Morocco, €2.8 million (£2.4 million)
Villa Elysa stands near the Palmeraie in Marrakech—known as the ‘Ochre City’ —in gardens of just under three acres. Built-in a contemporary Moroccan style, the design of the main house is based on large, open-plan rooms with high ceilings and vast windows looking out over the garden. It’s ideal for hosting house parties: there are three bedrooms, including a master suite in the principal house, and further accommodation is provided in the pavilion, a two-bedroom guest house that comes with its own pool, as well as a one-bedroom cottage. The city’s medina, with its warren of streets and buzzing central market, is only 5½ miles from Villa Elysa. Kensington Luxury Properties/Christie’s International Real Estate (00 212 52 442 2229 www.kensingtonmorocco.com)
Portugal, €575,000 (£500,850)
Ombria resort is a new sustainable community currently being built in the south-facing hills of the Algarve in southern Portugal, just over four miles north of the town of Loulé. Its latest phase is Oriole Village, a collection of 83 properties ranging from one- to four-bedroom apartments through to spacious villas. The resort has been planned for year-round activity, with an 18-hole golf course and a five-star hotel managed by Viceroy Hotels & Resorts, opening next spring, at which point there will be restaurants, a spa, kids club and shop on-site. Further activities include beekeeping, an astronomical observatory, mountain biking and a beach club. Ombria Resorts (00 351 28 941 3901; www.ombria.com)
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