spain

Cielo de Bonaire, Estate of the Day

Filed under: Estates

Cielo de Bonaire is a lavish mega-mansion on the island of Mallorca, Spain. The home is perched on a hillside between the bays of Alcúdia and Pollensa for sweeping ocean views. The London Times first checked out the home in 2007 noting the helipad, the neo-Palladian-meets-modern design scheme and the pool with views to the sea beyond. The listing pics reveal a bit of a chilly decor with expensive pieces of modern furniture adrift in large marble-floored spaces. When the Times writer questioned this back in 2007 she was told by the agent that the home is designed for someone who wants "a holiday home, but not a palace".

The villa has a two-bedroom master suite among its eight bedrooms. There is a sybaritic Turkish bath, plenty of room for outdoor lounging and dining in both covered and open areas, and a Jacuzzi tub by a window framing the perfect view. This home is listed at 50 million euros (over $70 million).

[Thanks, C.K.!]

Experience more lush living in luxury homes and mansions or see the stars living large with celebrity homes galleries at AOL Real Estate.

Gallery: Cielo de Bonaire

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Tags: cielo de bonaire, CieloDeBonaire, mallorca, spain

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Spanish Racing Team Challenges Ferrari with GTA Spano

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Everybody and their cousin seems to want to make an exotic supercar these days. Many of them are based in the UK, but the latest to hit the scene comes from Spain. Called the GTA Spano, it's the product of a Spanish racing team evidently keen to tap into Ferrari's market from across the Mediterranean, and it just debuted in the coastal city of Valencia. Packing a 780-horsepower V10, the lightweight supercar is made of carbon-fiber, Kevlar and titanium to help it get up to highway speeds from a standstill (0-60) in a blindingly fast 2.9 seconds. It's available with a choice of transmission options, and can even run on ethanol for an added boost. GTA says it will only build 99 examples of its first roadgoing sportscar, which will carry a pricetag in the neighborhood of $670,000.

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Tags: gta, gta spano, GtaSpano, iberian, spain, spanish, spanish supercar, SpanishSupercar, spano, supercar, valencia

Quilibra Aguas de Ibiza Opens

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Spanish hospitality group Fuenso, which owns Hospes Hotels, has created a second brand offering five-star accommodations, Quilibra Hotels. The first hotel is the Quilibra Aguas de Ibiza on the idyllic Balearic island. The hotel is located in Santa Eulalia del Riu, 15 minutes from Ibiza airport and has 36 rooms and 76 suites with views over the ocean. There are three swimming pools with sub-aquatic sound systems, a Bodyna spa, a wellness center and a restaurant offering Ibizan food with a modern twist. Rates start at 150 euros per night.

The second Quilibra will open in Murcia, Spain in 2010.

Gallery: Aguas de Ibiza

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Tags: hospes, hotel, ibiza, spain

Raffle Offers Spanish Property And A Wild West Show

by Laura Malesich (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Ever fancied yourself a Spanish entrepreneur/showman who rides a Harley? This is quite the unique package offered until January 5th, 2009 from British expatriate Wayne Connell as he raffles off his Spanish villa, Wild West Show business and Harley Davidson motorcycle. My first thought is a bidding war on eBay but Connell is only asking that interested persons purchase a raffle ticket for a measley £25! A maximum of 200,000 tickets will be sold and Connell plans to pull the winning ticket in April now due to a little red tape. If less than 175,000 tickets are sold the winner will be given the cash raised by the raffle tickets instead...personally, I think I'd take that over managing a Wild West Show. Approximately 10,000 tickets have been sold so far.

[via International Herald Tribune]

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Tags: Benidorm, new year millionaire, NewYearMillionaire, raffle, Spain, Wayne Connell, WayneConnell, Wild Wild West Show, WildWildWestShow

Ski The Spanish Pyrenees This Winter

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Spain isn't the first place one thinks of as a ski destination but there is plenty of good snow in the Spanish Pyrenees. La Pleta in Baqueria-Beret offers downhill, cross-country and heli skiing as well as snowshoeing and ice skating for those who prefer not to ski. The resort includes a library stocked with books and DVDs, a personal boot butler took take care of your alpine gear and the Occitania Spa to tend to your aching muscles. The reviews on Trip Advisor are favorable overall. The 71-room resort offers a five-night Occitania Ski vacation which is available from December 4, 2008 through April 19, 2009 and starts at 635 Euros including daily buffet breakfast and shuttle service to and from the lifts.

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Tags: pyrenees, ski vacation, spain, travel

Floor Ferraris and F1's at the Ascari Race Resort

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Luxury Cars & Autos

For the price of a $160,000 membership plus a $6,500 annual fee, you can get 50 days of high-speed driving in a fleet of supercars at Spain's lavish Ascari Race Resort. Situated in the dramatic southern Andalusian mountains, the Ascari consists of a luxury resort complex adjacent to a 3.4 mile racetrack designed to replicate famous Formula 1 courses. The resort features of a ten-villa luxury hotel, spa, salon, clay shooting range, pools, bars and a helicopter pad to take guests to a beautiful beach 15 minutes away. The fleet of cars ranges from several race-prepped Lotus Elises and BMWs to ex-Formula 1 machines and Ascari's own brand of supercar. However, they can procure Ferraris, Lamborghinis or "just about anything you could wish to drive on the circuit, given time and sufficient credit card headroom," BusinessWeek notes. See the gallery for more.

Gallery: Ascari Race Resort

Tags: Ascari, Ascari Race Resort, AscariRaceResort, Ferrari, Formula 1, Formula1, Lotus, Spain, Supercar

Sheraton Residences in Spain

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

Sheraton is getting into the apartment business in Spain. The hotel company has announced that their first ever apartment 'Residences' will be available to purchase at the Med Group's Bonmont golf and residential community on the Costa Daurada, south of Barcelona. There will be seven buildings, each with four two-bedroom Residences next to the 136-room, five-star Sheraton Bonmont Golf Resort & Spa. The Bonmont residential community is built around an 18-hole golf courses and facilities include a golf academy, gym and restaurant as well as three swimming pools and tennis courts.

All apartments will be fully furnished in the same style as the hotel and will be priced from 600,000 euros. The Residences can be divided into two units so owners can live in one half and rent the second out, or rent all of it either as two one-bedrooms or one two-bedroom. Rentals will be managed by the Sheraton hotel in Bonmont. The hotel and apartments are now being built and set to open at the beginning of 2009.

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Tags: apartments, barcelona, bonmont, sheraton, spain

Matusalem "Gran Reserva" Rum

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

In our post on the new book Havana Before Castro the other day we reminisced about Cuba before the infamous dictator ruined everyone's fun. Among the many moronic moves Castro made was expelling Matusalem from the island in the '60s, a smooth, rich rum that had been distilled there by a family of Spanish settlers since 1872.

Following the expulsion the company languished for several decades, until it was finally re-established in the Dominican Republic (as were several Cuban cigar brands) using the original secret formula brought from Spain. Today, Matusalem is flourishing once again, with its delectable blend of smooth spirit matured in French oak casks bottled as Matusalem Gran Reserva.

The rum is made using the solera system, which was originally developed to produce Spain's famed wine, sherries, brandies, and cognacs, producing a blend that's somewhere between dark and amber.

Tags: Cuba, dominican republic, DominicanRepublic, Fidel Castro, FidelCastro, Havana, Matusalem Rum, MatusalemRum, Rum, Solera, Spain

Super Vintage Weekend at the Hotel Marqu�s de Riscal

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Wine, Auctions, Charity

The Luxury Collection Hotels & Resorts group has planned a "Super Vintage" wine auction weekend at the incredible Frank Gehry-designed Hotel Marqués de Riscal in Rioja, Spain in October. To celebrate 150 years of the region's famed wines, the culinary-themed weekend will culminate in a gala dinner and charity auction of local vintages conducted by Christie's - including the Riscal Superlot, a single lot consisting of 131 bottles dating back to 1862, proceeds from which will go to UNICEF. Details on the once-in-a-lifetime event, which will take place from Oct. 24-26, can be found here.

Gallery: Hotel MarquÃ©s de Riscal

Tags: Christies, Frank Gehry, FrankGehry, Hotels, Luxury Collection, LuxuryCollection, Marques de Riscal, MarquesDeRiscal, Rioja, Spain, UNICEF

New Cool Hotels: Italy, Spain and Spas

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Holiday Guides, Books

Regular Luxist readers will already be familiar with the luxurious, oversized books put out by German publisher teNeues. Not all of their top-drawer coffee table titles are the size of actual coffee tables, however. The travel sized "Cool Hotels" series has all the appeal of the deluxe editions with the added bonus that you can actually take them with you on your journey. They've just released three new additions to the stable in time for summer: Cool Hotels Italy, Cool Hotels Spain, and Cool Hotels Spa & Wellness. At $24.95 apiece, they're considerably less expensive as well. Pictured on the cover of the Italy edition above is the incredibly chic Byblos Art Hotel Villa Amista in Verona, run by the Byblos fashion empire. See the gallery for more stylish vacation spots.

Gallery: Cool Hotels Italy, Spain & Spas

Spas cover showing Amanyara, British West Indies.

Tags: Byblos, Byblos Art Hotel, ByblosArtHotel, Cool Hotels, CoolHotels, Hotels, Italian fashion, ItalianFashion, Italy, Spain, Spas, teNeues, Verona

La Melonera, Winemaking Estates in Spain

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Real Estate Developments

I've seen a few real estate developments that combine vineyards and residences in the States and it seems that idea is becoming popular elsewhere. Decanter reports on La Melonera, a new 200 hectare (approx. 495 acres) development in southern Spain's winemaking region, Ronda's Serrania. Buyers will take on a section of the vineyard and make their own wine with the help of expert winemakers. The plots vary between 12 and 48 acres. The estate is planted with local grape varieties including the La Melonera which gives the property its name and the first harvest is expected in 2011. Sales of the properties will begin in June and prices start at 3.5 million euros.

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Tags: la melonera, LaMelonera, spain, wine estates, winemaking

Casanova Hotel Seduces With Food and Wine Tours

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Wine

In beautiful Barcelona, Spain part of the lure it the delicious food and drink. The boutique-style Casanova Hotel in Barcelona is located blocks from the La Boqueria Market has a couple of new private, gourmet food and wine tours for 2008. The La Boqueria Market Tour Package includes a market tour with Casanova's Michelin pedigree chef Jaume Brichs, a private cooking class and lunch with Chef Brichs that includes Spanish wines, and a Spanish cook book. The Sant Sadurni de Noia Wine Tour Package includes the opportunity to explore southern Barcelona wineries with a private sommelier, transportation to and from the Albet & Noya Vineyard, Catalan Wine and Cava tasting, and dinner and Cava wine pairings at Casanova's Mexiterranee restaurant. Rates for the two-night Sant Sadurni de Noia Wine Tour package start at 1208 euros (approx. $1,760) for two people in a Superior Room. Rates for the two-night Boqueria Market Tour package start at 1058 euros (approx. $1,530) for two people in a Superior Room. You might want to plan your booking for later this summer when the Casanova opens their rooftop pool and lounge complete with hammocks.

Gallery: Casanova Hotel

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Tags: barcelona, casanova hotel, CasanovaHotel, la bouqueria, LaBouqueria, spain, wine

Mir�'s Spanish Farm, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

Oh my, today's estate just stirs up all my dreamy little artsy bohemian fantasies. As the Wall Street Journal's Christina S.N. Lewis reported in the Private Properties column, a farm in Spain's Catalonia, owned by the family of surrealist Joan Miró is up for sale. The artist's parents purchased the farm around 1910. The turn-of-the-century finca in the village of Montroig is about 25 acres. When Miró had a breakdown as a young man he convalesced at the farm and painted "La Masia" ("The Farm"), a picture once owned by Ernest and Mary Hemingway, who donated it to the National Gallery of Art in Washington. The painter spent much of his time at the residence which includes a studio with original sketches by the artist.

The 100-year-old Spanish colonial house has a three-story tower with six bedrooms and an adjoining chapel. No one has lived in the main villa for about 35 years so it is in need of a gentle renovation. Miró died in 1983 at age 90 and the painter's two grandsons inherited the property two years ago. This property is listed for $7.4 million.

Gallery: Miro's Spanish Farm

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Tags: catalonia, estate of the day, joan miro, JoanMiro, spain

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Villa Paulita Opens

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

A former family-owned summer residences on a lake in Spain has become an intimate new hotel. The Hospes Villa Paulita's original 19th century villa has been transformed with two newly built annexes. The villa is set on Puigcerdà Lake and faces the Catalan Pyrenees. There are 34 individually decorated guest rooms and four suites all done in a modern style that belies the classic exterior. The hotel has glass pyramids are spaced throughout the gardens. There is also the Bodyna Spa which has an indoor swimming pool, a fitness center and wet and dry saunas. Senzone L'Estany, the resort's gourmet restaurant, offers a fine dining option and there is also a bar and a breakfast room.

Gallery: Villa Paulita

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Tags: hotel, spain, villa paulita

Puerto D'Andratx, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Today for your Friday fantasy we are off to Mallorca and the charming town of Puerto D'Andratx. Once a modest fishing village, it's now a hot spot for the yachting community and for a seaside holiday. It remains a mix of the old and the new with posh boutiques and restaurants as well as more traditional rustic spots. Today's home offers gorgeous views out to the harbor. The four-bedroom villa has a guest apartment and garage on the first floor, a second floor with a living room, kitchen and terraces. The top floor is home to a master bedroom with a lounge, bathroom with Jacuzzi and a private terrace. There is an elevator and all the furniture is included in the asking price. There is also a very nice pool area. It is listed at 7.5 million euros.

Gallery: Puerto D'Antratx