Abercrombie & Kent Residence Club Adds 22 European Villas

By: Destination Club News
Date: May 7, 2010

Members of the Abercrombie & Kent Residence Club have long been able to exchange a portion of their annual allotment of nights to safari through Africa, visit Antarctica, or even climb Mount Everest. The world's largest equity destination club is now offering members the ability to exchange their nights in more comfortable accommodations with the addition of 22 European villas in their Travel Credit Program, joining a group of European hotel options introduced to club members earlier in the year.

"A villa provides a comfortable 'home away from home' for family and friends," said Abercrombie & Kent Founder, Chairman and CEO Geoffrey Kent. "It is a great base for exploring the surrounding countryside and the perfect place to celebrate a special occasion, such as a birthday, wedding or anniversary."

This new collection spans some of Europe's most popular retreats in Tuscany, Cote d'Azur, and Provence. While all stunning, the highlights of the new villas include:

Villa La Terma - Tuscany, Italy
A fully renovated farmhouse, Villa La Terma spans five bedrooms with a stunning vantage point above the marvelous Tuscan landscape. Capable of housing up to ten guests, the country style furnishings and architecture harkens back to more simple times while the modern amenities of Satellite TV, hot tub, and a under floor heating play the perfect contrast between yesterday and today.

Cabasson - Cote d’Azur, France
Offering 180 degree views of the Bay of Hyères, Cabasson's six bedrooms make for an ideal resting spot between trips to the beach or local vineyards. Spanning two floors, words like "modern" and "contemporary" are used to describe the luxury villa, incorporating the French terrain into the character of the residence and a sense of old world charm with meticulous appointments around the property.

L’Hameau des Bourgues - Provence, France
Dating back to 1422, L'Hameau is situated on 15 acres of olive and fruit orchards with views of the Luberon valley and mountain. Vaulted ceilings and white stone and solid oak floors await travelers inside. Three main courtyards are ideal for a summer alfresco dinner or a morning coffee and the grounds can be illuminated at night for a last bottle of wine.

The Abercrombie & Kent Residence Club Travel Credit Program allows members the ability to exchange up to one year's amount of usage in a three year period. For example, a member with 45 nights of annual access could exchange up to 45 nights to stay at these new European villas or any other A&K journey over the next three years.

Like any stay within the Abercrombie & Kent Residence Club, members receive pre-travel planning services with their Global Experience Manager, a dedicated A&K employee who assists in every last detail of each trip, down to obtaining grocery lists from you as a member so the residence is fully stocked for your stay. This additional service level is often what convinces luxury travelers of the value of a destination club membership over other travel options such as second home ownership, villa rentals, or timeshares.

"Planning a family vacation at an unknown property can be daunting, and internet villa rental sites all too often fail to deliver on their descriptions," said Abercrombie & Kent Residence Club President Scott Wiseman. "Each of these A&K villas has been personally selected by our experts in Europe and inspected to insure that the photography, floor plan and description accurately represent the experience."

Just last month, the Abercrombie & Kent Residence Club announced an extension to their current discounted pricing, letting equity members save 40% on their membership until June 30. The club also has a trial membership available for those who wish to try out the club prior to becoming an equity member. By paying a 10% premium on annual dues for the next two years, these trial members will be able to experience the A&K way of travel firsthand. If a trial member elects to upgrade to full equity membership, the dues premium is applied towards the upgrade.

On July 1, Abercrombie & Kent will increase their membership prices by 7%, so if interested, now is the time to learn more. If you would like to receive more information about the destination club concept and to see how the Abercrombie & Kent Residence Club compares to other clubs, request a free copy of our Destination Club Guide.