Is the biting London wind getting you down? Are your toes too cold to even fathom another ski holiday? Perhaps it's time to start heading west... And then very far down south. This holiday villa in Brazil could be the answer to your chattering teeth and rainy day blues.

Villa N°174 offers a Rio experience with a difference. Set high in the historical neighbourhood of Santa Teresa, also known as Carioca Montmarte, it is the vivacious and bohemian vibe within that has our senses energised. This somewhat avant-garde boutique hotel is a conversion of an old mansion situated in the heart of a tropical garden. An eclectic mix of art-deco, colonial and 60s-era style and furniture create vibrant spaces to soak up the sun and the views across to Guanabara Bay and Sugarloaf. The old and new harmonise throughout the shared and private spaces – from the antique armchairs restored with fine Italian fabrics to the striking contemporary paintings custom-made by Bosnian painter Radmila Dapic Jovandic. There are four suites each with their own distinct aesthetic, a result of the unrestrained imagination of the property’s host, fashion entrepreneur Srdjan Prodanovic. From the seductive headboard made of mirror in the Mirror Room and the Amazon jungle theme of the Pool Suite to the sophisticated use of lines in the Geometric Suite and contemporary styling of the Master Suite, Villa 174 offers an option for whatever vacation mode you fancy. And for an added touch of colour and entertainment, there is the resident parrot Nino to engage with.

Villa N°174; villa174.com

Instagram: @villa174

Twitter: @ninodacosta174

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