MonteCarlo

$1.5 Monaco Grand Prix Gift Package With Custom Supercar

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing, Luxury Cars & Autos, Wings, Events, Sports, Holiday Guides, Wealth

Last month we reported that the glossy chronicle of the filthy rich Robb Report is offering the world's most expensive Christmas gift this year - a matching custom private jet and megayacht set costing $500 million. The profligate publication has a few more eye-popping offerings as part of its Ultimate Gift Guide, a seasonal smorgasbord of over-the-top exclusives. Among the most enticing is a $1.5 million Monaco Grand Prix gift package, consisting of the following: a VIP experience at the 2010 Monaco Grand Prix F1 races in May; round-trip private jet travel from North America to Nice, France, and helicopter transfer from Nice to Monte Carlo for a party of four; five nights' accommodation in the top-floor suite at the luxe Monte Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort; privileges aboard a private 170-ft. yacht that will provide a prime vantage of, and tender service to, four days of racing and activities; and last but not least a custom Spyker C8 Aileron Spyder (above) "as a keepsake".

Tags: Christmas, Formula 1, Formula1, France, holiday 2009, Holiday2009, Monaco, Monaco Grand Prix, MonacoGrandPrix, Monte Carlo, Monte Carlo Bay Hotel Resort, MonteCarlo, MonteCarloBayHotelResort, private jet, PrivateJet, racing, Robb Report, RobbReport, Spyker, yacht

Fairmont Monte Carlo: The Only Way to Watch the Tour de France

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Sports

There are two ways to take in the Tour de France. One is to cram yourself into a spot along some godforsaken stretch of road with all the other riffraff. You can hope to get a look at the action ... as long as they person in front of you isn't tall. Or, you can find your way to Monaco's F1 circuit, where the race departs. Instead of schlepping out to the site, you can stay nearby. Without the hassle of getting to and from, you might actually enjoy the experience!

To help you enjoy the kickoff of the 96th Tour, the Fairmont Monte Carlo has put together a great package. Stay from July 1 to July 5, and you can pick up a room for €529 (around $735) a night, with a buffet breakfast included.

So, if you've ever wanted to witness the greatest cycling spectacle of all time, here's your chance to do it the right way. Once the riders depart, drop some cash on the roulette table, and sip a wine carefully crafted in Provence. Do everything that those dedicated athletes can't. The lucky racers won't be back until next year, but you can take a few more days to play with the wealthy.

Tags: bicycle, bicycles, cycling, cyclist, cyclists, fairmont, fairmont hotel, fairmont hotels, FairmontHotel, FairmontHotels, monaco, monte carlo, MonteCarlo, tour de france, TourDeFrance

Monte Carlo Hopes For Good Attendance At Tennis Tournament

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Sports

U.S. players don't fill up the roster but for the rest of the the tennis world, the Rolex Masters Monte Carlo is a prime sports event and the start of the season on the French Riviera. It is the first big clay court tournament of the season and heralds the beginning of warm weather activities much the way the Masters does for golf.

Wealth Bulletin reports that after this grim and withering winter, Monte Carlo tennis fans are ready to indulge. A 20-seat prestige box at the Masters tournament costs 48,000 euros. The Monte Carlo Country Club has invested on expanding their facilities, adding 10,000 to the center court. The club is expecting an additional 3,000 spectators on what is one of the most gorgeous viewing courts in the game.

Monaco has been looking for increased tourism in a more aggressive way lately. Events like the Masters tennis tournament and the upcoming Monaco Grand Prix should provide an indicator of just how willing the wealthy are to continue to flock to the seaside town.

Tags: masters, monte carlo, MonteCarlo, rolex, tennis

Exotic Four-Door "Roadyacht" Convertible Supercar to Debut at Monaco Top Marques Show

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

The four-door convertible is one of those old-world luxuries that has long since been lost to the annals of history. Several automakers have contemplated reviving the body-style, known as the phaeton or parade car: Chrysler unveiled a Phaeton show car in 1997 before the company was acquired by Daimler-Benz, which in turn toyed with the idea in the Mercedes Ocean Drive concept in 2007 and the million-dollar, limited-production Maybach 62 Landaulet. But while these rare automobiles attempted to revive the classic body-style in splendid retro fashion, a team of Dutch engineers has given the idea a decidedly modern twist.

Called, in longwinded fashion, the Bewerp Savage Rivale Roadyacht GTS, the vehicle takes the four-door convertible concept and blends it with that of the most exotic supercars while throwing in some nautical cues, just to mix it up. Based on a custom space-frame chassis with carbon fiber body and powered by a Corvette-sourced 600-horsepower V8, the Rivale promises to deliver an entirely unique motoring experience to any buyer with the $340,000 to spare after it makes its debut this April during the exclusive Monaco Top Marques luxury automobile show at Prince Albert's Grimaldi Forum in Monte Carlo.

Gallery: Bewerp Savage Rivale Roadyacht GTS

Source

Tags: Bewerp, Bewerp Savage Rivale Roadyacht GTS, BewerpSavageRivaleRoadyachtGts, grimaldi, monaco, monte carlo, MonteCarlo, Rivale, Roadyacht, Savage, Savage Rivale, SavageRivale, top marques monaco, TopMarquesMonaco

Lagerfeld Cuts Back, Still Has 3 Hummers

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wealth

Even larger-than-live Chanel kingpin Karl Lagerfeld (above with Lindsay Lohan) is scaling down - sort of - during these straitened economic times. For one thing, "I have moved to a smaller house in Paris, and I don't fancy having so much staff now," he reveals to German weekly Die Zeit. However, "The chambermaid, chauffeur and chef are still musts," he says, "around the clock." His passion for gas-guzzling Hummers - the largest model, H1 - continues unabated. "I have three of them," Lagerfeld tells the mag. "Two here in Paris and one in Monte Carlo.... The Hummer is like a tank and gives me a feeling of security. I don't want to drive at the same level as the others." He also weighs in on his new house in Vermont, which we've covered here extensively, noting, "It's very Emily Dickinson. In fact it's almost Puritanical. For me it's a new form of modesty."

Tags: Chanel, Hummer, Karl Lagerfeld, KarlLagerfeld, Monte Carlo, MonteCarlo

$200 Million Megayacht Stars in Monaco Boat Show

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing

At the megabucks Monaco Yacht Show this past weekend in Monte Carlo, there was an estimated $4.5 billion worth of yachts on display, and none of the 98 craft on exhibit were under 100 ft. The biggest of them all however was the multistory, $200 million Anastasia (above) at 248 ft., recently completed by leading Dutch shipyard Oceanco for a Russian billionaire. Though the buyer's identity hasn't been confirmed, it's rumored to be Vladimir Potanin, the 25th richest man in the world with a fortune of $19.3 billion, the London Daily Mail reports.

The Anastasia features six decks, luxe quarters for 12 passengers and 20 crew members including a duplex master suite, a ten seat cinema, a discotheque with a laser light display and smoke machine, an artificial coral reef and 800-gallon fish tank, a swimming pool with a transparent wall, a sunbathing platform which converts into a stage for live music, a library upholstered in crocodile skin, and a hanger full of speedboats and jetskis.

Far from being an endangered species due to the grim economic outlook, these megayachts are more in demand than ever. In fact, the Anastasia is probably already worth more than Potanin paid for it. "People with $200 million to spend on a yacht tend to be above the credit crunch," Hugo Andreae, editor of Superyacht World magazine, tells the paper. "There are a lot them around, even if most are unknown to the wider world."

Gallery: Monaco Yacht Show '08

Tags: Anastasia, Megayacht, Monaco, Monaco Yacht Show, MonacoYachtShow, Monte Carlo, MonteCarlo, Oceanco, Russian billionaires, RussianBillionaires, Superyacht, Vladimir Potanin, VladimirPotanin, Yacht

London Loses World's Most Expensive Title to Monaco

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wealth

The Principality of Monaco has now overtaken London as the world's most expensive luxury property market, with prices reaching approx. $7,000 per square foot. According to newly-released data, the average price of Monaco's most expensive houses and apartments rose 30% over the past year as opposed to only 1.8% in London, which has held the top spot for the last five years, Bloomberg reports. As we noted a few weeks back, Monaco is home to the world's most expensive street, Avenue Princess Grace in Monte Carlo, where apartments cost tens of millions. London meanwhile has seen a steep decline in its luxury market, which has even affected Buckingham Palace to the tune of a $100 million depreciation. The top 10 luxury property markets in the world are now ranked as follows:

1. Principality of Monaco
2. London, England
3. Cap Ferrat, French Riviera
4. Courcheval, French Alps
5. New York, USA
6. Moscow, Russia
7. Tokyo, Japan
8. Hong Kong, China
9. Sydney, Australia
10. Paris, France

Tags: London, Luxury real estate, LuxuryRealEstate, Monaco, Monte Carlo, MonteCarlo

Piloti Spyder Driving Shoes

by Anne Metz (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets, Luxury Cars & Autos, Shoes

When it comes to driving footwear, there are good ideas and then there are bad ideas.

A good idea? Piloti Spyder SV Series Driving Shoes.
A bad idea? Manolo Blahniks.

The driving shoe of choice for car-world enthusiasts, the Pilotis are not like your everyday athletic shoe. With a sleeker tread and narrower sole sides, these shoes are designed to avoid getting snagged on car pedals. Optimized for stability and walking comfort, Pilotis boast thick, stiff soles. The trademarked Roll Control heel helps drivers ensure that they have precise handling and control over the amount of pressure applied to the gas or the brake pedals.

And while you might not want to stumble into Bungalow 8 wearing a pair (after all, the Manolo's are better for that), the next time you are zipping along the Autobahn or flying through the streets of Monte Carlo, be sure to bring your Pilotis. Price $74.95.

Tags: autobahn, driving shoes, DrivingShoes, monte carlo, MonteCarlo, piloti, spyder