Inside A $400 Million Maldives Resort, A New French Riviera Villa And More Travel News
The Maldives is renowned for its quiet luxuries—overwater villas with plunge pools, candlelight dinners on the beach, and of course private butlers. But hospitality entrepreneur Ahmed Siyam Mohamed understood that some guests actually want to turn up the volume on vacation. For those travelers he took a big risk, spending an estimated $400 million to build Siyam World, an all-inclusive resort in the Noonu Atoll. Among the activities at the property are a horse ranch, a go-kart track, hydrofoil e-bikes and a jet car—for those who like to make waves when they drive.
.
Billionaires can basically afford any indulgence they want—private concerts by pop stars, personal submarines, trips to space—but which of those perks wouldn't they give up? In an exclusive new survey, Forbes asked billionaires: What's the one luxury you can't live without? The overwhelming answer was a real time saver.
.
By the time F. Scott Fitzgerald immortalized the Hôtel du Cap-Eden Roc as Hôtel des Étrangers in Tender is the Night, the French Riviera resort had already been a chic destination for nearly 50 years. It was so posh that until 2006, the property didn't accept credit cards—only cash. But the Hôtel du Cap is always innovating. And it recently opened its second luxury villa: The Provencal-inspired Villa La Guittière was originally built in the 1970s and underwent a years-long renovation to bring it up to 21st century standards, including a spa, a wine cellar and a private screening room. Rates for the nine-bedroom compound start at around $73,000 a night
This is the published version of Forbes' Passport newsletter, which offers a first-class guide to luxury travel. Click here to get it delivered to your inbox every Friday.
.
Flight attendants may be on board to assist passengers, but sometimes they don't want to be understood. And among the crew lingo you may not want to overhear are Code 300, Squawk 7500 and Pan-Pan. Oh, and you sure don't want to be a VIP in their eyes. Here's a handy decoder for the code words used by flight attendants.
'The Riviera isn't only a sunny place for shady people.'
.
Every year since 2022, some 12 million travelers have gone on an overnight vacation that included at least one round of golf. While most courses have a regional appeal, there are an increasing number of national brands that are embracing a modern approach to golf tourism. From Florida to Oregon, here are 10 extraordinary golf resorts offering play-and-stay experiences.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Former Oakland flight attendants hope to be 'America's Favorite Couple'
The Brief Billy and Brenda Marshall hope to be "America's Favorite Couple." They met 22 years ago at the Oakland International Airport. The grand prize is $20,000, which they want to use to go to Italy. MOUNTAIN HOUSE, Calif. - Billy and Brenda Marshall celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary on Wednesday and their big gift to each other will be a trip to Italy – if they become "America's Favorite Couple." Secret to marriage "We're always dating," Billy said in an interview. "We've always found time to date each other. And I think that's definitely what's worked for us." One of their favorite go-to dates is a night out in San Francisco, where they love this hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant on 30th, then dancing, a bar, or "wherever the night takes us," Brenda said. Met at Oakland airport The pair, who met as North American Airlines flight attendants working at Oakland International Airport 22 years ago, are trying to drum up votes to win the contest, where the first prize is $20,000, which they want to use to go to Italy, for a honeymoon they never really got. The contest is a partnership between and Colossal, an online site for philanthropic competitions. The Marshalls decided to enter the contest because Brenda's sister encouraged them to do so. Brenda was born in Nicaragua and raised in San Mateo since she was 3, and Billy was born and raised in Oakland. The pair now live in Mountain House in San Joaquin County, and have four adult children, ages 27, 24, 20 and18. They moved to the spacious home eight years ago from Livermore, where they said they return to all the time. Love story origins Their love story began with a delayed flight in 2003. The two were stuck with each other for 11 hours and the two "laughed all night," Brenda said. "He's throwing ice chips because we're working together on the cart," Brenda said. "People are laughing at us. And the whole time I'm like, this is not happening. This is not real. So because he delayed the flight, he asked everybody out for drinks later. Myself and another flight attendant went when he dropped us back off. I was the only one that got a kiss on the cheek." Supermom with sass, selfless The two are no longer flight attendants. Billy works as a corporate dining general manager at a tech company and Brenda runs a daycare out of their home. Billy loves that Brenda is a supermom and has some Latin sass. "She's definitely spicy," he said. Brenda loves that Billy is selfless, even if he can't say no to anyone who asks for help. "He's so selfless, he's always available for people," she said. Contest encourages publicity The contest definitely has its gimmicks, such as encouraging couples to get as much publicity and social media hype as they can, which means more eyeballs for The winning couple also gets to appear in a Variety advertorial, complete with professional photos. The contest was the idea of actor Jeff Goldblum and his wife Emilie Golblum, who is an Olympic rhythm gymnast, according to Variety's website. The contest promises to raise money for Oceana and the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. Couples win with votes from the public. Voters who want to vote more than once for their favorite couple can pay for more votes, which ends up going to these nonprofits. Billy said that he and Brenda said the nonprofit donations are especially meaningful to them. They have had their share of hardships, and they depended on Alameda County Food Bank to help them in the past, when Billy lost his job after moving back to the Bay Area from Texas. "We used all our resources to get back home," Billy said. "I was laid off and so we had nothing." He said their family had to rely on the food shelters to get through the holidays, but their kids were young and thought it was great. Public voting It's unclear just how many couples entered the contest. A spokesperson for the contest did not respond for comment. Billy said he believes at least 2,300 couples entered the first round. Some, like he and Brenda, are pushing out their stories, hoping their friends, family and strangers will vote for them. But through internet research, some of those couples include a Texan husband and wife who love rainbows, Phish fans. an Indiana pair who met on Valentine's Day 30 years ago, high school sweethearts who met in 10th grade English. The Marshalls have made it to the quarterfinals, which end on Aug. 21. After that, public voting will determine the top quarterfinalists who will then advance to the semifinals, which begin Aug. 22. Finals begin Aug. 29 and end Sept. 4. The grand prize winners will be announced on or around Sept. 19. To learn more, click here. Solve the daily Crossword
Condé Nast Traveler
2 hours ago
- Condé Nast Traveler
Dune Boutique Hotel
Why book? For an intimate, 22-room hotel right on the sand in the middle of Tulum's Hotel Zone. Dune manages to channel the best of the area's barefoot luxury without costing an arm and a leg. Set the scene After arriving by car along a 'road' in the loosest sense of the word, I was a bit frazzled when walking into the reception area of Dune. But as I was escorted to my room—one of only 22—I immediately felt a shift. The pathway through the sand was framed by an intricate arched tunnel of woven wood, and when I emerged at the other end, I was greeted by sea views straight ahead, a sparkling swimming pool off to one side, and the hotel's open-air restaurant with its soundtrack of lounge music nearby. It was immediately relaxing and quietly glamorous. The backstory Dune is a true boutique hotel, operating as a stand-alone, adults-only property that opened in 2017. The rooms The rooms at Dune channel the property's breezy, beach house-meets-Mediterranean vibe: whitewashed walls, smooth concrete floors, gauzy curtains that sway with the sea breeze, and just enough natural wood accents to make it feel warm. If you can, book one of the beachfront rooms with a private plunge pool, as they give you sunrise views from bed and a front-row seat to the sea. That said, the garden-view rooms are more affordable and still open out to the sand. I booked the Superior Room Top Floor, which was large and comfortable, but required a steep climb and afforded no views. Food and drink Meals at Dune are Mayan cuisine by the beach—fresh, unfussy, and consistently solid. Think fresh fruit, yogurt with granola, and green juice at breakfast, which is included in your room rate. Traditional tacos, fajitas, and ceviche are lunch fare, while dinner becomes more elevated with octopus, steak, and pasta. The spa While Dune offers an open-air spa overlooking the sea, the cozy space is only meant to serve one guest or couple at a time. Additionally, it adopts a traditional Tulum lifestyle by offering daily yoga classes and rituals like temazcal and moon ceremonies. The neighborhood/area Dune is a relatively quiet property, but it is located in the party area along Tulum's Beach Road and abuts a neighboring beach club with a high-energy evening scene—meaning the late-night beats may filter into guest rooms. During the day, the area feels calm, but once the sun sets, Beach Road transforms into a parade of partygoers. At the end of the day, walking back through Dune's woven tunnel feels cinematic: One moment you're in a lantern-lit world of daybeds on the sand, and the next you're in the thrum of Tulum's nightlife. The service Service at Dune strikes a balance between warm and low-key—attentive without hovering. Staff greet you by name and the concierge team is quick to respond, sending welcoming WhatsApp messages before arrival and checking in throughout your stay. Eco effort Despite its luxe aesthetic, Dune's commitment to sustainability is evident. Near the lobby, the hotel's vertical farm glows under LED lights, supplying fresh herbs and greens to the restaurant's menu of sustainably caught seafood and locally sourced produce. Solar panels and on-site wastewater treatment facilities quietly handle much of the property's energy and water needs. And, in a nod to the sea turtles that nest along this stretch of beach, nighttime lighting is kept deliberately low and shifts to red tones to ensure both guests and wildlife can enjoy the moonlit shoreline. Accessibility Unfortunately, Dune is not very accessible for guests with accessibility needs. Built on the sand, there are no flat surfaces connecting the lobby to rooms or the restaurant, and no elevators to access higher floors or the spa. Anything left to mention? All rooms at Dune are equipped with empty mini fridges, and there is a convenience store directly across the street to stock up on drinks and snacks. Just note, however, the hotel does not allow guests to bring their own drinks or snacks to the pool or beach area.
Skift
3 hours ago
- Skift
Canadian Border Crossings to the U.S. Show Another Steep Decline
Canadians are continuing to shun travel to the U.S., according to data released this week from Statistics Canada, which measured the number of Canadian residents returning from the U.S. The number of Canadians returning by car from the U.S. fell 37% in July from the same month in 2024. It was the seventh straight month of
