Category Archives: Villa

Rocco Forte Villas Sicily

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Many of our clients are repeat visitors to Hotel de Russie in Rome, we are thrilled to share their private villas on the coast of Sicily, at their well known five star resort Verdura.

ENCHANTING SICILY — Italy’s largest island is a melting pot of art, heritage and garden-fresh cuisine, drenched in sunshine and the natural beauty of the Mediterranean coast. Home to a diverse landscape studded with Mount Etna’s volcanic mountain trails, Sicily is also filled with picturesque fishing villages and markets bursting with artisanal trinkets. The island’s capital, Palermo, features striking palaces, domes and mosaics depicting Arab, Byzantine and Norman influences, and is well worth a day trip. On the southwest coast, guests at Verdura Resort enjoy uninterrupted views of spectacular coves and pristine beaches, with the best of the island on your doorstep.

Rocco Forte Villas are nestled on Sicily’s idyllic coastline, the tranquil private villas embrace island life at its finest in the heart of Verdura Resort. Serene open-air living spaces and furnished terraces create a light ambiance throughout each villa, back dropped by spectacular views of the private infinity pool, manicured garden and sparkling seascape.

Located on the south-west coast of Sicily. Rocco Forte Private Villas are 80 minutes from Palermo and Trapani International Airports and 3 hours from Catania International Airport.

OPTIONS: A range of 3-bedroom and 4-bedroom villas are spread across two floors and make the perfect home for family reunions, celebrations with loved ones. Enjoy the warmth of Rocco Forte personalized services throughout your stay, as well as complimentary access to Verdura Resort’s private beach, opulent spa and championship golf course all on your doorstep. Their dedicated team is always on hand to arrange complimentary rounds of golf or a scenic bike ride through the surrounding olive groves.

Rocco Forte Private Villas perfectly combine private luxury with the extensive five-star services at Verdura Resort. Wake up in the privacy of your secluded villa, nestled in Sicily’s idyllic hills surrounded by 230 hectares of tranquil olive groves and postcard-perfect coastline, with unlimited access to a wealth of activities and experiences on your doorstep. Stroll down to the resort whenever you wish to explore superb dining options, indulgent spa treatments, golf lessons and a private stretch of white-sand beach.

SMERALDO – Three-bedroom villas. The collection of Smeraldo villas enjoy uninterrupted views of Verdura Resort’s shoreline. The villa’s open-plan ground floor is bright and airy, comprising a fully equipped kitchen and spacious dining and living areas, flooded with natural golden light.

All bedrooms enjoy the privacy of their own bathroom and terrace, with breath-taking views of the sparkling seascape and direct access to the infinity pool. Embrace the Mediterranean’s inviting climate and enjoy alfresco aperitifs and star-lit dinners on the ground-floor and first-floor terraces. Location – Front-row villas with uninterrupted views.  Sleeps 6 adults in 3 en suite double bedrooms with king-sized beds. An extra bed is available upon request.

CORALLO – Four-bedroom villas. The Corallo villas enjoy uninterrupted views of the southern Sicilian coastline. The ground floor comprises a fully equipped kitchen with open-plan living that flows into a spectacular outdoor terrace and lounge perfect for entertaining. Natural light pours in from floor-to-ceiling windows, revealing striking views of the surrounding seascape.

Each bedroom is en-suite and comes with its own balcony for private relaxation. The fourth bedroom is detached from the rest of the villa to form a secluded haven with a private entrance for an enhanced sense of tranquility. View: Front-row villas with uninterrupted views. Sleeps 8 adults in 4 en-suite double bedrooms with king-sized beds. An extra bed is available upon request. View of Verdura Resort and the Mediterranean Sea.

AGATA ‑Three-bedroom villas. The Agata villas enjoy sweeping views of Verdura’s golf courses and Sicily’s sparkling seascape. Each villa has been designed with an open-plan ground floor that flows seamlessly from a fully equipped kitchen to spacious dining and living areas, flooded with natural golden light.

The villa’s striking terraces provide the perfect spot for morning meditation or to admire Sicily’s saffron-hued sunsets. Each bedroom is en-suite with a private terrace to enjoy breath-taking views of the surrounding countryside and direct access to the infinity pool. Location: Hillside villas overlooking Verdura Resort Sleeps 6 adults in 3 en-suite double bedrooms with king-sized beds. An extra bed is available upon request. With a view of Verdura Resort and the Mediterranean Sea.

TOPAZIO Four-bedroom villas. The collection of Topazio villas enjoy sweeping views across Verdura Resort’s championship golf courses and the surrounding olive groves. The open-plan ground floor is bathed in warm natural light from the floor-to-ceiling windows. A fully equipped kitchen and airy living and dining areas are perfect for entertaining.

Each bedroom is en-suite and comes with its own private terrace, providing wonderful reading nooks around the villa back dropped by the calming seascape. The fourth bedroom is detached from the rest of the villa to provide the perfect retreat for a moment of calm during your stay. Location: Hillside villas overlooking Verdura Resort. Sleeps 8 adults in 4 en-suite double bedrooms with king-sized beds. An extra bed is available upon request. With a view of the Verdura Resort and the Mediterranean Sea.

An extensive array of activities, amenities and VIP options are available for your comfort.

Rocco Forte Video Private Villas -http://RF Private Villas –

What could be more chic!?

Rules of the Game: Love-Love

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A novice tennis fan wouldn’t be blamed for being confused about who’s winning a match—an understanding of the language of tennis scoring is required to appreciate the game! At the beginning of the set, when both sides have no score, the game is love-love because in tennis, love means having a score of zero or nil.

The term has been used as such since the late 1800s. It’s not perfectly clear how this usage of love came to be, but the most accepted theory is that those with zero points were still playing for the “love of the game” despite their losing score.

Jonny

My love of tennis goes back decades, growing up in the burb of Ojai, then population of 5000, summer recreation consisted of horseback riding, beach days or tennis. The Ojai Tennis Tournament, often shortened to The Ojai, is an annual tennis tournament that traces its beginnings to 1887, when Sherman Day Thacher arrived in the Ojai Valley to pursue citrus farming. With the later arrival of his brother William Thacher, a collegiate tennis champion at Yale, the ranch became home to the valley’s first tennis court in 1892 and hosted Ojai’s first tennis tournament the following year. William Thacher established the Ojai Valley Tennis Club in 1895.

Notable participants in the Ojai Tennis Tournament include Charlie Pasarell, Bill Tilden, Tony Trabert, Bobby Riggs, Jack Kramer, Billie Jean King, Arthur Ashe, Stan Smith, Jimmy Connors, Tracy Austin, Lindsay Davenport, Pete Sampras, Michael Chang, and the Bryan twins.

Our small Catholic school allowed students to miss class on Thursday & Friday if you volunteered to squeeze and serve local orange juice to the Tournament guests. You might imagine many of us raised our hands to volunteer. I’ve played with passion for years, and then might not pick up a racket for a few years, I love it, but life or bicycling or at one point, sculling on the bay sometimes gets in the way. Despite my knee replacement, I’m playing twice a week, which renders me slightly crippled for a day, but I love the game!

My recent visit to the Four Seasons Resort Los Cabos inspired me to take my racket and engage with the hotel tennis pro’s, a truly outstanding experience! Slightly concerned with virus variants if I left property and mingled in cities, my morning tennis lessons were the perfect solution to staying on property! My first morning, in 70-degree heat, I met with Jonathan who owns a local tennis firm. He’s gathered a stable of young professionals who rotate around the various clubs and hotels. AND now, we can offer exclusive private lessons at Villas anywhere in the world with his professionals. We’ve found with some of our private Villa rentals, a superb pro may not reside in the area, having Jonathan and his team available to us, is, to use a tennis term, an advantage. His firm is a premier tennis company focused on incredible service, high quality instruction and genuine interaction. With a combined 20 years experience in top hotel properties around the world such as Rosewood, Auberge, Four Seasons, One and Only and Raffles, they provide Top 10 Service. If you stay at one of our preferred hotels, we will advise our pro preferences and request exclusive service. Outside of these hotels we can provide a stay with you for on property instruction.

My second day of instruction, Bruno informed me that Jon suffered an injury after playing with me – yes, I was that powerful! No, it happened following my lesson, but it was beneficial, as I also met Fernando, another player on Jon’s tennis team. Bruno is a hard hitter from Argentina with a fast patter as well! As the sparring partner of Grand Slam Champion and former world number one, Guillermo Vilas, he traveled performing in exhibitions, giving workshops and tennis events.  As a high-performance trainer Bruno traveled to Wimbledon and Roland Garros as the head coach of a player in 2016.  

Each coach teaches and plays at tour level with hard drills and fun games, I absolutely adored my tennis time and look forward to returning to the courts at the Four Seasons Resort Los Cabos.

When we reserve your private Villa anywhere in the world, we can contract with Jon and his team to hang with your family and bring you to tournament level!

Tennis might have ended up with a different name altogether. Major Walter Wingfield, who laid down the rules for modern tennis, had another name for tennis. He called it sphairistike, based on the Greek phrase “skill in playing at ball.” The word tennis most likely comes from the French word tenetz — meaning “hold!” 

Gracias, Four Seasons Resort Los Cabos. – Rules of the Game: Love-Love