The Insider’s Las Vegas

How long has wine been a part of your life? I was born in Waco, Texas, but my father was a lover of the great things in life. I remember driving to Louisiana in our baby-blue Cadillac with the big fins. We would go to restaurants—Galatoire’s and Antoine’s and all those traditional old places. My […]

Despite its errant image, the desert resort town to which we enthusiastically retreat to indulge our ids is today a bastion of innocence in comparison with its rather sinister past. Las Vegas, after all, has a cadre of founding fathers whose blood sports ably abetted its reputation as Sin City. When the 1909 act outlawing […]

At the conclusion of July’s G8 summit meeting in L’Aquila, Italy, the Italian government gave each of the heads of state in attendance a numbered copy of Antonio Canova: L’invenzione della bellezza (“The invention of beauty”). Commissioned by Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, the handmade books chronicle the life’s work of Canova (1757–1822), a […]

Of the scores of concept watches introduced with great fanfare over the past few years, many have never actually functioned as advertised. The ambitious and unorthodox Monaco V4 prototype that TAG Heuer unveiled in 2004 is perhaps the most conspicuous of these. Collectors and industry watchers have waited impatiently for the company to bring this […]

Pedigree automobiles are blessed with personalities that define their motoring character better than any badge, grille, or beautifully tailored silhouette can. Jaguars and Bentleys are haughty. Lamborghinis are lusty. Mercedes-Benz builds plodders. Ferraris combine ferocity with a finely developed feminine side. Aston Martins are about noisy power with elegant coarseness and mildly irritable handling that […]

When Louis Vuitton appointed Lorenz Bäumer artistic director of its fine-jewelry division late last year, the choice proved a serendipitous one. Although Bäumer’s reputation as one of the most influential independent jewelers won him the honor of creating the French fashion house’s first high-jewelry collection, he brought to the project personal experience that made him […]

Less than a decade ago, many express cruisers designed by American companies had straight hull lines, reverse-facing radar arches, and interiors that resembled crawl spaces rather than spacious waterfront suites. Though these homegrown vessels performed well, they looked downright square when compared with sleeker and sexier imports from Italy and the United Kingdom. Today, at […]

As with the rich and mighty, with the red grape of Burgundy, vintners must exercise a little patience. The finicky and thin-skinned varietal is notorious for its susceptibility to the vagaries of disease and weather. Yet in spite of its temperamental tendencies, it is the most beloved fruit of the vine among enthusiasts and those […]

Henry-Griffitts is widely credited with inventing—or at least advancing exponentially—the practice of custom-fitting clubs to individual players and their swing characteristics. Though long a favorite among professionals and low handicappers, the Henry-Griffitts brand has remained below the radar of more casual players. The low profile was fine with its founders—a pair of teaching pros who […]

Upholstering a wall with small rectangular sheets of mother-of-pearl or with millions of shimmering glass beads might seem more extravagant than tasteful—but not to designer Maya Romanoff. The 68-year-old founder of the eponymous furnishings-and-surfacing-materials company views his unusual wall coverings as an art form. Romanoff’s latest dazzler is Ajiro Sunburst with Crystallized Swarovski Elements (starting […]

On the night of January 16, 1939, the captain of the Greek cargo steamer Pelinaion decided to make an unscheduled stop at the island of Bermuda in the Atlantic Ocean. He and his crew were ferrying a full load of iron and manganese ore from West Africa to Baltimore, Md., and they needed to refuel […]

At first glance, the Spyker C8 Aileron may inspire conflicting emotions among those with an affinity for modern supercars. Accustomed to the sleek but relatively unadorned appearance of the Ferrari Enzo and Lamborghini Diablo, they might consider the Aileron’s extroverted styling and abundance of “jewelry”—polished rings frame the prominent air intakes, and bright mesh coverings […]

Driving on Las Vegas Boulevard in the 2010 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport—the roadster version of the French automaker’s record-breaking supercar—I find it impossible to ignore the camera flashes, pointing fingers, and unsolicited remarks. As Butch Leitzinger (Bugatti’s official test pilot for North America) and I enter this final stretch of Robb Report’s Los Angeles–to–Las […]

From basketball courts to bowling alleys, 20-person hot tubs to rotating beds, Las Vegas hotel suites are in a never-ending arms race of outrageous amenities. But the city’s finest accommodations are, at least in relative terms, a bit more discreet. Following are four of the best options for discriminating Vegas visitors. The three-bedroom duplex Apartments […]

Three years ago, the state of Nevada dealt Las Vegas what many consider to be a losing hand. The Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act outlawed smoking in restaurants, and profits from tableside sales of Cognacs and cigars have since dissipated with the smoke. Gone is the pleasure of an after-dinner robusto over a snifter of […]

Few renowned chefs about to open a restaurant under their own moniker would be enthusiastic about a last-minute renaming of the establishment. But Theo Schoenegger was. He had been lured away from the plum position of executive chef at Los Angeles’ Patina to create an Italian restaurant, tentatively named Theo’s, for Encore, Steve Wynn’s latest […]

Everyone knows about the World Series of Poker, the game’s most public stage, where main-event buy-ins begin at $10,000. But the poker world’s most competitive—and financially exclusive—forum is the Big Game at the Bellagio resort. Just ask Andy Beal, a banker who in 2004 lost an estimated $15 million in the Big Game. Said to […]

Shadow Creek is unlike any other golf club, public or private. The course has no members and was built specifically to woo whales. The vast majority of its tee times are reserved for these high-rolling gamblers, who pay nothing to play the course but must be a guest at one of MGM Mirage’s hotels (including […]

It is a balmy June afternoon at Delaire, Laurence Graff’s lush, 100-acre vineyard property in Stellenbosch, on South Africa’s Western Cape. The grand opening is just a few days away, but the billionaire jeweler’s latest creation remains a work in progress. The driveway is muddy with landscaping projects, and, inside, chairs and tables are sheathed […]

Cape Town, South Africa, is often described as the best-kept secret in the realm of travel. If it is a secret, however, it will soon be exposed. Next year, from June 11 through July 11, the world’s most-watched sporting event—the FIFA World Cup—will take place in 10 different venues across South Africa, and the TV […]

A third-generation Las Vegan planning to build a home for his wife, son, and daughter took inspiration from Nevada’s desert landscape. In doing so, he sidestepped the architectural zest of Sin City and created instead a calm, contemporary abode. The family’s new domicile—named Promontory for its location on the brow of the Red Rock Mountains—is […]

The gloomy global economic environment has not deterred cigar enthusiasts from pursuing the perfect premium smoke. In fact, the glow of a good cigar, accompanied by a snifter of spirit, can brighten even the dourest day on Wall Street. This is true any time of year. But particularly during the holidays, the pleasures of hand-rolled […]

Only a decade ago, it appeared that watchmakers skilled in the traditional arts of engraving and enameling would go the way of the dodo bird. At a time when consumers craved complications and mechanical wizardry, young watch designers expressed little interest in learning the painstaking techniques required to craft designs that many collectors of mechanical […]