sophia loren

LVMH Chief and Russia's Richest Man Want to Make Montenegro the Next Monaco

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Real Estate Developments

A group of billionaire investors including Oleg Deripaska (Russia's richest man) and LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault are backing a scheme to turn Tivat, a derelict port and ex-Yugoslav naval base in the former communist country of Montenegro, into the next playground for the megarich. The site's former naval dockyard fronting the Adriatic Sea will be converted into a lavish marina for superyachts, officially dubbed Porto Montenegro and biiled as "the Monaco of the Balkans," at a cost of around $350 million, the Times of London reports.

"The yachts are getting bigger and bigger," says Canadian mining magnate Peter Munk, who conceived of the project. "And people are complaining that they can't find proper berths for their boats. That's no problem in Tivat. It used to cater to warships." In addition to the great natural beauty of Montenegro, the development will feature moorings for up to 800 yachts as well as repair yards, hotels, restaurants, shops and possibly a casino. In addition, the Four Seasons is building its first Mediterranean resort there on the site of a former warehouse, slated to open in 2010.

Meanwhile, another oligarch, Luxist mascot Roman Abramovich, is said to be in talks to purchase an eight-mile strip of beach to build his own Montenegrin luxury resort, while Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones and Venus and Serena Williams have recently been spotted house-hunting in the area, the paper reports. This is something of a throwback to the 1950s and 1960s, when stars like Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren and Kirk Douglas holidayed on Montenegro's beautiful red-tiled resort island of Sveti Stefan (above). See the gallery for more.

Gallery: Magnificent Montenegro

Tags: bernard arnault, BernardArnault, catherine zeta-jones, CatherineZeta-jones, Four Seasons, FourSeasons, LVMH, mediterranean, Michael Douglas, MichaelDouglas, Monaco, Montenegro, oleg deripaska, OlegDeripaska, Peter Munk, PeterMunk, Porto Montenegro, PortoMontenegro, roman abramovich, RomanAbramovich, Sophia Loren, SophiaLoren, Sveti Stefan, SvetiStefan, Tivat, Yacht

The Classicist: Veuve Clicquot Clicks with Riva Yachts

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, Yachts & Sailing, The Classicist

Renowned French champagne house Veuve Clicquot has teamed up with luxury Italian motoryacht maker Riva to produce an amazing new Grande Dame Cruise Collection of coolers and accessories for discerning yachtsmen. It's nothing short of a match made in style heaven of two very chic European marques. The top offering from the collaboration is an $80,000 made-to-order cruising trunk that resembles a small boat in itself and harks back to the golden age of traveling in style which we reminisced about recently. For something done on such a grand scale it's rather refined, a luxurious design without resorting to odious "bling" to attract those with more money than sense.

The trunk comes packed with four bottles (1988) and two magnums (1998) of Clicquot's coveted La Grande Dame champagne, six Riedel crystal champagne flutes and elegant table settings for six people. A smaller limited edition Cruiser Bag comes with a single bottle of Grande Dame and two flutes for more intimate occasions, and a matching ice bucket is crafted with marine flair to spare. All pieces feature the same lacquer work, mahogany inlay, chrome detailing and leather trim found on Riva's beautiful boats.

Riva, which dates from the 1800s, is an icon of the Italian Riviera's Dolce Vita style. The company first captured the attention of movie stars and the international jet set in the '50s. Its classic wooden craft, which inspired the Cruise Collection, have been owned by the likes of Brigitte Bardot, Richard Burton, Sophia Loren, Aristotle Onassis and Prince Ranier of Monaco. Their yachts, including more modern designs, can be seen at the chic European seaside resorts where the bon ton gather, and they have their own line of elegant nautical-inspired clothing as well.

Gallery: Veuve Clicquot & Riva Yachts

Tags: Brigitte Bardot, BrigitteBardot, Champagne, Dolce Vita, DolceVita, France, Italian style, ItalianStyle, Italy, Riedel, Riva, Riviera, Sophia Loren, SophiaLoren, veuve clicquot, VeuveClicquot, Wooden boats, WoodenBoats, Yachting, Yachts

Continue reading “The Classicist: Veuve Clicquot Clicks with Riva Yachts”

Sunday Real Estate Round-Up

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

From the NY Observer's Manhattan Transfers:
--Conan O'Brien has signed a contract for a corner penthouse at the Majestic which had a list price of $9.95 million. He already owns a combined unit one floor below the penthouse so he could perhaps make one amazing duplex.
--Developer Marc Mancinelli and many of his investment partners at 304 Spring Street, decided to get apartments in the building even though one of the investors, Peter Moore, says the units are a bit too chopped up.
--The Knicks' star point guard, Stephon Marbury has paid $1,374,637.50 for a 15th-floor apartment at the Hudson Condos on West 60th Street. The two-bedroom apartment was bought in the name of the Stephanie Marbury Support Trust, with Marcia Marbury as trustee. Marcia Marbury is the basketball star's older sister and has a twin sister by that name, and the Knick has a daughter named after her.

From the NY Times Big Deal:
--It's bonus season for investment bankers and hedge fund managers which is like ringing the dinner bell for real estate brokers. Nearly 200 real estate brokers recently attended a panel that promised to reveal the secrets of "Gearing Up for the Bonus Season."
--Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels and radio talk show host, has bought an upper-floor apartment in a new high-rise building on the Upper East Side for nearly $1.9 million. He says the move was done to keep his family safe.
--The Aurora, a 32-story building on Third Ave, was selling seven full-floor penthouses as raw space but found that they didn't move. The new approach is to divide some apartments in half and finish off the other apartments.

From The Wall Street Journal's Private Properties:
--In addition to dropping the price on their French country estate, fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and his business partner, Pierre Bergé, have cut the price of their Manhattan apartment. The two-bedroom co-op started off at $9 million in 2004 and is now listed for $7.75 million.
-- Leon Hirsch and his wife, Fanny, the owners of Wildcat Ridge, have rescheduled the auction of their Colorado home after talks on privately selling the property failed to yield a deal. The home was supposed to be auctioned off in November but the home was almost sold privately. Turns out the sale didn't go through so auction is back on for February.
--The widow of sportscaster Curt Gowdy, Jerre, has cut the price on the couple's Florida home. The home was put on the market last year for $27 million and we noticed it first when it was $25 million . It is now listed at $22.5 million.

More From The Wall Street Journal's Private Properties:
--Sophia Loren and her husband Carlo Ponti, have sold their 40-acre California ranch, which had been last listed for $6.9 million. We first covered it in January when it was listed at $8.9 million.
--Actress Tuesday Weld is looking to sell her Montauk, N.Y.home, shown above, for 9.999 million. The listing is here.

From the LA Times Hot Property:
--Seven years ago Noah Wyle and his wife, Tracy, bought actress Bo Derek's Santa Ynez ranch now they are selling their five-bedroom Los Feliz home so they can spend more time there. The home was listed at around $4.4 million.
--The former Windsor Square home of the late Dorothy ("Buff") Chandler, of the Chandler newspaper family, has sold for about $8.6 million.
--Corey Reynolds, who plays series regular Sgt. David Gabriel on TNT's "The Closer," has purchased a home in the Franklin Hills area for close to its $949,000 asking price.
--Rico Martiniez, a producer, writer, director becomes the latest to buy in to at the conversion of the Broadway Hollywood from a department store into more than 100 lofts.

Tags: california, curtis sliwa, new york, real estate, RealEstate, sophia loren, stephon marbury