Home away from home

Lion's View, Cape Town

Located above Camps Bay and designed by a leading South African architect, this pad comprises a main house and a penthouse. In the main house are sleek furnishings, while outside there's a patio, barbecue and pool with views of Lion's Head Mountain.

Venice Beach Eco Cottages, Los Angeles

There are three solar-powered cottages here. Choose from Le Bébé Cottage, with its Baroque Paris feel; Aunt Zoe's Place, decorated like a 1940s lakeside cabin, with stained-glass windows; and Papa Hemmingway Cottage, designed like a wilderness lodge.

BA Parisian Elegance Apartment, Buenos Aires

This stylish apartment occupies the first floor of a French-style embassy building from the 1920s. It's in the Recoleta neighbourhood, known for its parks, cafés and galleries.

Bolivar Suites, Mexico City

Located on the top floor of a stately building, with cityscape views, this apartment is decorated in a homely, contemporary style.

East Village Apartments, New York

This collection of four apartments and one penthouse is as close to home-from-home as you'll find in the Big Apple. Each apartment is individually designed, while the penthouse has its own roof garden.

Dar Musique, Marrakech

This stunning house has airy bedrooms and gorgeous en-suite bathrooms which open out on to a central, open-roofed courtyard with two fountains. Enjoy a mint tea on the terrace. There's also a resident Berber cook.

Chakrabongse Villas, Bangkok

These four apartments feel more akin to one of Thailand's tropical islands. Choose from the Riverside Villa, the Garden Suite, the split-level Chinese Suite and the Thai House, an old wooden building brought down from Ayutthaya. The cottages share a pool and dinners can be arranged around low, candle-lit tables in the riverside pavilion.

Inhouse Potts Point, Sydney

This apartment makes for a stylish base for exploring the city. It takes up the first floor of a 19th-century town house with views of Woolloomooloo Wharf and the Harbour Bridge.

Ipanema Penthouse, Rio de Janeiro

Just a stone's throw from Ipanema's beachfront, this penthouse mixes Italian marble floors, artwork and 1970s furniture. It has its own DJ booth and rooftop terrace with a sauna and pool — perfect for taking in the views of Rio's twin peaks (Dois Irmos).