“After reading other members’ ideas of luxury, I agree with the private space that people desire. I recently purchased a very special place on this planet. It is an old gold mine nestled in the mountains in northern Arizona, not far away from the Grand Canyon. I intend on building my next estate there. Having the luxury of being surrounded by nature’s beauty, that took forever to create, and being able to count all of your neighbors on one hand, is truly a blessing. Being close to civilization for convenience, and yet still being in the countryside, is a challenge at best in this world of six billion people. Privacy and sanity goes hand-and-hand in my honest opinion. With the pace of today’s business, “me” time is a valued asset & that is my idea of having a luxury lifestyle.”

Terence Delaney, a LuxuryLifestyle reader, via email

What’s your idea of luxury? Send your thoughts to our editor and we will publish them in a future issue.

Urban Time Shares Hit Hotel Luxuries of Manhattan

Not everyone can afford a posh second home in New York City, but an increasing number of people may soon be able to own at least part of one, thanks to the emergence of time-share properties in urban areas. Once found exclusively in resort areas, time shares are now steadily expanding into big cities.

In February, Starwood began selling time shares at the St. Regis Hotel at 55th Street and Fifth Avenue. Buyers can purchase accommodations in 22 units in 28-day increments at prices ranging from $195,000 for a studio to $750,000 for the priciest two-bedroom. So far, roughly a third of the intervals have been sold.

The popularity of urban time shares may also depend in large part on how successfully the industry has shaken off its somewhat dubious reputation. “At one time, there were a lot of shady deals,” said John A. Fox, senior vice president at PKF Consulting, which specializes in hotels. “There were a lot of less-than-well-thought-out projects. Now, you’ve got very reputable nationally recognized companies that are in the business, and there’s a legitimacy that didn’t exist, even perhaps five years ago.”

Britons “in the Money”

The number of British millionaires will more than quadruple to 1.7 million by 2020, according to a study. The increase will be fuelled by an estimated 71 per cent rise in the housing market, says the Centre for Economics and Business Research. At present, there are 376,000 millionaires in Britain.

LuxuryLifestyle.com is now a leading source of luxury news and articles from around the world, updated daily. Visit our front-page Luxury News section for more.

Dear LL,

I have been scanning through the Classifieds section for some time, and it looks like a great resource for buyers and sellers alike. However, I’d like some advice- I am selling a vacation apartment and I think it looks like a good idea to place it on the Classifieds. I do however have a number of smaller antique items that I am considering placing on LL as well. They are rare items (definitely classed as luxury items), but is it really worth putting these smaller articles onto the Classifieds? Thanks in advance for your help.

Nicky, Canada