Krug, a French winemaker known for their oaky champagne and sister company to Louis Vuitton, began offering the world’s most expensive balloon ride in 2007 when they unveiled Krug Is in the Air, a “bespoke experience.”

The balloon, designed by Camerons of Bristol, has room for up to eight guests, a flight commander and a waiter. The basket has been been customized by Bruno Domeau and Philippe Pérès, who have upholstered it in their luxuriously soft “Togo” leather.

The meals, designed by master chefs, are created to complement both the lavish experience and the accompanying Krug Grande Cuvée, Krug’s grand crus.

The Krug Is in the Air balloon was first launched in Paris. It then embarked on a world tour, offering the ultimate ballooning experience in the US, England, Italy, Japan and Hong Kong. The world’s most expensive balloon ride cost €50,000—around US $70,000.

The Trans-Siberian Railway, stretching across Russia from Moscow to Vladivostok, was originally approved by Czar Alexander II in the late 19th Century. Nowadays, it’s used for 30% of all Russian exports and a trip across the country can be made in as little as seven days. It’s also the route for the most expensive train ride in the world.

The Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express was unveiled by Britain’s Prince Michael of Kent in April 2007. The train’s Gold Class cabins are equipped with LCD screens, power showers, underfloor heating and individual air conditioning while chefs in the restaurant cars prepare the finest local cuisine. The Golden Eagle takes wealthy tourists and other travelers almost 6,000 miles in 15 days, with frequent stops for day trips.

The world’s most expensive train ride costs $22,195 for a single room or $15,795 per person for a twin cabin.

Russian billionaire Telman Ismailov opened a hotel this month that is being widely proclaimed as the most expensive hotel in Europe. As it’s situated along the Mediterranean Sea in transcontinental state of Turkey, there seems to be some confusion surrounding the hotel’s continental status.

That didn’t stop a gaggle of A-list celebrities—including Sharon Stone, Mariah Carey and Richard Gere—from attending Mardan Palace in Antalya’s grand opening. The £1billion-plus (over US $1.6 billion) hotel was inaugurated with a bang as Tom Jones opened for Carey, Paris Hilton made an obligatory appearance and one prominent actress stumbled over the name of neighboring country Azerbaijan.

Housed in this veritable temple of decadence, you’ll find a spa with real snow in one of its rooms, gold-plated mirrors on the floors of the bathrooms, 23,000 square meters of Italian marble, remote controlled toilets and the centerpiece—a pool and sunken aquarium that must be crossed by gondola.

As to the question of geography, the coastal province of Antalya is actually located on the Asian side of the Turkish Straits, the conventional border between Europe and Asia.

Suites at this most luxurious hotel can cost over $18,000 per night—certainly enough to keep the riff-raff out.

The Channel Tunnel. (By Mortadelo2005. Distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 license.)

The Channel Tunnel, an undersea tunnel reaching from the United Kingdom to France, is the second longest undersea tunnel in the world. Construction on the project, organized by Eurotunnel, began in 1988 and it was first put into service in 1994. The tunnel has seen a few setbacks in the years since its completion, including a fire in 1996 and a crisis involving illegal immigrants seeking refuge on British soil, but it continues to serve to this day and has even been identified as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. It cost around £4.65 billion to build—80% more than its projected cost.

The Three Gorges Dam. (Photo by Christoph Filnkößl. Distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution Sharealike 3.0 Unported license.)

In China, the Three Gorges Dam is expected to be completed in 2011. This hydroelectric river dam spans the Yangtze River in Yiching, Hubei. It is the largest project the nation has undertaken since the construction of the Great Wall during the time of the Ming Dynasty. The dam will be able to generate 22,500 megawatts, more than any other hydroelectric dam in the world. The dam has had its own problems, including over 1.5 million people being displaced by rising waters, adverse effects on the environment and the loss of various historical sites. Upon its completion, the project will have cost fewer than 180 billion yuan (over $25 billion USD).

The International Space Station.

The most expensive object ever built puts these architectural and technological marvels to shame, though. The International Space Station, being assembled in space, is a joint effort between the United States, Japan, Russia, Canada and the European Space Agency. The project was first announced in 1993 and is expected to be completed in 2010. It has had a crew in residence since late 2000. While it currently only holds a crew of three, it will be able to house a crew of at least six members when it is completed. Its size and the fact that it’s in a low Earth orbit allow it to be seen with the naked eye if one is in the right place while it’s visible. The project is expected to have cost around $157 billion by its completion.

Luxury resort Atlantis, The Palm was the first resort to open on one of Dubai’s infamous artificial islands, The Palm Jumeirah. Of course, no grand opening would be complete without a party and, since it’s in Dubai, it just had to be the most expensive party in the world.

The luxurious beach party was set to have over 2,000 guests and featured an extravagant $6.58 million fireworks display. The highlight of the evening, though, was the 60 minute performance by Kylie Minogue. For her first ever performance in the Middle East, the pop queen banked over $4 million.

While the 1,539 room hotel opened on September 24th 2008, the world’s most expensive party was scheduled nearly two months later on November 20th. Reportedly, the extravagant beach party cost its hosts over $35 million.

And what a profile it has! This enormous hotel is lined with more gold than the cache at Fort Knox. The remainder of this expensive hotel’s façade is made of imported marble. In fact, the only part of the hotel we can safely assume isn’t made of one precious material or another is its mile-long private beach.

The hotel also boasts a nearly 200 foot high atrium, a highly advanced conference center and its own waterfall. The least expensive rooms in the world’s most expensive hotel are the Palace suites, which are each equipped with three bedrooms, a dining room and living room and go for over $700 a night.

In point of fact, the government of Abu Dhabi doesn’t refer to Emirates Palace as a hotel at all. To them, it’s a national landmark. Its name says all you need to know. In every sense of the word, it’s a palace.

How much does public transit in your town cost? According to a recent survey by Citizens Taking Action, a transit watchdog group, most Americans pay a basic fare around $1.53. According to the group, Chicago’s public transportation system is the most expensive in the US at $1.50 for bus fare and $2 to ride the El.

That may not sound like much, but the difference shows when you consider weekly and monthly passes–$17.80 and $58.43 nationally, $24 and $75 in Chicago. The watchdog group’s concern is that fare hikes proposed for 2009 will further widen the gap between the national average and Chicago fares.

Of course, it’s no coincidence that Chicago Transit Authority and Citizens Taking Action share initials and the study to find the national average and America’s most expensive public transit was conducted informally.

Do you know of any public transit prices more expensive than Chicago’s?

The competition is fierce as two giants in the hotel industry vie for the right to call their package the most expensive vacation in the world. The two competitors, Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi and The Leading Hotels of the World, both offer $1 million vacation packages.

Lead Hotels’ package, “Around the World in 80 Ways,” celebrates both their 80th anniversary and the 80th Academy Awards ceremony. Leading Hotels invites two vacationers to take a 28-night journey via private jet. The voyage begins in London and includes twelve destinations, staying in some of the world’s most celebrated hotels along the way. The trip includes a stay at the Lake Palace in Udaipur, India, a hot air balloon ride in Dubai, a traditional tea ceremony in Tokyo and a final stop in New York City.

Emirates Palace’s package is somewhat more localized. Apparently part of a concerted effort to take over the Guinness Book, their package was made with a world record in mind. The vacation starts with a first class trip to Abu Dhabi from anywhere that’s serviced by Etihad Airlines. That’s just the start of the seven-day, all-inclusive stay in one of Emirates Palace’s 7,000+ sq ft Palace Suites. Among the services provided is a daily spa treatment in the Anantara Spa. The package also includes three day trips by private jet—to Iran, where you’ll have a Persian rug hand-made to your specifications; to the Dead Sea Jordan, where you can have your spa treatment in the Kempinski Hotel Ishtar and to Bahrain for a deep-sea diving experience.

Considering their equal pricing, both may take the record. However, when you look at cost per day, Emirates Palace’s package is a clear winner at over $142,000/day as opposed to Leading Hotels’ $35,000/day. Both contenders plan to donate a portion of the profits to charity.

via the WSJ Wealth Blog

H. Stern’s Venus Necklace – $3.17 million

This 110-carat diamond necklace features a number of cushion, square and pear-cut diamonds set in 18k noble gold. Even the clasp is exquisite, featuring a 14-point diamond star. This is truly a piece that looks just as good from behind as it does from the front.

The De Beers’ Marie-Antionette Necklace – $3.7 million

From the De Beers High-Jewellery collection, this luxurious necklace features over 181 carats of mixed cut diamonds. Beneath the deep pink diamond (1.84 carats) on the first string are two yellow diamonds (5.24 and 7.06) along the second and third strings. The 8.05 carat pear-shaped white diamond hanging from the fourth string, though, is the showstopper on this beautiful piece of jewelry.

Neil Lane’s Diamond Necklace – $4 million

The 140 carats of diamonds featured on this valuable necklace feature three different cuts—pear, cushion and teardrop. The diamonds are set in platinum along the six strings that make up this necklace.

Garrard’s Heart of the Kingdom Ruby – $14 million

The most expensive necklace in the world features a 40.63-carat, heart-shaped Burmese ruby surrounded by 155 carats of diamonds. Burmese ruby is one of the most sought after varieties of ruby due to its blood-red hue. This gem is particularly valuable due to its extraordinary size—Burmese rubies rarely exceed a few carats!

The most expensive necklace can also be worn as a tiara.

(via True Cruise)

Project Genesis isn’t Royal Caribbean International’s first enormous cruise ship. Their last endeavor, Freedom of the Seas, also broke records with its ability to carry over 4,000 passengers and its weight in excess of 150,000 tons.

Project Genesis will, of course, break both records. The 1,180 foot long ship will weigh 220,000 tons and carry a maximum of 6,400 passengers and 2,100 crew members. The ship is so big, in fact, that it will have a common area, as large as a football field, called Central Park. Central Park’s piazza will even host street performers and live concerts. Additionally, the park will be surrounded by a variety of restaurants, including fine dining at 150 Central Park, Italian cuisine at Giovanni’s Table and steakhouse fare at Royal Caribbean’s own Chops Grille.

The ship will also include a number of bars ranging from wine bars to the impressive Rising Tide bar—an engineering marvel that actually moves through three decks from Central Park to the public spaces below.

Norway’s Aker Yards is handling the construction of the ship. Their price for building the most expensive cruise ship in the world: $1.24 billion!

Looking at the above image, you might think that this is another one of Dubai’s expensive projects. That couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s the world’s most expensive swimming pool and it’s located at the San Alfonso Del Mar resort in Chile.

The twenty acre pool is as long as three football fields and holds 66 million gallons of saltwater. Its deep end is 115 feet deep. Naturally, it holds the Guinness World Record for being the world’s largest swimming pool.

The water in the pool is in constant circulation, kept clean and clear by a computer-controlled suction and filtration system that draws water in from the ocean at one end and pumps it out at the other. Even at the pool’s deepest point, you can still see the bottom. Not only that, but the water is kept above 78 F in the summer. The nearby ocean water, by contrast, is only around 62 F.

The most expensive swimming pool in the world cost nearly $2 billion to build and requires almost $4 million in annual maintenance.

The imaginatively named Million-Dollar Lure has been capturing the hearts and minds of Americans since 2006, when it was first unveiled. While the publicity certainly helped MacDaddy’s, it also helped some charitable organizations; they received five percent of proceeds from the Million-Dollar Lure.

The Million-Dollar Lure is made of both gold and platinum. It’s also adorned with over four thousand diamonds and rubies, weighing in at 100 carats total.

Furthermore, lest you think the Million-Dollar Lure will never see any action, it was recently used at the 26th Annual Brisbee’s Black and Blue tournament in Baja California, the largest marlin-fishing tournament in the world.

The Million-Dollar Lure isn’t MacDaddy’s only charitable effort, either. Their Pink Ribbon Collection will be showcased in June at the JKC Jewelry Show in Las Vegas. Ten percent of sales from this latest line of luxury lures will be donated to breast cancer research and recovery.

Currently, the most expensive airport is Hong Kong International Airport, located on Chek Lap Kok island in (surprisingly enough) Hong Kong. With over 47 million passengers in 2007, HKIA is also one of the world’s busiest airports. Passengers may fly in or out via a number of airlines, including Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong Express, Air Hong Kong and many others with “Hong Kong” in their names. For its $20 billion construction, the airport was awarded a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Unfortunately for HKIA, it will soon lose that place.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that the new record-breaking aerotropolis is being constructed in Dubai. Dubai World Central International, being constructed south of Dubai near Jebel Ali, will cost $33 billion for its infrastructure alone. The plans call for an airfield that can accommodate the latest superjumbo jets, hotels, shopping malls, two 18-hole golf courses and a residential city that can house 750,000 people. Of course, this sort of project takes a lot of time to complete and DWC is no exception. It isn’t expected to be operational until 2017. By that time, yet another record-breaking airport project may be started.

Other aerotropolises include Brisbane Airport in Australia, Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, Incheon International Airport in South Korea, Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia and at least five within the continental United States.

The tourist season in the Antarctic region is relatively short. The four months from November to February are the only time the temperatures are high enough to make the trip. The tourist season is also the time when the region gets the most sunlight. In December and January, days can last up to 20 hours.

The wildlife you’ll see also depends on when you go. Hatching penguins can be seen in December and November while slightly more mature young can be seen in February. February also brings more whale sightings than any other time of year.

(Photo by Mila Zinkova. Distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license version 3.0.)

The operational cost of an Antarctic voyage, as well as a lack of tourist infrastructure on the mainland, ensures that ticket prices won’t be going down anytime soon.

Antarctic cruises most often start in South America. The largest ships only offer sail-by tours of the continent—no disembarkation from the ship. A cruise to the world’s most expensive destination may cost as little as $5,000 and could climb as high as $26,000 or higher!

The I-93 tunnel. (Photo by Rene Schwietzke. Distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0 license.)

Originally conceived in the 1970s by the Boston Transportation Planning Review, official planning for the project didn’t begin until the early 80s. In 1987, US Congress passed a bill, later overriding a veto by President Reagan, appropriating funds for the Big Dig.

The project suffered from numerous setbacks. The tunnel itself was dug in an area of pipes, utility lines, subway lines and landfills. Additionally, leaks, findings of substandard materials followed by criminal arrests and even a fatal accident have all shut down parts of the project at various points in time.

The most expensive public works project in the US was supposedly finished at the end of 2007. However, as of January 2008, 237 serious leaks are being reported as going unchecked.

Chef Masa Takayama of Masa

Residents of New York City are in luck. A Manhattan restaurant called Masa, after the establishment’s Japanese master chef, Masa Takayama, is the most expensive sushi restaurant in the world. The menu, as it were, is omakase. That means you won’t be entirely in charge of what lands on your plate but, rather, you’ll be trusting the chef to deliver a unique and rarified dining experience. This Japanese-style tasting menu allows chef Takayama to choose, on a daily basis, the freshest fish on the Japanese and American markets.

Of course, if you’re not happy with an authentic sushi experience unless you’re actually in Japan, you can try the restaurant where chef Takayama learned the ropes, Tokyo’s Sushi-ko. Another omakase restaurant, Sushi-ko has seen four generations of sushi specialists and specializes in crab legs and sea urchin. Sushi-ko also just happens to serve the second most expensive sushi.

Reservations at the most expensive sushi bar cost $300 and need to be made at least three weeks in advance. Sushi-ko, on the other hand, will cost you around $175 per meal… and a trip to Japan.

Læsø Saltsyderi, the island’s saltworks, operates in 2008 just as it did in 1008. It’s as much a tourist attraction as it is a producer of salt. In fact, they give lectures to over 60,000 guests annually. That doesn’t mean the salt alone isn’t worth the price of admission, though. Salt master Poul Christensen will assure you that Læsø Saltsyderi produces the world’s best salt.

Læsø Salt can be purchased for 150 Danish kroner per kilo ($29 USD). In addition, the company plans to produce Læsø-salted cheese, sausages and hams in the island’s former dairy and to re-open the church as a health spa where skin diseases may be treated by bathing in byproducts from the production of the most expensive salt in the world.

The Treetent, resembling an overgrown pear, was created by Dutch sculptor and designer Dré Wapenaar. The thirteen-foot tent features a nine-foot-diameter hardwood floor, a round mattress that can comfortably fit two adults and adjustable planetary landing steps.

The most expensive treehouse in the world is an excellent investment for filthy rich persons who want to go camping without dealing with all that inconvenient nature stuff. Unfortunately, it’s a limited edition, so you’ll have to wait in line behind the dozens of celebrities who’ve already staked their claim.

The Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989, a 15 second quake that measured 6.9 on the moment magnitude scale and, coincidentally, the most expensive natural disaster in the US at the time, collapsed a section of the Bay Bridge and caused serious concerns over the bridge’s safety in the event of another major quake.

A series of controversies, ranging from whether to retrofit or entirely replace the offending section of the bridge to whether funding for the project should come from the Bay Area or the entire State of California, delayed construction on the bridge. Finally, it was decided that the Eastern span of the bridge would be replaced and the project would be funded in part by a toll increase from $3.00 to $4.00. As approximately 280,000 cars cross the bridge per day, this is a rather significant source of funding for the project.

Construction of the replacement span began in January of 2002. The project will cost an estimated 6.3 billion dollars, making it second only to Boston’s Big Dig as the most expensive public works project in the US, and is scheduled to be completed in 2012.

Dream Card members have access to Halcyon’s system of charter flights for one-way trips, round trips and single or multiple flights to and from nearly any location in the world. Members have a broad range of aircraft, from Lear jets to helicopters to even jumbo jets, from which to choose their preferred method of travel. Cardholders even get their own PAS (Private Aviation Specialist) and a personal concierge to assist in making dining and entertainment arrangements through an exclusive network of luxury accommodations, services and good guaranteed to satisfy their superior tastes.

Those of us who don’t have $5,000,000 to spare on the world’s most expensive gift card can take comfort, though, in knowing that we can still give our loved ones Amazon gift certificates for up to $5,000.

So how do you rationalize a five grand price tag for a hamburger? Well, you could start with the fact that the burger itself is made of Kobe beef. You could, then, move on to the foie gras—that’s duck or goose liver—and black truffles with which the burger is topped. You could even point out that the burger is served on a brioche truffle bun and is garnished with a sauce containing even more truffles.

Then again, it could be the bottle of Chateau Pétrus 1990 and Ichendorf Brunello stemware, specially imported from Italy, that you get to take home. That may just be what makes the FleurBurger 5000 the world’s most expensive hamburger.

The FleurBurger is available at Fleur de Lys, a traditional French restaurant located in Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. They’ll even mail a certificate to your home just to prove that you ate the world’s most expensive hamburger.

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Able to carry eighteen fishing passengers and ten non-fishing passengers, the Atmosphere has, even at its maximum occupancy, more crew members than passengers. This is necessary, of course, when your ship can deploy a small fleet of custom Jetboats and a Bell 407 helicopter. Passengers on this expensive fishing trip are housed in cabins that are tasteful, comfortable and safe.

As if that wasn’t enough, guests on the Atmosphere can take advantage of a Spa service that offers massages, thalassotherapy and a sauna; a Chilean gourmet nouvelle cuisine and a souvenir gift shop.

It may not be a relaxing day by the lake, but the most expensive fishing trip in the world certainly sounds like a pleasant way to spend your time. Who knows, you may even catch something.

So what does a $500 visit to Shadow Creek include? For starters, you’ll be transported by limo to and from the course. At the course, you’ll find your personal caddie ready to guide you through the world’s most expensive golf course. The holes themselves include steep hills, sharp turns, high ridges and, of course, Shadow Creek itself. The 18th hole is designed to include nearly all of the elements of the previous seventeen in a par five, truly making it the ultimate golf experience.

And, hey, maybe you’ll win back your $500 at one of those casinos that Vegas is so famous for having.

The plane on which these expensive tickets will be used is a double-decker airliner with four engines. The A380 can carry up to 853 passengers in economy configuration or 525 in the usual three-class configuration. These accommodations, eclipsing those of Boeing’s 747, have earned the airliner classification as a superjumbo plane.

The Airbus A380

While the world’s most expensive airline tickets are being auctioned off in 2007, the plane’s first flight was actually in 2005. During its test flight from Toulouse, France, the plane was flown by only six people. Shortly thereafter, the aircraft toured Southeast Asia and Australia for additional testing and promotional purposes.

Boeing has its own superjumbo offering in the works—the 787 Dreamliner. Unfortunately for them, while both companies have been dogged with delays to their superjumbo craft, the Dreamliner won’t be entering service until 2008.

Hotel Cala di Volpe in Costa Smeralda, Italy – Presidential Suite
$27,277/night

Costa Smeralda—the “Emerald Coast”—in northern Sardinia, is home to many draws for the obscenely wealthy, not the least of which is this fabulous suite. The duplex suite has three bedrooms and as many bathrooms, an outdoor saltwater pool and a private gazebo and solarium.

Grand Resort Lagonissi in Athens, Greece – The Royal Villa
$34,088/night

Another three-bedroom suite, the Royal Villa has two pools—an indoor pool and a heated outdoor pool. The nearby marina and beach cement the fact that this suite is a swimmer’s paradise. Visitors will also have access to a private chef to accompany the fully equipped kitchen, a butler and even a pianist.

Hotel President Wilson in Geneva, Switzerland – Royal Penthouse suite
$35,000/night

If you’d prefer a secure suite to an extravagant one, look no further than Switzerland. The Royal Penthouse suite boasts a private elevator, bulletproof windows, armored doors, surveillance cameras and even bedside panic buttons. Of course, it’s not all about security; the suite also features a number of period pieces and stunning views of Mont Blanc and Lake Geneva.

Four Seasons Hotel in New York, USA – Ty Warner Penthouse suite
$35,350/night

With a carpet that’s so expensive that anyone who walks across it must wear special booties provided by the hotel, ample views of the nation’s largest city, a 700 square foot library and even a waterfall in its Zen room, this suite—which covers the hotel’s entire 52nd floor—is truly a luxury location. It’s named after the founder of Ty Inc., manufacturer of the popular Beanie Babies stuffed toys.

The Hotel Martinez in Cannes, France – Penthouse Suite
$37,200/night

The world’s most expensive hotel suite is located on the seventh floor of the Hotel Martinez, already a ritzy location with its Michelin-starred restaurant and prime location on the Croisette in Cannes. The suite itself consists of four bedrooms and an impressive terrace—complete with Jacuzzi—which commands an equally impressive view of the Mediterranean Sea.

With Valentine’s Day coming up, there is no doubt that there are some expensive meals on the menu. If your appetite is enormous and you have a bank account to match, then maybe this 10-course gourmet meal served on February 10, 2007 is for you.

The Dome Restaurant in Bankok, Thailand served up what was billed as the most expensive meal ever sold this past weekend. The six chefs who prepared this expensive meal were flown in from France, Germany and Italy. Similarly, the ingredients they used were also flown in from all over the world. As for the guest-list, it was made up of 15 people, mostly real estate and gaming moguls from Across Asia and the United States. The cost of the most expensive meal was about $30,000, not including tax and tip.

The expensive meal’s wine list certainly fit the bill. It was estimated that the wine list totaled around $200,000 and included a rare Rothschild estate wine. Fine champagne was also available. When guest Sophiane Foster was asked how she was enjoying the meal she was quoted during her eighth course, saying: “I can’t finish it. Your senses can only take so much.”

The Menu for the World’s most expensive meal
(as reported in Britain’s Guardian newspaper)

Crème brûlée of foie gras with Tonga beans
Alain Soliveres (chef)
1990 Louis Roederer Cristal

Tartar of Kobe beef with Imperial Beluga caviar and Belons oyster
Antoine Westermann
1995 Krug Clos du Mesnil

Mousseline of pattes rouges crayfish with morel mushroom infusion
Alain Soliveres
2000 Corton-Charlemagne, Domaine Jean François Coche-Dury

Tarte Fine with scallops and black truffle
Antoine Westermann
1996 Le Montrachet, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti

Lobster Osso Buczco
Jean-Michel Lorain
1985 Romanée-Conti, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti

Ravioli with guinea fowl and burrata cheese, veal reduction
Annie Feolde
1961 Château Palmer

Saddle of lamb “Léonel”
Marc Meneau
1959 Château Mouton Rothschild

Sorbet “Dom Pérignon”

Supreme of pigeon en croute with cèpes mushroom sauce and cipollotti
Heinz Winkler
1961 Château Haut-Brion

Veal cheeks with Périgord truffles
Heinz Winkler
1955 Château Latour

Imperial gingerbread pyramid with caramel and salted butter ice-cream
Jean-Michel Lorain
1967 Château d’Yquem

The most expensive item ever sold on eBay was a 405-foot, steel mega-yacht (marketed as a Gigayacht) auctioned by the Fort. Lauderdale, FL based company, 4Yacht and designed by naval architect Frank Mulder of Mulder Design. The yacht was offered up for auction on eBay November 3rd, 2006 with a “buy now” price of $85 million. The price paid your 50% deposit of the full purchase price of $168,000,000.00 total. The sale of the most expensive eBay item coincided with the 46th Annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. Craig Timm, President of 4Yacht Inc, is a strong advocate of using eBay as an additional marketing tool for his company competing in a global market.

4Yacht is at it again, as of January 2007, they are currently auctioning off another one of their Giga-yachts for a deposit of $99 million. Some of the astounding features of the yacht include: a range 16,000 NM, a helicopter garage, and fourteen multi-level VIP suites with panoramic views. If sold on eBay, this year’s edition of the yacht will hold the title of the most expensive item on eBay.

Expensive resorts offer a vacation experience in tropical destinations in total seclusion. The top luxury resorts are often private islands booked in exclusion by single groups for staggering amounts of money. The market for ultra high-end resort bookings has increased as the wealth around the world has been created and concentrated. If you were incredibly rich, would you want to know just what is the most expensive resort in the world?

The world’s most expensive resort is currently is Peter Nygard’s Nygard Cay Beach Resort a private cay in New Providence, Bahamas. This 10 bedroom ultra-resort vacation rental will cost you $30,000 per day in 2006 and $35,000 per day in 2007.

The most expensive resort rental includes exclusive use of the Nygard Cay property with 2 pools, 5 Jacuzzi/whirlpools, tennis court, 2 volleyball courts, basketball court, a 24 seat movie theater, 3 boats including a 48′ fishing vessel, all your food and drink, 2 Hummer SUVs, and a staff of about 20. Bookings for Nygard Cay are being handled exclusively through Unusual Villa Rentals.

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The Annaliesse and her sister ship, Alysia are the world’s most expensive charter yachts. These recently built 85.3 meter (280ft) yachts are the first to be launched with SOLAS classification available for the charter market. Not only are they the most expensive yachts available for charter at a rate of €94,500 per day, €661,500 per week, they are also the most luxurious with impressive facilities.

The ships are equipped to carry up to 36 passengers with 34 crew and a range of over 7,000 nautical miles. The expensive yachts offers 2,400 sq meters (25,833 sq feet) of guest space. On board facilities may help explain the price of the most expensive yacht charter: a marble faced Roman bath, saunas, steam rooms, cold plunge pools, Jacuzzis, a beauty salon, therapy beds and massage facilities, a fully equipped gymnasium, cinema, library, business center, creche, and a helicopter landing pad.

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New York’s Fifth Avenue has retained the number one position as the world’s most expensive shopping street, according to Main Streets Across the World 2006, an annual report by the real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield. An average 1,000 sq ft (93 sq m) location on Fifth Avenue, at the most expensive stretch near the intersection with 57th Street, now costs around 1.35 million USD per year.

The trendy Abercrombie & Fitch flagship at 56th Street and Nokia’s flagship on East 57th Street, which follows Apple Computer’s success at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street, as consumers continue to pursue advances in technology and communication, are among this year’s most high-profile openings on Fifth Avenue.

Top 5 Most Expensive Shopping Streets

1. 5th Avenue, New York, USA
2. Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
3. Avenue des Champs Elysées, Paris, France
4. New Bond Street, London, UK
5. Ginza, Tokyo, Japan

Source: Cushman & Wakefield

Main Streets Across the World 2006 tracks retail rents in the world’s 233 most expensive shopping locations across 47 countries around the world. The report’s global league table is drawn up by taking the most expensive shopping street in each of the countries monitored. On a regional basis, Asia Pacific has seen the highest rental increases in local currency terms; rents are up 20 per cent in the year to June 2006.