How would you like to own your own chain of tropical islands in the Coral Sea? The Conflict Islands near Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific are up for sale for $8.5 million. This string of 23 islands, most more than an acre in size and many with sandy beaches, covers over 925 acres and surrounds a five mile wide blue-green lagoon. The islands are mostly undeveloped, with only a worn down runway which would most likely need to be replaced. The Conflict Islands, in their history, have served as a copra plantation and a pearl fishery. 

UPDATE: This posting has been updated with a new URL which better reflects the Conflict Islands (originally labeled as Louisiade Atoll).

With the big party day known as Cinco de Mayo coming up tomorrow, Forbes has been kind enough to provide us with a list of tequilas to celebrate with. Being Forbes, we aren't talking the cheap bottles you buy at the corner liquor store. Instead, we are looking at top shelf stuff (similar to what you find in the $21 a glass margarita I had last week, but that's another story) with prices ranging around $100 per bottle and up. Along with their expensive list, Forbes also provides a nice run down of how to tell the good stuff and what it took to make Americans see beyond $3 margarita happy hours.

Now that Wynn Las Vegas is up and running, Steve Wynn is turning his vision across the Pacific towards the Chinese region of gambling friendly Macau. Enter Wynn Macau - a gambling resort Wynn is developing which has a scheduled opening in the third quarter of 2006. The Wynn Macau will consist of 600 hotel rooms, 10,000 square feet of casino gambling, seven restaurants, spa, salon and entertainment facilities. There are already plans afoot as well for an early 2007 expansion with more gaming space, dining options and a theater.

This post might actually be worthy of room on my credit card. Westin is finally sharing their Heavenly Bed with the masses beyond just their website catalog. Announced today, the luxurious bed mattress and linens which have wrapped many in a wonderful night of sleep will be found at select Nordstrom stores nationwide. The Westin Heavenly Bed At Home Collection will be priced at $35 to $300 for the sheets and $1,250 to $1,450 for the mattress. The entire ten-layer setup can be purchased for upwards of $3,600.

Luxury car shoppers will be happy to know they have a new website to research their next pricey car purchase. ForbesAutos.com, which was officially launched today, brings automobile related content from Forbes.com and combines it with interactive photo galleries, a searchable luxury auto database and other decision related features. The ForbesAutos.com staff also plans to review two to three cars weekly, giving our sister blog Autoblog a slight run for the money. One of their first reviews out the gate, written by Stephen Wilkinson, talks about the 2005 Porsche Boxster.

Set in the beautifully rural Santa Ynez Valley near Los Olivos, California is the 200 acre parcel known as Painted Hill Ranch and Vineyard. An up and coming vineyard which has seen some positive press in recent years, this $12 million property is up for sale. With the purchase price comes 45 acres of planted wine grapes, a two mile private paved road, winery and a main ranch home with panoramic views. The home is in a French country style and has an award winning kitchen, tennis court, viewing gazebo and freeform pool.

Here's an eBay auction for the history buff willing to take a risk. On the block is an 18th century Chinese tea chest said to have been thrown into Boston Harbor during the Boston Tea Party. It is one of only three known surviving chests from one of the key events which started America's war for independence. The ornate black paint and ink decorations depict men on horseback, flowers and butterfiles among other things. The starting bid is $750,000.

Want to know what the wealthy desire? There is a new monthly newsletter which may answer that question. Called the Wealth Report, this $995 a year subscription from the Luxury Institute is designed to "provide insights about key trends" affecting the lives of "wealthy consumers and professionals who cater to them". Topics to be covered include "wealth management trends, travel and leisure, philanthropy, marketing, the Internet, education, and emerging life-changing trends".

Wish you could travel like someone who has way more money than the average mortal? Though most of us may never be able to enjoy the jetsetting lifestyle of the rich and famous, Forbes does a nice job of giving us a peak inside. Their article highlights who helps the high society plan their traveling, the plush estates they stay in, the security that escorts them and the credit card they use to pay for it all. Happy daydreaming as you read.

It came, it happened, the crowds roared. Today was opening day for the hottest ticket on the Las Vegas Strip - the $2.7 billion Wynn Las Vegas casino. This article from Reuters captured the juicy details, talking about how visitors waited in line for hours so they could be among the first to see the five year gem in the making. As we've been talking about here at Luxist for some time, the Wynn resort stands to set a new level of luxury in the area with its opulent shopping, dining and lodging features.