The French Riviera is famous for a lot of things – beaches, glamour and sophistication – but the image it perhaps conveys most is an affluent lifestyle.
Whether it is the movie jet set attending film festivals in Cannes or their film production companies using casinos in Monte Carlo as the backdrop to their latest caper, the Riviera has been a playground for the wealthy for more than 150 years.
Some European aristocrats built impressive homes there that remain among the most spectacular anywhere in the world.
Le Chateau Malet is one such example. The house sits on a 14-acre site in the hillsides of Cap D’Ail, overlooking Monaco’s yacht-filled harbours.
Le Chateau Malet was built in 1892 for Sir Edward Malet, who at the time was Britain’s ambassador to the German empire. He appointed the Danish architect Hans-Georg Tersling, who designed Monte Carlo’s Metropole Hotel, to create the home for him.
It was completed in 1896, but extended in 1961 when the French architect Secondo Buzzi created an adjoining, perpendicular property. At the same time, the English architect Russell Page redeveloped the ground’s extensive gardens.
The property’s present grounds have olive trees, a rose garden, a palm grove and a number of exotic plants, as well as a rock garden pond with water lilies. It has a swimming pool that is 18 metres long and six metres wide that cascades between different levels.
Inside, it has 800 square metres of living space. There are reception rooms, a library, a dining room, a kitchen, a scullery, a cold store and guest toilets. There is also a 200-square metre Italian ballroom with a ceiling height of 15 metres. One wing contains a pool house, shower rooms and toilets, while another is used for staff and has two bedrooms, a bathroom, toilets and a service entrance.
Upstairs, there are five en suite bedrooms (two of which have their own lounges) and a laundry. There is also a staff apartment with two bedrooms, a bathroom and toilets, and a 220-square metre basement with its own wine cellar.
With two caretakers’ homes on the grounds of the property, it has a total of 12 bedrooms and eight bathrooms. Such a special property comes with an equally distinctive price tag. It is on the market for €48 million (Dh196m). This may seem steep to some, but is less than the €75m it was reportedly marketed for two years ago.
q&a access to the high life
The Emile Garcin Real Estate Group tells us more about the chateau:
What’s so special about Le Chateau Malet?
Homes of this stature only come onto the market “very, very rarely”. The property’s size and its location are key selling points. There are few properties with 1,000 square metres of space on a 14-acre site that is just five minutes away from Monaco. The diplomat who built it hosted members of royal families from several European countries, including Britain’s Queen Victoria and King Edward VII.
What about security?
The site is fully fenced off. There is a videophone entry system and electric gates.
What about the area?
Cap D’Ail has a beach, coastal walks and woods to explore, but Monaco is the star attraction. Some of the world’s most spectacular yachts are moored in its harbour, and there are palaces, cathedrals and an old town to explore. The principality is also a petrolhead’s dream. The highlight is the most famous event on the F1 GP Championship, the Monaco Grand Prix. But there is also a historic grand prix event for classic cars, the Monte Carlo Rally in January.
How accessible is it?
If you are in a rush to attend to business back home, private jets can be arranged from Monte Carlo. The nearest commercial airport is Nice International, which is 25 minutes away by road – or six minutes by helicopter transfer. Emirates flies directly to Nice from Dubai International Airport.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
if you go
The flights
Emirates flies to Delhi with fares starting from around Dh760 return, while Etihad fares cost about Dh783 return. From Delhi, there are connecting flights to Lucknow.
Where to stay
It is advisable to stay in Lucknow and make a day trip to Kannauj. A stay at the Lebua Lucknow hotel, a traditional Lucknowi mansion, is recommended. Prices start from Dh300 per night (excluding taxes).
Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.