Fazenda Brazil, São Luiz do Paraitinga, Brazil

Once again the website boutique-homes.com has rocked my world.   The small hotel, Fazenda Brazil, in Brazil's coastal mountains is few hours south of Rio and was once a 19th century colonial estate.  Still situated on a working coffee farm, you can rent out a room in the main house or one of the five villas.

I would pretty much kill to trade in the party-chasing lameness of New Year's Eve in Los Angeles for a chance at renting out this place with my friends and spending this New Year's sipping caipirinhas and enjoying the Brazilian summer.

     

 

 

La Villa Gallici, Provence, France

I suppose it's a bit ironic that my last post was all about being tired of the stereotypical, over-the-top design of Moroccan interiors and today I feature the most ridiculously garish, cliché version of a Provençal hotel.  Well, you know what?  Deal with it.  Sometimes matching fabrics on the curtains, wallpaper, bench, bedspread, and headboard is just the right thing to do.  Also, it was raining yesterday and I could not resist the draw of that sun-kissed bathtub.

La Villa Gallici is an 18th century residence-turned-hotel in the region's capital city, Aix-en-Provence.  The photos are all from their website.

     

Kasbah Bab Ourika, Atlas Mountains, Morocco

The hotel Kasbah Bab Ourika was brought to my attention by the consistently amazing blog 1 Kind Design.

I have been wanting to feature a Moroccan hotel for a while but haven't come across anything that speaks to me.  Having spent a little time in Morocco and a whole lot of time in the Arabic-speaking world, I have overdosed on the traditional Moroccan design excess that is typical of most high-end, European-owned Moroccan hotels.  

The Kasbah Bab Ourika is in the spectacular Atlas Mountains and seems like the perfect antidote to urban Moroccan mosaic over-stimulation.

Photos:  Alan Keohane

Lake Placid Lodge, Lake Placid, New York

The only thing I know about The Adirondacks in upstate New York is that they are famous for their lovely outdoor chairs.  And the only thing I know about Lake Placid is what I learned from the critically-acclaimed 2007 movie Lake Placid 2 (17% on Rotten Tomatoes!).

That is to say, I know nothing, and when I saw these unbelievable photos of the Lake Placid Lodge, I wanted to know more. 

This winter wonderland is exactly the kind of cozy place I'd like to hibernate in until spring comes around.

p.s. Please forgive my month away from Let's Stay Here.  I've recently started a new job (horray!) and am trying to figure out a way to make this happen during off hours.