Mark Ellwood

Capri in the Carib: Inside Antigua’s ritzy Italian yachting hub

Italians have a big advantage over most countries when they arrive somewhere new — at least according to Angelo Caputo. “I always say we conquer them with spaghetti rather than weapons,” he tells The Post. That’s what he did 40 years ago, when he…

Sneakers, video games, fancy bags: Americans snubbing stocks for goods

Freaking out about the markets? Turns out, there’s an alternative asset class that’s surging even as the indexes are de-fanged: luxury goods. According to Bordeaux Index, a wine and spirits merchant, whisky prices rose 12% in the first six months of…

Without Golf, What Happens to a Golf Community?

This article is part of our latest special report on International Golf Homes. Brad Prescott admits he was a little tipsy when he raised his hand at a neighborhood fund-raiser. Mr. Prescott, a real estate entrepreneur who lives in Palm Springs,…

A former bodyguard for Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt shares what his job was like and the biggest misconceptions about protecting celebrities

Mark "Billy" Billingham was a bodyguard for years for stars like Angelina Jolie and Russell Crowe. He says the work is less about looking intimidating and more about reading your client. He often used decoys to weed out security detail who would rat…

How New Tech Is Making Wine Cellars Smarter

Vostok Imagine if your entire wine cellar could be delivered to you anywhere, whether you’re shuttling between homes or heading to an office overseas. Sign up for the new service from New York–based start-up Baxus, and your prized bottles are just a…

Sunny Hostin of The View Shares How to Plan the Perfect Vacation

At Bloomberg Pursuits, we love to travel. And we always want to make sure we’re doing it right. So we’re talking to globe-trotters in all of our luxury fields—food, wine, fashion, cars, real estate—to learn about their high-end hacks, tips, and…

How to Invest in Handbags, the Luxury Asset Most Likely to Hold Value

With the stock market roiling, luxury goods—especially designer handbags—are becoming a hotly sought-after investment commodity. One July study from the Business of Fashion said 40% of US consumers had bought or were planning to buy one, helping…

Beautiful elevators to give your home a lift

“I want one just like that,” said the client, pointing to a picture of New York’s Apple store on Fifth Avenue, with its signature glass cube entrance cored by a cylindrical elevator. But he wanted to replicate that design in an unlikely locale: his…

Forget the Hamptons: These Luxe Getaways Have New Yorkers Heading Upstate

Can the Catskills finally claim some cachet? A host of new openings suggests that the quiet, sylvan areas north of Manhattan are on the upswing. Take the much-delayed 11-room Chatwal Lodge, which at long last debuted earlier this summer as an…

PRIVATE MARINAS

Forget four-car garages, or on-property helicopter pads. The new must-have is a private marina. But this is no simple slip for a sloop; instead, it's a fully equipped berth for a superyacht that turns a waterfront home into a chance to take to the…

VIJU MATHEW

Shifting gears from his degree in physical geography, Viju Mathew has spent the last decade covering most categories of the luxury market prior to becoming Robb Report’s automotive editor. Along with test-driving cars around the world, he pilots the…

Monaco’s Late Prince Rainer Loved Cars. Now His World-Class Collection Has Moved to Its Own Museum.

Think of revved engines and race cars, jetsetters and checkered flags and one place comes to mind: Monaco. It’s almost 100 years since the first Grand Prix took place there, one that’s now part of the petrolhead Triple Crown. Fast cars are a…

A butler for a family in London says there's no room for mistakes working for the ultra-wealthy. Here are the perks and downsides to his job.

This story is available exclusively to Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Eduardo Dos Santos is a butler for an ultra-wealthy family in London but started out as a sommelier. His first butlering roles were in hotels, but he…

Inspiration

Inspiration 3 Days in Monterey and Big Sur Making the most of a long weekend down the Pacific Coast Highway. By Mark Ellwood Islands & Beaches 3 Days in Sicily You can't tackle the whole island in 72 hours, but you won’t waste a minute with this…

Hello, folly! A 21st-century take on an 18th-century oddity

We’ll send you a myFT Daily Digest email rounding up the latest House & Home news every morning. A flying saucer that looks like it just touched down in south Pembrokeshire, a tiki hut bobbing in the waters off Key West, and a six-tonne potato…

Inspiration

Food & Drink Why Scotland's Gin Is as Good as Its Whisky Scotch isn't the only spirit distilled in the foggy Highlands. By Mark Ellwood Inspiration Is Plockton, Scotland the Most Charming Town in the U.K.? The United Kingdom—comprising Wales,…

The True Value of the Cheap Postcard

Mark Ellwood explores the world for a living. And everywhere he goes, he sends a postcard to his three godchildren. It’s become a beloved tradition that has taught all four of them more about the world. Writing letters was a ritual drummed into me…

How your favourite colour affects how you think

Our world is awash with a rainbow of colours, but certain shades can have a surprising impact on our ability to concentrate, our mood and even the flavours we experience. A A few years ago, a strange trend started to sweep through prisons in Europe…

An LA-based concierge doctor shares what his job is like being on demand 24/7 for wealthy clients — and why he switched from traditional medicine

This story is available exclusively to Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Dr. Michael Estes, 39, is a concierge doctor at the practice MD² in Santa Monica, California. He only has 50 families on his roster, and the starting…

Meet the Elite Dog Trainers Who Teach America’s Four-Legged Millionaires to Behave

Michael Hill Francesca, an Italian greyhound, turns two in September. “She’s a beauty, she stops traffic—really,” says Frank Smith, an LA-based movie exec who owns her with his husband Marco Leone, and is perhaps a little biased. “But the breed is…