The World's Most Amazing Vacation Rentals (2021) s02e05 Episode Script

1
- All right, baby. Welcome to Montana!
- Oh, yes!
Wow, what a welcome, what a place.
We're doing this trip to find stays
that you can give back.
Something that I feel like
should be more of the norm.
Today's travelers are eager
to make their tourism dollars count,
and trips that help local communities
or a charitable cause
are a huge trend right now.
We start at this beautiful
unique ranch operated by autistic adults.
To a private resort
in the Dominican Republic
running an art academy.
To a Japanese village
using vacation rentals
to preserve their culture.
We'll show you that sometimes
the best travel can make a change.
We're just driving
through beautiful landscape.
Everywhere you look, forward, back
Look at this view, you guys!
So, I looked all over the place
for a property that would let us give back
but also give us
a truly unique experience,
and I found one
right outside of Yellowstone National Park
in Livingston, Montana.
I'm taking you guys to this incredible
place called Erik's Ranch.
The woman, Kathryn, who bought the ranch
and transformed it into what it is today,
she created Erik's Ranch
because her son Erik is autistic.
Members, people on the spectrum,
can come and work at Erik's Ranch
and take the leadership roles
to host guests, be the concierges
and the hosts of the property.
Awesome!
There's the lodge right there. You see it?
- Oh, it's huge!
- Oh, wow, it's big.
- Welcome!
- Hi!
We're starting our trip
by meeting Kathryn,
the founder of Erik's Ranch,
and one of its first members, Sam.
Welcome to the ranch.
Thanks for having us. I'm really
excited to talk to them about it.
They don't know too much,
so can you guys give a lay of the land
about Erik's Ranch?
Yeah, so Erik's Ranch is an organization
for young adults with autism.
I'm one of the members that lives there.
I was actually the first member
to move in.
- Very first.
- Yeah, I'm the original.
This is not my ranch, but I live up here.
You know a lot about it, right?
You're a concierge.
- Yes, walk over there.
- Yeah! Let's take a look.
How many buildings are there
and where can people stay?
There are four buildings so far.
So, this is the lodge.
The lodge can sleep 12 people.
Families and volunteers can stay there.
Then there's the barn
that has a few bunk rooms in it,
and it's also got two queen-size rooms
as well.
- Where do you live?
- Yeah.
I live in the pool house in that barn.
- Pool house! Nice!
- Look at that.
- Not a bad gig.
- This is incredible. Where are we staying?
- Sam, lead the way.
- Awesome. Let's go.
So, as part of check-in,
Sam guides us to a private cabin,
which is just a few miles away
from the lodge.
This house is super secluded
on 230 acres of land.
- And here it is!
- Whoa!
- The windows!
- Look at that!
Welcome home!
Holy
The Cargill-Earl Guesthouse
is the crown jewel of Erik's Ranch.
Its simple elegant design
has two bedrooms,
two bathrooms,
sleeps six guests
and can be rented for $300 per night.
And the 360-degree views are stunning.
Do you ever come out here and just scream?
Yes.
Montana!
- Bye!
- Bye!
Thank you!
All right, everyone,
let's check out the cabin.
This is so nice.
This door, I have one of these at home.
Look at this.
But then
Oh, nice!
So, then it becomes
truly indoor-outdoor living.
- Ooh, look at this view. This is it.
- Going right here
- This is why that door opens all the way.
- Right?
This is all you need.
It's small. It's cozy,
but look at this view.
This is fun. This is amazing.
This is great!
Your dining table, windows everywhere,
you're in the middle of nowhere
with all these beautiful views.
You have a beautiful ceiling,
wood-burning fireplace.
So, it is a two-bathroom, two bed.
Okay, there's some wine in here.
That's a plus. That's a bonus.
- That's all you need.
- That's all we need.
- Ooh!
- They have cooking materials.
See, this is a great room.
Oh, this window!
Oh, my gosh!
It's almost like you're walking outside!
- True.
- I would walk into this window.
If that thing wasn't there,
you would probably walk outside.
This is amazing.
Why don't I have this at my house?
Because you're probably
facing a parking lot.
Yeah, that's why.
- Megan.
- Yes.
I think this is our room.
When you look at the design,
it's very minimal,
but it's not about design.
It's about the feeling.
- Lay flat and then open
- Even with my shoes on the bed?
- You hate that.
- I'll hold your feet. I have standards.
Okay, close your eyes.
Open!
First thing you see.
Whoa!
Wow, this is beautiful!
It's charming. It's simple.
It doesn't take away from the view
But also, for people on the spectrum,
design like this is really calming.
When you think about, like, the brain
receptors being constantly firing,
something that's too loud or too bright,
this is perfect.
We still haven't even seen
one of the best parts of the property.
The stables
where members care for and ride horses.
- So, this is our riding arena.
- Oh!
We work the horses here.
This is Maggie, one of our members,
and this is my son Erik.
Do you guys ride the horses in here?
In the wintertime, we ride in the arena.
Autistic kids, there's a form of therapy
called therapy riding,
where you ride a horse,
so you feel the sense of
"I'm powerful and strong and confident."
- Yeah.
- I love it.
I get a rush of that when I'm on a horse.
I love that.
- Maggie, can we pet the horse?
- Yes, you can. Come on up.
Do you wanna brush her?
So Erik's been riding
since he was about seven.
When he was younger, I was thinking
about what his life would be like.
He's challenged with expressive language.
There weren't very many opportunities
for kids like him.
Looking around, I thought,
"Oh, I think I need to start something"
because there wasn't going to be a place
for Erik especially when I was gone.
It just occurred to me,
"Oh, if he was on a guest ranch,
you know, would he be able to ride
like this and share that with others?"
And not be reliant on the verbal language
to make that work
because he loves sharing experiences
with people.
He just can't spend
a lot of time talking about it.
That shouldn't take his ability
to live life.
Right. And there it is, right?
- That's just simple.
- Right.
So, that started this journey
and that's how we ended up here. So
Yeah.
What we're hoping is that
people will come here and learn
and understand how skilled and talented
someone like Erik is,
and how they can take
that information back,
that understanding back
to their own community
and also be an advocate then
for others like our members.
This form of traveling is
changing everything for me.
This has inspired me.
Traveling should be about collaborating
with other communities
to become a better person.
Good morning.
I'm barely out of bed.
I'm still wearing a bedsheet,
but I had to come see this beautiful
Oh, my goodness!
Look at this. This is my morning stroll.
I'm just gonna breathe
a little bit.
Good morning, Montana.
- Good morning!
- Good morning.
- How long have you been standing there?
- I've been here for a minute.
Didn't want to disturb you.
Yeah, this is amazing.
You know, I always talk about, like,
every place has a very special spot in it.
- You found the one. This is it.
- This is it.
This is it for sure.
It doesn't get better than this.
One of the best amenities this place has,
it's right here next to me.
My man Leif right here!
We're about to play some guitar.
He's about to teach me some songs.
I hear that he plays for all the guests.
This view, Sam!
A stay at Erik's Ranch
includes two guided hikes with a member.
So, my tour guide for today is Sam,
who studied geology in college
and loves to share his passion for it.
Yellowstone is on top
of a super volcano.
So, this is from the last time it erupted,
which was 700,000 years ago.
- Wow.
- A rock to me is like a book.
You can pick it up,
and it can tell you where it's from.
When you say it like that,
I don't think I'm ever
gonna look at a rock the same again.
You are amazing. You inspire me.
You see a bear, what do you do?
- You look like not food.
- You run.
No, you don't run! That's the opposite!
You scream. Like a crazy person, Luis.
For our last member-guided activity,
Maggie took us to see some bears
with a wildlife expert.
Welcome to the grizzly meadow here.
This is probably the highest concentration
of grizzly bears in the lower 48 states.
It costs a little extra,
but how many chances do we get
to hang out with grizzlies?
I find that what you guys are doing
is super cool.
And it's very unique.
There isn't really another place out there
for people like me,
and it's just really given me
some independence.
Do you guys feel like this is your world?
Like, you own this Erik's Ranch?
I mean, we have the skills
to live independently
and go out and seek what we want.
Yes.
We don't just own this. We can
own the whole world if we wanted to.
Bam!
You give really hard high fives.
I'm sorry. That just came from passion.
Sorry.
Oh, my goodness! Wait, I'm shaking.
Why are you shaking?
- Look.
- Hold on, let's see.
There's two little lumps
all the way down there.
Oh, I immediately saw them.
They're so cute.
Whoa, I think I see them.
- Two of 'em.
- Come down!
- Oh, there he is. There he is!
- There's another one!
I see him! I see him!
- Look.
- Right there?
- Going up the mountain.
- Right there!
Wow!
It's been an incredible few days
at Erik's Ranch,
and we just wanna say
from the bottom of our hearts,
thank you, guys! Thank you!
We gotta come back!
Bienvenidos a la Republica Dominicana!
- Did you understand what I said?
- "Welcome to the Dominican Republic!"
- And here we are.
- That's not bad.
- Okay.
- Not bad at all.
For my luxury destination,
I brought us to the northern coast
of the Dominican Republic.
This area is
off the beaten path for most tourists,
but that's what makes
this private resort so special.
It's doing good in an area
that really needs it.
This is not a tourist destination.
This is specifically
a do-good destination.
How are we actually doing good?
'Cause luxury and doing good,
we haven't really heard that often.
This property is part
of six different properties
in different parts of the world
that contribute to the exact same cause,
which is free art, education and academies
to unprivileged kids
in developing countries,
and it's amazing. Here we go.
- Wow!
- Wow! This is nice.
It's beautiful. Hello!
Hello, there!
Welcome to Àni Dominican.
It's a pleasure having you.
- We're gonna go explore.
- It's your place.
This is cool!
It's like you just transported
into a new world.
Àni Dominican Republic is a fully-staffed,
21,000-square-foot private resort
located above the beautiful waters
of the Atlantic Ocean.
It has 14 suites spread around five acres
with numerous entertaining
and communal spaces.
It can sleep up to 28 guests.
The rate is based on the number of guests,
and it starts
around $5,000 for eight people
or $16,000 for a group of 28.
Okay, so this is
the Living and Dining Pavilion.
- Okay! Come on!
- Wow!
Come on!
- Wow!
- Good! This is crazy!
- Holy-moley!
- Man, look at the ceiling.
Look at it. A vaulted ceiling,
but these lanterns swaying in the wind?
There's a lot of visual candy here.
There are no walls.
Look at this. It's you and the ocean.
- Yeah.
- Mm-hmm.
Let's go see that ocean. Wow.
Oh, come on!
- What a view!
- Wow.
- Amazing. Look at this pool.
- What an optical illusion.
Truly! Shades of blue.
Did you notice
that this pool is basically a mirage?
It looks like it's part of the ocean.
There's a chess table
in the pool with chairs.
You can tell
this is an entertaining space, for sure.
Ah, this is great.
- Who's the clientele for this?
- Yeah.
Well, this, uh, is mainly families
and large group of friends.
- Right.
- Uh, corporate retreats.
And the best part is that the rental fees
help fund the local Art Academy
while you're staying
at the luxury property.
A property like this, that gives back?
Drop mic.
Drop! Drop!
So basically, we are sitting
on five acres of private land
and both sides, the east and the west,
are mirror image of each other.
Technically, this is a peninsula, okay?
So, we're facing the tip of the peninsula.
It's the end of water there.
So the place is divided
by the east side and the west side.
So, there's a pavilion here
that faces the sunset.
There's another pavilion here
that faces the east,
and then the villas
are all scattered around.
And each of 'em
has a very spectacular view.
- No!
- Yes!
- Stop it! Stop it!
- A water slide?
It's like a water park.
But in a luxury property?
When would you think there's a water slide
in a luxury property?
That's luxury. You can figure it out.
You want an elephant? You have it.
- Shall we?
- Yes.
- Sexy!
- Okay!
- Sexy door! Sexy room!
- It's huge.
Oh, come on!
This is ugh!
This whole place is art.
Look how large it is.
Look at how it's, like, dark,
but this is taking you in.
- Wow.
- This is beautiful.
This is two colossal pieces of stone
with lights behind it to make it
this huge light box piece of art.
- What is this?
- Like this!
Bravo!
This is my favorite part so far.
Okay, you have
an outdoor shower with a garden.
That's it. I'm sold.
I looked up
the designer of this place,
and the owner chose a local designer
from the Dominican Republic.
And she chose all of the materials here.
So, this up here, all the wood slats here,
that's coconut wood.
Let's not forget
that when you're laying in this bed
Uh-huh.
you're also staring out
at your outdoor patio.
Oh, it's an orchestra!
Orchestra!
Bravissimo!
- Ha ha! Oh!
- It makes me feel alive!
It's poetically powerful.
Okay, very true.
Over $16,000 a night sounds expensive,
but if you break it down correctly,
it is not. Let me show you.
For the price a night,
you get 14 of these.
This can sleep up to two people.
That's basically $580 a night per head.
Now that's actually an average price
when you come to think about it.
But it does include the chef,
with his food, 24 hours,
massages, includes all these amenities,
and it has this beautiful perfection
of a water view.
That is a deal. And you're giving back.
- Okay, Luis, you wanna break this?
- Yes, I break.
- Oh!
- Whoo!
Nice!
This is insane, you guys.
- This is beautiful.
- Wow!
I love Dominican food.
Talk about flavor.
Just put it in your mouth.
You'll see. Explosion of flavor.
Oh, my God. It really is an explosion.
- I'm telling you.
- A little bit of a kick.
- That zest.
- Mmm!
Around this room, these paintings,
are they from the students of the schools?
Yes, they are. This villa funds
an art school ten minutes away from here.
The owner comes
from the "one percent" world.
A very talented kid
in a developing country
cannot find himself a very wealthy buyer
because they just don't have that access.
They don't know each other exists.
So, he is bringing his people
into this place
so that they're close to the students,
so now the students can sell their work
to their clients.
- And I love that.
- I love it too.
You're telling me about the art school.
Are we ever gonna see it firsthand?
- Is that an opportunity?
- That is a great question.
So, he told me today, just today,
that we secured access
to the school, which is amazing.
I wanna see it firsthand. I do.
- Hi, papi.
- I love that dress.
- Really? How's it going?
- Yeah, it's beautiful.
- You look really comfortable.
- I am very comfortable.
- I like this place, you know?
- Isn't that crazy?
When you see something
like this is possible,
that you can live
this extraordinary luxury experience
and you're still giving back? Brilliant!
- So are we gonna go see the schools?
- Yes, we are.
You see the neighborhood.
It's a low-income neighborhood.
It's a very lavish property
in the middle of the neighborhood that's
that doesn't, you know, go hand-in-hand,
but then I realized that's why.
They need to put it right next
to the school.
They need to bring it
to the kids with no means.
What I'm liking is what he's doing.
He's having a great mix between
two different worlds and making it work.
- Here we go.
- Yes.
It's nice.
Oh, wow!
Wow!
Any painting you see here is for sale.
So if you like something, let him know.
- Oh, my God.
- This is incredible.
You have to come all the way
to the Dominican Republic to find this.
This is incredible.
How long have you been studying here?
I've been studying here
for three years.
He did not draw like this three years ago.
He says, "Well, there's a saying.
Artists are not born.
Artists, they're made."
Now I have a very beautiful surprise
we've set up with the students
for Megan and Jo.
Three, two, one
Oh, my gosh.
This Kelvin! You!
- Yeah, that's me.
- This is amazing. Increíble!
These are so beautiful.
Okay, here we go.
- Aww!
- Wow, he's so happy.
I love it so much. This is great.
I love yours.
- Thank you!
- Thank you!
So, we're gonna give the thanks here
to our main guy here.
Kelvin,
thank you for everything, brother.
Tremendous talent and heart.
I love what you're doing.
I wish you much success.
Thank you very much.
Okay!
As a traveler, I've learned that it's
not only about packing for yourself.
Sometimes it's super nice
if you pack for others.
For instance, we brought some art supplies
so that the students
can keep pursuing their dreams.
Wow! Oh.
So, just ask yourself this, "What can
you pack that would make an impact?"
Wow!
Hey, Jo!
- Come join me!
- Are you drinking coffee?
No, these are little nuts for us.
Well, we got some wine. Oh, nice.
You look very lavish.
I feel it.
Honestly, I think I'm the most sad person
that's ever set foot in here.
- Because I do not wanna leave.
- I don't wanna leave either!
But when do we ever wanna leave luxury?
Come on!
- Come on!
- But this is nice.
Come on!
- This is very nice. Okay.
- Thank you.
Oh, yes!
Okay, one thing
we've learned here on this trip.
People need to start
taking trips with a purpose
'cause it will change the way
they see traveling moving forward.
- Period.
- It'll change the world.
It did for us.
Guess who made it to Japan!
- Yeah, welcome to Japan.
- We are in Japan!
- We are fully in Japan.
- I'm so excited that we're here.
My budget property for giving back
is in the small forest town of Yoshino,
located two hours from Osaka.
It's known as one of the best places
for cherry blossom viewing in the spring,
the incredible cedar and cypress forests
and for making the best sake
and soy barrels.
Okay, so this is Yoshino.
Look at all of the wood.
- There's wood everywhere.
- This is just the beginning.
The place I'm taking you,
I'm so excited for.
It's one of the most beautiful houses
you will ever see in your life.
But by staying there, we're helping
the community sustain themselves.
- Oh!
- Okay.
All of these small towns
are kind of becoming extinct
because people keep leaving,
and they can't sustain themselves.
So, Airbnb partnered
with the town of Yoshino
and a Japanese architect
to build a vacation rental,
which shows how home sharing
can help revitalize communities
by showcasing their rich history
and their talented craftspeople.
And the best part is
the community runs and owns it.
This is it? Where is it?
Right there next to that river.
- That house?
- That tiny little house.
Oh!
Welcome to Yoshino Cedar House.
It's pretty on the outside,
but wait till you get inside.
Yoshino Cedar House is a tiny
two-bedroom, one-bathroom cabin
perched above the banks
of the Yoshino River.
It sleeps up to seven guests,
and it rents for just $93 per night.
It was built by the community of Yoshino
to attract travelers to visit
and experience their local history.
So, because there's no one owner,
a group of townspeople are your hosts.
And by staying here,
your dollars go back into the community.
- Wow!
- Whoa!
I love this!
Oh, my God.
This is so clean and minimal.
- The entire thing's wood.
- The entire thing.
This is amazing!
Konnichiwa. Ojamashimasu.
- Speaking Japanese?
- How do you know that?
Konnichiwa! Hello.
Welcome to Yoshino Cedar House.
- Is this all cedar?
- The first floor is cedar.
- The second floor is cypress.
- Whoo!
- Can you smell it? Yeah.
- Yeah, the cedar.
Here is
the kitchen and dining hall.
Oh, my God.
You sit inside of the ground,
so there's no obstructions.
The host is not one person.
Like, not only me.
Like, local people are host.
So basically, the community is the host.
- Yeah.
- Exactly.
This cup is made by one of the hosts here.
- Really?
- Yeah, yeah, so you can buy it.
- Okay.
- Done! Take all of my yen!
- Behind door number one is
- Whoa!
Oh, it's a shower!
This looks like you're in a sauna.
I love it.
Next
- So many secret rooms.
- I know!
That one's a shower, and this is a toilet.
They don't need to hire a duster.
Like, I'm just here for that.
- It feels so good.
- So clean!
The stairs aren't even
on the ground!
Wow!
- Floating stairs!
- Oh, my God!
- Wow!
- Ooh!
This is crazy!
- I put my body in the perfect angle.
- You can chill.
You know, this house
makes me feel like a little kid.
The window is almost like
a picture frame. The picture is of trees.
This is the sunset room?
- That's the sunrise?
- Sunrise room.
I wanna touch everything.
I am touching everything.
Oh, my God!
This is a bedroom,
but there is no bed.
It's called a futon.
Futon, yeah.
So, when you're finished, you just fold it
and go back to the clean room.
All right, beautiful.
Honestly, you know me.
I'll be asleep in three minutes.
But there's no time to rest
when there's so much to explore
with this immaculate house.
This entire place is an architect's dream.
Everything about it is so simple.
There's nothing here
that doesn't need to be here.
It really made me think of my dad.
I live super far away from my parents,
and he's an architect
and would love this house.
Can you marry architecture?
Because your girl is single.
Vacation rentals
have really changed the game.
Not only for people who travel,
but also the homeowners who
are making amazing amounts of revenue
by opening their doors
to people around the world.
But what I really,
really like about this house
is the fact that the revenue
is not going to a homeowner.
It's going back into a community.
In the first year alone, the Cedar House
had 70% occupancy rate
and generated almost $25,000 in revenue
for the town and its hosts.
A home is changing lives.
Since Yoshino Cedar House
was built by the community
to connect travelers
to their local culture,
we finished our day
at this beautiful temple
where we could see and feel
the history of this town.
- Okay.
- Great.
Thank you for breakfast.
- This is so cute. A little bow?
- Seaweed.
So, hosts of the Cedar House
are able to earn income
through providing amenities
like breakfast,
which in turn helps fuel local business.
The guests said,
"This is so good. This is wonderful."
Recently, she opened a cafe.
With the income
she's made from hosting guests?
- Yeah.
- That's dope.
Congratulations!
Today, I wanna show you a little bit more
of what we can do in Yoshino.
- What do you mean, girl?
- You'll see.
- You want this?
- Uh-huh!
Oh, my oh!
The fake-out.
This is like, "Welcome
to our cute little town."
Thank you for showing us
your stomping ground.
Our host Kouhi wanted
to take us around
the community to explore its history
and meet some of the other people
who are hosts of the Yoshino Cedar House.
He started by taking us
to the famous Mountain Forest.
- This, cypress?
- Cypress. Yeah, cypress.
- Cypress, cypress.
- Cedar, cedar, cedar.
Oh!
Then we're off to the lumber yard
where the wood is processed.
For how long have you owned it?
- Eighty years. For 80 years.
- Eighty years!
And finally, we were shown
how the lumber is actually used.
From soy sauce barrels in this factory
Oh!
- That's huge!
- That's a lot of soy sauce!
to sake barrels.
Oh, you can smell.
We we were in the forest earlier,
and that wood
is the one that preserves the sake.
And here we are
making the best sake in the world.
About to try it. Ha-ha!
Oh, my come here, papi, give me a hug.
I need a hug. Wow, this is amazing.
Here's to Yoshino Cedar House.
Thank you, Megan.
Mmm!
And for our final night,
several hosts of the Yoshino Cedar House
joined us for a communal dinner.
Sake.
Ooh, sake!
Break the ice!
The party!
I think this Cedar House
and all of you hosts,
it's so beautiful because you're
showing us the power of community,
the power of sharing responsibilities,
the power of not doing something alone.
It's so beautiful to feel included.
Can I have a little more?
I know. Me too.
We are drinking all of the sake.
And on that note,
a toast to Yoshino Cedar House!
- Ooh, love this place!
- Salud.
Arigatō!
This journey
took us all over the world.
Who knew there were so many ways
to give back?
This was definitely one of the most
meaningful trips that we've ever taken.
I love that at Yoshino
Cedar House, the community was the host,
but my favorite property
was Àni Dominican Republic.
I really connected
with the artist's journey
and love that our vacation rental
was supporting their creativity.
Oh, my gosh!
Okay, so my favorite
was definitely Erik's Ranch
because getting to see
how Kathryn created so many opportunities
for her son Erik and others like him
was really inspiring.
My favorite stay
was also Erik's Ranch
because of the meaningful connection
I had with the staff and the members.
What a special trip, you guys.
We'll never forget it.
Thank you, guys! Thank you!
All around the world we move ♪
All around the world we move ♪
All around the world we move ♪
All around the world we move ♪
All around the world we move ♪
All around the world we go ♪