Villa Igiea, Sydney's finest private short term rental property

Villa Igiea, best remembered as the long-time Vaucluse home of the late TNT transport tycoon Sir Peter Abeles, is these days Sydney's finest short term rental property.

Stevie Nicks, here for the Fleetwood Mac reunion tour, is the latest to take up residence.

Words must have spread as the magnificent European style villa above Hermit Bay has increasingly become the must-stay Sydney base of visiting international stars.

The imposing mansion had enough space to host Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and their six children when Jolie was here in Australia in 2013 to shoot the World War II drama Unbroken.  

Beyoncé and JayZ have enjoyed the picture perfect postcard views gunbarreling across the harbour to the Harbour Bridge and Opera House.

Ditto Katie Perry.

Inspired by a grand 1908 villa in Palermo, Sicily, Villa Igiea dates back to the 1920s when built by the retailing Grace family to a design by Neville Hampson, the architect who designed Boomerang at Elizabeth Bay.

Villa Igiea was built in the Riviera Liberty style, featuring strong Italianate art nouveau influences before getting a refreshing update during the McWilliam family’s ownership during the early 2000s and then under the current Burt family ownership a total contemporary refurbishment worthy of a Vogue spread. 

Of course Point Piper's Altona ruled the rental roost until its $52 million sale in 2013 and Barford, the seven-bedroom Georgian style mansion at Bellevue Hill, has been another private estate for celebrity renters.

Bono has rented both Altona and Barford. 

Fleetwood Mac's tour includes two Hope Estate, Hunter Valley concerts, where all five original band members, Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVi, John McVie, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks are back togther after a 16-year absence.

This article was first published by the Sunday Telegraph.