Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with luxury

Is is true third-world poor buy TVs instead of education?

UMDirector — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 10:20:55 -0800

I heard once that many people living in poverty tend to make more luxurious purchases, such as televisions, as they see simple luxuries as way to enjoy their life in a way they deem possible. Is this true? Can anyone point to a source? The general idea was that rather than gets their hopes up by pursuing education or a quality home they would save up and buy a TV for their shack, etc. This seems backed up by the number of antennas and satellite dishes always seen in photos on the Indian slums and Brazillian favelas but I cannot find a source to attest to this sociologic habit.

"We do regret any difficulty this may cause your honeymoon plans."

minervous — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 09:04:55 -0800

Emergency honeymoon bookings. In Scotland. Two weeks from today. Oh, help. The lovely, fancy, Relais & Chateaux Scottish estate at which my soon-to-be-husband and I were to spend the first 5 days of our honeymoon just called to say they're ceasing operations 3 days from now.

We're sad, as you might imagine, with all the planning and saving and anticipating for naught. SO! We obviously need to make alternate arrangements immediately. Any recommendations for a similar place? I have browsed the recent threads.

(Details & needs: Beginning 9 September; within a few hours of both Edinburgh and our later destination near Oban; small; luxury; dreamy; excellent chef)

Many, many thanks for any and all ideas.

Thank You, Jeeves

kate blank — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 13:02:23 -0800

I really love reading blogs written by wealthy people. Do you have any to recommend? This is a sort of silly and super-specific question, but here goes: I love to read blogs written by wealthy people (maybe for the same reason I like to read PG Wodehouse?). It's not all that easy to find them via google, and the link sections on the few rich-people blogs I'm currently reading have proved surprisingly fruitless.

Old money and new money are both fine; families with kids, single people; whatever. Bonus points if the bloggers have an actual household staff.

Please help find a gently-used, luxury-ish sedan.

fieldtrip — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 21:27:20 -0800

Please help find a gently-used, luxury-ish sedan. My girlfriend’s stepmother is in the market for a new used car. I have been recruited to help but I am kind of at a loss. The cars that she says that she likes are the Chrysler 300, Cadillacs, and Lexus. She wants to buy a 2007 or 2008 with warranty and not many more than 19,000 miles. Her budget is roughly $20,000. What she wants is a four door sedan with ideally leather seats, heated seats, wood trim, and built in navigation (this last one is very optional). In the research that I’ve done there seems to be a lot of Chrysler 300s in this range. There are a few Cadillac CTS and no Lexus (Lexi?). She currently drives a VW bug but says that she is now at that age, early sixties, where she wants something more comfortable and maybe a little fancier. I’m wondering what other cars that you know of that fit these criteria that she isn’t thinking of. All of the Acuras and Infinities also seem to cost too much but there must be other luxury-ish 4 door sedans that we aren’t thinking of. She lives and wants to buy in the Albuquerque area if that makes a difference. One of the problems for me to wrap my brain around is for someone to want to go from a car the size of a bug to a behemoth Cadillac. Are there some nice cars (leather, wood trim, etc) that are in between these two sizes that also fit in this price range? I think most of the European cars are out just because of cost of upkeep (unless you can make a great argument otherwise). What are we missing? Your personal anecdotes are extremely welcome.

Upgrade Me!

Balonious Assault — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:03:22 -0800

Can you suggest some replacements for standard, everyday household items that are far superior in terms of usefulness, luxuriousness and quality? A while back I got some Egyptian cotton bed linens with a ridiculously high thread count, and now I sleep like a baby and wonder how I ever got a full night's sleep on anything else. Another time I bought an expensive water-resistant fabric liner for my shower curtain, because I needed a liner and it was the only thing they had at the store. Now I'll never go back to the yucky vinyl liners. A few months ago my shower head broke, and I replaced it with a removable hand-held massaging shower wand, which has drastically improved the quality of my shower time.

What other upgrades should I consider? There are some excellent ideas in these threads but money isn't necessarily an object, nor am I really looking for new items to add to my collection of stuff. Just top quality upgrades for ordinary household items. The more specific, the better. Thanks!

Need new sheets

Vindaloo — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 07:00:03 -0800

What is a high quality set of sheets? My wife's birthday is coming up and since my initial plan for a present fell through I decided that I would buy us a really swanky set of bed linens. I know about thread count, but other than that am completely at a loss for what to look for and how much I should pay.

Here are the specifics:
Bed is queen-sized.
I want very high quality sheets for everyday use (comfort is key).
My budget for 1 set is roughly $400.
I live in Canada.

Please educate me on the bedsheet world, and if possible give me specific suggestions as to what/where to buy.

Luxury vacation rentals around Puerto Vallarta?

mikeand1 — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 12:04:23 -0800

Need help finding a luxury vacation rental in/around Puerto Vallarta for one couple, no kids. My wife and I (no kids) are planning a vacation in/around the Puerto Vallarta area this Fall, say around October (but we're flexible).

We're looking for a luxury experience, preferably a house or condo, possibly a small boutique hotel. We'd like a place that's right on a nice beach, away from the crowds, but close enough to get to nice restaurants without a long drive. Privacy, beauty, cleanliness, and modern amenities are desired.

Examples of places that look nice to us are here:

http://www.punta-vista.com/

The only problem is that these places have several bedrooms, and we don't need quite that much space. A one-bedroom place in that style would be perfect.

Max budget is around $600/night.

Thanks for any tips.

The quality of luxury without the price or appearance

Furious Fitness — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 15:47:19 -0800

I used to get the cheapest liquid soap for washing hands I could find, but recently, I got the "shea butter" soap for $3 and found that the increased quality more than makes up for the increased cost. The question is: What else can I spend a little more on to get much more quality? (Fluffy towels, sheets, maybe?) Are there websites that review this?

Luxury apartments nyc?

tessalations999 — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 12:02:02 -0800

I have a specific question about apartments in NYC. I will be moving June 1, and am looking for an apartment building in the Upper West Side with similar cost/amenities/location as Sheffield 57 or Trump Tower. Does any one know of any similar rentals or apartment buildings in the same area? I have been searching around, but am finding it hard to locate places that arent for sale, or that have the same standards as these two wonderful places. Thank you so much i really appreciate any and all help!!!!!

Looking for Hotel McRitzy Bits: Where to stay in Portland, OR?

cior — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 15:04:57 -0800

Looking for lodging of the highest order in Portland, OR. I'm going to Portland (OR) for weekend trip in late February, and am looking for a very nice accommodations. I've done the Kennedy School before, and have mixed reviews/feelings about The Heathman and others.

I'm looking for uncompromising comfort, a fair bit of luxury and perhaps some unexpected amenities. Anything on par with Seattle's Hotel 1000 or Vancouver's Opus Hotel, would be great. I don't have any restrictions for budget or neighborhood.

Am I overlooking something special? Where would you stay if you were looking for a luxurious getaway in PDX?

What do you think of used Infinity vehicles?

jspierre — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 10:52:36 -0800

Would I be making a mistake or a great choice to buy a 2002 Inifinity I35 that I only plan to keep and finance for 36 months? I am considering the purchase of a 2002 Infinity I35 with about 75k miles. Does anyone have any experience with this make/model? Are they expensive to maintain? Lots of problems or relatively few compared to other vehicles you've owned?

I only plan to finace and own it for 3 years (36 months) and then trade in for something else, so my only wish is that I only have to pay for minor repairs in the 3 years I own it - perhaps less than $500/yr. I drive about 15k miles a year, so it will be a little over 105k miles when I get rid of it.

I've only seen really good reviews of this brand, so I'm a bit skeptical.

Your opinions and experiences are appreciated.

Luxury Leather Lifestyle

buttercup — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 14:23:49 -0800

Why are leather seats considered a luxury item in cars and sometimes part of first class service on trains and planes? Is it a holdover from earlier times? Just a question that popped into my mind as I recycled a floyer from Amtrak detailing the new First Class Acela service.

Let's make life fun and easy.

stormygrey — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 19:16:16 -0800

What small indulgences or habits do you have that make your life so much easier? I am trying to streamline my life and make things easier. For example, I HATE doing laundry (that is till I figure out how to make a dumbwaiter to get my laundry down to the basement). So I found out I had a profound love for wash and fold service. It's like 50 a month and it frees my space and my time!

What little secrets do you have, that cost relatively little (or not if they are fabulous) and make your life better? Anything from Roomba to online bill pay or things I have never considered.

why do you wear makeup?

krautland — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 10:49:00 -0800

why do you wear makeup? I read an interesting article about mac, the cosmetics company, the other day. my face is your canvas someone was quoted saying. that got me thinking. why is it, I wonder, that women and certain others wear make-up? what does it do to them?

I am a sucker for all things natural and to me imperfection is individuality. I like to observe those little vertical lines we all have on our lower lips. when I look at someone and notice their make-up first, I feel prevented from seeing who the person in question actually is. they seem hidden to me like the wood canvas beyond dear mona lisa. that is why glossy magazines like FHM with their perfect retouching jobs do nothing for me.

now I fancy myself a fairly insightful chap. I can understand what makes bill o'reilly think he's on bin laden's birthday list and I get why old men feel compelled to drive hummers. having stood in front of the camera multiple times myself, I know why you would want to wear makeup on tv. but I just don't get what exactly it is that compelles people to wear makeup. it's the motivation that I am inquiring about.

so what does it do to you? do you feel less presentable, clean, fashionable or neat when not wearing makeup? do you consider it a luxury or necessity? is it something entirely different? would you equate it to spoiling yourself? is it more about how you see yourself or you think you are seen?

Help us never get dressed.

my homunculus is drowning — Mon, 22 May 2006 01:20:49 -0800

Since my lady and I mostly just lay in bed all day, we're looking for some more appropriate clothing for our lifestyles. What are your favorite lounging around clothes? Our current idea is that she needs a good kimono, and for myself, well, I've got a strange obsession with the bathrobe that Johnny Depp wears in Secret Window. . .does anybody know where to find one like that (minus the holes)? Or alternatively, where did you buy your amazingly soft and comfortable bath robe? Or is there something softer and much more amazingly great that we should know about? Help!

Luxury fitness resort in Asia

i_cola — Fri, 03 Mar 2006 02:48:06 -0800

Luxury health resort in Asia (or possibly beyond - e.g. Australia) required for three months. My cousin is looking to get healthy following his 40th birthday. He needs to stop smoking, lose weight and get fit - he has been told by his doctor that he is possibly diabetic, has high cholesterol and generally needs to sort his health out. More aimed at fitness and health rather than spa treatments.

He is based in Sri Lanka, is looking for a 3-month residential treatment centre in Asia. First choices are Thailand, India & Sri Lanka although the best place will be well away from temptation! Possibly Australia or beyond.

Budget is fairly unlimited/flexible. He's after something near the top end and has seen details on Chiva Som in Thailand which looks good and is at the upper end of the scale.

[We're currently on a sporadic dial-up connection so will check back for any clarification questions when we can. Many thanks.]

Luxury apartment finding service Paris?

johoney — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 06:34:32 -0800

ParisFi: Looking for an apartment finder service to find me a high-end place in central Paris this spring (2 weeks). Its a gift for elderly relatives and I don't have time or expertise enough to do it myself and its got to be a special place. I've checked this other thread but haven't found what I'm looking for.

It really needs to be a special place. I need serious hand holding on this and would prefer to talk to a real person to guide me through my options.

Thanks a lot.