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Everybody’s idea of affordable luxury is different. What some consider a reasonable sum for a luxury hotel per night, offers may consider a fortune. However, reports show that some luxury villas cost the same per night as an average family sedan.

Take the 2011 Ford Taurus, for example. Described as a balance of beauty and strength with a well-appointed console of features, prices for a basic model start from $26,245. Not a bad price for hopefully seven years of comfortable family motoring. But would you be happy paying that same amount per night for a luxury villa?

The Caribbean island of St Barts is where the wealthiest travelers seek rest and relaxation, far from the stresses of the remainder of the world. But a six-bedroom, six-bathroom estate at the Sand Club apparently costs between $21,428 and $35,714 per night, depending upon the season.

A beachfront location, stunning pool deck and a wine cellar are included along with breathtaking waterfront views across Flambards Beach and staff at your disposal 24/7. Alternatively, checkout the luxury hotels on Anguilla, St Martin and St Barthelemy for great value with Luxique.com and put the savings towards that new sedan!

by Gillian

Property developers on Spain’s holiday coasts were already feeling the pinch well before the present credit crunch.
Hundreds of estate agency offices have closed in the past year since the bubble burst on a construction boom that had been powering Spain’s economy for some ten years.

One company on the Costa del Sol recently resorted to desperate measures in an attempt to sell new homes – offering two for the price of one.

At the Malaga property fair, the company said that buyers of one of its £620,000 ($1 million) beachside homes would also get a one-bedroom flat at a golf resort.

Organisers of the fair reported a significant drop in exhibitors at this year’s event and added that the price of homes on offer had fallen by up to 20 per cent from last year.

The President of Spain’s Association of Constructors and Developers, Guillermo Chicote, said the industry desperately needed government help to aid its recovery. “If the government doesn’t react, this situation could last for another three or four years,” he said.

Even super-rich celebrities are not immune to the property squeeze in Spain. David and Victoria Beckham have apparently been trying to sell their luxury villa in the capital, Madrid, since last year when the couple moved to the US. The price has reportedly come down from £5 million ($8.6 million) to £3 million ($5.2 million).

The five-room villa in the chic suburb of La Moraleja is ‘incredible’ according to the selling agent. It includes two acres of land, a swimming pool, tennis courts, a small soccer pitch and a children’s playground.

by Andy Moreton

Luxique offers a selection of luxury and boutique hotels throughout Spain, including two boutique hotels in Malaga and 12 luxury hotels in the Costa del Sol region.

“At this price, we are beyond luxury and even reality.”  That was the view in a local newspaper about the sale of the spectacular Villa Leopolda on the French Riviera.

The price tag is in the region of a cool £390 million ($720 million), making it probably the most expensive home on the planet.

Villa Leopolda is situated in the town of Villefranche-sur-Mer on the fashionable Cote d’Azur and was built in 1902 for King Leopold of the Belgians, who died before it was completed. 

The present owner is Lily Safra, the widow of a Lebanese banker, and it was widely reported recently that she’d sold it to a Russian billionaire, Mikhail Prokhorov.  His company have denied the story, but it seems certain to have been sold to one Russian oil oligarch or another.  They’re all apparently clamouring for an exclusive home, preferably in the South of France or London.

Whoever eventually buys this piece of real estate will get a sprawling cream-coloured villa set in 20 acres of lush grounds, looked after by 50 full-time gardeners.  It’s a place that’s hosted the rich and famous over the years, including Ronald Reagan and Frank Sinatra.

But even this spectacular building could pale into insignificance next year when the world’s fifth richest man, the Indian industrialist Mukesh Ambani, moves into the 27-storey property he has built to house his family and offices in Mumbai.

With a value reported to be up to £1 billion ($2 billion), the design is said to have been inspired by the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.  

by Andy Moreton

Luxique can offer a range of more than 30 luxury Cote d’Azur hotels.