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You Can Rent the Lake Como Cottage from Amazon’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith IRL

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In Amazon‘s adaptation of the 2005 blockbuster film Mr. & Mrs. Smith, John (Donald Glover) and Jane (Maya Erskine) jet off to Italy’s Lake Como for an extraction mission. Now, if you want to make like a couple of spies in an arranged marriage, you can book the same lakeside cottage that the faux-couple stayed in in the limited series. 

Nestled on the picturesque Faggeto Lario shoreline, the charmingly unfussy, and spectacularly sited rental property is known as The Writer’s Nest and actually dates back to the 1800s. Built within a stone quarry, the centuries-old hideaway is where author Giuseppe Guin famously penned his novels (hence the name). Altogether, the nearly 1,300-square-foot spread comprises three bedrooms and two bathrooms and begins at just shy of $860 per night.  

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“At the bottom of the quarry, the overhanging rock still retains the signs of the stone quarrymen who worked there for centuries, drawing stones from the mountains to build homes and churches of Lake Como,” notes the listing. 

The idyllic retreat is surrounded by a grassy beach and dotted with circular stepped rocks, which, according to the listing, were formerly used by “the fishermen of twaite shads and perchs.” Inside, the charming pad is filled with antiques and natural materials. Most notably, the home’s library was made from chestnut wood that is hundreds of years old. Elsewhere, the kitchen features a sink carved into granite. There are also hand-forged iron lanterns and a glass veranda that overlooks the lake. Of course, there are a slew of modern comforts too, including air conditioning, a washing machine, a dishwasher, and Wi-Fi.  

You can rent the Lake Como house from episode 5 of Prime Video’s Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

David Lee/Prime Video

If you’re up for exploring the grounds, the property features a barbecue area, an outdoor dining table, and sunbeds for lounging. The Writer’s Nest can only be accessed by boat, and a private transfer can be arranged during your stay. 

In the streamer reboot, which hit Prime Video in February, two secret agents who have never met are brought together in an arranged marriage as Mr. and Mrs. John and Jane Smith. Every week, the duo must complete a high-risk mission while also navigating a budding romance between them. Since the eight-episode show premiered last month, web searches for travel to Lake Como have increased by a whopping 36 percent, according to HomeToGo. The trend marks a similar phenomenon to what occurred after viewers tuned into seasons one and two of The White Lotus. 

Authors

Abby Montanez

Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, dining, travel and topics…

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    You Can Rent the Lake Como Cottage from Amazon’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith IRL

    In Amazon‘s adaptation of the 2005 blockbuster film Mr. & Mrs. Smith, John (Donald Glover) and Jane (Maya Erskine) jet off to Italy’s Lake Como for an extraction mission. Now, if you want to make like a couple of spies in an arranged marriage, you can book the same lakeside cottage that the faux-couple stayed in in the limited series. 

    Nestled on the picturesque Faggeto Lario shoreline, the charmingly unfussy, and spectacularly sited rental property is known as The Writer’s Nest and actually dates back to the 1800s. Built within a stone quarry, the centuries-old hideaway is where author Giuseppe Guin famously penned his novels (hence the name). Altogether, the nearly 1,300-square-foot spread comprises three bedrooms and two bathrooms and begins at just shy of $860 per night.  

    [embedded content]

    “At the bottom of the quarry, the overhanging rock still retains the signs of the stone quarrymen who worked there for centuries, drawing stones from the mountains to build homes and churches of Lake Como,” notes the listing. 

    The idyllic retreat is surrounded by a grassy beach and dotted with circular stepped rocks, which, according to the listing, were formerly used by “the fishermen of twaite shads and perchs.” Inside, the charming pad is filled with antiques and natural materials. Most notably, the home’s library was made from chestnut wood that is hundreds of years old. Elsewhere, the kitchen features a sink carved into granite. There are also hand-forged iron lanterns and a glass veranda that overlooks the lake. Of course, there are a slew of modern comforts too, including air conditioning, a washing machine, a dishwasher, and Wi-Fi.  

    You can rent the Lake Como house from episode 5 of Prime Video’s Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

    David Lee/Prime Video

    If you’re up for exploring the grounds, the property features a barbecue area, an outdoor dining table, and sunbeds for lounging. The Writer’s Nest can only be accessed by boat, and a private transfer can be arranged during your stay. 

    In the streamer reboot, which hit Prime Video in February, two secret agents who have never met are brought together in an arranged marriage as Mr. and Mrs. John and Jane Smith. Every week, the duo must complete a high-risk mission while also navigating a budding romance between them. Since the eight-episode show premiered last month, web searches for travel to Lake Como have increased by a whopping 36 percent, according to HomeToGo. The trend marks a similar phenomenon to what occurred after viewers tuned into seasons one and two of The White Lotus. 

    Authors

    Abby Montanez

    Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, dining, travel and topics…

    Read More More

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    Inside the Most Expensive Summer Rental on Martha’s Vineyard

    Martha’s Vineyard has long been a popular summer getaway for high-profile vacationers, including Oprah Winfrey, the Obamas, Larry David, and Bill Gates. This year, the most expensive rental to ever hit the island will cost you an eye-watering $1 million per month. 

    Located at 18 Point Inner Way, overlooking the picturesque Menemsha Pond, the roughly five-acre waterfront compound is available to rent for four consecutive weeks between May and July and September and October. Nestled within the pastoral town of Chilmark, one of New England’s priciest ZIP codes, the sprawling contemporary compound has a whopping 11 bedrooms and 13 bathrooms split between the main house and two additional residences, including a writer’s cottage.

    Floor-to-ceiling windows flood the main house with natural light.

    Bob Gothard/ Wallace & Co. Sotheby’s International Realty

    “The lush green surroundings, invigorating coastal breezes, and overall sense of serenity make it an attractive destination for those in search of an escape,” notes the listing, which is held by Tom Wallace of Wallace & Co. Sotheby’s International Realty.

    To justify the hefty price tag, the coastal estate offers a slew of amenities. Inside the main house, which was originally built in 2012, you’ll find two top-of-the-line chef’s kitchens, a home theater with massaging recliners, a sauna and steam room, and a 30-foot indoor pool. There’s also a large water-facing deck with a built-in grill, a pizza oven, a fire pit, a wooden bar, and an outdoor dining area for up to 24 guests. Of course, sweeping views are a given.

    The five-acre compound can be rented for $1 million a month.

    Bob Gothard/ Wallace & Co. Sotheby’s International Realty

    In addition to the residence, the grounds also include an entertainment building, which holds an indoor basketball court with a professional shooting machine as well as a large fitness studio with Technogym and Peloton equipment. Down below, there’s a six-car garage equipped with Porsche and Tesla charging stations.

    Outside, there are plenty of recreational activities to keep everyone busy. The tennis court can also be used for pickleball; there’s a cedar jungle gym for the kids; and seafarers will appreciate the home’s 115-foot private deep-water dock that’s nicely stocked with paddle boards and kayaks. Even better, guests can choose between three boats to cruise around on the pond, including a swanky 55-foot Novamarine BS160 that was custom-made in Italy. Also in the fleet are a Mastercraft X26 ideal for water skiing or wakeboarding and a 26-foot Zodiac Open 7.0 speed boat if you’re in the mood for something quicker to zip around in.

    Click here to see more photos of 18 Point Inner Way.

    Andrew Azoulay/ Wallace & Co. Sotheby’s International Realty

    Authors

    Abby Montanez

    Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, dining, travel and topics…

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    18 Point Inner Way in Photos

    Published on February 28, 2024

    Andrew Azoulay/ Wallace & Co. Sotheby’s International Realty

    Authors

    Abby Montanez

    Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, entertainment, dining, travel to…

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    Touchdown! Las Vegas Landlords Scored Big During the Super Bowl 

    Super Bowl LVII was the most-watched of all time, with an average of 123.4 million viewers tuning in to watch the Kansas City Chiefs face off against the Philadelphia Eagles at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Of course, it didn’t hurt that pop superstar Taylor Swift was in town and in attendance. For those who got to catch the big game in person, it was one of the priciest ever, with an average ticket price of $8,600 and a tray of nachos that rang up to $60. Following suit, just about every short-term rental in the Las Vegas area saw bookings and rates skyrocket.

    For instance, Bryan Ercolano, CEO and founder of TurnKey Pads, a high-end vacation rental service, told The Wall Street Journal that, with the increase in demand for a place to stay, rates for the company’s units clocked in at around $30,000 a night. Typically, nightly rates for the same type of TurnKey units—usually four- to six-bedroom properties surrounding the Strip—would cost anywhere from $2,000 to $20,000 per night. 

    At the start of this year, there were more than 6,600 single-family residences in the Las Vegas area that could be rented for as much as $427 per night, according to new data from AirDNA. The analytics firm also found that the Las Vegas area had over 6,300 entire apartment and condo units available in that same period, with average daily rates of $284 per night. During the Super Bowl, average rental costs jumped to $365, a 19 percent price increase compared to the weekend prior. However, out-of-towners weren’t saving much. Hotel prices, by comparison, were roughly $380, according to travel platform Hopper.

    Super Bowl LVII generated almost $6 million in additional revenue for the short-term rental market in Las Vegas.

    Jeff Speer/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

    As a whole, the Super Bowl generated a $5.73 million boost in revenue for the short-term rental market, the WSJ reported. Hosts raked in $4.82 million from additional nights being booked and a hefty $908,780 from being able to charge higher rates due to demand. “The Super Bowl’s revenue is a smash success,” AirDNA economist Bram Gallagher told the newspaper.  

    Swift, who was in attendance and cheering on her tight-end boyfriend Travis Kelce, had a similar impact on the local economy when she touched down in Sin City for the Eras Tour back in March. The two-night concert brought in $1.6 million in short-term rental revenue for Las Vegas, while rates for March 24th and 25th increased to $316, a 10 percent uptick from the weekend before. “She has a very large-measure short-term rental effect wherever she goes,” Gallagher added. 

    Authors

    Abby Montanez

    Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, dining, travel and topics…

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    A Private Island Off the Florida Keys Returns to Market for $75 Million

    Tired of renting vacation homes with obnoxious and nosy neighbors? Prefer your tropical getaways to be hideaways that are far from the maddening crowd? Why settle for a rental at all when you could have your own private island sanctuary instead? 

    Pumpkin Key, a lush 26-acre isle off the Florida Keys, is looking for its next owner—and at a reduced rate. The picturesque spread has reemerged on the market for $75 million, a $20 million price chop from back in 2020 when it was listed for $95 million. Located in Key Largo’s serene Card Sound Bay, the tropical compound includes automatic membership to the Ocean Reef Club, an exclusive private club community that’s less than five minutes by boat. The island is also a quick 10 minutes from South Beach via helicopter. 

    Pumpkin Key, a 26-acre private island off the coast of Florida, includes a pristine private beach.

    Become Legendary

    Whether as a private retreat, legacy investment, or a sanctuary for generations, this property stands as a beacon of distinction and exclusivity,” notes the listing, which is held by Compass agent Liz Hogan. According to Mansion Global, Pumpkin Key was originally purchased in 1970 by a family of industrialists hailing from Chicago. At the time, the island was undeveloped and uninhabitable. Today, nearly 75 years later, the island is a serene retreat that is totally self-sufficient when it comes to water and electricity. 

    So, what does $75 million get you? Aside from the massive amounts of privacy and tropical tranquility, the buyer of Pumpkin Key will get a three-bedroom residence, a pool house, three guest apartments, and a pristine stretch of beach. There are two side-by-side tennis courts (one also has pickleball court lines) that double as a helipad. There’s also a large swimming pool and a 20-slip marina that offers plenty of room to park your megayacht along with a whole bunch of your friends’ boats. Paved golf cart paths link the island’s various locales.

    For those who prefer their vacation retreat to not be so isolated, the island has 12 one-acre vacant lots for development. The homesites could be sold off to friends (or strangers) or built out and added to the existing structures to create a super-sized island compound. 

    The property also has two side-by-side tennis courts that can serve as a helipad.

    Become Legendary

    The buyer of Pumpkin Key will also take possession of a waterfront home on Key Largo, within the 2,500-acre, guard-gated Ocean Reef Club. The resort community, which is accessible by car, comprises 1,700 mostly waterfront homes, and residents have access to all of the club’s many swanky luxuries. Think pristine championship golf courses, a 175-slip world-class marina, a slew of fine dining restaurants, and a state-of-the-art spa and fitness center. Ocean Reef even sports its own private airstrip if you plan on flying in on your PJ.

    Click here to see all the photos of Pumpkin Key. 

    Become Legendary

    Authors

    Abby Montanez

    Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, dining, travel and topics…

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    Pumpkin Key in Photos

    Modified on February 22, 2024 ,

    Published on February 19, 2024

    Become Legendary

    Authors

    Abby Montanez

    Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, dining, travel and topics…

    Read More More

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    Luxury Homebuyers Are Moving to This Affluent Arizona Suburb in Droves. Here’s Why.

    Can’t handle the cold, but love the heat? This affluent Arizona suburb, where winters are dry and temperate and summertime temps average over 100 degrees, has become one of the hottest housing markets in the U.S. Sun Belt. 

    Paradise Valley, the Grand Canyon State’s wealthiest ZIP code, has blown up in recent years with deep-pocketed newcomers relocating from out of state to the exclusive desert and mountain enclave. At the end of 2023, the median sale price in the scenic community clocked in at $2.8 million, a whopping 14-plus percent increase from the year prior, according to Realtor.com. “This is a newer area, so it’s not like you have a lot of 1800s and 1900s homes,” Robert Joffe, founder and associate broker of the Joffe Group, told Mansion Global. “There’s a huge allure to this area in Arizona. People are flocking in from all over the country to buy homes here.”  

    The town of not quite 13,000 residents, which sits in between Phoenix and Scottsdale, has specifically attracted a crop of West Coast transplants, mainly from Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle. Long favored by politicians like Barry Goldwater and Dan Quayle, Paradise Valley also counts Stevie Nicks, Muhammad Ali, Michael Phelps, and Campbell Soup heir Bennett Dorrance among its most notable past and present residents. 

    The unbuilt Palo Cristi Estate is listed for $75 million, the most expensive home for sale in Paradise Valley.

    Hersh24K Luxury Properties; Realty One Group

    Other than year-round warm weather (some might call it darn-right hot!), favorable taxes, upscale shopping, and thriving golf and restaurant scenes, other factors that make Paradise Valley particularly attractive to deep-pocketed snowbirds and full-time residents alike include its slew of luxury residential properties.

    Currently, the most expensive home in Arizona is a 2.3-acre compound in Paradise Valley’s southwestern corner. Priced at a whopping $75 million, the abode—dubbed Palo Cristi Estate—is slated for completion in 2027. When all is said and done, the vast residence will comprise 33,000 square feet. The eight-bedroom home’s laundry list of luxuries will include an art gallery, a bowling alley, a shooting range, a recording studio, and a movie theater. Plus, the grounds will feature two swimming pools, a lazy river, and two garages that can store up to 14 vehicles. 

    Serenity Heights, which will be completed in 2027, is on the market for $29 million.

    Ivan Shongov

    Many of the estates in Paradise Valley span one acre or more, and many sport stunning mountain view. In the exclusive, guard-gated Clearwater Hills enclave, homes can range from 8,000 to 18,000 square feet and cost anywhere from $20 million to $30 million. One of the enclave’s not-yet-built homes, listed for $29 million, is Serenity Heights. The not-yet-built mansion, to be completed in 2027, will sit on 11 acres atop the area’s highest view lot. In addition to a 16,000-square-foot, boomerang-shaped main house, the hillside spread will be decked out with a glass-bottom pool that cantilevers over the desert, plus a 10-person hot tub, a 3,000-bottle wine cellar, and a fitness center. 

    Authors

    Abby Montanez

    Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, dining, travel and topics…

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    A Google Co-Founder Splashed Out $32 Million on a Private Island in Puerto Rico

    Tech billionaire Larry Page might be trying to buy up all of the world’s private islands—or at least a good chunk of them.

    The co-founder of Google has been revealed as the buyer of the 300-acre Cayo Norte in Puerto Rico, Business Insider first reported. According to documents, Page used an LLC, U.S. Virgin Island Properties, to quietly snag the palatial property back in 2018. At the time, he paid a whopping $32 million for the spread, which is considered the largest privately owned isle in all of Puerto Rico. The off-market deal included a larger parcel for $28.7 million and a smaller piece of land for $3.4 million. 

    Per the publication, the ex-CEO has now racked up five private islands that are spread out across the Caribbean and South Pacific. Most notably, he reportedly owns Tavarua Island in Fiji and Eustatia Island in the British Virgin Islands—not far from Richard Branson’s Necker Island. In 2014, Page also dropped $23 million to acquire Hans Lollik and Little Hand Lollik in the U.S. Virgin Islands. 

    As for his most recent purchase, Cayo Norte—formerly known as West Key or North East Key—is located roughly 20 nautical miles east of Puerto Rico and is positioned off the coast of Culebra. The tropical retreat has stunning white sand beaches and the area surrounding it is teeming with coral reefs and wildlife including endangered sea turtles. Before Page, Cayo Norte was owned by local developer Dan Shelley starting in 2006. Prior to that, it belonged to the Padrón family, the outlet reported.

    Google co-founder Larry Page paid $32 million for a private island off the coast of Culebra in Puerto Rico.

    Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images

    In the six years since Page snapped up Cayo Norte, he hasn’t submitted any applications for development, Richard Gautier, director of Culebra’s office for territorial planning, told Business Insider. According to locals, there has, however, been activity near the island. More specifically, people have been spotted using electric-powered surfboards, also known as hydrofoils, nearby, which has quickly become the water sport of choice among tech giants like Page, Mark Zuckerberg, and Larry Ellison. 

    “Our hope is that this guy doesn’t want this as an investment property that will be developed and ruined,” Mary Ann Lucking, the director of a nonprofit coral reef conservation organization called CORALations, told BI. “If it can be protected with that north coast of [the nearby island] Culebra, that would be ideal.” 

    Authors

    Abby Montanez

    Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, dining, travel and topics…

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