Private detectives: where to find exclusive-use inspiration around the world

The British love affair with France runs deep and there is no shortage of incredible homes and exclusive-use options to consider, from Oliver’s Travels’ Villa Bizet, a six-bedroom villa on the French Riviera with a pool (from £10,452 per week), to taking over Domaine des Etangs, a 13th-century castle and boutique hotel which sits in 1,000 hectares of Charente countryside. The meticulous restoration of the chateau covers its seven bedrooms, library, dining spaces and an attic turned into a games room (pictured). Also in the gardens (and included in the private hire) are six farmhouse cottages, a vegetable garden, Gallo-Roman baths, two pools, floating tennis court and a gourmet restaurant. Exclusive hire of Domaine des Etangs starts from €25,000 per night (mid-September to mid-April) or from €45,000 (mid-April to mid-September) and covers the entire property, including the castle, restaurant, farm cottages and all facilities.

Puente Romano has always been a luxury favourite, but Carrier suggests its separate four-bedroom residence, Villa Pereza, with direct beach access. There’s a nice new twist offered now – private tutoring for two children, perfect for those looking to catch up on any missed lessons this year. Parents can also book Spanish fencing lessons with a master who starred in The Mask of Zorro, or tennis lessons with Marko Djokovic; seven nights costs £108,470 per family (six adults, two children) departing 14 August.

Encourage clients to enjoy a stray from the norm and enjoy the lovely island of Paxos, where Simpson Travel has added the Thymari Estate (pictured) for this year. As an exclusive-use option, it can sleep 17 people across a series of five villas set on a lush hillside on the island’s north-east coast. Two beaches are a meander away, and electric buggies are also on hand to get around the grounds, along with two Jeeps for use on the island. Guests are also able to hire the owner’s 26ft yacht, which takes up to 12 guests. The Thymari Estate costs from £23,000 for a week in July, including breakfast and a choice of lunch or dinner (flights and transfers extra).

Italy is dotted with beautiful private stays, from Tuscan villas, to coastal hideaways. Stylish choices from Welcome Beyond include Villa Abruzzo in the far north of the province of Abruzzo and in close proximity to the Adriatic coast (weekly rates from €8,000, based on six sharing) and Freiform (pictured), a countryside home in South Tyrol which just melts into the landscape (from €340 a night). On a grander scale, Castello di Vicarello is a 12th-century castle in the Tuscan hills, complete with nine suites, two pools, vineyard and olive oil production, and an open kitchen. The property hosts to up to 22 guests, and exclusive-use hire starts from €12,000 per night.

New for this year is Masseria Gemmabella a seven-bedroom option in the Puglian countryside, complete with four restored trulli – traditional little houses with conical roofs (from £15,000 per week for up to 14 people). Or for lakeside living, 16th-century Villa Pliniana pitches itself as the “most luxurious villa on Lake Como”, offering guests a stay on an 18-acre estate with 18 bedrooms, a private boat dock, helicopter pad, spa and services of Il Sereno, the sister hotel nearby (from €130,000 for seven nights).

One of the hottest new properties on the luxury scene is Lopud 1483, the conversion of a Franciscan monastery that opened last year on the northern tip of Lopud island in Croatia. The project has been described as a “living art gallery”, steered by art collector Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza, while the 13 original cells of the monastery have been transformed into five suites and there are also “alchemy bars”, in-house meditation experts and a sacred garden in the grounds. Lopud 1483 sleeps 10 guests and is available for exclusive-use between April-October from €10,000 per night, half-board (booking@lopud1483.com).

In South Africa, Fynbos Family House at Babylonstoren (pictured) in Franschhoek has just made a stylish debut. The five-bedroom Cape-Dutch villa is the latest project from husband-wife team Koos Bekker and Karen Roos, who as well as creating Babylonstoren also launched The Newt in Somerset to much acclaim – Fynbos is available from £2,920 per night.

Some people may be contemplating a longer stay away from home this year, combining work and some holiday time, and for a change of scene, they could swap day-to-day mundanity for a month’s “workcation” at Villa Azzaytouna, just outside Marrakech. The three-bedroom spacious Moroccan home is part of CV Villa’s Above portfolio, which means it includes 24-hour concierge service, an in-house chef and daily housekeeping, and there is also a spa room (from £42,000 per month in May).

Or if clients like the idea of retreating to Kenya on a private safari, Lengishu is an exclusive-use property on the Borana Conservancy with views across the Laikipia plains, available via Abercrombie & Kent for seven nights from £6,250pp including international flights based on 12 sharing.

Slipping into the Indian Ocean down your own slide from the Private Reserve at Gili Lankanfushi (pictured) could be just the antidote people are looking for. This standalone overwater estate has four bedrooms, living space, gym, spa, open-air cinema and infinity pool and costs from $74,970 for seven nights for up to eight guests, including breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Or maybe clients want to hire an entire island? Options include Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fen Fushi, available from £1,077,608 for a week on a full-board basis, including return seaplane transfers and island experiences for up to 100 guests. They will have full run of the resort, staying in everything from overwater villas to safari-style tented options in the heart of the island, and can snorkel the 9km house reef, explore the Coralarium – an underwater art gallery and coral regeneration project – or swim with turtles. Rate includes full-board, seaplane transfers and island experiences such as yoga and snorkelling.

The Island Buyout Package at Lux North Male Atoll includes use of the six-hectare island with 67 villas, for a sizeable family reunion or special celebration; starting from $180,000 per night (available until 31 October, minimum three-night stay), including daily breakfast, lunch and dinner, and airport transfers. And for a smaller option, COMO Cocoa Island has a wellbeing focus, so the group guests on a buy-out can feel healthy and refreshed, with a third of the island devoted to the COMO Shambhala Retreat. They will stay in 34 overwater villas and island buy-outs include daily breakfast and a choice of lunch or dinner; starting from £25,745 per night, inclusive of speedboat transfers.

Or maybe suggest a cultural escape in this part of the world, in Sri Lanka, combined with the privacy of Eden Villas’ options. The company has a dedicated agent portal and its properties include Claughton House, designed by legendary architect Geoffrey Bawa, available from £674 per night.

Nihi Sumba, a remote hideaway on an island twice the size of Bali, offers the chance to escape to a unique pristine wilderness, with space for up to 80 friends and family across 29 pool villas, available for around $1 million a month.

The Nihi Resort Buyout comes with the chance to explore this hidden paradise, hiking dramatic waterfalls, seeing ancient villages and riding Sumbanese horses along the beach – and feeling good about it, as the rate includes a 5% donation to Nihi’s philanthropic arm, The Sumba Foundation.

There’s a plethora of high-end exclusive options in this part of the world. Carrier suggests ANI Villa in Anguilla, which boasts 10 suites, a coterie of butlers, chef, housekeepers and even a children’s activity coordinator; from £222,720 for a week (based on 16 sharing from 6 November).

Silversands in Grenada has nine sleek hill or beach pool villas, and a Work From Paradise offer, meaning those who stay 14 nights or more can unlock extras such as 45-minute daily personal workout session (from £2,577 per night). Or for those into wellness, suggest one of the new two-bedroom villas at Body Holiday in Saint Lucia, Villa Aurora and Villa Calypso. As with the main hotel, daily spa treatments, food and beverage are included in the cost of the stay, from $3,768 per night.

OneFineStay has some gems also, such as a teeny island for two in Belize, Gladden Private Island (from £3,115pn), to the larger scale, 93-acre Little Whale Cay in the Bahamas, offered up as a “private kingdom”, with the island boasting its own airstrip, a flotilla of boats and space for 12 guests across three homes (from £12,091 per night). And, of course, it wouldn’t be an exclusive feature without St Barths – Le Sereno Villas as is a trio of homes, designed by Christian Liaigre and each with over 7,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space, private pool and access to 24-hour service, as well as the amenities of neighbouring hotel Le Sereno; from €4,600 a night.