Perfect Pads: Best European villas

Stunning new European villas make for the ultimate late summer break...

ITALY
Puglia
Seventeenth-century Masseria (manor house) Lamacoppa, sleeping 11, is a new addition to Think Puglia's villa portfolio. Set in 70 acres of protected forest and olive groves with courtyards with Moroccan lemon trees, the traditional thick stone wall exterior belies the high vaulted ceilings and Italian art adorning the walls within. The original stables have been converted into a candle-lit dining room. Within the lawned garden lies a vast swimming pool (unheated) and jacuzzi. There is also a Turkish bath, gym and massage table. A private chapel is available for mass on Sunday as is a car to ferry guests around the grounds.

What's near? The baroque town of Ostuni, with its pretty white-painted architecture and the sandy beaches on the Adriatic coast, is a 10-minute drive away. The Valle d'Itria is famous for its distinctive conical-roofed trulli, particularly towns such as Alberbello.

Price: from 9,375 to 18,750 per week with daily maid service and cook.

Contact: Think Puglia, thinkpuglia.com

SPAIN
Mallorca
Mansion Conde, a country estate sleeping 18, set in perfectly manicured grounds in the middle of the island east of Palma, takes villa life up a notch with its helicopter pad, wine cellar and private chapel. All nine bedrooms have plasma TVs and wifi and there are several reception rooms with beams, marble fireplaces, art and high spec furnishings — not forgetting the large upper terrace for the poshest of barbecues. Gardens with lavender, herbs and mature palm and olive trees hold an outdoor pool (unheated), with parasols, covered dining area and a shower room.

What's near? The small town of Porreres has bars and cafés. Inside the town hall is a small modern art gallery exhibiting two works by Salvador Dalí. Just outside Porreres is a former hill-top hermitage, Santuari de Montesio.

Price from £16,361 per week, concierge service available.

Contact Mallorca Farmhouses, mallorca.co.uk

PORTUGAL
Sagres
Martinhal, in the windblown western Algarve, is the setting for Portugal's latest and most audacious villa complex. Developed by the founders of Luxury Family Hotels, this cluster of concrete and glass cubes at the edge of the Costa Vincentina Natural Park is its latest successful concept of the luxury family resort. The names of the 132 one- to three-bedroom houses — Ocean, Bay, Pinewoods and Garden — reveal the views they offer, while inside soft styling is enhanced by Michael Sodeau's exclusive retro furnishings.

Fully equipped kitchenettes with satellite TVs, wifi and MP3 docks offer self-sufficiency, while the Village Square provides a crèche, teenagers' club, gym, pool, bistro, shop and ice-cream parlour. There's also a spa (Terrake and Voya brands), sports centre with swimming pool and Padel and tennis courts, and the resort's hotel, with its gourmet and seafood restaurants and beach club with pool.

What's near? Golf, horse riding, wind- and water-sports and the ruins of Henry the Navigator's fort at Sagres.

Price: from £1,725 per week in a two-bedroom house.

Contact: Martinhal Beach Resort and Hotel, martinhal.com