everest

Everest Gigayacht Offers to Beat Abramovich by 100 Ft.

Regular Luxist readers have followed the saga of the Eclipse, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich's newly launched megayacht which at 557 ft. is the largest private yacht in the world. Now anyone with $500 million to spend can top his triumph by nearly 100 ft. with the 656 ft. Everest designed by Donald Starkey. Rumors about the Everest have been kicking around for a while but it seems the ship, which ushers in a new class of "gigayachts", is actually under construction in Fort Lauderdale and is slated for completion next year, meaning Abramovich has only a few months left to enjoy his naval supremacy. The Everest will be longer than two football fields and have five decks serviced by two elevators, a helipad, a submarine and accommodations for 36 passengers in 17 apartments, including an owner's private penthouse suite on the top deck.

[via JustLuxe]

Tags: Donald Starkey, DonaldStarkey, Eclipse, Everest, Fort Lauderdale, FortLauderdale, gigayacht, megayacht, Roman Abramovich, RomanAbramovich, superyacht, yacht

The World of Rare Travel: Everest Remains at the Top

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

When it comes to travel the question of rare is open to interpretation and likely depends on what you dream of doing with your vacation time. For some of us, merely taking time off for real vacation is rare enough. Recent studies have shown that as a workforce we are opting to use our allotted vacation time more and more for long weekends than for the traditional one or two-week immersion escape.

Rare travel used to be easily defined by the exotic. That no longer seems to be the case. Thirty years ago, an African safari would have been considered a rare getaway. These days, people go on safaris for their honeymoon or bring the kids during winter break. Travels to remote islands such as Tahiti or the Seychelles are equally common with luxury resorts setting up shop in just about every corner of the globe. You can even tackle the whole world at once, private jet trips that take you around the world are becoming more popular and likely the recent film the Bucket List will inspire more people to see the wonders of the world. The LA Times found that doing your own Bucket List trip will cost you over $105,000.

Another category in the rare experience category is being able to experience a side of a place that few seldom experience. Often this involves a great deal of money. Concierge recently did a great piece on the world's most extravagant vacations. Many of them offer the type of experience that only money can buy. Take for example the $300,000 week in Paris offered by travel expert Andrew Harper. For your money you get a suite at the Ritz, private tours, a chauffeur, 24-hour-a-day concierge service and dinner reservations at hot spots such as Alain Ducasse and Voltaire. The trip also includes a private tour of the Louvre, a couture fitting at Chanel and a meeting a French custom perfume designer. Other trips on their list include heli-skiing and, of course, a round-the world excursion.

What is the rarest trip? There's no real consensus on this but I would say that the trek to summit Mount Everest still remains among the rarest trips in the world. But even this has become something that is accessible to more people. In two months and for around $60,000 you can join a group and make the attempt of a lifetime.

Tags: everest, journey, paris, the rare, travel