Quick Hits of What’s Hot in Luxury Lifestyle News

Navigator collates its pick of the hottest luxury lifestyle news into bite-size chunks.

BOCA IS BACK

A hidden treasure, The Yacht Club at the Boca Raton Resort & Club is the latest addition to stunning stretch of coastline famous for its beaches, arts, culture, and events. Offering a luxury boutique waterfront experience, the new Yacht Club’s 112 guest suites provide views of the Intracoastal Waterway, Lake Boca, the Marina, and the Atlantic Ocean. Along with the 32-slip marina, accommodating yachts of up to 170 feet (52m), the 350-acre Waldorf Astoria Resort includes two 18-hole championship golf courses, tennis courts, all manner of sporting activities, a spa, beach club (and half-mile private beach), 15 restaurants and lounges, and an array of pools at the various other accommodations that are dotted around the site that is reviving the destination’s once-glamorous reputation.

• FLASHPOINT: Personal concierge service, even at the beach.

RIVIERA ROOTS REIMAGINED

A reimagined classic for golden-age glamour on the French Riviera, Cheval Blanc St-Tropez opened just in time for the summer season in the Mediterranean. Set in the legendary St. Tropez institution La Résidence de la Pinède, the property has been through a three-year multi-phase transformation that retained the sense of intimacy for which it was known but now boasts the contemporary feel and ease that is the signature of the Cheval Banc portfolio, which includes properties in Courchevel, the Maldives, and St. Barth’s. Chef Arnaud Donckele is still working his magic at La Vague d’Or, beautifully redesigned. You’ll also find a private beach, swimming pool, and the Cheval Blanc Spa, the only Guerlain spa in St. Tropez. This is the riviera, brought back to its roots.

• FLASH POINT: During the renovations, the hotel’s room count was reduced in order to ensure more comfort.

SINGAPORE FLING

Housed in a colonial-style 19th-century heritage building and sensitively restored by celebrated French architect and designer Jacques Garcia, the new 138-room Six Senses Maxwell is set in the vibrant Chinatown district of Singapore. Six Senses are known for capturing the spirit of the destination in each property’s design – from Zighy Bay in Oman to Portugal’s Douro Valley – and with the Six Senses Maxwell they have taken the 1929 building and restored it to its former beauty. Its aesthetic is European, blending tradition, modernity, and timeless sophistication with nods to its historic past – the walls are adorned with framed handwritten indentures and old contracts from the neighborhood’s early days. Yacht-like cabinetry can be found in the rooms, while an 80ft rooftop pool with an alfresco bar and an edible garden is the icing on the cake.

• FLASH POINT: Unwind with Six Senses’ wellness-forward program.

GRAND SUITES FOR THE LEGENDARY VENICE SIMPLON-ORIENT-EXPRESS

The world’s most famous train is getting an ultra-luxe makeover with the addition of three new Grand Suites, designed in the train’s original Art Deco style. Themed after three iconic European cities – Venice, Prague and Budapest – the suites have been created with scrupulous craftsmanship that embraces the train’s iconic history. The three new Grand Suites will bring the total number of suites on board to six as they join Paris, Venice and Istanbul. They are a real tribute to the romance and glamour of Europe and the golden era of rail travel. Each uniquely designed suite evokes the individual city experience whether it is walking along the Charles Bridge in Prague or exploring the contrasting Gothic and Ottoman architecture of Budapest.

FLASH POINT: The ultimate luxury here: guests in the Grand Suites get full private bathrooms (and free champagne anytime you want)

HYPER HYBRID

Aston Martin’s 200mph hybrid hypercar, the Valhalla, is set to be one of a trio of Aston Martins to appear in the upcoming James Bond film. Inspired by F1 and designed with the input of Red Bull Advanced Technologies, the Valhalla will be the first car in several 007 movies to be commercially available. Clad entirely in carbon fiber, the Valhalla looks much like its bigger brother, the Valkyrie, but sports an all-new V6 engine with a battery electric hybrid setup. It will also have an 8-speed F1-inspired dual clutch transmission and a target speed of 0-62mph sprint time of 2.5 seconds.

FLASH POINT: Act fast – the Valhalla is limited to just 500.

THE BEAT GOES ON

Music has never sounded so good with Bang & Olufsen’s latest collections. Always at the cutting-edge, Bang & Olufsen’s BeoPlay A1 portable speaker literally fits into the palm of your hand. Take the tender to the beach and play your favorite beach anthem – the small device is incredibly lightweight weighing in at just 600g. Despite this, it packs a punch with 2 x 140w’s worth of volume and bass. Its stylish design and extensive battery power make it a great accessory. Its well-rounded shape makes the speaker easy to store in your bag, slip into a pocket or carry by the leather strap. The aluminum grill and double-molded polymer base, meanwhile, forms a strong protective shell that makes the speaker splash, dust and sand-resistant. Those who prefer to keep their tunes to themselves, the limited edition RIMOWA H9i headphones boast Bang & Olufsen’s signature sound. Wireless, over-ear ANC headphones are fitted with an intuitive aluminum touch interface, so that you can move freely and experience music without background noise. Housed in a signature RIMOWA aluminum case, the headphones will stay safe when not in use.

FLASH POINT: The BeoPlay A1 aluminum grill and double-molded polymer base forms a strong protective shell that makes the speaker splash, dust and sand-resistant.