NANTUCKET, MASSACHUSETTS
Harborview Place is a private, 10-residence enclave on Nantucket, the small island located 25 miles off Cape Cod that abounds with restaurants, boutiques, and galleries and also has a number of beaches and hiking and biking trails. 

Harborview Place is located two blocks from Main Street and it has an expansive lawn that leads to the beach. The lawn is the site of cocktail parties and movie screenings. Guests also have access to a members’ lounge, a Boston Whaler, a sailboat, kayaks, and concierge services.

The Nautilus and Pisces residences have two bedrooms each (one is a master suite with a vaulted ceiling and a balcony overlooking the harbor), two and a half bathrooms, a second-floor reading nook, a third-floor loft, a fireplace, an HD plasma TV, a large patio, and an outdoor shower.

CUMBERLAND, MAINE
Cumberland is a suburb of Portland, which is Maine’s largest city (with a population of about 63,000). Located on the state’s southern coast, Portland is Maine’s cultural capital, with a thriving arts district and a number of acclaimed restaurants downtown and in the historic Old Port area. Last year, Bon Appétit magazine selected Portland as "America’s Foodiest Small Town," and Forbes.com ranked it
first among "America’s Most Livable Cities."

Stornoway is just a short drive from downtown Portland. It’s an 8,500-square-foot waterfront mansion with seven bedrooms that sleep as many as 12 people. The house also has nine and a half bathrooms, a gourmet kitchen, and two family rooms. The amenities include a whole-house audio/video system, high-speed Internet, and an indoor pool and spa.

The 1.5-acre grounds include an infinity pool that overlooks Casco Bay and a deepwater dock, in case you want to arrive here by yacht, though the home is just 15 minutes by car from Portland International Jetport.

VALBONNE, FRANCE
The village of Valbonne is on the Côte d’Azur, in southeastern France. It is a short drive to Nice and the resort town of Antibes. Valbonne itself has an arcaded square that is home to a number of shops and restaurants. The town also has tennis facilities, and the Royal Mougins Golf Resort is nearby.

The Bonheur villa, which is located about a mile from the village, has five bedrooms, lush gardens, views of the surrounding hills, and a swimming pool. It is equipped with WiFi Internet and air-conditioning, and guests receive three hours of maid service per week.

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, COLORADO
Situated between Aspen and Vail, Glenwood Springs sits in the Roaring Fork Valley, at the confluence of the Colorado and Roaring Fork rivers. It is home to the Glenwood Hot Springs Pool (billed as the world’s largest hot springs pool) and the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park as well as restaurants and shops. Nearby is the White River National Forest, which offers white-water rafting, fly-fishing, hiking, and biking.

Sunshine Ridge Guest House is located on a 40-acre lot overlooking expansive meadows and the Elk Mountain Range. The 5,800-square-foot rustic-style house contains six bedrooms (including two master suites) and four and a half bathrooms, enabling it to accommodate as many as 16 people. The gourmet kitchen is equipped with a six-burner Viking stove and an oversize Sub-Zero refrigerator.

The living and dining areas adjacent to the kitchen feature cherry flooring, rustic furniture, and a huge fireplace. Downstairs are a wine cave and a recreation room with a pool table, a big-screen television, and a kitchenette with a full-size refrigerator. The house also has wireless broadband and high-speed Internet access.

Exterior features include a large wraparound deck, which can be accessed from the sunken living room and several bedrooms, and a spacious patio.

BEAUSOLEIL, FRANCE
The Jardins d’Elisa penthouse is in a residential neighborhood of Beausoleil, just minutes from Monaco and all its attractions: shopping, restaurants, the Casino de Monte Carlo, the Grimaldi Forum, and the Port of Monaco. It is 20 minutes by car to Nice and the French Riviera and 40 minutes to Cannes. The penthouse also is just 15 minutes from the Italian border and 30 minutes from the town of San Remo. While vacationing in Beausoleil, it’s possible to have breakfast in France, lunch in Italy, and dinner in Monaco.

The Jardins d’Elisa penthouse is a modern, two-bedroom, one-bathroom residence with a secure undercover parking space. Set five stories above the street, it offers clear views of the sea, the mountains, and Monte Carlo—especially from the furnished terrace. The penthouse is equipped with an LCD TV and wireless Internet access.

LUCCA, ITALY
Lucca’s distinguishing characteristic is the massively thick brick wall that surrounds this city in Tuscany. The wall was built in the 16th century to protect the city from invaders, and today it is traversed by a walking and biking path. Lucca is known for its medieval and Renaissance architecture, superb dining, antiques markets, and music festivals. The coast and beaches are less than a 30-minute drive from the city.

Borgo Bernardini is a restored 12-bedroom historic villa set on an estate with ponds and fountains, cypress, magnolia, and weeping willow trees. The property is in the Lucchese hills, 10 minutes from the city of Lucca. Guests also have access to the Forte dei Marmi Beach Club, on the Mediterranean coast.

Borgo Bernardini is staffed with housekeepers, a concierge, and a chef. The home includes a fully equipped gourmet kitchen, a formal dining room, a drawing room with a fireplace and satellite TV, a fully equipped office, a music room with a piano and a fireplace, a card and billiard room, an exercise room with cardiovascular and weight-training equipment, and a central audio system. Each of the 12 guest rooms has an en suite bathroom.

The property also has a lighted saltwater pool and outdoor tables and chairs for alfresco dining.

PÉRIGORD VERT, FRANCE
Le Maraval is a 17th-century estate located in France’s rural southwest, a region renowned for its wine, foie gras, and truffles. The estate is near such historic destinations as Brantôme and Lascaux Cave, and just five minutes away is the village of Saint-Pardoux-la-Rivière, through which the Dronne River passes. The area is ideal for hiking and biking.

Le Maraval has four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a modern kitchen.

The home was built in 1634, during the reign of Louis XIII. It served as the main residence for a farm that stretched along the banks of the Dronne. Many of the home’s original features are still in place, including the fireplace, the wood floors, and the chestnut ceiling beams.

Outside are a garden and two dovecotes, which once sheltered the doves and pigeons that provided the property owner with fertilizer for the garden. The garden and the dovecotes were added during Napoléon’s reign, 176 years after the original house was constructed.

HAMPTON BAYS, NEW YORK
The hamlet of Hampton Bays is located on the South Shore of Long Island, at the beginning of the South Fork and adjacent to Southampton Village and Shinnecock Hills. It’s about 90 minutes by car (traffic permitting) from Manhattan. The town has two beaches.

This single-story, six-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bathroom home has 160 feet of water frontage and a heated swimming pool that overlooks the bay. Other features include a huge deck, two Jacuzzi tubs inside and a spa outside, two Sub-Zero refrigerators, and a fireplace. Every room in the house offers a water view.

WOLFEBORO, NEW HAMPSHIRE
For his summer vacation in 2007, French president Nicolas Sarkozy simply could have stayed at a villa on the Côte d’Azur but instead he visited Wolfeboro, a picturesque small town on Lake Winnipesaukee that bills itself as "The Oldest Summer Resort in America."

Sarkozy was not the first foreign head of state to visit Wolfeboro: Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco once vacationed there. And a former U.S. presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, owns a summer residence in Wolfeboro.

When Sarkozy came to Wolfeboro, he stayed in a 23,000-square-foot waterfront estate at Springfield Point. The home sits on a 62-acre lot with a half mile of lake frontage.

The home contains eight bedroom suites (each with a view of the lake), a media room with seating for 15, a gourmet kitchen, a large screened porch, and a 10-person spa.