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Villa Living On the French Riviera

Filed under: Estates

cannes villa
If you're thinking of buying a villa in the south of France, one that is beyond beautiful, where you could conceivably live year round, send your kids to good schools, and still be about a half hour (22k) from the airport, one of the properties offered for sale by Estate Net France SARL might fill the bill.
This real estate company specializes in upscale properties on the French Riviera. Their properties are not just in Cannes, but also St. Tropez, Grasses, and Mougins. In fact, they cover the waterfront from Monaco to the northeast to Frejus and St. Raphael in the south.

The villa in Cannes has six bedrooms each with its own bath, a pool and poolhouse, Jacuzzi, massage room, hammam, gym and three- car garage. It has been recently renovated in a contemporary style. Even the garden and terrace have been redone. For staff, there's an independent "guardian's" apartment. The price is €18,000,000. The company only deals in sales, not rentals, which are fully described on its website www.estatenetfrance.com. For details, you may want to call the company's office in Mougins at 33-(0) 497 793 220.

The Classicist: The Summer of Superstars Borrowing Superyachts

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing, Celebrity Shopping, The Classicist, Wealth


The other day we reported that Madonna has borrowed Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich's brand new superyacht, the 377-ft. Luna, while filming the new Duke of WIndsor movie she's directing in the South of France. The yacht is fitted out with two helicopter pads, a covered pool, spa, medical center, hot tub and 40 staff, including butlers and a macrobiotic chef. The middle-aged Material Girl isn't the only celeb cadging a ride on a pal's superyacht this summer, however – everyone from Brad and Angelina to the Beckhams are living it up on the high seas, though some stars are actually paying their way. Here's the full rundown on the famous folk's nautical hijinks:

1. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie: the world's most famous movie star couple have borrowed Johnny Depp's classic yacht, the 156-ft. Vajoliroja (above), which as we noted in April is available for charter at $130,000 per week, JustLuxe reports. The mahogany paneled craft features accommodations for 10 guests and a crew of 8, a formal dining room, library, plush salon and outdoor seating and eating areas, all decorated in Depp's signature version of Art Deco Paris meets the Orient Express.

2. David Beckham and Victoria Beckham: Posh and Becks have borrowed their pal designer Roberto Cavalli's iridescent 133-ft. yacht, the RC, which features a leopardskin interior, 15 bedrooms, a gym, whirlpool spa and locker full of fur coats for when the weather turns cool. Supposedly Cavalli only allows clothes he designed to be worn onboard.

3. Simon Cowell: The TV star is one of the few celebs footing the bill for his fun, having shelled out a whopping $975,000 per week to charter the 196-ft. Slipstream. The 12-berth yacht boasts sumptuous leather sofas, mirrors above a giant waterbed, a Jacuzzi, an observation lounge with panoramic views, gym, a sky lounge with a retractable roof and a crew of 14 including a private chef.

4. Paris Hilton: The world's biggest party girl is kicking back on Microsoft magnate Paul Allen's 300-ft. pleasure craft the Tatoosh, which as we recently reported has been put up for sale at $160 million. The yacht, which has a pool, hot tub, cinema, basketball court, recording studio, spa, massage room, gym, games room and helicopter pad, comes with a crew of 30. "The best summer of my life," Paris recently tweeted about the trip. "Our yacht is incredible! I'm in heaven on the water. Definitely the biggest and best yacht everywhere we go. Love it! Huge!" [continued]

It's Official: Mikhail Prokhorov Loses $55 Million Villa Leopolda Deposit

Filed under: Estates


Poor Mikhail Prokhorov. Last month we reported that the metals magnate had been replaced as Russia's richest man by Vladimir Lisin, and now languishes in second place. Now a court in Nice has just ruled that the oligarch must forfeit the $55 million deposit he put down for the magnificent $750 million Villa Leopolda (above) on the French Riviera in 2008 before backing out of the deal, the London Daily Mail reports. Prokhorov signed a sales agreement for the Villa, and French law stipulates that purchasers lose their deposits if they pull out after such an agreement has been executed. The magistrate also ordered Prokhorov to pay the Villa's owner Lily Safra an additional $1.5 million penalty. Safra says she will donate all the money to ten charities, including almost $1.5 million for neuroscience research at King's College London and Imperial College London. "By transforming the deposit into an act of giving I would like to encourage all who can do so to support medical research and other humanitarian causes," she declared. On the plus side for Prokhorov, he's still worth a cool $17.85 billion.

The Classicist: Cannes Gives Up on Glam

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Yachts & Sailing, Events, The Classicist, Wealth


Sad but true: the recession has hit the upcoming Cannes Film Festival in the South of France next month, an international symbol of glamorous excess. Cutbacks are being made everywhere, from ritzy parties to the type of food being served, the AFP tells us. For starters, Vanity Fair has canceled its annual star-studded party, the social highlight of the festival, while the VIP nightclub Jimmy'z lost two key sponsors, Fendi and Swarovski, and Louis Vuitton said it would skip AmFar's big-ticket AIDS charity fundraiser.

"We're experiencing an unprecedented world crisis and it's also affecting the Riviera and Cannes," says Michel Chevillon, head of Cannes' hotel association. "Companies are sending fewer people, for shorter periods." 70% of the area's hotels have frozen their room rates compared to last year, and many are taking bookings for less than the full 12-day period, something normally unheard of at festival time, Chevillon tells the AFP.

Overall attendance at the festival is expected to be down for the first time in decades. "People are afraid it will hurt their image to be seen in a place associated with wealth," Cannes deputy mayor David Lissnard tells the AFP. Yacht charters are also suffering, as brokers struggle to find clients in Cannes' port, where all 60 berths for megayachts were booked up in anticipation. "There's a lot less demand this year for yacht rentals and a lot of pressure on prices," says broker Valerie Ruiz, who rents out yachts up to 200-ft. for the festival.

Sensation Yacht Comes With Its Own Berth

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing


One of the challenges of owning a yacht can be finding a place to berth her. The Sensation yacht for sale through Edmiston comes with its own spot on the French Riviera. The Sensation package includes the 1999 Mangusta 80 -foot Sensation as well as a desirable berth in Camille Rayon in the town of Golfe Juan and a 2005 Sunriva sports boat. Sensation has light interiors with cream leather sofas, plush carpeting and rare woods. The yacht went through a refitting and upgrading in 2007 and can sleep 7 guests and 3 crew. On deck there is a large cushioned sunbathing area aft of the cockpit and forward on the bow. There is also a dining and lounging area on deck and the entire cockpit area is air conditioned with a retractable cover for shade and privacy. The package is listed at 2,950,000 euros and a week's charter starts at 37,000 euros.

[via Superyacht Times]

The Most Stylish Moments in the History of Cannes

Filed under: Apparel, Events, Men's Style


The Cannes Film Festival, which began today in the South of France, has always been more focused on artistic merit than the blockbusters of the Academy Awards; that makes for a much more interesting mise-en-scène in our view. The cool crowd has always gravitated to the Riviera for this annual cinematic happening, not to mention the chance to compete for those little gold palm fronds. Along with the Met Costume Institute Gala it's easily one of the year's most stylish events.

As Cannes enters its seventh decade, this seems like the perfect time for a slideshow of some of the most classic style moments in its vivid history, including this rouge carpet scene from 1998. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas was nominated for a Palme d'Or that year and its star Johnny Depp sported a midnight blue shawl-collared dinner jacket at the premiere. Meanwhile his co-star Benicio Del Toro (right) stuck to a classic tux, while Depp's date Kate Moss looked kind of like she'd been attacked by an angry emu -- but in a hot way. Click below for the full parade of stylish stars.

Official Selections [Men.Style]

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