unsolicited opinions on random things
You know I love to troll Airbnb for unique vacation rental properties. Check out these two I recently stumbled upon… a breathtaking modern ski chalet in Golden, British Columbia and a private island (that’s not insanely priced!) in Belize. Which one would you choose?
(not that you have to choose between them at all… it’s just a fun game to play)
There’s a seismic monitoring station in Ecuador known as Casa del Arbo (“The Treehouse”). It has a rickety swing hanging from one of the tree branches, and it swings over a 100 foot drop. No harness, no net, or any other safety feature. The swing is commonly known as “the swing at the edge of the world.”
Would you swing on it? I don’t know if I would!
via Atlas Obscura. Top photo by David Silo, bottom left photo unknown credit, bottom right photo by Adam Rifkin.
I cannot wait until the Drake Devonshire Inn opens later this month (it’s a hotel in Prince Edward County, by the same people who made the Drake Hotel in Toronto). They released some sneak peek photos of the new hotel, and it looks fantastic. See all 32 sneak peek photos here.
Their website isn’t set up for reservations yet, but you can call and book by phone for anytime after September 15.
Here are two vacation rental properties (link one and link two) I found on Airbnb recently during one of my semi-regular wanderlust-induced browsing sessions. These are both in Muir Beach, California, which is only about 15 miles from San Francisco. Could you imagine relaxing on the deck of one of these places and looking at that view?!? Dreamy.
[first 2 photos from this rental property; last 3 photos from this rental property]
testing the excerpt
Ian and I are kicking around the idea of going to England late this summer or this fall. We’d spend a few days in London, and then get outside the city a bit to explore. While researching places to go and places to stay, I read about the Landmark Trust – a charity that “rescues buildings that would otherwise be lost” and turns them into places you can stay overnight. We’re talking castles, literary landmarks, and unusual spots (like prisons, rectories, mine towers, and gatehouses). The properties are in England, Wales, Scotland, France and Italy, and the best part is… they’re totally inexpensive. There’s a 4-night stay minimum, and some properties are as low as £90 for all 4 nights. That’s crazy.
The website is pretty great – you can read about the history of each property, its features, get a floor plan, and learn about the local area. We’re totally going to book one… now we just have to decide which.
[images above of the Holiday at Crownhill Fort in Plymouth, where you stay in the Officer’s Quarters and have free run of the fort once the gates close in the evening. SO COOL.]
Yes, it’s totally disgusting outside today in Toronto. Don’t you wish you were here instead? It’s a gorgeous villa rental in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Take a 5-minute (imaginary) holiday and picture yourself lounging by that pool. Drool.
This winter has been cruel, cruel, cruel. Ian and I had a brief respite earlier this month, when we went to Mazatlan, Mexico for a holiday. I’m sorry to rub it in for you Canadian readers, but it was really lovely to get away from the snow and ice for a while. We went to this gorgeous resort, where everything was top-notch. Days were spent reading and napping by the pool, swimming, and sipping margaritas. In the evenings we’d go to the lobby bar and play Scrabble against each other on my iPad. So much fun… exactly what we needed.
PS – I made it halfway through this amazing book. Have you read it?
Ian and I have a dream of one day owning a shack in the woods. Some place we can escape to in order to get away from the city. We both LOVE the idea of a prefab, modular, modern building – one that is simple and features a lot of windows, so as to not compete with the nature around it. I was playing around on Alchemy Architects’ weeHouse website, and noticed that there are TWO weeHouses that are for rent within an easy drive of Toronto. (!!!) One is on Georgian Bay, and one is on Seneca Lake (which is where we visited around this time last year, on our upstate New York / Finger Lakes getaway). I’m bookmarking both of these for summertime rentals. The hard part is… which one to choose? =)
[images of Georgian Bay/Cawaja Beach weeHouse Modern Cottage via their rental listing]
Later this morning I’m jumping on a plane to NYC with my friend and colleague Linn. We’re heading to Brooklyn and Manhattan for Brooklyn Beta on Friday, with a whole bunch of tech events leading up to it. We’ll be visiting the offices and hanging out with Shopify, Mailchimp, Facebook, Pinterest, Meetup, Makeshift Society, Squarespace, and Grand Street. To say I’m excited is a bit of an understatement.
It’s definitely going to be weird to be away from my family though. We tried explaining my impending absence to Clara last night, but she just got confused. Ian will have to tell her more later today, and then I’ll catch up with them on Skype.
I probably won’t be blogging this week, so have a good one, and see you after Thanksgiving!
It’s 3:30 in the afternoon, and I’ve had a ridiculously productive morning and early afternoon. But usually around this time of day, I need to take a mental break. A lot of people go on Facebook, or look at celebrity news, or fashion blogs, or play on Pinterest when they need a break from work. Not me – I look for dreamy vacation rentals on Airbnb. Want to go on a wanderlust journey with me? Here are a few gorgeous places I’ve found…
1. John Steinbeck’s Writer’s Studio (in Pacific Grove, near Monterey, California). This adorable rental has enough appeal on its own (lovely location, cute as a button, and well priced, for California) but take it one step further… this place used to be owned by John Steinbeck. He used it as his writer’s studio while he worked on The Sea of Cortez. Couldn’t you imagine cozying up there and tucking in to some good books? Or if you need a little more space, you can rent the Traveler’s Cottage next door, also previously owned by Steinbeck.
2. This refreshingly crisp, all-white apartment in Puerto Vallarta has a rooftop deck with gorgeous views of the Bay of Banderas. I LOVE Puerto Vallarta. Bookmarked.
3. Lately I’ve been really intrigued by Scandinavia, and Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm are pretty high on my list. If I ever get over there, I would love to stay in this houseboat in Stockholm. It’s not super cheap, but it has a lot of room (looks perfect for families with young children) and you can’t beat the waterside patio, with swimming or ice skating right outside your window.
[image above of Steinbeck’s Writer’s Studio]