A stone castle in the South of France was Airbnb's most-liked property on Instagram in 2020.
The accommodation platform ranked all of the images taken by hosts and travellers, and those posted on its Instagram account in the past 12 months.
An image of a 16th-century chateau in Saint-Victor-la-Coste in France's Gard region was the most popular, with more than 76,000 likes. It captured the picturesque swimming pool in the lush grounds of the castle.
Scroll through the gallery above to see the top 10 most-liked Airbnb properties on Instagram.
Other properties that rank in Airbnb's top 10 posts on Instagram for 2020 include an eco-friendly, design-led abode in California, an upstate New York cabin and a Guatemalan glass-fronted cottage some 1,600 metres above sea level.
Read on to find out about the Airbnb stays that made the cut and how much it will cost you to spend the night in each one:
10. A floating house in Joanopolis, Brazil
An aerial shot of an off-the-grid house garnered lots of attention on Airbnb's Instagram page in 2020. Located at the foot of the Mantiqueira Mountains, the floating house is called Altar and sleeps up to four people. It bobs on the Jordanopolis dam and invites guests to disconnect from technology as they reconnect with nature. Daily activities include stand-up paddleboarding or kayaking, a home cinema experience on the video projector and daily trips to the pier to stock up on locally produced, organic products from vendors.
Stays from Dh827 per night, up to two guests.
9. This mid-century A-frame chalet in California, US
Ninth on the list is a wintry shot taken in Riverside County, California. It's taken from a cosy adults-only hideaway in the forests of Idyllwild. This private mountain retreat is as secluded as they come. A wood-burning fireplace, floor-to-ceiling windows and a wraparound deck make it the perfect place to soak in the fresh air and enjoy the views of Marion Mountain.
Dh931 per night, for up to four people.
8. Solo travellers' 'Window to the Duomo', Italy
The Florence Cathedral or "Duomo" takes centre stage in this image captured by @girlgoneabroad. It's taken from inside an exceptionally well-located artist's studio. The tiny apartment is strictly for solo travellers. It's located in a building that dates to the 1600s and has high ceilings, a sunlit interior and an incredible view of the Piazza Duomo.
Dh424 per night for one person.
7. Darby House in upstate New York, US
This is a shot of Darby House, an A-frame home tucked away in four hectares of woods alongside the Delaware River. Two hours from New York City, this woodland escape is the ideal place to retreat from city life. It has two bedrooms – guests need to climb up into the loft to reach the second one – and a cathedral-esque grand living room overlooking the woods. In summertime, guests can make use of the supplied tubes and life jackets to go exploring on the river.
Dh1,451 a night, sleeps up to four guests.
6. This 19th-century converted schoolhouse, New York, US
It's all about the interiors in this converted school house in Kingston. A shot of the early 19th-century building has amassed 43,757 double-taps on Instagram, and it's easy to see why. Solid wooden floors, monochromatic tiles and wooden rung ladders combine with gorgeous minimalist decor to create a space that looks like the perfect getaway.
Overnight stays from Dh1,837 for up to six guests.
5. Casa Mami in California, US
An eco-friendly, solar-powered Californian home just two hours from Los Angeles is the fifth most-liked Airbnb Instagram shot in 2020, with more than 46,000 likes. The fully renovated pueblo-style home sits on two hectares of desert land and is entirely design-driven. Casa Mami has been carefully curated and most of the products in the house are for sale. As night falls, the sky is the main event; sit by the patio or lay back in the garden and immerse yourself in an amazing stargazing experience.
Stays from Dh1,098 per night, for up to four guests.
4. Tanglebloom Tiny Cabin, New England, US
Taking fourth spot on the list is a tiny Tanglebloom cabin in New England's Vermont. Entirely built by hand, the open-air sleeping cabin is tucked in a forest on a flower farm. The Airbnb hosts shared an image of the cosy sleeping quarters and it has been liked 46,471 times. The cabin offers a camping-like experience with screen walls that let the breeze in and keep the bugs out. Curtains can be closed for privacy, cooking is done over a fire pit and the camp shower uses solar-warmed water.
Dh333 per night, per couple.
3. Lakeview Lodge in Guatemala
When it comes to views, you'll be hard-pressed to find better than those from Lakeview Lodge in Solola, Guatemala. A picture of Lake Atitlan taken from this glass-fronted villa in the hills of Pasajcap has amassed 66,618 likes on Instagram. Located 1,600 metres above sea level, the one-bedroom house comes with amazing volcano views and a tropical garden, fully stocked with fresh avocados, bananas, dragon fruit, mangoes, coffee and more.
Overnights from Dh290 per night, for two people.
2. The Grey Loft in Casablanca, Chile
The view from this coastal cabin in the Valparaiso region of Chile is breathtaking, which explains why a picture of it taken by @rafael_medeiros has clocked up more than 67,000 likes. The 54-square-metre Grey Loft is a modern cabin entirely surrounded by rocks, gardens and the very best views of Quintay's Playa Grande. Wake up to the sound of the ocean and enjoy a barbecue dinner on the grill outside with the blue of the Pacific as your glorious backdrop.
Stays from Dh724 per night.
1. Stone Cottage, Saint-Victor-la-Coste in France
The most-liked picture on Airbnb's Instagram account last year was taken by @conte_yoon. It shows a private pool in the 16th-century Chateau St Victor la Coste and has more than 76,000 likes. Guests staying at the ancient castle will bed-down in one of three private cottages, with access to the chateau, the on-site vineyards and the regional history of the surrounding medieval villages.
Rooms from Dh892 per night
Fixtures (6pm UAE unless stated)
Saturday Bournemouth v Leicester City, Chelsea v Manchester City (8.30pm), Huddersfield v Tottenham Hotspur (3.30pm), Manchester United v Crystal Palace, Stoke City v Southampton, West Bromwich Albion v Watford, West Ham United v Swansea City
Sunday Arsenal v Brighton (3pm), Everton v Burnley (5.15pm), Newcastle United v Liverpool (6.30pm)
Company info
Company name: Entrupy
Co-founders: Vidyuth Srinivasan, co-founder/chief executive, Ashlesh Sharma, co-founder/chief technology officer, Lakshmi Subramanian, co-founder/chief scientist
Based: New York, New York
Sector/About: Entrupy is a hardware-enabled SaaS company whose mission is to protect businesses, borders and consumers from transactions involving counterfeit goods.
Initial investment/Investors: Entrupy secured a $2.6m Series A funding round in 2017. The round was led by Tokyo-based Digital Garage and Daiwa Securities Group's jointly established venture arm, DG Lab Fund I Investment Limited Partnership, along with Zach Coelius.
Total customers: Entrupy’s customers include hundreds of secondary resellers, marketplaces and other retail organisations around the world. They are also testing with shipping companies as well as customs agencies to stop fake items from reaching the market in the first place.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Series information
Pakistan v Dubai
First Test, Dubai International Stadium
Sun Oct 6 to Thu Oct 11
Second Test, Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Tue Oct 16 to Sat Oct 20
Play starts at 10am each day
Teams
Pakistan
1 Mohammed Hafeez, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Asad Shafiq, 5 Haris Sohail, 6 Babar Azam, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed, 8 Bilal Asif, 9 Yasir Shah, 10, Mohammed Abbas, 11 Wahab Riaz or Mir Hamza
Australia
1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Mitchell Marsh, 5 Travis Head, 6 Marnus Labuschagne, 7 Tim Paine, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jon Holland
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Company%20profile
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AIR
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBen%20Affleck%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMatt%20Damon%2C%20Jason%20Bateman%2C%20Ben%20Affleck%2C%20Viola%20Davis%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Pad Man
Dir: R Balki
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte
Three-and-a-half stars
Engine: 80 kWh four-wheel-drive
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 402bhp
Torque: 760Nm
Price: From Dh280,000
RESULTS
Bantamweight: Jalal Al Daaja (JOR) beat Hamza Bougamza (MAR)
Catchweight 67kg: Mohamed El Mesbahi (MAR) beat Fouad Mesdari (ALG)
Lightweight: Abdullah Mohammed Ali (UAE) beat Abdelhak Amhidra (MAR)
Catchweight 73kg: Mosatafa Ibrahim Radi (PAL) beat Yazid Chouchane (ALG)
Middleweight: Yousri Belgaroui (TUN) beat Badreddine Diani (MAR)
Catchweight 78KG: Rashed Dawood (UAE) beat Adnan Bushashy (ALG)
Middleweight: Sallah-Eddine Dekhissi (MAR) beat Abdel Enam (EGY)
Catchweight 65kg: Yanis Ghemmouri (ALG) beat Rachid Hazoume (MAR)
Lightweight: Mohammed Yahya (UAE) beat Azouz Anwar (EGY)
Catchweight 79kg: Souhil Tahiri (ALG) beat Omar Hussein (PAL)
Middleweight: Tarek Suleiman (SYR) beat Laid Zerhouni (ALG)
Essentials
The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.
One in nine do not have enough to eat
Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.
One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.
The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.
Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.
It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.
On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.
Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.