A life spent searching for the right place to stay

My journey began in the fashion industry in Australia. From there, I spent years travelling to the world’s fashion capitals — brief, intense trips of two or three nights that always left me wanting more. I dreamed of staying longer, of really living in those cities rather than passing through them.

In 1997, I made a decision that changed everything. I packed up and set off on a global adventure with my two young children. We lived in Bangkok, Tuscany, Rome, New York, Paris, and London, spending time on little-known islands and hidden getaways along the way. It was during those years that my love for travel, for beautiful spaces, and for genuinely exceptional service took root.

We eventually settled in Rome. Friends and family visited constantly, and almost all of them asked the same thing — could I find them somewhere wonderful to stay? Back in 2000, before luxury apartment rentals existed in any meaningful way, the options were limited and largely uninspiring. I saw a gap, and I filled it — working with property owners to create beautiful, considered stays in Italy’s most sought-after cities.

I saw a gap, and I filled it. The rest followed from a very simple belief: where you stay shapes everything about a trip.

A new connection in Barbados drew me to the Caribbean, and I fell completely in love with it. Mustique, Bequia, Turks & Caicos, St. Barth — each one extraordinary in its own way, each one the kind of place that gets under your skin and stays there. Simply Islands grew from that feeling.

The collection has expanded considerably since those early Caribbean days. The Greek Islands joined most recently, and the breadth of what we now offer — from the quiet drama of Santorini to the seclusion of Koufonisi — continues to grow, almost daily.

I won’t pretend I have personally visited every villa in the collection — but our people on the ground have, and they know each one intimately. Every management partner I work with has been chosen because they share the same standards I have held since those first apartments in Rome.

Choosing the right partners is, and always has been, the most important decision I make. The moment a guest arrives at their villa, it is those people who carry everything we stand for.

They are not separate from Simply Islands — they are Simply Islands.

Sicily, Ibiza, Sardinia, Pantelleria and more are on the horizon. Each new destination is chosen with the same care as the first — for its beauty, its character, and the quality of the people we find to look after our guests on the ground.

Simply Islands is not just a business. It is the culmination of a life spent travelling, a deep belief that where you stay shapes everything about a trip, and a conviction that the right villa — in the right place, with the right people looking after you — can turn a holiday into something you carry with you long after you leave.

Browse our collection, choose the villa that speaks to you, and leave every last detail to us.