London, 18 January. Luxury tour operator Abercrombie & Kent Villas has launched its annual 'Black Collection'. The collection offers an elite selection of 40 villas based on star quality and Instagrammableness along with décor, amenities, location, and popularity with guests among other wow factors.

Some villas have a little something extra, a wow factor, a je ne sais quoi that elevate it into the realms of the rarefied and extraordinary – and earned them a place in The Black Collection. The honourees in the Black Collection status provide A&K Villas Gold or Platinum concierge service – ensuring that a stay at any of these properties comes with access to concierges' little black books, providing in-location insider access. It's not just the maid service or daily fresh flowers that elevates them, it's the experiences that come with it. Local knowledge and expertise can make your holiday unforgettable. For example, in Florence guests can tour the region in a Ferrari and in France a Michelin Star chef can teach guests how to cook.

The Gold Concierge service includes an introductory tour to the area you're staying in and a grocery shop waiting on arrival. The Platinum Concierge service includes all the Gold services but with added bonuses of a luxurious hotel stay such as daily maid service and fresh flowers. Full information on the concierge service in appendix.

Zarassi Estate, Mykonos

Sleeps: 26 | Price: from £1,123pp per week

Best for: Fun in the sun, a favourite with the glitteratis,

Mykonos is the Cyclades' most glamorous destination. Jackie Kennedy put the island on the tourist map in 1961. Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor and Rudolf Nureyev all followed her lead. Skip forward to now and it's still the place to come in the region. Located on the southeast coast, the Zarassi Estate is an opulent 7,000 square metre private compound featuring four properties with 13 bedrooms between them. Hang out by the lagoon-shaped pool, be pampered in the mini spa, get pumped in the outdoor gym and enjoy wonderful sea views.

USP: features four properties on one plot so you can share with another family or group of friends

Sa Terra Rotja, Spain

Sleeps: 8 | Price: from £2,026pp per week

Best for: Switching off in style

Set in a 275-hectare private estate on the northwest coast of Mallorca, the property's name translates as “Red Earth”. It's an appropriate moniker. The villa is topped by terracotta tiles and constructed of red-hued stone and mortar, it features four en suite bedrooms, an alfresco dining area, indoor and outdoor lounging areas and a pool. The interiors are coffee table book worthy. Bright artworks in each room make the taupe palette pop. Sa Terra shares a tennis court with the estate's two other villas and is a 15-minute walk from the private pebbled beach.

USP: Private pebbled beach

Podere le Colline, Italy

Sleeps: 18 | Price: from £888pp per week

Best for: Half-term or holiday high jinks

This villa is truly Tuscany at its most regionally authentic. Views of Pienza's rolling hills wow from every compass point. Cypress and olive trees punctuate the views, helping to instil a distinctive sense of place. Dotted on one of Tuscany's golden hillsides, Podere le Colline is an 18th-century, stone-built villa comprised of nine  en suite bedrooms, large lounging areas, a sleek pool, wine cellar and outdoor dining area. The littlest guests will love the football pitch, playground and games area.

USP: Your own football pitch. Sample the estates wine

San Lorenzo Mountain Lodge, Italy

Sleeps: 6+4 | Price: POA

Best for: Conquering the slopes, and more

For many, the pleasure of a skiing holiday lies as much off the slopes as on, so this Italian mountain lodge will appeal to both the most dedicated powder hound and determined après-skier. Set in a 170,000-square-metre estate, the Alpine chalet commands a sauna, outdoor swimming pool, Jacuzzi, extensive wine cellar and private 19-hole golf course. Skiers and boarders will love being in the Dolomiti Superski – the world's largest interconnected ski area. One lift pass, 12 skiing areas and 1,200 kilometres of piste.

USP:  Your very own wine cellar. They turned down a Michelin Star according to this article.

Le Jardin d'Eden, France

Sleeps: 14+4 | Price: from £741pp per week

Best for: Experiencing earthly delights

Just a few kilometres outside the town of Noves lies Le Jardin d'Eden, a spacious eight-bedroom abode. The unique rooms and suites are chic in a fabulously French way. As you can imagine from the house's name, this villa's pièce de résistance is the grounds in which it lies. Surrounded by beautiful themed gardens – French symmetrical, African and Portuguese – there are also two pools, a tennis court, basketball court, boules pitch, kids' play area and garden-viewing platform in a plane tree. There is also an outside dining area for eating en plein air.

USP: Formal gardens elevate this villa to another level of luxury.

The Black Collection 2018 list

Croatia

• Castle Voda Dalmatian Coast – sleeps 12+4
• Ray Residence Dalmatian Coast – sleeps 12+2
• Villas Mali Raj Dalmatian Coast – sleeps 20

France

• Villa du Cap Cap Ferrat – sleeps 12+4
• La Signoria Corsica – sleeps 12
• La Bergerie Côte d'Azur – sleeps 12+4
• La Cannoise Côte d'Azur – sleeps 18
• Villa Med Côte d'Azur – sleeps 10+2
• Villa Sunset Côte d'Azur – sleeps 12+4
• La Bastide Des Etioles Provence – sleeps 14
• Le Jardin d'Eden Provence – sleeps 14+4
• Moulin de Gordes Provence – sleeps 12

Greece

• Villa Kamy Crete – sleeps 8+2
• Zarassi Estate Mykonos – sleeps 26
• The Caldera Estate Santorini – sleeps 10
• Villa Lavana Santorini – sleeps 6

Italy

• Casa Porpora Amalfi – sleeps 8
• Villa Giuseppina Lake Como – sleeps 14
• Villa Del Duca Pisa – sleeps 20
• Masseria La Residenza Puglia – sleeps 10
• Podere San Giorgio Sicily – sleeps 16
• Villa Machiavelli Tuscany – sleeps 20
• Villas Nereo Tuscany – sleeps 14
• Castello Tedite Umbria – sleeps 16
• Podere le Colline Valdorcia – sleeps 18
• Palazzo Ambasciatori Venice – sleeps 6

Portugal

• Quinta Pienza Algarve – sleeps 12+4

Spain

• La Maroma Estate Andalucia – sleeps 8+6
• Mas Mateu Costa Brava – sleeps 18+17
• El Maravillo Ibiza – sleeps 12+4
• Residencia de Vall Mallorca – sleeps 14+4
• Sa Terra Rotja Mallorca – sleeps 8
• Villa Can Caya Mallorca – sleeps 16+4
• Villa Estila Mallorca – sleeps 8+6
• Villa Vivent Mallorca – sleeps 10

UK

• Fox Hill Manor Cotswolds – sleeps 16
• North Lodge Cotswolds – sleeps 15

Ski Chalets

• Chalet Uberhaus St Anton, Austria – sleeps 10+4
• San Lorenzo Mountain Lodge Dolomites, Italy – sleeps 6+4
• Backstage Chalet Zermatt, Switzerland – Sleeps 10

To view our Black Collection, visit here. 

ENDS

Contact details:

Media: James Treacy | PR & Communications Manager | 07854933581 | Jtreacy@abercrombiekent.co.uk   

More info on the concierge packages

Gold

Our Gold Concierge package includes:

• An A&K host with extensive knowledge of the local area, available 24 hours
• The ability to book activities, excursions and extra services locally throughout your stay
• An introductory orientation tour of the local area with your A&K concierge on your arrival weekend (own transport required if not within walking distance)
• A pre-arrival grocery shopping service to be delivered to your villa (cost of groceries excluded)

Platinum

Our Platinum Concierge package includes all of the Gold Concierge services, as well as:

• A continental style buffet on your first morning
• A pre-stocked drinks fridge
• Fresh flowers and initial provisions
• Starter pack of luxurious toiletries per bathroom
• Daily maid service (Monday-Friday and on Saturdays for multiple-week bookings)
• Mid-week linen and towel change
• A light, self-served supper on your arrival evening
• Mid-week grocery shopping service (cost of groceries excluded)
• Private chef service for a lunch or dinner, once during your stay (pre-booking necessary, cost of groceries excluded)

About Abercrombie & Kent:

Abercrombie & Kent was founded in 1962 by Geoffrey Kent when he headed out into Kenya's bush country with little more than a tent, his mother's silver ice bucket and a Land Rover adapted to provide refrigeration. These early trips formed the blueprint for African safaris, and the tone for every A&K journey that followed. Today, fifty-five years on from that first safari in East Africa, you can experience the A&K difference in more than 100 countries on all seven continents. With a network of 54 offices around the world and a family of more than 2,500 travel experts, A&K is in a unique position to ensure that every aspect is arranged with exacting precision for a stylish, seamless and safe journey. There is travel, and there is travel with A&K. www.abercrombiekent.co.uk