Tara House

Tara is the earthy, elemental one. It's a standalone chalet set into a natural granite outcrop in the hillside gardens — the same massive boulders that run through the property, here sealed and painted gold so the rock glows in the evening light. It isn't decoration: this is the actual hillside, built right into the house. It's under five minutes' walk from the beach.

The bathroom is the heart of it, and it's unlike anything else we have: built around a gold-painted granite boulder, partly open to the sky with palms overhead, and set across two levels — basin and toilet up top, the shower a few steps down, with the open air above you while the warm water runs. It's beautiful, and it's genuinely open to the elements, which is the whole point and not for everyone. Out front there's a wraparound deck with hammocks looking into the green, and the kitchen is fully equipped so you can cook in and eat on the deck.

This is a house for people who want something rustic and characterful rather than smooth and polished — the wrong fit if you need everything sealed and indoors, and exactly right if showering under the sky beside a wall of gold rock sounds like the best part of the trip.