Money. It’s the lifeblood of human society. For most of us, it’s a daily struggle to trade in our time and skill set to earn enough money to live, eat and save. While those with substantially larger bank accounts surround themselves with opulence and grandeur (no matter the cost), the rest of us merely baulk and how much people are willing to spend on the biggest (and smallest) objects…
While we have previously looked at the most expensive burgers, the most expensive cities to live in and even the world’s costliest pillow, below are a few more to add to the ‘read it and weep’ list:
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The most expensive property
Antilia, a 27-story skyscraper in Mumbai covering a total liveable space of 37,160 square meters is currently the most expensive home in the world. Although not on the market it’s valued at 3.650 billion Dhs and owned by the billionaire Mukesh Ambani. His entire family of five live in the vast property and probably upwards of 50 staff and a modest 168 car garage. Three helipads are always ready in case the Ambanis are having a grand soirée in the ballroom and the guests want to beat the traffic. A health floor, and home theatre are so run of the mill we don’t even think they should be mentioned, but we’ll do it anyway.
The most expensive yacht
Usually when we talk about the most expensive yacht you would expect it would be the longest with several helipads and an anti-missile defence system (like the Eclipse, which is one of Roman Abramovich’ several yachts) and stadium sized jacuzzi to say the least. These are only some of the characteristics of a Mega-Yacht which would usually cost several hundred million Dhs.
The most expensive yacht in the world is surprisingly compact and rather gold heavy. ‘History Supreme’ is constructed from 100,000 kilograms of gold and platinum, enough bling to satisfy NWA, Wu-Tang and G-Unit for a life time. More than half its 30 meter surface is covered in Gold and Platinum, about the same size of a Mega-Yacht dingy. It houses a 68kg, 24 carat gold aquarium, an essential part of a billionaire’s watercraft. The owner allegedly paid an eye watering 550 million Dhs… wait for it, per meter. That makes the yacht’s price tag Dhs16.5 billion.
The most expensive curry
We all love a good curry and we’re spoiled for choice from the back streets of Bur Dubai to the elevated luxury of the Marriot Marquis Hotel. But if you want to experience the most expensive you’ll have to travel a little further to South Kensington, in London and head to the Bombay Brasserie. We suggest you take the metro once you’re there because a portion of The Samundari Khazana (meaning “seafood treasure”) will cost twelve thousand Dhs. This treasure of sea creatures has Devon crab, white truffle, Beluga caviar, gold leaf, a Scottish lobster coated in gold, four abalones and four quail eggs. Good thing is you’ll get unlimited basmati rice for the price, we think anyway.
The most expensive commercial flight
The most expensive commercial flight ticket in the World comes from our very own Etihad Airways, in the form of ‘Residence’ class. The flight from Mumbai to New York, with a stopover in Abu Dhabi provides a personal cabin of 12 sq meters, a living room, a leather couch and a 32-inch flat screen television. The grub is cooked to your pleasure by an on-board chef and served by Jeeves, please note the butler’s name may differ from flight to flight. All this could be yours for a mere 260 thousands dirhems return.
The most expensive property in Dubai
Currently the most expensive property in Dubai is an 8 bedroom, Emirates Hills Villa. Coming in at a whopping 129 million Dhs. with immense green gardens in the middle of our beautiful desert, there are water features and lush gardens and off course an indoor swimming pool.
The most expensive watch
The most expensive watch in the world is presented by a familiar brand, a brand that you never actually own but rather look after for the next generation. That’s right it’s Patek Philippe & Co, the Swiss watch manufacturer from Geneva, founded in 1851 and with an annual turnover of 4.8 billion Dhs.
The 18-karat gold pocket watch named Super Complication, was tailor designed in 1933 for a banker named Henry Graves Jr. Till today, it’s one of the most complicated watches ever created, hence the name. Naturally it costs the most, it was sold at an auction for 40.5 million Dhs. by far making it the most expensive watch to be sold at an auction. All of a sudden your Rolex Cosmograph Daytona feels more like a starter Swatch, doesn’t it?
The most expensive mattress.
Ahhh.. a good night’s sleep, that’s what we all like, some of us around the Mediterranean even like a little siesta during the day. Whether you decide to sleep on a comfy Ikea mattress, a posh Tempur or even bed of nails we all love and need a good kip. But for the mightily wealthy it’s a whole different spring game. If you’re a Russian oligarch or David Beckham, you could easily dish out 550 thousand Dhs for the ultra-comfy Hästens mattress. Apparently the secret is horse hair embedded in the mattress, they say it keeps us warm when it’s cold and cool when it’s hot. Quite certain a duvet and an A/C could do that for a fraction of the price.
