Grand Awards Europe 2012

Casa Manni, Rome, Italy

Located in the heart of Rome just five minutes’ walk from the Pantheon, the Casa Manni is housed on the top floor of a 17th-century palazzo. Created in 2009 by filmmaker and olive oil producer Armando Manni, it is an exceptionally stylish, fully staffed penthouse apartment comprising a living room, bedroom, a full kitchen and terrace.

Even before arriving at its large green doors, we had enjoyed a long relationship with the property. Within days of our making a reservation, a list of favored restaurants and possible tours had arrived, along with other suggested “Experiences.” These included an olive oil tasting with Manni himself—his organic Tuscan oil is regularly rated among the best in the world—and an at-home dinner cooked by a top Roman chef.

Created by acclaimed New York-based interior architect and designer Adam Tihany, the apartment is an imaginative blend of contemporary and traditional Roman design. The walls were adorned with both period oil paintings and modern art. And an adjacent dining area featured a glass-topped table and Bieder-meier-style chairs. A hallway with spacious built-in closets led to the well-lit marble-clad bath, where a mo-saic-lined stall shower provided a splendid view of the second-century Column of Marcus Aurelius.

The bedroom came with a cathedral ceiling, a writing desk and a bed made up with Pratesi sheets. French doors led to an ivy-covered and lavender-planted terrace, which afforded views over the terra-cotta-tiled rooftops. On a warm evening, we sat outside to sample the Italian white wine I had asked Armando Manni to choose for us from his private cellar. He had selected a delicious St. Michael Eppan Sanct Valentin 2003 Sauvignon from the Südtirol district of the Alto Adige, and we sipped it appreciatively as swallows streaked across a rose-pink sky.

Casa Manni One-bedroom suite, $1,120 (weekdays), $1,240 (weekends). Via di Pietra 70. Tel. (39) 06-9727-4787.

La Coquillade, Gargas, France

The Luberon — the beautiful region of vineyards and lavender fields that begins just east of Avignon and rolls on to the foothills near Apt—has long needed a true luxury hotel with real Provençal style and hospitality. And that was just what I hoped to find at the new 28-room La Coquillade, five miles east of delightful Roussillon.

Crowning a hillside planted with vineyards, this 70-acre property comprises six renovated farmhouses and ancient outlying buildings, all with terra-cotta-tiled roofs, gray wooden shutters and pale ochre stucco walls.

We instantly fell in love with our Junior Suite. This came with cool quarry tiles, a beamed ceiling and cotton-upholstered sofas. Up a short flight of stone stairs, we found a white bedroom with modern paint-ings and a comfortable bed topped by a linen fiber-filled comforter. The spacious and well-lit bath was equipped with separate shower and tub.

Since it was a hot day, we set off to the pool. There, we found loungers scattered through gardens dotted with olive trees, as well as canvas awnings for those who prefer shade. La Coquillade offers a number of excellent dining venues, including Le Gourmet, a gastronomic restaurant where we enjoyed a delicious saddle of lamb with mushroom polenta. Our favorite, open-air Le Jardin dans les Vignes, offers a simple menu of dishes cooked over a wood-fired grill.

Activities include winery tours and tennis. The nearest golf is at the Provence Country Club, 16 miles away. This is a splendid property from which it is hard to drag yourself away. But it would be a shame not to explore, as the famously picturesque villages of Bonnieux, Gordes, Goult and Ménerbes are all within 30 minutes’ drive.

La Coquillade Junior Suite, $330-$495; Superior Suite, $495-$730; Luxury Jacuzzi Suite, $670-$1,005. Domaine de la Coquillade, Gargas. Tel. (33) 4-90-74-71-71.

The Yeatman, Porto, Portugal

Although the lobby of the Yeatman recalls the traditional architecture of the local Port caves and the upriver quintas, the five-story building is otherwise a sleek granite structure with a raked façade. The 82-room hotel is situated on a hillside overlooking the Douro River, the Port warehouses of Vila Nova de Gaia, and the elegant old city of Porto.

Our room was as attractive as it was comfortable, with a beautiful pistachio-green bedroom fitted with crown moldings and dark Regency-style furniture that conveyed the air of an English country house, which was appropriate, given that almost all of the great Port houses were founded by Englishmen. An unusually spacious bath came with a large tub and a separate stall shower.

That evening, we enjoyed an excellent dinner of contemporary Portuguese cuisine by Michelin-starred chef Ricardo Costa, including sea bass with crunchy baby artichokes, followed by a selection of Portuguese cheeses. The Yeatman is owned by Taylor, Fladgate & Yeatman—one of the oldest Port houses, founded in 1682—and it offers a fine selection of wines by the glass, including Luis Pato Vinha Formal, an excellent white from the Bairrada region of central Portugal that we enjoyed with our fish.

The hotel’s public areas are spacious, well-lit and exceptionally attractive. A grand staircase leads from the lobby down to the breakfast room and a large circular pool on a scenic terrace. Elsewhere, an impres-sive range of leisure facilities includes a well-equipped fitness center and an indoor pool with wonderful views of Porto through floor-to-ceiling glass walls. The hotel’s spa is run by Caudalie, the French company that specializes in beauty products made from grape pips.

The Yeatman Superior Room, $345; Suite, $705. Rua do Chou-pelo, 4400-088 Vila Nova de Gaia. Tel. (351) 22-013-3100.

Domaine de Murtoli, Corsica, France

On cold, wet days I often dream of the hypnotically beautiful view from our freestone cottage on the 4,900-acre Domaine de Murtoli in southern Corsica. In the foreground, the thick maquis, which is what the Corsicans call the bright green carpet of fragrant bushes and wild herbs that covers much of their island; beyond, the Ortolo River winding its way through a valley of neatly tilled fields; and in the distance, a five-mile-long strand of white sand lapped by the sapphire-blue waters of the Mediterranean.

This magnificent property comprises 14 beautifully renovated stone cottages, sleeping from two to 12. Ours came with terra-cotta tile floors partially covered by locally woven rugs, and an imaginative mix of Corsican antiques and traditional furniture. Its sitting room/kitchen and bedroom were both attractive and com-fortable, if a little snug, and we especially liked our open-air summer kitchen. Rooms in the larger villas are much more spacious.

Every cottage comes with a fully equipped kitchen and a wine cellar that features a selection of excellent Corsican wines. Alternatively, you may dine at the Domaine’s two delightful restaurants. La Grotte is carved from the inside of a huge boulder — where we enjoyed succulent veal cooked over an open fire — and La Plage is a seaside restaurant-bar serving superb seafood, including locally caught lobsters.

During a chat with owner Paul Canarelli, he explained that he had decided to create a place that would offer a unique experience of Corsica. Coming from a hotel family—his father owns the Grand Hotel de Cala Rossa in Porto Vecchio—he knows exactly what the most demanding travelers require, and this understanding has informed his inspired concept of “rustic luxury.”

Domaine de Murtoli Cottages rent by the week in July and August and are available by the night in spring and fall. “A Persia,” two people, $975 a night or $8,200 a week; “Arba Barona,” four people, $1,250 a night or $9,760 a week. Sartène, Corsica. Tel. (33) 4-95-71-69-24.