| Vacation-Home Havens |
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Page 1 of 8 THE LAST THING YOU WANT from your second home is for it to feel too similar to your first. Knowing that you demand as much from your playtime as life demands from you, we’ve curated eight second-home spots around the globe that are anything but second-rate. From safaris in the jungles of Sri Lanka to the world-class surfing at Lorne, Australia, our global tour of under-the-radar retreats will have you thinking twice before investing: Why get a second home on Martha’s Vineyard, for instance, when you can pick up your own genuine vineyard in Argentina’s Mendoza province? Consider these eight places the elegant sleepers in the international realty game—the perfect time to buy in the current economy, if you’ve got cash to spare—heretofore undiscovered by the T-shirted masses, refulgent in their natural beauty, robust in their sporting, and refined in their appointment. Welcome home. 
Aussie architecture, of which Armytage is a stunning example, is not only captivating but also at the forefront of green construction. Trevor Mein
Living Large Down Under LORNE, AUSTRALIA THE GREAT OCEAN ROAD, which runs some 150 miles along Victoria’s southern coast, is Australia’s answer to California’s fabled Highway 1. Heading southwest from Melbourne, the road turns serpentine and hugs the sheer cliff line rising up above the wide-open sea. No surprise that it was here—above the sleepy town of Lorne, with its panoramic views of Loutitt Bay and Airey’s lighthouse—that celebrated Victorian architect Peter Woolard and his firm, Studio 101 Architects, chose to build their elegant beach house, Armytage @ Lorne. This compelling bit of open, low-slung modernism is composed of two main annexes that extend out toward the nearby ocean, wholly embracing the notion that a house’s best feature could very well be the sea beyond it—a point not lost on the Queensland surfer for whom it was initially designed. On a more terrestrial note, the fragrant and durable white cypress used for the exterior cladding is a nod to the wooded surroundings—mere miles to the south lie the dense rainforests and waterfalls of the scenic Otway Range—and the materials netted Studio 101 a 2007 Australian Timber Design Award for sustainability. Plus, the massive bay windows of the house’s connecting pavilions make for staggering ocean sunrise views. Part of what is known as the Surf Coast, the naturally protected cove at Lorne provides perfect beaches, plus cooler summers and warmer winters than in nearby Melbourne—as well as some of the best waves the continent has to offer. Smart surfers skip the masses, and the smaller waves, and head for the north end of the main beach. Fishermen angling for a toothsome catch feast on schools of local barracuda. And for those who’d rather swim with the fishes than net them, the annual Pier to Pub ocean swim—0.75 miles, with more than 4,000 participants—is the biggest, most froth-producing in the world. EXPECT TO PAY $600,000–$1,800,000 ACCESS Lorne is two hours southwest of Melbourne International Airport. ATTRACTIONS Long, sandy beaches with splendid surfing and easy access to the rainforest in the Otway Range POLITICAL UPDATE No worries, mate! HOT FACTOR Medium More bed-and-breakfast than resort hotel. The town of 1,200 really picks up when tourists descend in January. Avoid what the Aussies call “silly season” by visiting in February or March. |
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