This post is really meaningful to me. When I was a student, I used to live in Juan Les Pins, everyday, on my way to school, I was fascinated by this huge abandoned hotel and I really wanted to explore it. Le Provençal was the hotel that actually embodied a golden age on the Côte d’Azur.

“The 256-bedroom Art Deco palace and its “bright tan prayer rug of a beach” were, in the 1930s and 1940s, the symbol of the French Riviera. Coco Chanel and Marilyn Monroe ranked among the sun-worshippers; and on one balmy July evening, Ella Fitzgerald threw open an upstairs window and sang to the crowds at the world-famous Jazz à Juan festival in the park below. […] Built by an American millionaire Frank J Gould in 1925, with tennis club and jetty, restaurants, bars and luxury suites, the hotel marked a new way of life: la dolce vita.”

(copyright : Telegraph)

The famed Art Deco hotel on the Côte d’Azur has been derelict since 1973 and is now being turned into a luxury apartment building. I was sure they would never leave this hotel to squatters and pigeons forever and was dreaming of living in this dream hotel in the future… Too bad.. It is a little too early, I’m still not rich enough to buy any of the luxury apartment!

The London Telegraph reports that Developer Cyril Dennis is transforming the 45,000-sq.ft. beachside property, built in 1925, into 56 luxury units :

“Some have 360-degree views, and indoor pools, as well as outdoor pools and gardens; they will be fitted out with Porche kitchens, marble floors, Turkish baths, aquariums and separate staff lifts and entrances. Music, heating, lighting, flowers and shopping can be computer-controlled. Landscaped gardens, replanted each season, will feature fountains, ponds and an infinity pool with 360m terrace”

He describes the Provençal as “the last jewel in the Cap d’Antibes,” an area where top-drawer villas now go for over $200 million thanks to an influx of superrich (Russian) oligarchs. The luxury apartments will cost between €2million and €40million ($60 million)…

Via telegraph.co.uk

The epitome of luxury! Updown Court is situated only 25 miles from London, and through a pair of large sophisticated iron gates, one can see a palatial construction of immense scale and beauty.

Updown Court, a newly built mansion for sale outside of London, offers plenty of lavish amenities: five swimming pools, an eight-limousine garage, and mosaic floor made of 24-karat gold leaf in the downstairs study.

The property, however, is best known for its price tag: more than 85 million British pounds (+$150 million USD).

Aurum, an Italian company, is the sole agent of a precious parquet covered with 24 carat gold leaves which bring refinement of materials and craftsmanship in the most exclusive houses.

The elegance of the rich woods and the brightness and glints of the gold and silver give style and charm to the chicest houses, to the yachts, to the shops and to the suites of the most prestigious hotels.

The collection includes 11 patented patterns: 6 in gold (at around 6,800 euros a square meter!), 4 in silver and 1 in copper. Gold leaves applied on wood boards and finished with wax and specific treatments to enhance the natural grain of the wood and to keep brilliance and wear.

If you really love Italy, you have to know that the same price could get you a central Milan apartment !

A couple of weeks ago we wrote about penthouses located in Hong Kong and Dubai, breaking property records by selling for more than $30 million.

But no worries, our wealthy readers who missed those opportunities, will be glad to see that a new record has been set with the listing of a two-story 4,400-square-foot luxury penthouse condo for $10 million at the Astoria on Tenth tower, being constructed in Calgary (Canada).

Calgary is now a “have” city compared to Toronto and Vancouver. The city is the economic hub of Canada right now and real estate values have been going up.

Takei-Nabeshima-Architects (TNA) designed a country retreat in the town of Karuizawa outside Tokyo, Japan, wrapped in rings of glass and wood and has an uninterrupted 360 degree view of the forest.

TNA designed rings around the facade so that areas of private spaces and utilities could be met. The height of each ring was decided by the function concealed behind it.
The glass between the rings allow you to look straight into the forest, so the whole house appears to dissolve into the forest.

Built on Owners’ Hill, a resort in the Karuizawa forest near Tokyo, Ring House occupies one of the hundred or so plots set aside for city dwellers to build weekend retreats.

Via worldarchitecturenews

700 South Ocean Boulevard, Manalapan Beach, Florida : A look at the positioning of this luxury real estate could inspire anyone to dream of their ideal waterfront lifestyle.

Offering quiet surroundings in the heart of Florida’s Gold Coast, the prestigious oceanfront enclave of Manalapan Beach lies in Palm Beach County, between the Town of Palm Beach and Boca Raton.

Distinguished by its remarkable size (five-and-a-half acres with approximately 500 feet of frontage), the property also offers the exceptional allure of both private beachfront and dockage capability for virtually any size yacht.

This slice of South Florida waterfront paradise is listed by Premier Estate Properties , Inc. (source luxuryportfolio) for $42,900,000. The property affords extraordinary investment potential, and could be subdivided into a total of 3 separate lots should development be of interest.