From Tuscany to Catalonia these properties are a feast for the senses
Words by LESLEY McKENZIE
luberon / france
Mas des Infirmières
Sir Ridley Scott is known as an Academy Award–nominated director, but he’s also the owner of the MAS DES INFERMIÈRES estate and winery in Luberon, France. Since Scott and his family acquired the property in 1992, the filmmaker has remained committed to preserving the traditional Provençal wine-making methods. The result: a portfolio of award-winning wines, including the limited Ombre de Lune, a cuvée boasting a selection of the estate’s oldest Syrah vines and blended with Grenache. The estate is home to three renovated traditional farmhouses now available for rent. Brought to life by Scott’s longtime designer Pia Maclean, each open-plan, light-filled villa echoes the rustic charm of its Provençal surrounds, balanced with contemporary art and furnishings. The largest, the five-bedroom, five-bathroom Les Chênes Verts, sleeps nine and is the more secluded of the three; it also features a separate apartment with its own entrance for additional privacy. Each villa comes with its own garden, dining terrace, and pool, and the smaller two look out onto the vineyards. Cinematic, indeed. masdesinfermieres.com.
The estate is home to three renovated farmhouses.
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catalonia / SPAIN
Gran Hotel Mas d’en Bruno
Producers like Alvaro Palacios and Clos Erasmus have helped put the small Catalonian appellation of Priorat on the map over the past few decades. The newest feather in the rising-star wine region’s cap? GRAN HOTEL MAS D’EN BRUNO, a tony hillside hideaway and Relais & Châteaux property two hours outside of Barcelona that strikes a balance between old-world charm and contemporary elegance. Hotelier David Stein of the Stein Group tapped local design talent to transform the former 18th-century manor and annex into 23 sleek suites and a villa, each rendered in earthy tones and natural materials — think wood-beamed ceilings and red marble baths — that nod to the sloping vineyard landscape. The homage to Mas d’en Bruno’s viticultural roots continues in the spa, which is carved out of the space that once housed estate’s ancient winery and now boasts a pool and hammam. Two onsite restaurants put the region’s culinary prowess on display, and by night chef Joseph Queralt turns out tasting menus featuring wild turbot steamed in Grenache white wine, accompanied by pairings from the cellar stocked with regional standouts such as the Clos de l’Obac 2013. Can’t get enough of the local wine? Ask the hotel to book you a tour or masterclass with the region’s 114 producers. masdenbruno.com/en/.
Two restaurants put the region’s culinary prowess on display.
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hawke’s bay / new zealand
Rosewood Cape Kidnappers
If you’re searching for that perfect blend of unspoiled wild beauty and luxurious serenity, check into ROSEWOOD CAPE KIDNAPPERS on the rugged cliffs of Hawke’s Bay on the North Island of New Zealand. This 6,000-acre estate — one of the three Robertson Lodge properties that handed over the management reins to Rosewood in December 2023 — is not only a golfer’s paradise with its Tom Doak–designed course, but also home to Cape Sanctuary, the country’s largest privately funded wildlife restoration project. The 5-mile driveway winds through forests, gullies, and creeks before dropping guests off at the threshold of the property, located on the peninsula purchased by founders Julian and Josie Robertson in 2004. Twenty-four villas and suites envisioned by Josie along with Aspen interior designer Linda Bedell dot the working sheep and beef farm today, each a master class in rustic sophistication with exposed beams and stone floors, blending seamlessly with the pastoral landscape. Guests can navigate the estate’s myriad trails by mountain-bike, soak in the heated infinity pool, and taste their way through the nearby Craggy Range vineyard, then stargaze with an astronomer after a farm-to-table dinner experience with fare such as handmade pappardelle with spinach and locally made pecorino. rosewoodhotels.com.
Villa San Luigi offers total seclusion and private check-in.
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tuscany / italy
Villa San Luigi
COMO Castello Del Nero has set the standard for grandeur in the hills of Chianti, and the latest addition to its 740-acre estate is no exception. Debuted in March, the head-turning VILLA SAN LUIGI is a five-bedroom luxury getaway housed in a refurbished 18th-century farmhouse overlooking the Tuscan countryside. A short drive from the property’s main buildings, Villa San Luigi offers total seclusion and private check-in. Envisioned by Paola Navone — the same Milan-based designer who brought COMO Castello Del Nero to life in a 12th-century castle — the light-filled Villa San Luigi is also graced with an infinity pool, a library, and a cinema as well as an outdoor barbecue pit and pizza oven, making it the perfectly appointed retreat for families and friends. Guests have access to complimentary daily yoga and Pilates classes and COMO Shambala Retreat, the onsite holistic wellness sanctuary. Factor in the estate’s culinary offerings, such the Michelin-starred La Torre restaurant (one of three dining options), which serves veal sweetbreads with autumnal vegetables, truffle hunting, gelato-making, and wine tastings in the 12th-century cellar of locally produced wines such as Brancaia Chianti Classico Riserva 2012, and you have the makings of an idyllic escape. comohotels.com.
Feature image: Sir Ridley Scott’s Mas des Infermières estate and winery based in the north of Luberon, France. PHOTO: Serge Chapuis.
This story originally appeared in the Fashionable Living 2024 issue of C Magazine.
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