From Lamborghinis and chartered jets to bottles of ship-wrecked 1907 Heidsieck champagne at £163,000 a pop, Dan Frith fantasises about having £1 million in his back pocket for a day
Could I spend £1 million in one day? That’s the challenge and I know where I’m heading: Courchevel 1850, long considered the most expensive and glamorous ski resort in the world. I’ve been to this uber-wealthy winter wonderland before and I’ve always felt like a kid with his nose pressed up against the sweet-shop window. This time it’s going to be different, I’m a contender. My ticket for joining, a cool £1 million.
First off, book the ski chalet – at a breathtaking £431,000, Chalet Edelweiss through SkiBoutique is the most expensive chalet in Courchevel 1850. Nearly half my dosh is gone and I’m not even out of the front door. I think I’ll start the day by heading over to The Wolseley, in Piccadilly, for breakfast. The Wolseley opens its doors at 7am and with half a million to spend and the clock ticking I’ve no time to waste. I treat myself to “The English”, a bowl of porridge and two cups of coffee. As delicious as it is, I really couldn’t eat much more. I’m disappointed with the bill. A measly £28.50.
I’ve chartered a private jet from Heathrow to the Altiport in 1850 for £59,374. That’s more like it! But how to get to Heathrow? I’m going to hire a top-of-the-range Lamborghini Aventador from Auto Vivendi. I pay for Silver Membership, which costs me £1,950, and a further £12,950 for the year, which gets me 1,000 memberships points. The use of the Aventador only uses up 55, so I’m happy to note that I can then have the car for a further four full weekends on my return.
As the car turns heads all the way to Heathrow, I start to get an idea of what it is to be loaded. I’m starting to regret chartering the jet, as I would love to drive this beauty all the way, but I’m consoled with the thought that the Ferrari 458 Italia Oakley Design that I’ve hired in Courchevel will be more than an adequate substitute. At £883 a day, that’s £6,181.
I hire a personal shopper at £80 an hour for the duration with the brief to spend big. She comes back with a pair of Ferrari Skis at £2,010 and a full kit of Montcler Ski Clothing at £700; Apex Ski Boots at £780 a pop; and Oakley Airbrake Snow Ski Goggles at a tidy £135. That little lot comes to £5,825, including the personal shopper’s wage. I want to go off-piste, so I hire a qualified guide at £600. I tip him £100 – well, it’s only money.
Ultra-wealthy Russians are drawn to Courchevel 1850 and thatʼs how I come across an incredibly expensive bottle of bubbly, a bottle of shipwrecked 1907 Heidsieck Champagne originally bound for the Russian Imperial family in 1916, before the vessel sank off the coast of Finland. Sold in the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Moscow, a few bottles have found their way to Courchevel. At £163,223 a bottle, this is the worldʼs most expensive champagne. I buy two.
A helicopter trip taking in Mont Blanc and the Tarentaise valley would be a treat, so I book two hours with Courchevel Travel at £2,648. When I get back I flash the plastic in some of the top-end shops and kit myself out in Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Fendi, Valentino, Prada, Cartier, Dior and Chanel. I’m quite shocked by the how easily I have just racked up another £129,888.
I canʼt blow any dosh on a slap-up meal in any of the seven Michelin-starred restaurants because my chalet is fully catered and Iʼve invited George Clooney, Geri Halliwell, Lionel Ritchie, Christine Aguilera, David and Victoria and the King of Morocco, all visitors to this swish resort, round for drinks and to share the Dom Romane Conti 1997 I’ve picked up. It’s a delicious red and at £33,000 for 36 bottles, so it should be.
So there you are. Iʼve managed to blow £999,988,050, just £21.50 short of my target and it’s almost midnight. Suddenly I get a tap on my shoulder. It’s Lionel Ritchie. “Hello, is it me you’re looking for?” I quip. Highly amused, he ushers me to one side. “You wanna buy my album?” he asks. “That’ll be £21.50 to you.”
Result! Iʼm dancing on the ceiling.
Dan Frith is Managing Director of SkiBoutique
Holding image credit: Av8jet
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