vancouver

Vancouver Welcomes Vermeer with Luxury Hotel Packages

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Art

On May 10th, the Vancouver Art Gallery will open Vermeer, Rembrandt and the Golden Age of Dutch Art: Masterpieces from the Rijksmuseum, featuring 128 masterworks by Dutch masters from the 17th Century.

Since this was a time in history when the middle class first started to accumulate wealth, Dutch artists began to produce works for entrepreneurs rather than their former patrons, the clergy or nobility. And since these merchants were intent on accumulating the finer things, these paintings capture the status symbols of the day, including lavish clothing, jewelry, interiors, and decorative objects -- some of which will be displayed along with the paintings.

Several hotels are offering packages tied to the exhibition. The Wedgewood Hotel's Vancouver Art Gallery package includes two express admission tickets to the gallery which let you bypass the line, and a Dutch breakfast for two ($326/night Canadian). The Listel Hotel offers a "Total Immersion" package which includes accommodations, express admission tickets, the 240-page exhibition catalog, private exhibition tour, and a basket from Dutch Girl Chocolates. ($389 Canadian/night).

The exhibit runs through September 13th, 2009.

Tags: art, dutch, gallery, hotel, vancouver, vermeer

Austria, Switzerland Top World's Best Places to Live

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

vienna Europe – the same corner of Europe, actually – claims the first three spots in Mercer Consulting's annual Quality of Living Survey. Vienna, Austria and Zurich and Geneva in Switzerland lead the list, followed by Vancouver, Canada and Auckland, New Zealand in a tie for fourth.

Little has changed for the top half of the top 10. Last year, Zurich nabbed the top spot, and Vienna and Geneva shared the #2 spot. Vancouver is unchanged year-over-year, and Auckland's #5 finish last year is roughly the same as its tie for fourth in 2009.

Not only are the top places to live ostensibly enjoyable, you're more likely to be there for a while. Life expectancies in these cities start at 79 years. It's better than living a nice long life in a dump, I guess.

The United States doesn't appear until the bottom of the top 30, with Honolulu and San Francisco. From Asia, only Singapore picks up a spot in the world's 30 best places to live. South America and Africa are not represented at all. It's strange, I half-expected to see Mogadishu on this list.

Of the 215 places listed, Baghdad has the distinction of finishing last. Sometimes, common sense prevails.

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Tags: africa, asia, auckland, austria, baghdad, california, canada, geneva, geneva switzerland, genevaswitzerland, hawaii, honolulu, iraq, iraq war, IraqWar, mogadishu, new zealand, newzealand, san francisco, SanFrancisco, singapore, somalia, south america, SouthAmerica, switzerland, vancouver, vienna, vienna austria, viennaaustria, zurich, zurichswitzerland

Bodog Founder's Vancouver Penthouse, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

The founder of online gambling site Bodog, Calvin Ayre has put his swank Vancouver condo on the market. Ayre, shown here with Paris Hilton in 2006, made the Forbes billionaires list that year. But last year he sold Bodog amid controversy (Fast Company's July 2008 profile of him is a must-read article). Since then, as the Vancouver Sun reports, he seems to have dropped out of sight.

His penthouse in the Yaletown area is nothing short of spectacular. The penthouse is 5,000 square feet of high living as only a young gambler with a ton of money can envision it. Almost more of a nightclub than a home it has outdoor decks overlooking the marina, a 25-foot-high living room ceiling, a 1,200-bottle wine cellar, outdoor hot tub with a view and even a panic room. The master bedroom suite includes a dressing room and sybaritic bathroom. All of Ayre's high-end furnishings are being sold with the apartment. It is listed at $10 million Canadian.

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

Gallery: Calvin Ayre in Vancouver

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Tags: bodog, calvin ayre, CalvinAyre, estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, penthouse, vancouver

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Vancouver's Ritz Tower Scrapped

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

Last fall I mentioned that work has stopped at the planned 58-story Ritz-Carlton tower in Vancouver, now it looks like that stoppage is permanent. Canada's Globe and Mail says that the developer, Holborn Group has told buyers who'd bought condominiums in the $500-million project that it has been scrapped. Developers usually require a certain number of presales before building commences. In this case 62 out of 123 condos were sold, below the company's expected threshold of 75 units. That, combined with financing troubles, doomed the project. The tower was to include 20-story Ritz-Carlton hotel topped by the condominium units. The units would have been some of the city's most expensive, with prices from $1.4 million to nearly $30 million.

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Tags: ritz-carlton, vancouver

Construction Halted On Vancouver's Jameson House

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

Another huge condo tower is in trouble. We are back in Vancouver, this time for a look at the Jameson House a 37-story glass tower designed by Foster + Partners that would have condos priced between $500,000 and $5.3-million. Developer Tony Pappajohn recently told his contractors he was stopping construction because one of his key lenders had backed out of the $180-million project because of fears regarding the current market conditions. Pappajohn has been looking for a new lender to help save the project. Now a deep hole remains on the site and Pappajohn has to figure out what to tell the people who have put down deposits 105 of the 144 condos. He is quoted in the Globe and Mail as calling the situation a "market failure" rather than a project failure and certainly the news bears this out. After all, it was only last month that work stopped on another big Vancouver project, the planned Ritz-Carlton tower.

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Tags: jameson house, JamesonHouse, vancouver

Hotel Georgia Plans Condo Tower In Vancouver

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

More interesting real estate news out of Vancouver, the Hotel Georgia, a Vancouver landmark that first opened in 1927, is now home to luxury residences and an updated hotel. The main hotel will be renovated and the Private Residences at Hotel Georgia will be a 48-floor tower with 156 condo units. It will be th third tallest building in Vancouver when completed. The 160-room boutique hotel is going to be completed in 2010 and the team is trying to get it done before the Vancouver Winter Olympics in February of that year.

Condo owners will share the hotel's amenities including a restaurant from David Hawksworth, one of Vancouver's most acclaimed chefs, a roof garden, a spa and fitness center, wine cellar and a round-the-clock concierge service. The condo tower will also have eight floors of office space that will include a theater room and meeting room for residents.

Given that we recently saw construction stop on Vancouver's Ritz-Carlton residences we have to ask how this one is selling. The Calgary Herald article says 55 percent of the condos are sold -- including all of the one-bedroom units that started at $650,000 and the penthouse has also been purchased for $18.5 million. Remaining units start at $1.39 million for 1,178 square feet, up to a four bedroom plus den with 4.5 bathrooms and 3,489 square feet for $8.37 million.

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Tags: canada, condominiums, condos, hotel, hotel georgia, vancouver

Work Stops At Vancouver's Ritz-Carlton Tower

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

Construction has stopped at the site for the 58-story Ritz-Carlton tower in Vancouver. The real estate developer, the Holborn Group, says that the work stoppage is not due to the economic crisis but that they are looking at design changes to the structure and attached parkade. The $500 million project is currently just a hole in the ground. Workers have been sent home and the signs announcing the building were removed. The sales office is now only open by appointment. So far 50% of the condo project has been sold (20 stories are planned for the hotel and 38 for the condo units). No word yeti on when the project will resume. The luxury condos have been priced between $2.5 million and $10 million, with the penthouse priced at $28 million.

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Tags: real estate development, RealEstateDevelopment, ritz-carlton, vancouver

Millenium Water, A Condo Worth Camping Out For

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Real estate may be slumping in the States but in Vancouver, Canada prices are booming. The center of Vancouver is the most expensive housing market in Canada with the average sales price for a condo in Vancouver has been about 408,500 dollars this year, up 14.6 percent from last year. One sign of this the flurry of excitement over Millennium Water, a multi-million dollar housing project that is billed as Vancouver's last waterfront development. Suites in the condo complex will be home to the Olympic athletes in 2010 and once they leave the condos will go to eager buyers. How eager? They can't move in for three years but according to CTV, buyers camped out for days earlier this week for a chance to buy the condos. The suites range in price from $600,000 to $3.4 million and range from 500 square feet to 2,500 square feet. The homes offer balconies with park or water views and are available in three different color schemes: Vancouver, Canada or World.

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Tags: canada, condos, millenium water, MilleniumWater, olympic, vancouver

Bentwood Coffee Cuffs

by Sandy Maple (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Green

You can get accessories for your hair, your outfit and even your dog. But did you know you can also get beautiful accessories for your disposable coffee cup? These cuffs are handmade from reclaimed architectural veneer cutoffs and serve more than one purpose. Wear it on your arm as a bracelet or slip it over a standard take-out coffee cup to protect your hands from the hot java. Made by hand in the Contexture Design workshop in Vancouver, the Coffee Cuff was recently selected for the SWELL Future Friendly Design exhibition featuring sustainable design from around the globe. They retail for about $68 CAD and come in a variety of beautiful woods, including Birdseye Maple, Zebrano, or Rosewood as shown.

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Tags: bracelet, coffee cuff, CoffeeCuff, contexture design, ContextureDesign, cuff, future friendly design, FutureFriendlyDesign, green design, GreenDesign, swell, vancouver, wood veneer, WoodVeneer

Vancouver Condo, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Wow, who knew a place once owned by Axl Rose would be so elegant? This Vancouver penthouse at 1000 Beach Ave. was once owned by the Guns N' Roses singer and also to Canucks hockey star Pavel Bure but it was, according to the Globe and Mail, an empty concrete shell until the current owner came along. The owner, who bought in 2004 for around $7 million and turned the home into a spectacular showplace but never moved in. The home has around 7,600 square feet of space (including a lower floor guest suite). It has four backlit rooms of white onyx and a mezzanine that has a floating cube offering unique office space. It has a private parking unit and a private elevator and comes with its own boat slip. It is listed at $18.2 million, which if it sells, would be a record for Vancouver. After the jump, yet another gorgeous white bath tub.

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Tags: beach avenue, condominium, estate of the day, luxury real estate, LuxuryRealEstate, vancouver

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Loden Hotel To Open This Summer

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

The word loden generally refers to a woodsy dark green color but Kor Hotel Group is launching a hotel with a modern look that belies the cozy connotations of the name. Loden is the first Kor Hotel in Canada. It will be located in the neighborhood of Coal Harbour and will be a 130-room hotel with 10 suites including a 1,600 square-foot penthouse. The exterior design of the hotel is meant to mimic ocean waves with its design of curved glass, stone and copper. A cool feature of the 14-story hotel will be a rooftop deck with a lap pool, outdoor fireplace and a bar. It will also have a fitness area and a restaurant and bar. The hotel will open in July 2007.

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Tags: canada, hotel, loden, vancouver

Point Grey Home, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

This imposing home is located in the Point Grey area of Vancouver, British Columbia, a pricey area near the University of British Columbia. The home has over 10,000 square feet of space and has four bedrooms (plus an additional two-bedroom suite downstairs and a nanny suite). The home has a circular entry hall, expansive living, dining and sitting room areas with marble floors and access to large patio.Details include a gourmet kitchen, family room with built-in media unit and a three-car garage. All four main bedrooms have attached baths and lovely views of the English Bay. It is listed at $13.2 million Canadian which works out to around $11.8 US. After the jump, oh look, an elephant in the foyer.

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Tags: canadian real estate, estate of the day, luxury real estate, vancouver

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Hastings House Anniversary Package

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

The Hastings House, a charming country inn on Salt Spring Island in British Columbia is celebrating their 25th anniversary with a couple of special packages. The three night package includes three nights in a deluxe suite overlooking Ganges Harbor, welcome champagne, breakfast and afternoon tea, two three-course dinners, a picnic lunch, two massages at the resort spa and a copy of the Hastings House anniversary cookbook. A five day package includes two nights at the Wedgewood Hotel in Vancouver with dinner at Lumiere, a tour of Vancouver and a seaplane flight over to the Hastings House. The five day package costs $3,720 CAD per couple.

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Tags: british columbia, canada, destination getaways, hastings house, HastingsHouse, hotel packages, vancouver, wedgewood hotel

Jameson Tower

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Another interesting project in Vancouver is the mixed-use residential Jameson Tower. The 37-story tower will offer 155 units,. The building is aerodynamically shaped to take advantage of local winds and it will generate its own power from a plant in the building. The building will also capture rainwater on the roof, filter and distribute it to sinks and toilets. The Jameson Tower project involves restoring the 1929 Ceperley Rounsfell Building and adding a new tower with retail, restaurant and office space topped by the residences. Prices in the unique tower start at $515,000 (US).

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Tags: condo, condominium, jameson house, JamesonHouse, vancouver

Goldie Hawn's Vancouver Home, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Contact Music reports that Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell are moving back to Hollywood and have put their Vancouver house on the market. The couple moved to Vancouver to support their son's fledgling hockey career. The house, a Tudor-style home in the Shaughnessy area is listed at $5.4 million (Canadian). This looks to be the listing here. It's a five bedroom home with 11 fireplaces. The home looks charming with lots of oak panelling and cozy details. There is a formal living room, formal dining room, conservatory, and the master suite has a separate dressing area. There is also a gym and a built-in theater room.

[via Just Jared]

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Tags: canada, celebrities, goldie hawn, kurt russell, luxury real estate, vancouver

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