THIS 25-YEAR-OLD TRAVEL SECRET COULD TRANSFORM YOUR NEXT VACATION

Dear International Living Reader,

Twenty-five years ago, a Sloan school graduate created a revolution in the world of luxury travel…

He discovered a way you could travel--and enjoy stays in castles, châteaux and private homes of the rich and famous--but for no more than it would cost to stay at a Sheraton or a Holiday Inn--often a lot less…

For centuries the rich and famous have owned secret getaways: Tuscan villas perched atop secluded lush valleys…English manor houses sitting beside private lakes and charming estuaries…mansions and guest houses on fabled islands in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean...French châteaux and medieval castles sitting atop dramatic cliffs presiding over the world's finest coastlines…even private pied-à-terres and apartments in great cities like Paris, New York, and London…

The super rich would use these "sacred" places to relax…escape…and enjoy the kind of luxurious vacations that ordinary mortals could only ever dream about.

For centuries it was almost exclusively the rich, the famous, and the well-connected who were lucky enough to enjoy stays in these luxurious vacation homes.

Then 25 years ago a Sloan School Graduate named Mike Thiel came along and started something that opened up this hidden world of exclusive vacation options to other discerning travelers…

And he discovered that it would often cost no more to stay in one of these vacation homes than it would cost to stay in a big chain hotel - sometimes a lot less.

For example, you can stay in your own private 12th century Knight's Templar Tower in the haunting and beautiful Languedoc region of France for $113 a night. This historical tower sleeps 6…(which works out to less than $19 per person a night!). Compare that to $200 a night for a homogenized double room at a nearby chain hotel.

Or instead of paying $233 a night for a room at the Radisson in the Bahamas, you can stay in your own private two-story Victorian mansion overlooking the sea in Governor's Harbour. You can enjoy your own private fireplace, terrace, and wrap-around verandah — plus have room for up to 7 other guests - and still pay less! This beautiful Victorian house is just $230 a night (or $29 per person!).

These are just a few of the thousands of extraordinary villa vacations you can enjoy right now. You can also rent a thatched cottage near Oxford…a Mediterranean villa on a private cove in Spain…a log cabin in the Canadian Rockies…a penthouse apartment in Rome…a 17th century Venetian mansion…a beach house in Oceanside, California…a 300-year-old wine cave on a Greek island…a moored barge in Amsterdam… a mountain-top cabin in Belize…even your own private island in the Caribbean or Mediterranean if you like...

Problem is, these "exclusive" retreats are not normally advertised in the popular travel press…and are quite difficult to find out about.

That's why Mike Thiel created Hideaways International…

A Revolution in the World of Luxury Travel!

Many years ago Mike Thiel bought his own vacation home in New England. This was a place that he and his family would retreat to when they wanted to get away. He loved this luxury escape so much that he began to start exploring the idea of luxury escapes elsewhere…

He started to investigate private villas that he and his family and friends could rent in other parts of the world. But he found them very difficult to track down. Travel agents, travel guides, and foreign newspapers could only tell him about big chain hotels.

But he didn't want to stay in a homogenized hotel room. And it wasn't just because of the lack of privacy, space, and character. He also felt the high cost of a hotel room was just not worth it. He wanted to stay in traditional homes: Mexican haciendas…14th century French farmhouses…Irish manors…medieval castles…Thai huts - or even a boutique hotel or a yacht or a barge. He wanted to experience something different…something memorable…

He knew private circles of the rich and famous exchanged villas and enjoyed these types of vacations all the time — so why couldn't other discerning travelers?

That's why, 25 years ago, Mike started Hideaways International…and created a revolution in the world of luxury travel.

Hideaways International is the world's first global community - a club, if you will - of discriminating travelers whose mission is to uncover this hidden world of exclusive vacation options. It matches vacation homeowners with villa vacationers from all over the world — so its savvy members can investigate and take advantage of these exclusive vacations just as easily as if they were booking a room at the Sheraton. It puts Hideaways Members directly in touch with the private owners of these exotic homes — so they don't have to deal with agents…and so they can avoid commissions and middlemen fees. It also uses a system to vet sub-par vacations and offer to its Members only a selection of the very best. In addition, Hideaways has assembled an enviable collection of the world's finest boutique hotels and resorts, plus small cruise ships, barges and more — called The Hideaways Collection™ — where members enjoy special savings and VIP treatment.

For 25 years now, Hideaways has been attracting sophisticated travelers from all over the world. This network of seasoned travelers shares opinions, vacation tips, travel experiences, boutique hotels, odd adventures — and their best private villa vacation discoveries with each other every month in the pages of Hideaways Guide, Hideaways newsletter, and online at their Members' Forum. What's more, they use the strength of their Members' purchasing power to net for themselves all kinds of exclusive travel benefits…

Your Invitation to Reap Exclusive Benefits
the Average Traveler Will Never Know

Hideaways is like a global family now. And I'm writing to you today on behalf of Mike, its Founder, to invite you to join them…

As a Hideaways Member you'll gain access to an amazing number of powerful benefits, including VIP perks at properties from The Hideaways Collection™, direct access to villa owners, insider travel advice, special reports, honest opinions, and personalized services.

But above all that — you'll be privy to one of the most influential global networks for luxury travel. You'll enjoy the secrets, insights, and wisdom that could transform your next vacation — and every vacation you make after that. You may never travel like the masses again.

I guess that's why some years ago TV's P.M. Magazine called Hideaways:

"A Passport to Fantasy"

Hideaways offers you fantasy vacations — but at prices far less than you might imagine.

They turn memorable into unforgettable.

It's why many of their Members have been with Hideaways since the beginning, like Nick and Joanna Vergoth from Chicago…who told Hideaways:

"You have provided the means for us to create a lifetime of memories."

Nick and Joanna joined almost 25 years ago and have stayed at Hideaways properties at least once (usually twice) a year since. From California to Colorado, Hawaii to Costa Rica, New Orleans to Greece, Jamaica to London, and Paris to Italy.

Another long-term Member wrote:

"You have expanded my horizons, and that's something no one can put a price tag on."

Even the editors of many of the world's leading newspapers have recommended Hideaways, including the New York Times, U.S News and World Report, Travel and Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, The Los Angeles Times, and Frommer Travel Guides, just to name a few.

Every week Hideaways gets many letters from satisfied Members who've just returned from a vacation inspired by Hideaways. They pass along the tips they receive to other Members on the pages of Hideaways Guide, Hideaways newsletter, and on-line at Members' Forum, underscoring the feeling of community.

Before I tell you more about the specific benefits and privileges you'll get as a Hideaways Member let me tell you more about what makes a Hideaways Member different…

Hideaways Members are not novice travelers on their first trip to Europe. They are seasoned travelers — whose vacation time is important to them. Hideaways Members are looking for the vacation road less traveled. They don't like homogenized hotel rooms or packaged tours. They prefer to vacation like a local. They want unusual, unforgettable experiences. They don't want to eat at the overpriced and substandard tourist restaurants. They want to eat where the "locals" frequent. They're not averse to being extravagant…but they don't want to throw money away just for the sake of it. They want to know their extravagances are going to be worth it! They want the cultural…the historical…the adventure…the glamour!

In a world where vacations have become as manufactured as hamburgers…Hideaways Members are looking for something a little less cookie-cutter.

They want to avoid mass tourism — and all the traps that come with it.

Transform Your Next Trip

When Hideaways Members go to New York, they prefer to take a private apartment or a suite at a boutique hotel rather than stay at one of the big-name hotels. A stay at the Plaza or the Waldorf Astoria is nice…but there's an exceptional new boutique hotel called The Library…where you can enjoy an individually designed suite with charm and character for less than a standard room at the Plaza. Plus it's the new haunt for today's best writers and artists…and is considered by many to be "the place to stay."

Besides, at The Library - Hideaways guests pay less…and get a little more…

Or when Hideaways Members visit London — even though they admit the Savoy is very nice - they think it's a little pricey. They prefer to stay at a little boutique hotel just around the corner from Harrods. It sits on a quiet tree-lined cul-de-sac…where it seems little has changed over the centuries…

Here, at Beaufort House, you will be transported back to another era. You'll enjoy a private, exclusive escape right in the heart of London…where everything will seem almost too good to be true. And just because you're a Hideaways Member you'll enjoy a little extra special treatment…

And Beaufort House of Knightsbridge and The Library in New York are just two of the top boutique hotels where Hideaways Members enjoy special privileges…

In fact, Hideaways Members enjoy special discounts and privileges along with VIP perks like early check-in, complimentary meals and/or activities, and late checkout at many of the world's finest villas and boutique hotels.

When you join Hideaways, you'll gain access to The Hideaways Collection™. This collection is a handpicked selection of the world's finest villas and boutique hotels. Each property has been personally inspected by Hideaways. You'll explore villas and boutique hotels in many of the world's greatest cities, including San Francisco, Geneva, Venice, Palm Beach, Paris, Bangkok, New York City, Madrid, and more. At each of these properties you'll enjoy special treatment…and at many, you'll receive members-only savings…

Explore the Caribbean's Best-Kept Travel Secret

While the casinos, the nightlife and the hustle and bustle on St. Maarten and the Cayman Islands is nice, Hideaways Members prefer the road less traveled…

When Hideaways Members visit the Caribbean there's a beautiful and exclusive little island they like to stay on that few tourists ever get to explore. It's called St. Barth.

As travel expert Arthur Frommer said when he described Hideaways on his TV show: "…for the traveler who doesn't like mass production…who doesn't like going into big and impersonal hotels, who believes small is beautiful…"

Few places in the world could fulfill that promise better than St. Barth.

A small commuter plane will take you from St. Maarten to the small rugged island of St. Barth. And on St. Barth you'll find treasures the average Caribbean tourist will never find: like the Hotel Carl Gustaf…where you can enjoy your own suite with sundeck and your own private dip pool, which overlooks the red roofs and quaint yacht-filled harbor of Gustavia.

Everything on St. Barth is Lilliputian, from the airport to the narrow, winding roads, its white-crescent beaches, its dainty ginger-bread trimmed cottages, its French villages, its many privately owned boutique hotels and its world-class restaurants.

St. Barth is a far cry from the popular Caribbean islands — yet you can do almost everything on this little island that you can do on the well-traveled islands. You can dive, snorkel, sail, fish, surf, and hike. Plus it boasts some of the best accommodation and restaurants in the entire Caribbean. It has all the advantages of the popular Caribbean islands — but none of the disadvantages.

St. Barth is skipped over in most guidebooks. Only a small group of the most refined travelers know of her secrets…

Hideaways explores many of these exclusive secret travel destinations…it also uncovers many of the world's most unusual adventures…

Traverse the Amazon on an Explorer Ship

Hideaways Members are not averse to the big cruise ships and the popular Caribbean and Mediterranean excursions…however they prefer to explore the lesser-traveled waterways on smaller more specialized vessels, like yachts, riverboats, and explorer ships…

Smaller ships and vessels have the advantage of being able to follow unusual itineraries. They can dock in any port. Their routes are not limited to the oceans. These vessels can venture well beyond mainstream shipping lanes. They can traverse rivers and canals throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa. They can sail down the Nile, over the Great Barrier Reef, through famous rivers in Europe, down the Amazon, up Norway's craggy coastline, round the Galapagos Islands, and dock in obscure ports on small islands everywhere.

Trains, Planes and Even a Dogsled

And you're not limited to just ships. Hideaways can introduce you to some of the world's most fascinating adventures. In fact, Mike has spent the last few decades enjoying all types of unusual adventures. He's traveled by hot-air balloon, turn-of-the-century steam train, luxury cruise ship, vintage DC3 airplane…even by dogsled…in his search for unusual vacations. He's captained a barge on the canals of Alsace and driven a four-wheel drive over Dubai's giant sand-hills. He's stayed in staffed beachfront villas, downtown pied-a-terres, guest ranches, English cottages — even a rustic tree-house built over the water in Tahiti. Mike can introduce you to all these fascinating travel experiences, too…and you'll enjoy special discounts on many of them…

Discover the World's Best Romantic Getaways

One of the most popular requests Hideaways receives is for recommendations of the best romantic getaways…so every year Hideaways names its top choices for the most romantic vacation lodgings in the world. This year, a Franciscan Monastery overlooking the red roofs of Florence…a boutique hotel in New York…a beach club on Palm Island…a Mexican villa that lies between a white sandy beach and a lush lagoon…and an ancient Austrian inn where Mozart and Goethe once stayed were among the winners…

Enjoy the Truest Hideaways of All!

The truest hideaways perhaps are the ones accessible only by boat. Imagine a beautiful quiet resort or boutique hotel far from the madding crowds in Venice, Cancun, or the popular Caribbean capitals — that can only be accessed by boat. What could be more romantic? Hideaways will reveal these secret secluded places to you as well…

You'll enjoy gondola and riverboat rides through canals, waterways, and mangrove-lined creeks. You could even let a dolphin follow you off the coast of Georgia to a privately owned 10,000-acre barrier island called Little St. Simmons Island. Here you'll find The Lodge. As you turn into a private bay you'll glimpse a small dock…and sitting among moss-covered oaks you'll find your rustic bungalow's inviting porch. At The Lodge, you can join just a few dozen other guests, who are in on this exclusive secret too! (You can even book the entire island and lodge for yourself and friends…or it could become the perfect business retreat!)

Hideaways will also introduce you to the top resorts in the world for horseback riding, golf, skiing, sailing, fishing, hiking, tennis…and much more…

Access Exclusive Travel Benefits You Thought Privy Only to Royalty and Celebrities

Join Hideaways TODAY — and enjoy all these benefits:

• Access to a whole new world of fantasy vacation options that you may have thought privy only to royalty and celebrities…
• Special welcomes and substantial Members-only discounts at properties from The Hideaways Collection™, which includes many of the world's finest hotels like the Hotel Negresco in Nice, the legendary Hotel Jerome in Aspen, Sun Rocks on Santorini, Covescastles on Anguilla, the Banyan Tree in Bangkok, Half Moon in Jamaica, and many, many more…
• VIP treatment when you visit most properties from The Hideaways Collection™, including welcome baskets, free champagne, complimentary meals…
• Big Savings: Up to 50% off special cruises…resorts…adventure vacations…
• Access to an ultimate collection of the world's finest vacations, including villas, boutique hotels and resorts, yacht-like cruises, adventure travel, cozy country inns, intimate chalets, city-center apartments — even entire islands. They vet thousands of travel opportunities and bring you the best — so you never have to waste time and vacation dollars on a mediocre or bad vacation again. You'll learn about these in the full-color, semi-annual issues of Hideaways Guide, plus in quarterly newsletters, special reports, and in a bi-monthly e-letter called Hideaways Insider. You will receive all these reports and guides as a benefit of membership in Hideaways.
• Access to the Members-only restricted sections on the Hideaways web site. It's like having your own travel agent…24 hours a day…365 days a year. You can consult it on any destination…find out the best accommodation…and the most unusual things to do. It's a voice you can trust! On the Hideaways site, you'll also have access to their Members' Forum where you can ask other savvy travelers for advice on the best restaurants, the best cultural events, etc.
• Hideaways Travel Services: You'll get your own personal travel planner — who can help you plan every aspect of your trip, from initial hotel/resort/villa accommodations…to car rental…to getting you the best room in the place!

Hideaways gets letters every week from satisfied Members who've used their travel services.

A member from Oak Brook, Illinois, recently wrote:

"Katia is to be commended for her assistance to a novice in renting homes and cars and traveling in Italy. Her suggestion that we fly into smaller airports (Naples, rather than Rome) made everything, including picking up rental cars, so much easier."

Other members have written:

"How lucky we were to have Claudia help us book an apartment in Paris. Working with her convinced me that customer service is not dead! You feel like you really know and trust her to make your travel arrangements." H.A., Palm Desert, CA

"Thanks for your help, Kathy. You have made this vacation accommodation process a breeze. It has been a pleasure to work with you. I appreciate your expertise and professionalism." S.V., St Louis, MO

You can save hundreds — even thousands - on your next vacation by becoming a Hideaways Member.

You're probably thinking that access to all these exclusive benefits is going to cost a lot. But Hideaways Membership fees are extremely modest.

A Limited-time Offer for
International Living Readers

I've asked Mike (in exchange for introducing Hideaways to you) to extend his special introductory rate on Hideaways Membership to International Living readers.

The regular membership rate is just $145 — which is a mere fraction of what Hideaways Membership will mean to you in real terms. But for a limited time only Mike has agreed to let you join — and take advantage of all the benefits and privileges awarded other Hideaways Members - for the very low introductory rate of just $99. That's a $46 saving.

A very small price to ensure you never travel like the masses again.

What's more Hideaways will also send you two special bonus reports FREE:

FREE BONUS #1 Villa Vacations Made Easy (a $14.95 value): SAVE up to 50% on your next vacation. Villa Vacations Made Easy will show you how. For example, many villas slash their prices in the off-season. And Hideaways Members believe the best time to visit many popular destinations is in the off-season. Italy and Greece, for example, are much nicer in the fall and the winter. It's not as hot…the beaches and streets are far less crowded…and the best news is many villas reduce their prices — often to half of what they charge in the overcrowded very hot summers. Plus often if you stay longer in a villa the price drops dramatically. Villa Vacations Made Easy will show you how to vacation better — and longer — for less!

FREE BONUS #2 An additional full-color Hideaways Guide (a $25 value). This is a free copy of Hideaways' previous guide to villa vacation homes, boutique hotels and adventure travel opportunities — so you can begin to investigate immediately all the wonderful and exciting vacation opportunities I've mentioned in this letter.

I'm sure you'll agree this is a unique opportunity…one that can not only save you money — but open you up to a whole new world of fantasy vacations ordinary mortals will only ever dream about.

What's more, you'll probably make back your membership fee many times over just from the savings you'll make on your next magical vacation!

To join just click on the button at the end of this letter…and this whole new world of exclusive vacation opportunities and benefits will be open to you instantly. But in case you have any doubts about a membership to Hideaways, let me tell you about the special money-back guarantee Mike's willing to offer you…

Investigate a Whole New World of Vacation Opportunities — Risk-Free!

Mike is so confident that you'll get hooked on Hideaways that he's willing to let you join and investigate all Hideaways has to offer for two whole months before you decide. He'll let you review their vacations, their publications, their travel services — even book a holiday with them and take advantage of their excellent Members-only discounts — and if you decide Hideaways isn't for you — Mike will refund your money in full! No questions asked.

What's more he'll even let you keep your two bonus reports Villa Vacations Made Easy and Hideaways Guide — no matter what you decide.

In a world going crazy — with wars…accounting scandals…rising unemployment rates…political instability…market volatility…work stress…and financial stress — the perfect escape is more important now than ever. That's why there's never been a better time to join Hideaways.

Your "Passport to Fantasy" awaits you…

Sincerely,

Kathleen Peddicord
Publisher, International Living

P.S. Now is a great time to travel. With fewer travelers on the road, prices are better than ever. We've seen some of the best deals on flights and accommodation to come along in a decade. Plus not only can you save on vacation costs — you'll have fewer tourists to compete with. There are more travel specials than ever before. For example, I just read on Hideaways website about a great new special available to their Members. You can spend two glorious weeks at the beautiful Half Moon Resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica — for the price of one! That's a whole week at one of the world's top resorts — FREE! The only condition: You must book your stay from May 1st to October 31st. As a Hideaways Member, you'll be regularly alerted about these and many other travel specials. Join Hideaways today — and start traveling better — for less!