Spiegel Stuff: Saint-Tropez, Ibiza, and the Darker Side of Paradise

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Paradise isn't always what it's cracked up to be. From grim real estate in the country's most celebrated summer retreat to the world's Edens turning into tourist enclaves, the VF Archive has both sides of utopia covered.

Plus, how one starlet brought decadence to a fishing village.

From Coast to Toast

At opposite ends of the country, two of America's most golden coastal enclaves are waging the same desperate battle against erosion. With beaches and bluffs in both Malibu and Nantucket disappearing into the ocean, wealthy homeowners are prepared to do almost anything—spend tens of millions on new sand, berms, retaining walls, and other measures—to save their precious waterfront properties. What's stopping them?

R E A D M O R E »

Saint-Tropez Babylon

It took just one beautiful 21-year-old to turn a sleepy little Mediterranean fishing village into the most decadent stop on the jet-set circuit. Decades after Brigitte Bardot filmed And God Created Woman in Saint-Tropez, the resort is a Cristal-soaked mosh pit of gargantuan yachts, Saudi royals, Hollywood stars, supermodels, and moguls.

R E A D M O R E »

Make Mine Ibiza!

Ibiza's devotees—who have included Kate Moss, Sean Combs, and the King of Spain—worship its crystalline beaches, 300 days of sunshine, and "anything goes" (we mean anything) attitude toward sex, drugs, and all-night revelry. But many fear the tiny Spanish island may be ruined by weekend-trippers, development, and the construction of a multilane motorway through its interior. Plunging into the hedonists' parade that spawned the rave movement, George Gurley wonders if Ibiza's lack of inhibitions could ultimately destroy it.

R E A D M O R E »

Hamptons Overdrive

While much of America worries about foreclosure, John Paulson, who made $3.7 billion shorting subprime mortgages, has plunked down $41.3 million for a Southampton estate. Another just went for $60 million. And Blackstone's Stephen Schwarzman is building a vast compound in Water Mill. But, amid whispers about which Wall Street casualties will lose their summer spreads, the market for properties below $10 million is grim.

R E A D M O R E »

Paradise Lost

Once a pacific Eden, Fiji has become a destination for a highly combustible mix of surf bums, mega-yacht owners, deep-pocketed international developers, and at least one scientist who thinks he can engineer the perfect wave.

R E A D M O R E »

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Reuters: U.S.

Saturday, June 1, 2024

Saint-Tropez, Ibiza, and the Darker Side of Paradise

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