QUARTERS: RENT-A-BEACH

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As part of our series on inspiring places to stay, Rosanna de Lisle tracks down houses with their own private seaside ...

From INTELLIGENT LIFE Magazine, Summer 2010

What could be nicer, we thought, than a villa with a private beach—until we discovered how hard it is to find a beach that is private both in law and practice, let alone one with just a single property on it, available to rent.

While there’s a widespread perception that all beaches are public property, beach ownership varies from country to country. In Britain the Crown Estate owns 55% of the foreshore, but the rest belongs to the National Trust, councils and individuals. So beaches can be private, but often a right of access has long been presumed and it would take a misanthropic landowner to shoo away a bunch of children clutching buckets and spades. This is particularly true in the Mediterranean, where even beaches inaccessible by road or footpath are considered common land by those arriving by boat.

At any of these five houses, though, you could bet against the beach being invaded. The prices look steep, but per head they compare well with staying in a hotel, and in some cases rates may drop for smaller parties.

Villa Sueno, Chile
This striking wooden house perches on a deserted beach that runs for miles along the Pacific Ocean. The design is all about the environment, from solar power and a freshwater pool to circular rooms with wraparound windows and spectacular views of the sea, birds and whales. Apart from the cleaner and English-speaking manager, you’ll hardly see anyone. Yet the villa is only 90 minutes from Santiago airport, and you can take day trips to Valparaíso (Chile’s answer to San Francisco), the resort town of Zapallar or the vineyards of the Casablanca Valley. Sleeps 6, $4,245-4,750 per week.

Sunrise House, Mustique
This lavish villa near Macaroni Bay on Mustique’s east coast has almost too many places to sit, dine and recline—from the palatial sitting room, outdoor bar and infinity pool to the terraces, pergolas and coconut groves that lead to a private beach, where you’ll find two cottages, sofas on shaded decks and sunbeds on blazing white sand. There’s a tennis court, gym, media den, organic vegetable garden and a staff of six. Sleeps 10, $26,550-41,300 per week.

Villa 1P, Paxos, Greece
Only six miles long, with ancient olive groves, diminutive Venetian harbour towns and more villas than hotels, Paxos is arguably the most charming of the Ionian islands. European glitterati tip up by the boatload in August, but this house remains private all year. Built in 2004 by a young Greek architect for a South African professor, it is slick, modern and well run by a cook and manager. There’s plenty of living space indoors and out, a pool, a tennis court and a pebble beach that is inaccessible to the public from the land side. Sleeps 11, €18,000-25,000 per week.

Frankfort on the Beach, Jamaica
For much of the 20th century this converted fortress near Ochos Rios was the home of Sir Harold Mitchell, an MP who left Britain when his mines and railway were nationalised. With its massive stone walls and own white-sand beach, it must have seemed inviolably private as Mitchell and his wife, Mary, holed up with guests such as Winston Churchill and Henry Kissinger. A recent refurb has added swish bathrooms and fresh fabrics. There are five staff and the rate includes a torch-lit feast on the beach. Sleeps 10, £8,805-10,377 per week.

Villa Ciete, Portugal
Unusually for Portugal, where all beaches are open to the public, the cove below Villa Ciete is as good as private. Outsiders can only reach it by sea, and as it sits between two stunning Algarve beaches (Galé and Castelo) they probably won’t bother to drop anchor there. The house is contemporary, with vernacular elements brick-domed ceilings and terracotta floors. A covered terrace with cane sofas (above) overlooks the pool and sea, and down on the beach there’s a palm-thatched sitting area, barbecue, shower and loo. The maid will cook and there’s a two-star Michelin restaurant a short walk away. Sleeps 12, £4,595-7,605 per week.