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Timorous Beasties
The Thinking Traveller
/ 02
► Exceptional Villas, local knowledge and personal service
The Thinking Traveller was conceived one night in 2000 atop the incandescent volcanic island of Stromboli, in Sicily’s Aeolian archipelago. The following morning, as dawn blushed the skies a Homeric pink, Huw Beaugié, an engineer from the UK, and Rossella d’Anna, a cell biologist from Sicily, descended to the translucent ultramarine waters below, a new life mapped out. They quit their jobs in Paris, founded The Thinking Traveller in 2002, and set about providing discerning travellers with high-end villas and insightful access to Sicily’s myriad but little-known riches.
The Thinking Traveller quickly became the first port of call for luxury villa experiences in Sicily. Its winning formula of exceptional villas, unrivalled local knowledge, expert personal service and quality through exclusivity has been carefully extended to other destinations, and today, The Thinking Traveller’s collection numbers over 200 of the most desirable properties in the heart of the Mediterranean, more precisely in the south of Italy (Sicily and Puglia), Greece (the Ionian and the Sporades Islands) and Corsica. All The Thinking Traveller’s villas are exclusively available through the company, a unique feature that enables it to create enduring partnerships with its like-minded property owners and to have a direct, hands-on role in quality assurance, something that is impossible when villas are rented through multiple channels. The Thinking Traveller’s on-the-ground concierges work closely with the owners and staff of its villas to ensure that everything is perfect when guests arrive. Exclusivity also makes it possible for The Thinking Traveller’s London and New York-based teams of Villa and Experience Specialists to visit and stay at its properties several times a year. Their first-hand experience and in-depth knowledge are at the complete disposal of the company’s clientele. The Thinking Traveller’s exceptional range of villas includes five-star oases of fully serviced luxury (the Think Exquisite collection), beachfront summer houses with pools, gems of contemporary architecture, sumptuous masserie, chic trulli, romantic retreats and much more besides. No property enters the collection until Huw and Rossella have seen it for themselves, and each villa undergoes stringent quality audits several times a year. Once arrived at their villa, guests of The Thinking Traveller may call upon the infinite resourcefulness and unparalleled knowledge of the company’s locally based concierges. Available 24/7, they are always on hand to ensure that guests’ expectations are exceeded at every turn. The Thinking Traveller also offers its clients a bespoke range of lifeenhancing experiences, including luxury boat charters, helicopter trips, in-villa wine deliveries and cooks, PhD-qualified tour guides, chauffeured transfers, vineyard visits, and cooking lessons with Michelin-starred chefs. The Thinking Traveller’s mission is a simple one: to hear its clients say, “That was the best holiday we’ve ever had… we’ll be back.” That the company consistently manages to exceed its clients’ expectations, there can be no doubt: on four occasions, including a hat-trick of consecutive successes in 2016, 2017 and 2018, it has been voted “Favourite Villa Rental Company” at the prestigious Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Travel Awards.
Opposite ► The stunning pool area at Don Arcangelo all’Olmo, Sicily.
Opposite, below ► Cala d’Istria, Corsica.
Below, left ► Mount Etna rising majestically behind Rocca delle Tre Contrade, Sicily.
Below, right ► Trulli Andrea, Puglia.
The Thinking Traveller
