The Joy of a Story
I’m a real sucker for a story. Don’t get me wrong, I love a grand dame luxury hotel as much as the next person but I am always fascinated by those smaller places that have a good story behind them, be that a life changing move or a desire to create the perfect sustainable property. Here are some of my favourites:-
La Bandita, Tuscany
John Voigtmann was an international music executive based in New York. Tired of chasing rock stars around the world, he quit his big time job and together with his travel writer wife, moved to Tuscany and opened a small country house hotel. Then he opened another one in town, (why wouldn’t you!) Having travelled all over the world this new found hotelier didn’t want fussy, formal service, or old-fashioned design and his two properties are anything but.
Fazenda Nova, Algarve
Tim and Hallie Robinson lived in North London with their three children and the usual chaos of busy city life. They dreamed of owning a property in the Eastern Algarve where Hallie had spent many a childhood summer with her parents. Then they saw it, a crumbling old farmhouse in the countryside near Tavira. To say the house needed work is an understatement but Tim and Hallie could see the potential and Fazenda Nova is now a luxury fifteen room boutique hideaway just 25 minutes from Faro.
Song Saa, Cambodia
It all began in 2005, when Rory and Melita Hunter arrived in Cambodia for what they thought would be a year-long stay on their way to New York from Australia. But life had other plans for them. On a sailing trip around the Koh Rong archipelago they were asked if they wanted to buy an island. And buy the island they did. Following a host of trials, tribulations and health battles, they managed to make their dreams come true and Song Saa is now an award winning private island resort. Conceptualised as an opportunity to protect the Koh Rong Archipelago, The Song Saa Foundation champions community and environment through programmes that preserve the natural environment and improve the welfare of local communities. Truly inspirational.
Wander, Prince Edward County
Shannon Hunter and her then boyfriend, now husband, read an article in an inflight magazine that led to a new home and a new life. Both charmed by the magical sounding Prince Edward county in Canada and following a dream to open a resort that included the best of everything they had experienced while travelling, Wander the idea became Wander the resort. Purchasing a pre existing resort property in the bucolic Prince Edward County they set about transforming it into ten dreamy cabins by the beach. Despite the challenges of a global pandemic, Wander is now sold out until October. Bravo Wander.
Nikoi, Indonesia
Andrew Dixon was disenchanted with the standard of holiday accommodation on offer within easy reach of his home in Singapore. It was either flea-ridden shacks or opulently garish five-star hotels so when the opportunity presented itself he and a group of five friends decided to buy Pulau Nikoi, an uninhabited and untouched paradise just 50 miles from Singapore. The rest as they say is history. Nikoi offers simple barefoot luxury on a 15 hectare private island and is a beacon of sustainable tourism. The creation of The Island Foundation in 2010 works with the local community on Bintan and neighbouring islands to help them to help themselves. A shining example of travel as a force for good.
Main image credit: La Bandita
Most def not a millennial. Too old to drink s*** wine. Penchant for luxury travel. Sharing my fav things in life; past, present and future.