(Bloomberg) -- Spring Break is right around the corner for much of the U.S. and Northern Hemisphere. While all of coastal Florida is stocking up on light beer, and Caribbean hotels are doubling mandatory security deposits, spring breakers of a different (read: older) sort might consider looking for a more permanent place to hang their sun hats.
We've rounded up some excellent candidates that check all the normal March vacation boxes (close to a beach, surrounded by palm trees, and near a relatively accessible airport), though each property is nice enough, and expensive enough, that it could serve as a year-round residence, too.
Saint John Hilltop Estate, $13.5 Million
The house is broken up into three main pavilions.
Size: 11,680 square feet
Price per sq. ft.: $1,156
Acres: 1.1
Bedrooms: 7
Bathrooms: 8.5
The central pool.
Located on a knoll at the top of Saint John, one of the U.S. Virgin Islands, this compound, which is called “Villa Kismet,” is a combination of indoor/outdoor spaces, terraces, and lush gardens. Built in a (vaguely) Moorish style, the house is stocked with rooms dedicated to entertainment, including a billiards room and a home theater, replete with individual reclining chairs. Outdoors offer a large swimming pool and spa. The villa is broken up into three sleeping pavilions that can accommodate a total of 16 people—not including the separate caretaker's house.
The dining room.
The property is located just outside the town of Cruz Bay and is accessed by parking a car in a private court, then walking up a tiled staircase, through a garden, and into the central courtyard. It might not be a beach-y property, but with the pool and entertaining spaces (not to mention the 360-degree views) it gives you the privacy of a mountaintop aerie, along with all the benefits of island living.
Much of the house is designed to be indoor/outdoor space.
The media room.
Sotheby's International Realty
Waterfront Mansion, Miami Beach, $29.5 Million
The property fronts Biscayne Bay.
Size: 8,619 square feet
Price per sq. ft.: $3,422
Acres: .74
Bedrooms: 10
Bathrooms: 11
The house has a pool overlooking the bay.
Set on the bay side of Miami Beach (which means it overlooks Biscayne Bay and the city of Miami beyond), this mansion is surrounded by high, manicured hedges. Guests enter through an electric gate, drive through a loggia that fronts the road, and arrive in the house's central, tiled courtyard.
The house was recently renovated.
The house has recently been renovated and features marble floors and clean, white entertaining spaces. (There are a formal dining room, multiple living areas, and a large pool in the rear that comes with a cabana and summer kitchen). The 10 en-suite bedrooms makes it an ideal respite from the heat and energy of Miami. Should guests (and residents) prefer a more spirited stay, the house has a private dock and lies about a 15-minute drive to Miami's bar- and restaurant-filled South Beach area.
The living room.
The view from the house.
Christie's International Real Estate
Oceanfront Resort, Dominican Republic, $11.8 Million
One of two houses on the property.
Size: 9,159 square feet
Price per sq ft.: $1,288
Acres: 3.55
Beds: 7
Bathrooms: 7
The second house.
With two houses, two swimming pools, rolling lawns, elaborate gardens, and private, oceanfront land on the southern side of the Dominican Republic, guests can arrive at this property and never leave. Should they desire to, the houses are located in the Casa de Campo resort, which includes a large marina, tennis courts, three golf courses, and a polo field.
A view from one home's pool.
The houses feature differing architectural styles, but both offer ample indoor/outdoor space; guests will never have to sacrifice the ocean breeze for ample shade. The two are close enough that the property feels cohesive, but they are separated by landscaping so kids (or less-desirable house guests) can be out of sight and out of mind. Each comes with the requisite kitchens and entertainment spaces, but the real star of this property is the ocean.
The view from the second pool.
A terrace.
Christie's International Real Estate
Jungle Villa, Brazil, $3.9 million
The house is set among mature cashew and palm trees.
Size: 10,000 square feet
Price per sq ft.: $390
Acres: 5.68
Beds: 6
Bathrooms: 6.5
The dining room.
Located on literally miles of white sand beach in the state of Bahia, this contemporary, cement, wood, and glass house is surrounded by mature coconut, cashew, and palm trees, as well as the rainforest beyond. (Nearby is the Unesco Atlantic Forest Biosphere Reserve.)
The house is set on two floors.
Spread across two main floors, each bedroom includes an en-suite bath; the nearly 1,000-square-foot master bedroom includes a massage area and a Japanese Ofuro bath. The ground floor, which comprises entertaining spaces, the gourmet kitchen, and home theater, overlooks the outdoor terrace area, which has an in-ground pool and spa. Should those sites of relaxation prove insufficient, the property is seemingly alone along a vast beach where, when not celebrating the region's eternal springtime, you can watch sea turtles come to lay eggs on the beach.
Water features abound around the house.
The pool.
Christie's International Real Estate
To contact the author of this story: James Tarmy in New York at jtarmy@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Chris Rovzar at crovzar@bloomberg.net.
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