Are You Ultra-Rich-Individual? Monaco Welcomes You
A holidays for super super super rich.
Like the sound of this? Then you might want to consider the latest holiday package being laid on in Monaco. There is just one small condition: you need assets, excluding your main residence, of $30 million (£21 million) to be eligible.
However, the select clientele will need more than just money to qualify for Concept URI – ultra-rich individuals – as the package is being called. They also need to be capable of defending Monaco’s reputation in corridors of power around the world.
The URIs will receive a personal invitation from the principality’s diplomatic staff and a card that “will be the key to Monaco”, according to Michel Bouquier, head of tourism. When they flash the card, private shopping will be laid on for them in boutiques such as Prada, Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent and Cartier, which will close to ordinary customers.
VIP treatment is promised at the casino or at the Louis XV restaurant run by Alain Ducasse, the renowned French chef, where URIs can enjoy the rare privilege of a visit to the 600,000-bottle wine cellar. Ducasse’s acclaimed dishes include Mediterranean sea bass with artichoke stock, crunchy ravioli stuffed with cuttlefish and marjoram, milk ice cream and fleur de sel, and croquant caramel with curdled sheep’s milk. Meals can cost as much as £1,000 a head.
For a day trip, Monaco’s new elite will have a helicopter on call at all times to ferry them to St Tropez or up into the Alps or to a yacht in the harbour, or even take them on a visit to a private home to study the local way of life.
