to the country? Villa Metato Umbria, Italy via Welcome Beyond.

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Straight to the top of the class

Inspired by the beautiful spaces they encountered in their day jobs, architectural photographers Anne and Jean-Luc Laloux converted this Belgian school house into fun, quirky and fab accommodation for up to 21 people. This isn't your rustic group holiday share. It's an exercise in great design and a great time with friends. Too cool for school? I don't think so. Straight to the top of the class. La Classe that is. Via Urlaubsarchitektur.

  

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Longing for the Land of the Long White Cloud ... again

Is there a land more beautiful than my own Australia? Yes I believe there is. I think at last I have to admit that New Zealand is just a little more stunning. Just a little more. This slice of perfection is the Alan Pye Cottage, part of the iconic Huka Lodge at Huka Falls, Taupo, New Zealand. Eclectic luxury created by interior designer Virginia Fisher and Christian Anderson and Sumich Chaplin Architects (on whose site I found these pictures). Words fail me. Stunning landscape matched by sophisticated interiors drawing influence from the English Arts & Crafts movement. A powerful colour palette references the hypnotic turquoise green waters of the Waikato River. So many Kiwis cross the sea to Australia. I think we Aussies should be slipping quietly over to New Zealand. Paradise!

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