I heart Google
I live in the coastal San Diego area and miss the magic of snowflakes. This doesn’t take the place of that magic, but I love the creativity (even if there are a few nagging doubts about Google “getting” my searches).
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Jolly Holidays to all!
We welcome guest writers from time to time, and today Nisha Sharma shares her expertise in another type of luxury travel: Luxury villas around the world that might be rented on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. This is perfect for families, groups or simply those who treasure their privacy.
Luxury Ocean Front Villa
St. Martin is an island of exquisite natural beauty, with turquoise water and white sand. There are many luxury villas on this island, and some of the best are expansive and directly on the beach. La Dacha, located in Terres Basses, is a cliff-side villa with heart-stopping ocean views. It features five bedrooms and a pool, and is surrounded by lush greenery and gardens, beats any family holiday park. This villa runs approximately US $6,500 per night.
Timbavati Game Reserve in South Africa offers a unique holiday retreat for safari enthusiasts. The Waterbuck lodge is a private villa located on a private game reserve, offering unique chances to see Africa’s Big Five game up close–including the park’s world famous white lions. The villa offers all the amenities of a luxury retreat, including spa and dining options, with the natural benefits of camping out in the wilds of Africa. This villa costs approximately R37,000 per night, or US $4,500, and can accommodate up to 8 people. Continue reading
They say you can never be too thin or too rich, but belt-tightening is sending a cold chill through Wall Street that could well spread to Main Street and beyond, according to various reports.
Luxury stocks may be taking a hit, but the recession hits home hardest for employees facing layoffs at Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase and many other financial institutions that occupy Wall Street. If not facing unemployment, these and other employees and executives may be facing furloughs, salary reductions, slashed year-end bonuses along with uncertain financial footing.
That fear and uncertainty will surely cause many to trim traveling plans, modify shopping habits, and pay less attention to the $65 billion luxury retail market in the United States–and Reuters reports that New York alone spends a third of that on luxury goods, restaurants, travel and automobiles. Of course, the ripple will also be strongly felt in the luxury real estate market where demand for $2 million-and-up apartments has already softened in favor of those under a million.
CNBC reports relates the story of one bank executive who, fearing the possibility of a layoff, has very modest spending plans for any bonus he might receive this year, Meanwhile the Occupy Wall Street movement has put a damper on spending. According to Reuters:
Even those who are still getting big bonuses may hesitate to flaunt their wealth in New York this year given the Occupy Wall Street protests have been growing from a camp set up near the New York Stock Exchange. A number of finance industry leaders have said they understand the anger of the protesters, many of whom are concerned about a lack of jobs and growing income inequality.
Will the luxury gloom spread elsewhere in the United States? We’re watching it closely–and the shopping statistics should tell us much in the next two months.
More and more, we are receiving requests for homes in San Diego that will accommodate all living generations in a family. It’s an emerging trend and one which might grab the attention of builders in years to come.Depending upon circumstances, these blended families may also want to discuss financial, maintenance and upkeep responsibilities–and who takes care of what. And these are likely new issues for current generations of Americans. In prior generations and in other cultures, it is recognized that infants, children, the disabled and the elderly may need the care of those in between. It is simple knowledge that given a full life, we will all pass through most of these stages and it is incumbent upon the able-bodied to take care of more helpless family members.
As they say, what goes around, comes around–and is all part of the circle of life.
Luxury Home Mail Delivery
There may be lots of dismal news about the real estate economy, but there is still lots of interest in the luxury home market–and curiosity about the most expensive zip codes for median home prices. Ever on top of these things, Forbes.com has compiled a list of the top 500 zip codes in the country and which certainly reach beyond the dominating states of California and New York.
The top 25 most expensive zip codes are controlled by California with 13 and New York with 10. New Jersey and Maryland each have one. Money and wealth, it seems, appear to gravitate toward the West or East coasts.
In the list below, cities are zip code specific and median prices are shown. Note that in some cases ranking may be separated by only a few thousand (or hundred) dollars.
| 1. | Duarte, CA | 91008 | $4,276,462 |
| 2. | Atherton, CA | 94026 | $4,010,200 |
| 3. | Rolling Hills, CA | 90274 | $3,892,456 |
| 4. | Alpine, NJ | 07620 | $3,814.885 |
| 5. | New York, NY | 10014 | $3,785,445 |
| 6. | Beverly Hills, CA | 90210 | $3,684,150 |
| 7. | New York, NY | 10065 | $3,626,001 |
| 8. | Belvedere, CA | 94920 | $3,283,269 |
| 9. | New York, NY | 10012 | $3,221,371 |
| 10. | Santa Barbara, CA | 93108 | $3,151,220 |
| 11. | Old Westbury, NY | 11568 | $3,110,769 |
| 12. | New York, NY | 10013 | $3,101,848 |
| 13. | Rancho Santa Fe, CA | 92067 | $3,055,740 |
| 14. | Hidden Hills, CA | 91302 | $3,055,538 |
| 15. | Los Altos, CA | 94022 | $3,048,846 |
| 16. | Newport Beach, CA | 92661 | $3,036,601 |
| 17. | Watermill, NY | 11976 | $3,006,849 |
| 18. | Los Altos Hills, CA | 94024 | $2,974,058 |
| 19. | Bridgehampton, | 11932 | $2,959,231 |
| 20. | Hillsborough, CA | 94010 | $2,948,423 |
| 21. | Mill Neck, NY | 11765 | $2,835,000 |
| 22. | New York, NY | 10003 | $2,925,587 |
| 23. | Gibson Island, MD | 21056 | $2,765,385 |
| 24. | Malibu, CA | 90265 | $2,730,577 |
| 25. | New York, NY | 10021 | $2,671.667 |
Martin Blunos with $170 Sandwich
Years ago, Chef Madelyn in Big Bear Lake offered a $99 peanut butter and jelly sandwich picnic–paired with a bottle of Dom Perignon. It was a relative bargain, considering cost of the wine. It also caused more than a few chuckles among pilots who flew in and out of the little Big Bear Airport, where her restaurant was located.
In London, though, BBC TV chef Martin Blunos has crafted a truffle-infused cheese sandwich on bread that is literally sprinkled with gold dust and carries an expensive price tag that will likely break a Guinness record of some sort–and for a time is touted as the most expensive sandwich in the world.
According to the Daily Mail, who initially reported the story, the concoction is spiked with 100-year-old balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil and layered with slices of quail egg, black heirloom tomatoes, epicure apple and fresh figs. Salad crunchies consisted of mustard red frills, pea shoots and red amaranth.
It’s the special white truffle blended cheese (crafted by premier cheese-makers Pilgrim’s Choice) that gives the sandwich both its unique flavor and hefty price tag.
Free MIT Education
Sometimes we stumble across unexpected treasures, including articles written a couple of years ago.
This one is too rich not to share again: A Free MIT Education.
Thanks to a web-based electronic publishing initiative, this incredible opportunity from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is being generously funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and MIT with support of the Ab Initio software firm.
It is an opportunity of a lifetime for self-learners and those gifted with spare time and curiosity. There are now over 2000 courses available, ranging from engineering (of course) to foreign languages, philosophy, history, urban and women studies and special offerings from the Sloan School of Management.
How does the system work?
It is a publication of MIT course materials that do not require any registration, attendance or homework. You are on your own and work at your own pace. No degrees or certifications are granted, nor is there access to the MIT faculty.
The cost? Free.
The benefit? Priceless.
See you in class?
Wine Barrel Flooring
Most of us appreciate the earthy luxury of a true wine cellar and also see the value of repurposed materials emerging as elements in our homes. But how about a slice from the best of both worlds and have rich wood flooring crafted from old California wine barrels?
I’ve seen serving trays and other novelties emerge from wine barrel tops, but hardwood flooring from the actual wine barrel offers some beautiful possibilities. Fontenay Woods is likely the original source of reclaimed barrel flooring, and handcrafts each plank for custom installation.
Their Vintage Barrel Collection includes three wine barrel sources:
Their goal, says Fontenay, is to provide an elegant product that “is guaranteed for life.”
Now, how to recycle all the wine bottles–with least processing possible?
A couple of years ago we were buzzing about the possibility of Slumburbias–where Baby Boomers were abandoning cul de sacs, suburbs and the McMansions battled for a decade ago. Instead, they wanted something smaller, something in a walkable neighborhood, something that didn’t require 100 square feet devoted to lawn mowers, clippers and tools.
They still long for the freedom to lock and go, the freedom to travel, the freedom from having to care and climatize square footage they don’t even visit for weeks at a time. Kids have either moved on or are hanging on and something without a grand staircase sounds mighty inviting to knees that remember prior injuries.
Today, CNBC reports that the McMansions, Starter Castles, Garage Mahals and Faux Chateaus–or whatever you want to call them —are history. These days, few are seeking 4000 square foot two-story boxes that sit 15 feet from their neighbor’s Plan II Tuscan with 3800 square feet–each with granite and stainless kitchens, epoxied garage floors and mind-numbing sameness. The article goes on…
Just 9 percent of the people surveyed by Trulia said their ideal home size was over 3,200 square feet. Meanwhile, more than one-third said their ideal size was under 2,000 feet.
“That’s something that would’ve been unbelievable just a few years back,” said Pete Flint, CEO and co-founder of Trulia. “Americans are moving away from McMansions.”
We are seeing much the same in our San Diego real estate practice. There is great demand for single story homes, neighborhoods where one can walk to a store, where life can be simpler and more easily managed. And, of course, it also helps if this downsized San Diego home has the luxury of sitting on the beach–or fronting the golf course at La Costa, Fairbanks Ranch or Rancho Santa Fe.
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We are making reservations now to attend the National Association of Realtors NAR NARDIGRAS, which will logically be held in New Orleans, November 4 through November 8. We are arriving a couple of days early to attend a two day Cyberprofessional meeting and will spend the balance of our time in unspecified meetings–but will additionally be taking photos and reviewing lodging, restaurants and local “catches.”
Time will understandably be limited.
Can any of our readers suggest an interesting Bed and Breakfast or small Inn in the French Quarter or Garden District in New Orleans? Something picturesque? Maybe even something haunted?
Mostly, Scott and I are seeking something to capture in the viewfinder–and some stories to tell. Reviews are guaranteed!
We welcome your suggestions and will happily publish relevant links.
