The Affluent Travelers

A Dream ? Greece on $75,000 a day

Athens is so hot and busy during the peak season that we offer a few extras to make it bareable.

Best way from the airport to your suite at the Grecotel's Cape Sounio Hotel ($18,560) on the Aegean is by Helicopter ($1900). Amenities are a view of Poseidon's Temple and a private pool. 

Lunch ($280) then be chauffeured to town ($360) and stroll from the Parthenon to the Agora.  Plaka for dinner and King George Palace Hotel for a nightcap.

Tour the Greek islands on the modestly priced, seven cabin Alexandria at $47,807 a day.  Dinner at the ancient port of Nafplion then sail to Mykonos. A Mykonas Blu bungalow  ($2900) overlooking the secluded harbor.

Splurge on the last night at Corfu's Palazzo Imperiale ($22,800) - A favorite of Aristotle Onassis.    jo@InsiderTraveler.com

The Palms Las Vegas

The "Hardwood Suite" is the only suite in the world with an indoor basketball court.  Located on the third floor of the  Palms Place tower is the two level, 10,000 square foot party room complete with  basketball court, locker room, scoreboard, pool table, poker table and dance floor. 

The suite also include three NBA player sized Murphy beds, dining area, living/media room, jacuzzi tub and 42"plasmas. Customize your stay in the "Hardwood Suite" with your own team jerseys and cheerleaders  on the sidelines.  $50,000 - cheerleaders are extra.

The Most Expensive Home For Sale

Forget Trump's place in Palm Beach, Florida ($125 million), the most expensive property
for sale-ever- in the United States is now (Aug.06)  the Aspen, Colorado compound of Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz.

Bandar was the Saudi ambassador to the U.S. Now that he's taken a new job in Saudi Arabia he will have less time to spend in Aspen. His 95-acre Starwood Ranch property is listed at $135 million. Larger than the White House, the mansion is 56,000-square-feet. Included are  several smaller homes and buildings.

The main home has 15 bedrooms and 16 bathrooms. The property features stables, a tennis court, an indoor swimming pool, outdoor water features and a snowmelt driveway- all on a mere 95 sprawling acres. Bandar will keep a new 15,000-square-foot guesthouse he has been building and some  acreage.  The sale is being handled by the regional affiliate of Christie's.  Here's your chance to live like a Prince and make real estate history.

Hay-Adams Hotel Washington, DC

Located on Lafayette Square, across from the White House, the Hay-Adams offers guests Washington's most prestigious address with views overlooking the White House, Lafayette Square and St.John's Church, the "Church of the Presidents." The hotel is just minutes from the Smithsonian, the Washington Monument & the Mall.

A member of the  Gold List - World's Best 700+ Places to Stay by  Condé Nast Traveler, January 2006
This Italian Renaissance property is "across from the White House- how can you beat that?" Rooms have ornamental fireplaces, carved plaster ceilings, and in some cases private balconies. "Staff are discreet, with no attitude." Breakfast is served in the Lafayette Room "amid the tinkle of crystal and the whispers of Capitol VIPs."

It offers 20 suites, including the coveted Federal Suite. Each one-bedroom or junior suite features a distinctive view of the White House, Lafayette Park, or St. John’s Church, and can be connected to a second bedroom if desired.

Most suites have maintained their original history with decorative ceilings and ornamental fireplaces, and now have been updated with modern amenities and designed with a level of quality and attention to detail you would expect to see only in the finest of residences.

The Presidential on the 8th floor is 1100 sqft, and the rate is $4200.00, plus 14.5% tax; the Federal on the 7th floor is 1400 sqft, and is $5000.00, plus tax.
info: theAffluentTravelers@mindspring.com

Frank Sinatra's Twin Palms

Twin Palms, the four-bedroom, 4,500-square-foot mini-mansion where Sinatra lived from 1947 until about 1954, sits plainly and unassumingly a mile from busy downtown Palm Springs.  Back when Palm Springs was a drowsy desert village, Sinatra commissioned the house  as the primary residence for his family. But not long after moving day, Sinatra had a change of heart.  He met Ava Gardner, the love of his life, and promptly left his wife Nancy, who begrudgingly granted him a divorce

Twin Palms soon became the setting for one of the 20th century's great romances, the amphitheater in which Sinatra and Gardner conducted their operatic affair. "Maybe it's the air, maybe it's the altitude, maybe it's just the place's goddamn karma," Gardner wrote in her 1990 autobiography, "but Frank's establishment in Palm Springs, the only house we really could ever call our own, has seen some pretty amazing occurrences."

Amazing was Gardner's catchall word for the intense violence and passion that defined her off-and-on saga with Sinatra. After half a dozen tumultuous years, the two finally  concluded  that they couldn't live together. Sinatra sold Twin Palms and bought a bigger place on the other side of town, which came to be known as The Compound.

Twin Palms changed hands several times in the next 50 years, and eventually fell into disrepair, its roof caving in. Recently, the house underwent a full and careful restoration, and today Twin Palms belongs to three New Yorkers who gladly rent it to the curious and the Sinatra-besotted for $2,150 a night, with a three night minimum. info: theAffluentTravelers@mindspring.com

The Most Lavish Suites Afloat

Jutting out at each side of the Queen Mary 2 at the stern are the Balmoral and Sandringham Grand Deluxe Apartments. Each is often combined with  the neighboring Penthouse to make  well suited  accomodations for the family. 

If you are in a particularly expansive mood, you can reserve both Grand Duplexes with the 3 Deluxe Apartment in between to create a  8,288 sq palazzo

Here your concierge and a personal butler anticipate your needs and comply with the utmost speed and efficiency. Lavish amenities include marble baths with whirlpool tubs, towel warmers, walk-in closets, en-suite bars stocked with selected spirits or wine and soft drinks, fresh flowers and pre-dinner canapés.

The enormous Grand Duplexes include sweeping living quarters - an expansive balcony downstairs, a luxurious master bedroom upstairs, and two marble bathrooms (one with a whirlpool tub and one with a separate shower). There is also an additional guest bathroom with a shower located downstairs.
info: theAffluentTravelers@mindspring.com

Rent A German Castle

Bavaria Neuschwanstein Castle is Germany’s most famous castle and is best known for being the model used by Walt Disney for the Sleeping Beauty Castle.

Initiated by King Ludwig in 1869, it took hundreds of craftsmen from around the world almost 16 years to build and only about a third of it was ever finished.

Neuschwanstein looms over the Hohenschwangau valley. From the outside it is a magnificent work of mock- medievalism, a true piece of fairy-tale fantasy. The interior style borrows from Byzantine, Romanesque and Gothic styles and features spectacular woodcarvings and murals.  info: theAffluentTravelers@mindspring.com

Chewton Glen, England

Luxury country-house hotel located on the edge of the ancient 'New Forest' in Hampshire and just a short walk from the sea.  Built in 1733, it has been owned by Martin and Brigitte Skan for the past 40 years, Chewton Glen has been voted the 'Best Small Hotel under 100 Rooms in the World'.

Voted Best Hotel Spa in Europe by Germany's Gala magazine, Chewton Glen sets a new benchmark in hotel spa facilities. A selection of over 50 exclusive beauty and body treatments is provided by a team of highly qualified therapists and fitness instructors. The centrepiece of the club is an 'ozone treated' classical style indoor pool. Over $5 million  was spent to refurbish the Spa in early 2005.

There is a choice of over 500 wines to accompany your food. Recently voted among the best 25 restaurants in the UK by Egon Ronay, the Marryat Restaurant has held its Michelin-starred status for 21 years.

Within the 130 acres of grounds there are a 9-hole par 3 golf course, a practice range, two indoor and two outdoor tennis courts, an outdoor swimming pool, a croquet lawn and a putting green.

Rania the Maldives

Lying off the southern tip of India, the slender chain of coral islands known as the Maldives are strewn like a magical necklace across the shimmering azure waters of the Indian Ocean

The first of its kind in the Maldives, Rania allows total freedom and a unique way to enjoy the 1,192 idyllic low-lying sandbank islands and coral reef lagoons seldom seen by locals or tourists. Spend your days lazing on board the yacht or in the luxury Rania suite on Water Garden Island Spa, both providing the highest level of standards with every modern technological convenience.        
     Redefining the concept of ‘exclusive’ the Rania Experience doesn’t just give you a desert island of your own, able to accommodate parties of up to nine in absolute luxury, it also provides a private motor yacht large enough to take your party offshore.
     All yours, exclusively. There is a private butler to attend your slightest whim, your own personal spa therapist for unlimited massage treatments, a PADI dive instructor on hand to take unlimited dives or train you up to divemaster level and a private chef to provide à la carte menus to match your taste. Surround all this with a palm-fringed swathe of virgin sand and a sheltered lagoon bright with shoaling reef fish and it is easy to see that for honeymooning couples after privacy or once-in-a-lifetime family reunions, tropical bliss doesn’t get any more blissful than this.     
     Available to only one group of guests at a time (groups consist of nine people maximum). Unlimited spa treatments, diving, alcohol (excluding champagne and specialty wine), á la carte dining at the resort's two restaurants, sport fishing, snorkeling and water sports and three hours of sailing a day are included in the nightly rate, which starts at $10,000 per couple from Dec. 20 through Jan. 5, with an extra charge of $750 per additional guest. A minimum three-night booking is required.

Las Ventanas in Cabo San Lucas

Las Ventanas al Paraíso, situated between San Jose Del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas in an area known as Cabo Real, is located just 15 minutes southwest of San Jose Del Cabo International Airport. At the southern tip of Mexico’s 1,000-mile-long Baja Peninsula, Los Cabos combines a starkly beautiful desert landscape with one of the richest marine environments encompassing both the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez.

The desert is a mosaic of color and texture with forests of saguaro cactus, sand dunes and stunning rock formations. Los Cabos is Mexico’s leading upscale tourist destination. Hollywood first discovered it in the post-World War II years when stars went down for the sport fishing and to relax in privacy.

Expansive and richly appointed, all suites have marble showers and Conchuela limestone floors. At the end of the day share the warmth of a seaside fire, and be lulled to rest by the rhythm of gently washing waves. Or, turn your personal telescope toward the heavens to gaze at the shimmering stars.  Rooms ange in size up to thee bedroom suites for $4,600 a night.

The one and three bedroom luxury suites are peaceful oases featuring Jacuzzis, private swimming pools, fireplaces, terraces and a secluded open-air treatment area. In this serene paradise, timeless beauty co-exists with five-star pleasures. Enjoy an aromatic exfoliation and soak, followed by a rejuvenating aromatherapy "raindrop" massage treatment. (2 hours 30 minutes) (available only in one- and three-bedroom suites)

Unique in-room tequila welcome
24-hour room service
Live entertainment nightly
Access to The Spa & fitness center
Video library
Nightly turndown service
Luxury tennis
Fresh fruit replenished daily
Bottled water
Enhanced poolside service & amenities
Personal butler service for each one-bedroom and three-bedroom luxury Suite

To ensure that playing tennis at Las Ventanas is an exceptional experience for guests, the resort offers a world-class tennis program. Two new championship courts offer a hard surface and excellent lighting so guests can play in the cool evenings.

Tennis instruction is provided by Peter Burwash International, one of the world-wide leaders in tennis instruction. For 25 years, PBI has been heralded for its extensively trained staff, exceptional service and quality instruction. The organization only offers its programs at the world's finest hotels and resorts. A resident PBI pro is at Las Ventanas full-time to provide guests with personalized, professional training.

Las Ventanas is known for its special touches that delight guests, and the resort's pampering is offered on the courts, too. To ensure that guests remain comfortable, the resort provides complimentary cold towels, Evian spray mists and light refreshments at courtside. Upon request, an attendant will be at your disposal to chase balls, provide fresh towels, clean sunglasses and see to any other need.