The World's Most Amazing Vacation Rentals (2021) s02e07 Episode Script

1
Wow, look at this. Wow!
Oh, yeah!
Ha-ha!
- I really am excited for this.
- Me too! Are you kidding me?
When you think of vacation,
you think of water,
whether that's the sea or a lake or river.
Seeing water
makes you feel like you can finally relax.
Take me down to the water!
In the vacation rental universe,
waterfront properties are a big business.
83% of travelers
prefer to be near water.
So we picked our favorites
to inspire your next stay.
From this extraordinary villa
here in Anguilla
To this unique riverside home
here in Vermont.
To this budget lakefront chalet
here in Washington state.
All right, we just landed in St. Martin,
one of the most beautiful islands
in the Caribbean.
But for us, it's just a pit stop.
Now next stop, Anguilla. Here we go!
All right, so here we are
on our way to Anguilla.
Girls, how are you feeling?
This is insane!
This Caribbean island is where
the wealthy elite and celebrities
can seek total privacy
in very secluded rental properties.
The country is only 16 miles in length,
but contains some of
the most spectacular beaches in the world.
Look how clear that sand is.
See the difference
between this ocean and this one?
- Yeah. What's going on?
- Is that a bay?
That's a bay. This is the ocean.
See, this is our pathway to our villa.
If you want an exclusive place
and a place nobody knows about,
you wanna make sure
it's the hardest to get to.
- Wait.
- Are you kidding me?
What is that?
This is how you arrive, mami!
All right, welcome. Welcome.
So good!
What a way to arrive, huh?
This is how you walk to this house.
To the door.
The whole way through?
So this is our Sea Villa.
You gotta be joking.
Look at this.
You know it's legit
when there are two pools in the entrance.
Oh, baby!
Long Bay Villas is a gorgeous
20,000-square-foot property
made up of three separate
beachfront villas.
Sand,
Sea
and Sky Villas,
all of which include swimming pools,
five bedrooms,
five bathrooms
and spacious outdoor showers.
The property offers
a private-resort type feel,
including a butler and a concierge.
You can rent a Sea Villa
starting at $3,300 per night.
Or you can book all three villas
starting at $8,900 per night
and sleep 33 guests.
Wow!
This is amazing!
Hello and welcome.
Welcome to Long Bay Villas.
- How you doing?
- Hi!
My name is Brian. Rum punch?
Just for you guys.
- Thank you. Cheers!
- You're welcome.
- Oh, my God, look at this view!
- I love it.
This is the kind of view
you'll remember for the rest of your life.
Wow!
- It's a work of art.
- Wow!
This is a visual dream.
This infinity pool
is where I'm gonna be this whole time.
You know that, right?
- Yeah. Come.
- That ocean is where I'm gonna be.
Look at how pure and white the sand is.
- Look at that. You see the entire sea.
- Ooh!
All the way. All the coast.
That's so beautiful.
So many different shades of blue.
This blows my mind.
Nothing really compares
to the Caribbean Sea,
and it has a beautiful design element.
Like, the architecture is just gorgeous.
I've never been to an island
that was also married
with such beautiful architecture.
This is the main balcony.
- My favorite seat in the house.
- Wow.
Wow.
Okay, take a deep breath in.
You smell that?
In Brazil, we have a word for that.
The sea breeze. It's called maresia.
"Maresia."
This is heaven.
Let's go see the bedrooms,
look at the house
and then go downstairs to the beach.
- Then I show you something more there.
- Yes.
The breeze, it's very nice, right?
- I like how everything's open
- Yeah!
and the ceiling fans.
These villas were completely
renovated by the new owners in 2018
after the property had been damaged
by Hurricane Irma.
The owners were super smart,
because in the last two years,
the vacation rental market has grown
by 402% in Anguilla.
What is this?
This is a bathroom?
This is an ingenious use of space.
Look at that!
That's an outdoor shower housed inside.
This place is incredible.
The tile, the herringbone marble
matches the floor!
We could all three shower here together.
One shower, two shower, three showers.
You guys are weird as hell, but I love it.
All right, let's see the bed.
Megan, come here. You're gonna love this.
- Oh, please!
- Oh!
- This is for me? You know I love arches.
- Go. It's for you.
Arches in the windows, in the hall.
Little plantation shutters.
I'm a fan.
This makes me feel like I'm at home.
This is next level.
- Wow, this is great!
- Megan got the best room, right?
Well, she did not.
In fact, the motto of this place
is everybody has the best room.
Because all
of the rooms are primary bedrooms.
So, everybody gets the best.
Luis wasn't kidding.
Every room in this property
feels equally amazing.
The Caribbean white walls
and the designer decor
make you feel like you're
living in a photo spread
straight out of a magazine.
We have to go downstairs.
I got a surprise.
- Wow, look at this beach, guys.
- This water!
It gets crazier and crazier!
I need to get in this water.
- Oh, we will.
- Is this where we jump in now?
We will get in, but this time I thought
we'd do it in a different fashion.
Are you kidding me?
What is that?
Have you ridden a horse
on the beach before?
No!
Okay, so we got Megan
getting on the horse.
Show us how you whoo-hoo-hoo!
- She's a cowgirl.
- Wow!
Wow! Wow!
You know, I don't always go to the beach,
but when I do, I ride horses. Ha-ha!
This is Jo here.
On a horse, in the Caribbean.
Anguilla's considered
the culinary capital of the Caribbean.
This is one of my specialties.
Local mahi-mahi served
with a pineapple salsa.
So, this is all local?
- All local.
- Yeah.
So, with a private chef,
we had an amazing meal
to complement this extraordinary property.
Mmm!
This is a once-in-a-lifetime moment.
Yeah, enjoy.
I just tweezed
every out-of-place eyebrow hair.
I put every serum and moisturizer on.
I feel like a million bucks.
But this
makes me feel like two million bucks.
Wait for it.
It's the TV in a console by the bed.
I love luxury.
What you see, what you see ♪
Heaven on earth, baby, oh! ♪
Heaven on earth, baby ♪
Heaven on earth, baby ♪
One of the most beautiful parts
about Anguilla is that it's all local.
No franchises or cruise ships are allowed.
So, while there's luxury tourism,
it's all run by the locals, which I love,
because if you're coming here,
you're paying a high price,
but it's all going back to the hands
of the people
who make this place beautiful.
You ready for something special?
- You see that little island over there?
- Yeah!
That's exactly where we're going.
You see the building? It's a restaurant.
- What?
- A restaurant on top of a little island.
Our chef is waiting for us there.
They've been getting our fish
ready to eat.
You will have to pry me away from this.
Okay, here we go.
Oh, thank you, brother.
You guys wanna talk waterfront?
Look around you.
- This mahi-mahi. I can't handle it!
- It's so good.
It's so good!
It is fresh too.
You can't get water more clear than this
anywhere in the world.
You can go to Bora Bora, Fiji,
you will never find this anywhere.
South of France, anywhere.
This is to me
the most beautiful waters in the world.
And there's no one else here!
This is a great home.
I am so happy with it.
The more I spend in the house,
the more I discover different things.
- Mm!
- The more I realize, it's so zen.
There's not a lot of things.
It's all white.
From a design and architecture standpoint,
this place is so refreshing
because you don't get bored.
Every, like, couple hours, you get
a little bit more of a visual treat.
Luis, I think
you found a hidden gem. Cheers.
Next stop is Vermont!
- Vermont!
- Time for a river!
A river?
- What water is in Vermont?
- A river.
We made it to Vermont.
Beautiful green mountains.
We're pulling up in style.
I picked this 1963 Chevy truck.
And I got it and then I realized,
I don't know how to drive it.
Don't worry, I'll drive. Get in.
- You sure?
- Yeah!
Okay, Megan's just looking pretty.
Let's go.
For our unique waterfront property,
we're headed all the way to the rustic
and historic small town
of Clarendon, Vermont.
- I've always wanted to come to Vermont.
- Why?
Because in French it means vert mont,
"green mountain,"
and it's, like, close enough to where
I grew up, but I've never been here.
Okay, so we're going right through
this covered bridge.
- Whoa! Nice!
- Whoa!
I wanted a unique property
with a unique host, with a unique story
Overachiever.
And that is where we're going.
We have arrived!
- Okay.
- Okay, after a long drive.
- Wow!
- First impressions. What do you think?
It's big.
There's not much going on.
I mean, the river is the thing.
- Right.
- The house itself is large.
- I guess it doesn't feel homey as of yet.
- 'Cause it's not actually a home.
It was built to be a grist mill.
So this is where hundreds of years ago,
they would grind wheat to make flour.
The river would power the giant stones
in the mill and grind the grain.
But it's now turned into a home,
so shouldn't it have these homey elements?
It should, and it will on the inside.
Don't judge a book by its cover.
Okay, are you guys ready?
Welcome home!
- Oh, my God.
- Oh, this is very cool.
So gorgeous!
The Kingsley Grist Mill produced
grain for the area from 1882 until 1935.
Today, it's been repurposed
into a five-story vacation rental
overlooking Mill River.
It has three bedrooms,
two bathrooms,
sleeps six guests,
and rates start at $250 per night.
Doesn't it look like we're inside
a wooden toy from the 1800s?
It's so cozy
because of all the woods.
It's one of those places
that was created with love,
because of the personal touches.
This is beautiful.
What is this?
This is a piece of the grist mill
they kept in here.
- Look, it's, like, inside of the ground.
- Oh, now, look.
They use a lot
of the original pieces.
You see there's huge gears on the wall.
A lot of the decoration
is naturally from the grist mill.
Is that a staircase?
No, no, those are grain chutes.
So, they used to store the grain up above,
and they would send it down these chutes
to be processed or sold.
So, the chutes and the ladders
are all original.
- Oh, my God.
- Neat.
The property is listed in
the National Register of Historic Places.
This is a piece of American history.
Yeah, see, that's a different
that's a view I've never seen.
A river view. Like this.
- What?
- He discovered it.
Damn, this is it!
This makes sense now.
Once again, Jo!
This is wild.
Waterfront, baby!
Waterfront.
How creative are you, Jo?
All right, let's go upstairs.
Come on.
We have a red carpet.
Wow, look at the size of these stairs.
So, since this is a conversion,
the room layout isn't
what you'd find in a typical home.
It truly feels like a wooden maze.
Oh, these are bedrooms.
Okay, so there's one bedroom here.
This is so confusing that I love it.
So, this is the primary bedroom.
- What is that? Is that a loft?
- Okay.
Okay, so this is the ladder to the loft.
Let's take the stairs instead.
The owners were really creative
in remodeling this 19th century grist mill
using ladders, stairs and lofts
This is cool!
to carve out some really unique
livable spaces.
So there's more upstairs.
Come on. ¡Arriba!
Oh! This is cool!
Oh!
- Beautiful!
- Ah, this is the view room.
Wow!
I can sleep here. Actually, you know what?
This is my bedroom.
I think this is the surprise room.
Surprise!
Let's go get in the river.
So one of the main reasons
I picked the Kingsley Grist Mill
is for the exclusive
private access to Mill River,
Vermont's warmest natural body of water.
I'll keep you in my back pocket
Back pocket and we'll go, go, go ♪
I know you're gonna love it
We can travel around the globe ♪
What a life!
Okay,
Luis wants me to show you the sunset.
Oh, my God, it's beautiful!
I didn't think it was gonna be able
to show it in here, but look at that.
You got a sunset. You got a grist mill.
You got a river,
and you got three good friends.
It is the best room in the house.
See, you get a little bit of the breeze
and get the sound of the river.
Pretty spectacular.
Anyways, have a good night.
I slept like a champion.
Look at this covered bridge.
This is almost 200 years old.
It's still in use.
That's how you know it was
made with artisanship.
Look at these beams.
This is why this bridge is still standing.
It's a truss system
that has withstood the test of time,
many floods, and a lot of people say
that it's the best place
for make out sessions.
I like that part about it.
Anytime I travel,
I love to try new things.
I love that
there's training for fly fishing.
There has to be training.
We can't look crazy.
With the river
right in the back of the grist mill,
Megan and I had to try our hand
at a classic Vermont activity,
fly fishing.
So, you're gonna stand
one step in the water,
and you wanna try and cast
upstream by that big rock.
Everywhere I'm traveling, I'm not only
looking for my own personal experience,
I'm always keeping an eye out for good
real estate opportunities. Like this one.
This is a great investment
because it's a very unique conversion.
Now conversions are anything
that was not meant
to be used for residential purposes
that is a cool place to stay in,
like a museum, an airplane, an old church.
You can buy them at an affordable price
and turn 'em into whatever it is you want.
This can be great investment opportunities
because right now,
unique conversions like this
are super popular
in the short-term rental market.
They're unique. They tell a story,
and that's what people want now.
You're casting
the weight of the line,
not the weight
of what's on the end of the line.
It just looks like
the world's worst wizard.
'Cause nothing is happening.
Okay, I know we look like
a bunch of amateurs, but there's no way
we're leaving this beautiful river
without catching something.
Oh, my God, it's happening to us.
It's happening to us! We have a fish!
What do I do? Oh!
Oh, my God!
Oh, my God, he got a fish.
Got a fish! Got a fish!
Just two gals, on a river, caught a fish.
Vermont culture. Check.
- See him?
- Oh, my God, he's fine.
Oh, he's fine. See? He's swimming.
Thanks, Kyle, that was so much fun.
- They're ready. Oh, my God!
- It doesn't look good.
- This looks beautiful!
- Take this one because it's the prettiest.
You garnished it!
I tried.
I'm so proud.
This is really good.
Okay, good.
What do we think of this property?
You like it?
I liked that this place had
a choose-your-own-adventure element.
So, like, when you're in the river,
you could fly fish.
You could climb rocks. You could meditate.
You could just be there.
I had my suspicion
that I was not going to like it as much.
Mm-hmm.
That changed the moment
I stepped foot in the house.
From the design to the
- The river.
- to the river.
- Didn't you feel like a kid?
- Yes!
- The property made me feel a kid again.
- So playful.
Wow!
Cheers to another property
where wine is in our hand,
and water's at our feet.
So, this journey is all
about finding waterfront properties.
And we're in Germany!
I'm kidding.
This is Leavenworth, Washington.
But it does have a very beautiful
lakefront property that we're escaping to.
Gotta go!
I'm from Florida,
so I grew up on the beach.
This is something that I know very well.
I went the furthest away
that I could from a beach
- Yes.
- and I love it.
Leavenworth, Washington,
is nestled in the Cascade mountain range,
just two hours from Seattle.
With several whitewater rivers
and alpine lakes,
I found a great budget property
on Lake Wenatchee.
I'm taking you straight to the water.
Whoo!
Welcome home!
Whoa! Look at this view!
That is gorgeous!
Waterfront!
This view is perfect.
I was not
expecting this in Washington.
- Dude!
- I swear.
I can't believe you found
a budget property on the lake.
Canoe Cove is
a cozy three-story lakefront chalet
with water views from every room.
It has two bedrooms,
one bathroom,
and sleeps six guests.
With multiple amenities like a sauna,
a hot tub and kayaks,
this place is a great deal
starting at just $300 per night.
Your oasis awaits.
- Ooh!
- Homey.
This is beautiful.
It's simple. It's charming.
Oh, fire!
It's so toasty in here.
Very nice.
I just love how much seating
is in one space.
This is one room, an open floor plan,
but you have a dining area.
You have a living room conversation set.
You have a fire conversation set.
They do a lot with a little bit of space.
This is my personal favorite,
a handwritten note.
"Hello and welcome, dear guest.
My wish for you is that your time here
will be deeply healing.
Make yourselves at home.
With peace and gratitude,
your host, Rachel."
- Rachel. I need to hug this woman.
- That's very nice.
Look. More handwritten notes.
Vegan fondue.
This is a standard dish of the Swiss Alps.
- Yeah?
- Fondue. Oh, yes.
We got a fondue pot!
Oh, I love these surprises.
The host makes a difference.
Okay,
so the three sleeping areas are upstairs,
but the bathroom is on the main floor.
This is the one-bathroom that's listed.
- Yes.
- There's only one bathroom?
Is that gonna be an issue?
All three of us
have to share this bathroom,
which I think is fine, personally.
Okay, well, that explains the price.
Okay, Luis.
So, second floor we have a bed
kind of a loft situation.
- This is the first bedroom.
- It's great.
Wow, look at this!
She's set up intentional moments
around the entire space,
inviting you in order to take a moment
with yourself and connect to nature.
We're gonna give this to Luis
mainly because I know what's upstairs.
This is what I'm excited for.
Oh, yeah!
It'll feel like the coolest sleepover
we've ever had, Jo.
I love it!
I'm gonna show you something
that you're going to love.
Whoa! It's a sauna!
- Look at it!
- Wow!
Amenities like this are the reason
I booked this place.
This is great.
I've never seen a barrel sauna
with a floor-to-ceiling glass
- Or with this view!
- that faces the water.
This is a lake observatory sauna.
There are some properties that are
in front of the water.
- They don't have access to it.
- Mm-hmm.
This one is almost made,
like, tailored to see
and appreciate the water, which is
Yeah, with a view like this,
why would you block it with anything?
But when you think about
all the amenities just at a glance,
there's a lot of stuff to do.
I've never said "too many amenities"
in a place, but this has too many.
How many can we put in one place?
Look at this! Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh!
- Look at it!
- Wow!
This is so beautiful.
That is gorgeous!
This is a sliver of paradise.
Wonder why waterfront properties
are so expensive?
Well, yes,
there's a finite amount of them.
But places like Leavenworth
are very good for real estate.
In 2020, it actually ranked
number 12 in the US
for places to buy
and invest in vacation rentals.
Okay, now that I've spent
a little bit of time in Canoe Cove,
this is what I'm realizing.
The amenities in the design of this house
really create this feeling
of an alpine spa retreat.
It's a place
that's just begging you to relax
and treat yourself
to some much needed R and R,
while looking at
some incredible lake views.
Let's get away, holiday ♪
Warm breeze ♪
The spa life is it.
- Cheers to the spa life.
- Wow.
Just take a second
and look at this beautiful view.
Whoo-ooh-ooh-whoo-ooh ♪
This is only step one of our weekend.
So tomorrow, we wake up
and have a DIY spa day.
Whoo-ooh-ooh-whoo-ooh!
Whoo-ooh! ♪
- Smells good.
- It's vegan fondue.
- Everybody grab your little sticks.
- Extra fancy.
Bon appetit!
Mmm! Mmm!
Vegan cheese.
We got a planet filled
with beautiful surprises and mysteries,
and a lot of people in this world
do not know
that this type of traveling exists.
What I'm learning on this journey,
all in all,
is, like, you can rewrite your own story.
I'm really happy that I'm with you guys.
Good morning. Good morning!
It is raining.
Can we just listen to the rain
for, like, a minute?
Let's get a real meditation going.
Let's just start by paying attention
to our breath.
Air coming in, coming out.
Keep putting focus on your breath,
nothing else.
Open your eyes.
Wow, that's beautiful.
- This is one hell of a view, Megan.
- I know.
Coffee grounds
are gonna exfoliate.
For our spa day, I bought some
very affordable DIY ingredients
to exfoliate and moisturize our skin.
This is the most relaxed
I can ever imagine being.
In 15 minutes, we cold plunge, so get hot.
This is living!
What a way
to experience Washington.
- Whoo!
- It's refreshing!
To top it all off,
we had to get out on the water
and enjoy this incredible alpine lake.
- So you can see that huge snowy mountain?
- Yeah.
That's Glacier Peak.
It's 11,000-feet high,
and that's what feeds the water
we're in right now.
- So, this lake is refreshed by a glacier.
- Mm-hmm.
Let's just put things
into perspective for a second.
We are in a cabin facing the water
with three beds, with a sauna,
with kayaks, with three fire
- A hot tub.
- A hot tub.
- A fondue pot.
- A fondue pot.
An incredible welcome basket,
this for $300.
Three hundred buckos.
You are officially killing it.
You can have everything you want.
You just have to look for it.
I'd have to say
the Kingsley Grist Mill was my favorite
because I love the history
and the conversion of the space.
My favorite property
was Long Bay Villas.
Ha-ha!
Beautiful property, superior service Wow!
And, for me,
the Caribbean Sea, it's always home.
I'm gonna have to go
with Canoe Cove for my favorite property.
Whoa! It's a sauna!
Great amenities, great design,
everything just felt intentional.
This is living!
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 ♪