Four idyllic corners to book now

Receive free travel updates

we will send you a myFT Daily Recap email rounding up the latest Travel news every morning.

A beautiful Georgian house on the outskirts of Edinburgh

Gilmerton House, in the bucolic countryside of East Lothian, some 20 miles from Edinburgh, is a Georgian beauty whose foundations date back a century before the 1600s. Home to the Kinloch family since it was built, it sits in six acres of landscaped gardens: countryside croquet and barbecue this side, sunken botanical garden garden with rare hundred-year-old trees to the other, rose bushes embraced by hedges, an ideal place for an evening drink in a straight line. Inside, the house has pool tables, music, and two parlors, as well as a massive wood-paneled library lined with ancestral portraits.

The house sleeps 20 people in 10 bedrooms, and there’s also a sweet cabin that sleeps another six people. It is ideal for groups of golfers – some of the best courses in the world are close by or just across the Firth of Forth. Now also ideal for celebrations, group getaways and retreats, thanks to the recent restoration of the c1804 Gilmerton Laundry, which resembles a barn, as a charming indoor-outdoor party space, filled with natural light and with the original flagstones intact. . gilmertonhouse.comfrom £3,000 a night

---

The new Sri Lankan house on the hill

Scott Williams has long had the corner of the best villas in the Greek Ionian Islands, as well as the local expertise to organize all kinds of lunches, dinners, boat and hiking tours, wine tours and more. Launched in Paxos, over the years it has spread to Italy, Croatia and even to the west of the country. Last month he debuted in Sri Lanka, with a total of 17 houses, ranging from a sprawling contemporary eagle’s nest on Kudawella beach to a historic three-bedroom bungalow, full of color and charm and beautiful gardens, in the heart of Galle Fort. We particularly like the look of Armitage Hill, just a short distance inland from Koggala Beach, and equally accessible to Galle and Weligama.

The property, which consists of three buildings arranged in the shape of a horseshoe around a central courtyard; the main one was designed by the late great Kerry Hill: it has a lovely long green-tiled pool, understated decor that mixes contemporary with old (with a bit of old pottery and modern canvases for good measure), and huge, gorgeous bathrooms , some with freestanding tubs or polished concrete sinks, throughout. There’s tons of outdoor space, which means privacy for everyone, even when it’s a full house of 10; and views for days. scottwilliams.esfrom £5,500 for seven nights, including full-time chef’s house manager and daily maid service

---

In Bali, three houses in one

Maximilian Jencquel grew up in Venezuela and studied in Paris; that combination of the organic and the urban defines the work of the interiors architect, who practiced with Christian Liaigre for years before moving to Bali and setting up his own design studio. The Rumah Hujan Estate consists of three separate houses, ranging in size from the three-bedroom Rumah Hujan, the foundation of which Jencquel built using a pile of ironwood salvaged from a bridge in Borneo, to the loft-like Sebun Kedis, with its living room. open plan living. -space to sleep and its terrace overlooking the jungle, hung with a long and soft hammock.

Each is available to rent on its own, or the estate can be reserved in its entirety, sleeping up to 12 people. Joglo wood and unbleached cotton and linen, bamboo and woven rugs, handmade tiles and volcanic stone: the materials are unadulterated and, except for that mother lode of iron, ultra-local. There’s a pretty fabulous bamboo-roofed badminton court and views over a tributary of the holy Ayung River, and it’s a 10-minute walk from Ubud town. rumah-hujan.comfrom $1,090 for the entire estate, $120 a night for a loft for 2 people

---

The Royal Treatment in South Africa’s Kruger Park

Since first establishing Royal Malewane, their lodge in South Africa’s Greater Kruger, in 1999, Liz and Phil Biden have been refining a business model that combines camps and lodges (and hotels, too, in Franschhoek and Cape Town) with a lush design. led by some of the most experienced and qualified guides and trackers on the continent (Juan Pinto, who co-leads the team, is something of a legend in safari circles).

Royal Malewane, on game-rich Thornybush Reserve, has long been a favorite of A-listers of all stripes, from presidents to producers and beyond (Elton John is a regular guest). The Bidens’ newest accommodation here is also arguably their most stunning, well worth considering for anyone planning a big blowout they’d go all out for: Africa House, which is bought exclusively by guests, has six en-suite bedrooms private, each opening onto a private wooden terrace with an outdoor shower. There are two private patios; a “long” room filled with fun, from billiards to board games, plus a huge communal dining table; and the house’s own boma, complete with fire pit and pizza oven (and, naturally, a chef who can whip up delicious pies). Dedicated teams of guides and trackers take Africa House guests into the bush on their schedule; so lies are recommended. theroyalportfolio.comfrom R43,000 (about £1,765) per night