Villa Away from Chateau

Auckland entrepreneur Nick Wood sold internet service provider Ihug in 2003 to Perth company iiNet for $80 million and set up Distinctive Holiday Homes (DHH), a luxury destination club with property around the world. Wood had been living at his own resort in Fiji when the idea came to him. He has now spent more than $US20 million on 11 properties (including two yachts) that come with concierge, maid service and food and luxury vehicles. Current destinations include a six-bedroom home in Beaver Creek, Colorado, a 17th century, five-bedroom Tuscan villa set among an olive grove and a lodge in Aspen Grove, Queenstown. Wood says his clients crave the multi-millionaire’s lifestyle, complete with yachts, sports cars and private jets, but don’t want the bill that comes with it. “Our clients are often able to afford numerous international holidays and holiday homes. But they lead busy lives and don’t want the burden of ownership,” he says. Wood says he and his family do not have to leave New Zealand for California-based DHH to be a success. “We’ll always live here permanently because it’s home.”