What it’s like living like a billionaire aboard a 67m megayacht in Monaco

I’ve always fantasised about what it’s like to be rich. And I had a taste of it on my second sojourn to Monaco this year for the prestigious Monaco Yacht Show with Italian luxury yacht manufacturer Benetti.

Giovanna Vitelli, chairwoman of the Azimut-Benetti Group, raised a glass to welcome us, bubbles effervescent against the glittering lights of Monaco in the distance from the upper deck of the Calex, a beautiful 67m superyacht anchored at Port Hercule.

It was a sophisticated soiree for an intimate group of 14, including journalists from all around the world, as we sat down to dine in shoes-off luxury with Vitelli as our host, together with group CEO Marco Valle, in exceedingly elegant al fresco surrounds.

One-Michelin-starred Italian chef Andrea Sarri made an appearance, specially flown in from Italy to tell us about the sumptuous courses he has prepared for us, beautifully presented between gilded cutlery on either side, and lovingly paired with some fine Italian vino including a 2016 Marchese Antinori vintage.

We then adjourned to the saloon where a sole cellist in black tie accompanied by an opera singer in a sparkly black gown performed a captivating aria.

It appears the Italians do do it better, and this is what it’s like living like the 1 per cent aboard a megayacht in Monaco, I thought to myself.

LORO PIANA PLUSHNESS

Custom-built in 2022, the Calex represents the pinnacle of what’s possible from the oldest Italian shipyard specialising in luxury yachts.

The US$90 million (S$120.7 million) award-winning yacht was built to the bespoke specifications of a Californian owner said to be David Wilson, who owns one of the largest car dealership chains in the USA under the Wilson Automotive Group. And for €680,000 (US$ 716,623; S$ 960,887) a week, you could possibly charter the Calex and live like the billionaire in question ensconced in Loro Piana plushness.

The vessel’s sleek exterior styling is by renowned Rome-based yacht designer Giorgio Cassetta, spread over six lavishly appointed decks that are fully accessible by wheelchair via an indoor elevator and segmented into an array of well-proportioned indoor and outdoor spaces masterfully conceived to optimise the expansive views of the ocean while balancing the need for privacy while out at sea.

Indoors, it’s Benetti’s style department that has curated a cushy environment for 12 to sleep comfortably in seven cabins, as ivory leather furnishings, Loro Piana fabrics, white statuary and crema marfil marble, and an extensive use of fine maple and American walnut wood tell the story of luxury through a tastefully contrasting light and dark palette. In the marble baths? Molten Brown toiletries, of course.

Living like a billionaire also means having a 17-member crew to wait on you (and your 11 guests) hand and foot on a yacht so brilliantly designed with dumb waiters and a series of separate secret passages for staff to stealthily go about their business almost entirely hidden from sight.

One can certainly imagine spending one’s summer vacays aboard the Calex, simply soaking up the sun at the beach club with a book in hand, hitting the gym or relaxing at the spa onboard. Oh, did we forget to mention the helicopter pad so your other billionaire friends can easily pop by for a weekend visit?

SIZE MATTERS

Now the Calex isn’t even the biggest boat Benetti has built.

In 2019, the yacht builder created a 108m megayacht, the IJE, which a quick Google search shows could still be yours this winter season at an eye-watering price tag of €1.8 million plus expenses per week.

“The demand for bigger boats is higher than for smaller boats right now,” said Valle in an interview with CNA Luxury the following day.

According to the Group CEO, size equals status and this could be one reason Benetti is seeing its business boom more so than compared with its sister brand Azimut, which produces smaller yachts of between 42 ft and 125 ft.

Revenue for the Azimut-Benetti Group for the 2023/2024 financial year ending September was €1.3 billion, bolstered by an order backlog worth €2.6 billion. The company has forecasted growth of 15 per cent for the coming year, underscored by a €160 million investment plan to further shore up the company’s strategic initiatives until 2027.

Altogether, that’s another 58 Benetti multi-million dollar super- and megayachts that will make their way to multi-millionaire and billionaire owners around the world – and keep the 151-year-old privately-owned company happily busy for the next three years.

LOFTY PURSUITS

In the last decade, Valle has seen the average age of a Benetti yacht owner fall from 70-plus years of age to about 55 years currently; a trend reflected by other marques at the apex of luxury like Rolls-Royce where the average age of a new Rolls-Royce customer is now 43.

“There’s a new generation of rich people, especially in Asia,” observed Valle, a yacht industry veteran of almost 30 years, all of which have been entirely with the Azimut-Benetti Group.

That said, the majority of Benetti’s boats in development, he said, are going to the Middle East. While business is quite evenly split among Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Middle East, it’s the latter that seems to be driving demand at this point – and for the next couple of years ahead, at least. But it’s a different story for Azimut where the United States is clearly the strongest market for the brand.

These younger clients are also prompting a wave of change in yacht design, with Valle noticing a key theme emerging: Less formality.

“The new generation is pushing for a much more liveable boat than before,” he explained. “I remember in the ’90s, people were asking for a private dining area, many rooms, everything separated. Now, they are asking for more informal social areas to enjoy with friends like in a home, and they want it to be more open with more contact with the sea.”

In response to these trends, Benetti unveiled its seventh and newest product line during the Monaco Yacht Show: the B.Loft 65m.

It’s a revolutionary concept characterised by a unique architectural plan featuring lofty ceilings, as its name suggests, of up to 4m high, as well as more open-concept layouts that give way to more fluidity in connecting the flow of indoor and outdoor spaces.

From initial renderings seen, there are also more lounging areas to enjoy the panoramic ocean views like in the Cabana on the main deck, which offers a remarkable 270-degree view with fold-down wings to bring you even closer to the water’s edge while relaxing onboard.

Overall, it’s giving the kind of contemporary residential feels that this writer could certainly call home.