Le Sirenuse

Last week we wrote about a summer home which became a national historic landmark. This week we are traveling to Italy where, a long time ago, a summer house was turned into an exquisite hotel.

Le Sirenuse

Positano, Italy

Le Sirenuse was originally built in the 18th century for the Marchese Sersale as a family palazzo. Upon opening its doors to the public in 1951, it quickly became one the most glamorous hotels on the Amalfi Coast. Today Le Sirenuse is furnished with all the comforts of a luxury hotel, while maintaining the atmosphere of a private home. The Sersale clan is in fact still in charge of the business.

The spa

The superb view onto the town and the mountains or onto the sea and the islands of the Sirens immediately stand out, either from the terrace by the pool, the restaurant or the rooms. Inside, the furniture and the antique paintings collected by the family, as well as the plants and flowers are all worthy of mention. Conceived by the famous Italian architect, Gae Aulenti - who is well known for several large-scale museum projects, including Musee d'Orsay in Paris and the Palazzo Grassi in Venice - the hotel’s SPA and fitness centre, designed in a modern style which contrasts with the building’s 18th century Baroque style, offer the perfect scenario and treatments for rejuvenating mind and body.

The swimming pool

This is a very special hotel in a very special little town in the South of Italy. Positano was actually a poor fishing village during the first half of the 20th century. It began to attract tourists in the 1950s, especially after John Steinbeck published his essay about Positano in Harper's Bazaar in May, 1953: "Positano bites deep", Steinbeck wrote. "It is a dream place that isn't quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone."

Definitely a place to be in 2012!!

Le Sirenuse's view

Malibu Dream Home: The Segel Residence

22426 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu CA

The Segel Residence

A few years ago, while walking on Malibu beach, we discovered a very special house, maybe one of the most interesting homes we have ever seen. We were curious to know who was leaving there and thought of the great life these people must have, waking up every day facing the Pacific ocean and being able to walk on the beach any time of the day. "These people" were actually Courtney Cox and David Arquette. And the special house was designed by a pupil of Frank Lloyd Wright. After doing some research to learn more about it, this is what we found: 

The Segel Residence, sold by Courtney Cox and David Arquette in 2007 to Dodgers owners Frank and Jamie McCourt for 33.5 Million dollars (it is believed Cox and Arquette originally purchased the home for $10 million in 2001), is a stunning home built in 1979 by John Lautner, a famed architect who studied with Frank Lloyd Wright. It is on Carbon Beach, and is considered one of the most beautiful homes on the Malibu coastline. The four-bedroom, 5,500 square foot house has ocean views from almost every room and sits on a double lot with 80 feet of beach frontage.

If you are in the neighborhood, we strongly recommend that you stop by Paradise Cove for brunch or lunch and then start a digestive walk  on the beach where you'll be able to see this beautiful house as well as many others!

The living room

Dream Home Resort - Indian Creek - Miami Beach

Price: 60,000,000$

It has been very hard to find something as inspiring as Burano with its small but  unique homes, so for this week's posting we decided to look for the complete opposite - a BIG house,  an over the top residence, literally a dream home by its location, views and price:

3 Indian Creek Drive, Miami Beach

Asking price: $60,000,000

Located on the exclusive island of Indian Creek, this is the most expensive home in Miami history. Features include: 10 bedrooms, 5 kitchens, private beach with sand imported from the Bahamas, wine cellar secured by fingerprint key pad, chromotherapy spa and massage room.

As the developer says in the ABC news video below, more than selling a house, you are selling a "feeling".