Melbourne

Luxury

Are we still being served?

Stephen Lacey The traditional butler is enjoying a 21st century resurgence in popularity.

Comments 8

Business Travel

Dare to stay different

Natasha Hughes Boutique hotels offer travellers a hip and sometimes quirky alternative to traditional five-star chains.

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Luxury

Destination detox

Rachael Oakes-Ash A wide selection of opulent spa resorts can help you detox and recharge after a hectic summer.

Comments 8

Luxury

Tasted and wasted - world's most expensive cocktail goes undrunk

Steve Colquhoun Amid all the fanfare and hoopla, the most expensive cocktail ever served goes largely untouched.

Comments 184

Luxury

Penthouse poised to set $20m record

Cameron Houston, Chris Vedelago Developer Elias Jreissati's private eyrie will set a new record if it can fetch its asking price.

Posh pools

Splashing around sky-high

Judy Barouch The sky's the limit for the latest jaw-dropping swimming pools perched dizzily atop high-rise balconies or cantilevering vertiginously off rooftops.

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Business jets

Come fly with me

Philip Wen Vas Nikolovski is keen to 'dispel the myth' that charter jet travel is a luxury reserved just for the rich and famous.

Faking it

Rich pickings on a slim budget

Stephen Lacey Champagne on a beer budget: how to fake a large six-figure-salary without maxing out your credit card.

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Life style

Australian cities jump in global cost rankings

Chris Zappone Three Australian cities are now rated as more expensive than London for expatriates, with the strong dollar and steep rents blamed for the high cost of living.

High rollers

Following the money whale

Simon Mann The gambling industry's titans are locked in a battle for the high-roller dollar. Will James Packer come out on top?

Air travel

Wallets out, the wine's in

Lissa Christopher Big-spending visitors to Australia are changing the airport retail landscape, writes Lissa Christopher.

Private Sydney

Billionaires play battleships on the Med

Andrew Hornery IT HAS become the catch-cry of the Cote d'Azur: ''Sacre bleu! Les Australiens!'' Around the luxurious villas and gleaming superyachts of the French Riviera, party planners, maids, chefs, caterers,...

Precious pink sparkler lights up museum

''IT'S glamorous and pretentious, and billions of years old,'' says the co-director of jeweller Mondial Pink Diamond Atelier, Michael Neuman. ''Everything you want in a diamond.''

Call to alms

Call to alms: who wants to be a green millionaire?

Saffron Howden The Myers, the Potters, and the Poola Foundation are leading a new trend in philanthropy that fuses indigenous cultural heritage with environmental conservation.

Precious gems

Diamonds are a downturn's best friend

Georgina Safe Retail may be in the doldrums, but resale at the top end of town is booming, with Sotheby's banking on record results for its fine jewellery auction in Double Bay on Monday.