WANDERLUST \\ VILLA LA BANANE

It's a rainy and miserable night in the middle of Sydney's winter so I'm imagining myself here instead... the whimsically decorated 1950's style bungalows of Villa La Banane, nestled in the heart of a coconut grove on the Caribbean island of St Bart's.

Each of the beautifully light and breezy bungalows surround the lush tropical gardens and sparkling pool where you can laze away the day sipping cocktails under the coconut trees. But what I really love best is the mix of white louvers, the lush greenery and the pop of golden yellow re-creating an air vintage Caribbean luxury.

Source: Design Hotels, Trendland, Delood

papaya playa project

Pop-up stores and restaurant's have been coming and going for a while now but Design Hotels have stepped it up a notch with the first large scale 'pop-up hotel' concept.

The Papaya Playa Project is a camp of 99 rustic cabanas situated smack bang on the white sands of the Caribbean Sea in Tulum, Mexico. Originally abandoned as a luxury resort development during the global financial crisis, Design Hotels and a group of like minded players in food, hospitality and design have teamed up to convert it into a communal playground of simple eco-luxury. The project also includes a regular line-up of international music acts to keep the party going until doors close on May 5, 2012.

Better add this to the list for when I arrive in Mexico - 63 days and counting xx

casa dos chicos

The countdown for next year's trip to Mexico has well an truly started, but when I stumbled across this post over at design tripper it actually made me a little depressed. Why? Because I wish I had of known about Casa dos Chicos earlier so I could have booked it for myself.

A designer holiday rental perched on a hill in the surf town of Sayulita on the pacific coast of Mexico, Casa dos Chicos is right out of the pages of a luxury travel magazine. Decorated with colourful furniture and textiles from the local market, Patrizio Fradiani's newly renovated villa features four private suites, a swimming pool, a tree-top plunge pool with ocean views and a mexican-style open air living area which includes a rooftop living room and kitchen/dining dramatically linked by a bridge.

I can just picture myself rocking in that hammock with mojito in hand.