OMG, I Want to Rent This House: Barbados

OMG, I Want to Rent This House spotlights the most spectacular and unique homes that you can actually stay in. From open-air villas to an adult treehouse, we explore all the places that you should book for an unforgettable getaway.

Atelier Villa Barbados, Barbados on Vrbo: You've made it through the year, survived the long, crazy decade, and even weathered the holidays with your weird uncle Joe. You owe it to yourself to ring in the new year in style—and, by “style,” we mean a mansion of one’s own in paradise.

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This not-so-modest chateau named the Atelier proudly takes its place among the premier properties in the Barbados neighborhood known as the “Platinum Coast.” This island in the West Indies is the refuge of many a billionaire, and many of those live in this aptly nicknamed enclave on the western coast overlooking the cerulean waters of the Caribbean Sea. 

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But before you and your dwindling bank account (it is gifting season, after all) get intimidated by the potential of filthy-rich neighbors, rest assured that rather than shelling out $3.6 million for the Atelier, which is currently on the market, you can pay a more reasonable four figures a night to live like the lap of luxury is the only lifestyle you've ever known. (After all, every successful mogul knows the golden rule is “fake it ’til you make it.”)

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Built in 2012 by the London architect Alistair Downie, who has worked extensively on the island, Atelier has embraced its coastal location with an entry path lined with palm trees that leads to a modern mansion that is all double-decker spaces, gorgeous natural views framed by walls of glass, and so many terraces. We’re talking nearly 1,000 square feet of outdoor sitting space from which to engage in that most historic of vacation activities: vegetating. 

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Atelier sits atop a ridge, but it is never more than a few minutes from a beach, the closest of which is the sought-after sandy shores at Reeds Bay only a 10-minute walk away. (Please be advised, the return trip is uphill and takes double the time. While staff including a housekeeper, laundress, and cook are all included in your stay, a sherpa for your beach gear is not.)

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But if going places on your own two feet did not make it into your vision for your dream holiday, never fear. Just consider the Atelier your personal doomsday bunker and contain your limited movements to within its very luxurious walls. On your property, you not only have the usual vacation amenities (four bedrooms, three-and-a-half bathrooms, and divine living and dining areas clad in an aesthetic that the home's owner-cum-interior designer calls “tropical modern”), but it also features what can only be described as a natural paradise within this island paradise. 

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First in the check-list of how to create a Utopia is the scenery. “Usually when you have a house on a ridge with a view, you have other properties in your periphery. But Atelier is perched on the edge of a gully that drops down about 50 or 60 feet, with unobstructed, panoramic views of the ocean and lush tropical greenery,” the home’s agent Chris Parra told Mansion Global.

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Residents of Atelier not only can enjoy the views afforded by the environmentally protected gully that sits between the property and the beach that is filled with mahogany trees, monkeys, and frogs, but they can also wander the half-acre garden on the property that has been filled with plants indigenous to the island. Most importantly, it is also a protected space—protected for your private enjoyment. 

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When you're done playing Eve in the Garden of Eden, there are the less natural, but no less divine environs to take advantage of. We’re talking about the pool (infinity, naturally) and the roof-top terrace where you can eat some chef-prepared delicacies and lounge your preciously empty days away. 

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After the excess of the holidays, it can be hard to justify fresh expenses, even modest ones like a new mansion. But after the rollercoaster of the 2010s, you’ve earned a break, as long as you make it a rental. Just remember: act like you’re the Billionaire Queen of the Barbados and nobody will know the difference. 

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Book Your Stay: Atelier Villa Barbados in Barbados: $3,370/night via Vrbo