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Travel + Leisure
3 days ago
- Travel + Leisure
This Shipwreck Could Hold $24 Million of Treasure—and You Could Hunt for It on This Exclusive Tour
Searching for buried treasure may be the stuff of legends and action movies, but thanks to a once-in-a-lifetime offering from luxury experiential travel company Pelorus Travel, it could actually be your next vacation. In 1699, a French frigate called the Maurepas sank in the remote San Blas Islands off the coast of Panama, taking a massive trove of treasure down with it. Believed to be carrying precious cargo from Charles II of Spain to King Louis XIV of France, the ship went down in waters belonging to the Guna Yala people, who say they have always known the wreck's location—but they've kept the site secret, believing the area to be tied to their cosmic origins. Divers exploring the legendary Maurepas. Now, for the first time in centuries, the Guna Yala tribe has opened the waters to exploration—and Pelorus was granted the exclusive opportunity to bring participants to join the search for an estimated $24 million in lost gold, silver, and jewels. The "Maurepas Treasure Hunt," bookable from June to November, will let a handful of intrepid (and deep-pocketed) travelers join the nonprofit ocean exploration team behind OceanX in a real-life hunt for sunken treasure off Panama's northern coast. Participants will spend their days diving uncharted waters alongside a seasoned salvage crew, scanning the seabed with a magnetometer, and filming for a forthcoming documentary on the expedition. Evenings will bring fireside talks with experts on the history of the Maurepas , the life of a modern-day treasure hunter, and maritime mysteries. Aerial view of the Pelorus ship sailing the Guna Yala waters. If the treasure is found, 70 percent of its value will return to the tribe, helping revitalize the community. Each treasure-hunt participant will receive a cut of the remaining proceeds plus $25,000 for taking part in the documentary. The price to join starts at $185,000 per person and includes accommodations for seven nights, access to dive gear (plus a scuba license for non-divers), expert guides, business-class flights, and insurance. Those seeking a more luxurious base can charter a private superyacht for an added fee. For bookings or questions, visit Pelorus Travel's website.
Business Insider
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
The Palace of Versailles wants you to talk to statues through OpenAI's tech. But the statues don't seem that interested in chatting.
The Palace of Versailles launched a new partnership with OpenAI to get its statues to speak. The informative chatbot was dry and lacked effective conversational skills. But it's a better solution than fact sheets or audioguides. You can now talk to ornate, centuries-old statues in the gardens of the Palace of Versailles, but be warned — they only want to talk about themselves. The palace, which functions as a museum, announced a partnership with OpenAI and a Paris-based AI company, Ask Mona, to create chatbots that allow online and in-person visitors to have conversations with the 12 statues in its gardens. Scanning QR codes located near the sculptures — or online — starts an audio conversation with a chatbot. The garden statues "will reveal their secrets to you," the palace said in a Tuesday Instagram post. I tested the new tool all the way from Singapore, striking up conversations with the Apollo Fountain and Neptune's Fountain. Informative but lacking personality I first tried speaking with the Apollo Fountain, a 15th-century golden fountain by French sculptor Jean-Baptiste Tuby. The chatbot immediately launched into an elaborate description of the work. "The fountain symbolizes the dawn, the moment when light spreads over the world. It's a reflection of power and renewal, much like the reign of the Sun King, Louis XIV, who saw himself in my image," the chatbot told me in a deep, somber male voice. After a few basic questions about who created the sculpture and when it was last restored, I threw some curveballs. "Can you tell me a joke?" I asked it. "As much as I enjoy bringing light to the world, I must stay true to my role here. I'm a symbol of power, grace, and eternal renewal," it responded. "But I can certainly brighten your day with stories of art, history, and myth." It then asked me if I would like to hear more about the symbolism of the fountain. I did not. When I asked what the sculpture was thinking, it responded, "As Apollo, I am always focused on my eternal task: guiding the sun across the sky." I tried my luck with the 15th-century Neptune's Fountain. I asked when it was made and what material it was made of, and received substantial answers. The voice was the same male voice from the earlier sculpture. When I asked what details first-time visitors should look out for, the chatbot suddenly went silent, not capturing my voice. It took a couple of website refreshes to get it to answer my question. I also tried to ask general questions about Paris. "I hold dominion over the fountains of Versailles, not the city beyond. Let your admiration rest upon the sculptures and waters that tell the tales of gods and legends here," it responded dryly. While Versailles' new AI tool is informative and a useful guide for palace visitors not keen on reading artwork labels, the chatbot lacked humor and was a bit buggy. The conversations also felt one-sided — the chatbots rarely asked me anything back. In comparison, OpenAI's ChatGPT frequently asks follow-up questions or suggests alternative prompts. To its credit, it is certainly a step up from traditional audioguides, providing instant answers to visitors. Instead of skimming through an overcrowded fact sheet or sitting through a pre-recorded audio guide, it felt more like walking with a tour guide and having my burning questions answered on the spot. The bot would be a useful addition at other museums, especially for tourists with short attention spans and long itineraries.
Harpers Bazaar Arabia
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Harpers Bazaar Arabia
Escape to Le Grand Jardin: The French Riviera's Most Magical Hidden Estate
If you're craving a reset that's private, poetic, and impossibly chic – you've just found your next escape. Imagine waking up to the sound of birdsong and sea breeze, in a villa once owned by royalty – no crowds, no traffic, just sun-dappled serenity on your own private island. Welcome to Le Grand Jardin by Ultima Collection – the only private estate on the legendary Île Sainte-Marguerite, just off the coast of Cannes. Surrounded by turquoise waters and wild pine forest, the property feels like a world of its own – serene, cinematic, and somehow still under-the-radar. Once owned by Louis XIV and a favourite of modern day royalty and A-List celebrities, Le Grand Jardin has been masterfully reimagined into a modern sanctuary without losing an ounce of its soul. Picture stone courtyards shaded by citrus trees, botanical gardens that stretch into the sea, and architecture that whispers history in every arch and window. The estate includes 13 beautifully appointed bedrooms spread across multiple buildings – including the original watchtower, a Governor's House, and guest cottages. Inside, interiors strike the perfect balance between effortless Mediterranean charm and modern luxury. Natural textures, warm neutrals, and artfully placed antiques reflect the rhythm of the island outside, while high-tech comforts (like wellness facilities and a cinema room) ensure every moment is utterly indulgent. For those craving wellness, the experience is deeply immersive. There's a heated pool, hammam, ice bath, yoga pavilion, and even an al fresco massage table tucked beneath fragrant pines. Every detail is designed to slow you down – and spoil you, quietly. And when you feel like stepping out, you're only a short boat ride away from Cannes. And while you could easily spend your whole stay within this Mediterranean Eden, a short stroll takes you to La Guérite, the neighbouring beachside restaurant known for its sun-soaked ambience, live music, and iconic seafood platters. From sunrise yoga sessions to twilight dinners under fairy lights, Le Grand Jardin offers a retreat that feels both cinematic and sacred – where luxury isn't loud, and time seems to stretch a little longer.
Business Insider
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
11 historic mansions from HBO's 'The Gilded Age' that you can visit in real life
HBO's "The Gilded Age" films scenes in real historic mansions from the time period. Several mansions once owned by the Vanderbilt family in Newport, Rhode Island, appear in the show. Gilded Age mansions in Tarrytown and Sands Point, New York, also serve as film sets for the series. If you weren't an heiress, coal magnate, or railroad tycoon, you probably wouldn't have made the guest list at Gilded Age parties. Those gatherings were reserved for the wealthiest, most powerful members of society at the turn of the 20th century. However, visitors of all economic brackets can visit many of the historic opulent estates that serve as film sets for HBO's show " The Gilded Age." The show shoots at real mansions from the time period, many of which are now museums, to create authentic portrayals of the characters' exorbitant wealth. Season three of "The Gilded Age" premieres June 22 on HBO. Here are 11 Gilded Age mansions where the show filmed that offer tours of their magnificent properties. Rosecliff, a 30-room mansion in Newport, Rhode Island, was modeled after King Louis XIV's Grand Trianon palace in Versailles. Theresa "Tessie" Fair Oelrichs, whose family's silver fortune earned her the nickname "Bonanza Heiress," built Rosecliff in 1902 as her summer home. Admission to tours of the 28,800-square-foot property can be purchased through the Preservation Society of Newport County. Fans of "The Gilded Age" will recognize the ceiling of Rosecliff's ballroom from the show's opening credits. Rosecliff features the largest private ballroom in Newport, measuring 40 feet by 80 feet. Scenes from "The Great Gatsby," "27 Dresses," and "Amistad" have also been filmed there. One of the grandest Gilded Age mansions in Newport, the Breakers spans 138,300 square feet and belonged to one of the era's wealthiest families. Cornelius Vanderbilt II, heir to his grandfather's railroad fortune, built the Breakers as a summer home in 1895. The name "Breakers" comes from the sound of waves breaking against the shores of the Newport property. The Preservation Society of Newport County manages the mansion as a museum. Tours can be booked online. Several rooms in the Breakers were used as film sets for "The Gilded Age," including the music room and the billiard room. The billiard room features a wrought-iron and bronze lighting fixture so heavy that it had to be attached to the structural beams of the home. In a scene in "The Gilded Age," George Russell played a game of billiards in the room after a dinner party. The music room also served as a film set for "The Gilded Age," appearing as the Russells' ballroom where they hosted Gladys' debut ball at the end of season one. Marble House in Newport was a 39th birthday present from William K. Vanderbilt to his then-wife, Alva, in 1892. Marble House is named for the 500,000 cubic feet of marble featured throughout the home. When Alva Vanderbilt divorced her husband in 1895, she maintained ownership of Marble House and custody of their three children. She then married one of her neighbors, Oliver H.P. Belmont, in 1896, and became Alva Belmont. After his death, she leveraged her fortune to fund causes in the women's suffrage movement and hosted suffrage conventions at Marble House. The Preservation Society of Newport County operates tours of the property. In "The Gilded Age," scenes in George Russell's bedroom are filmed in the room that belonged to Alva and William's daughter, Consuelo Vanderbilt. Chateau-sur-Mer in Newport was originally built by merchant William Shepard Wetmore in 1852, then remodeled by his son in the 1870s. George Wetmore, who inherited the Italianate-style villa when his father died in 1862, served as the governor of Rhode Island and as a US senator representing the state. Tours of the home are available through the Preservation Society of Newport County. Rooms at Chateau-sur-Mer that appear in "The Gilded Age" include the stair hall and the dining room. Chateau-sur-Mer appears in the show as the home of Mamie Fish, who hosted a doll tea party in the first season. The stair hall is painted with the biblical Tree of Life, and the dining room walls are decorated with wallpaper made of Spanish leather covered in silver. Gilded Age coal magnate Edward Julius Berwind and his wife, Sarah Herminie Berwind, built The Elms in Newport in 1901. The Elms was modeled after the 18th-century French château, Château d'Asnières, and furnished with custom Louis XV-style furniture. The mansion sits on a 10-acre estate, where the Berwinds used to host lavish parties. The Preservation Society of Newport County operates tours of the lavish home. The show films in Sarah Herminie Berwind's bedroom and the mansion's main kitchen. Sarah Herminie Berwind's bedroom appears as Gladys Russell's room in "The Gilded Age," and the main kitchen serves as the Russell family's kitchen where servants gossip and prepare meals. Lyndhurst Mansion in Tarrytown, New York, was owned by three prominent Gilded Age families: the Pauldings, the Merritts, and the Goulds. Former New York City Mayor William Paulding and his wife, real-estate heiress Maria Rhinelander Paulding, built the mansion in 1842. Merchant George Merritt bought Lyndhurst Mansion in 1864 and built an addition onto the home, doubling its square footage to 14,000 square feet. Railroad tycoon Jay Gould then purchased it in 1880. In the world of "The Gilded Age," the mansion is home to the characters of Charles and Aurora Fane. "The Gilded Age" has filmed scenes in Lyndhurst Mansion's parlor, dining room, and art gallery. The show also uses the mansion's carriage house as the offices of The New York Globe newspaper and its 67-acre grounds as a stand-in for Central Park. The Hempstead House at Sands Point Preserve on Long Island was built in 1912 by financier Howard Gould. Howard Gould, son of the aforementioned Jay Gould, only lived at Hempstead House for a few years before selling it to Daniel and Florence Guggenheim in 1917. Daniel was the brother of Solomon Guggenheim, for whom the Manhattan museum is named, and Benjamin Guggenheim, who died on the Titanic. Hempstead House is located within Sands Point Preserve, which is open to the public and contains three mansions that can be toured. Tickets for a guided tour of Hempstead House can be purchased at the park's welcome center. You may recognize this room as George Russell's office. George Russell conducted many of his business dealings in this room at Hempstead House, now the home's library. "The Gilded Age" isn't the only project to have filmed here. You may also have seen Hempstead House in "Malcolm X," the 1998 adaptation of "Great Expectations," or "Scent of a Woman." Hunter House was originally built in 1748. Hunter House actually dates back to the colonial times, generations before the Gilded Age began. It even played a role in the Revolutionary War as the headquarters for the French fleet, per The Preservation Society of Newport County. Keeping Hunter House in good shape led to the creation of the Preservation Society in 1945, per the Society's website. There are guided tours held daily (excluding Sundays and Mondays) from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. On the show, one of the sitting rooms is used as lawyer Tom Raikes' office. In the show, Raikes' office is in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. It's one of the first non-New York City locations we see on the show. Belcourt was built in 1894 for the socialite Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont in Rhode Island. This 50,000-square-feet, 60-room summer home was modeled after King Louis XIII's hunting lodge at Versailles. The property was known for its extensive stables and carriage space, which makes sense: You may recognize his last name from the Belmont Stakes, the annual horse race in Elmont, New York, that was named for his father, August Belmont Sr. Belcourt is open for both guided tours during the day and candlelight walks and ghost tours in the evenings. The property doubles as the summer home of the Astors on "The Gilded Age." In a memorable moment in season one, Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) ends up sneaking around Belcourt (Beechwood, in the show) to avoid a run-in with Mrs. Astor. Westbrook, home of New York attorney and real-estate developer William Bayard Cutting, is located in Oakdale, New York. Westbrook was built in 1886 in the Tudor Revival style. Inside, there are 60 rooms (and 20 fireplaces). Westbrook's main draw, though, is its gardens. The house is now located inside the Bayard Cutting Arboretum State Park, which is home to 691 acres of plants, trails, and more. There are separate guided tours of the arboretum and Westbrook available seasonally. There's also the Hidden Oak Café, which is located inside Westbrook and offers the option to take "Victorian Tea," complete sandwiches, scones, and tea. It was used during season one of the show. The Cuttings were part of the famed "Four Hundred" list, which was published by The New York Times in the 1890s. It named the 400 most socially acceptable people living in New York City. So, even though only their house has popped up on the show, the real Cutting family could too. The Glenview Mansion was built in the 1870s in Yonkers, a city in Westchester County, New York. It was built for the financier John Bond Trevor, who was partners with James Boorman Colgate (yes, of those Colgates). After the Trevors sold the home to the city of Yonkers, it became part of the Hudson River Museum, which is still open today. The interior of Glenview was used as the interior of Mrs. Astor's home.
Local France
10-06-2025
- General
- Local France
The ultimate guide to tea drinking in France
Yes, France is a coffee country. It has been since an Armenian fellow who went by the name of Pascal opened a coffee shop in Paris less than two years after King Louis XIV was gifted a bag of beans in 1669 by the ambassador of the Ottoman Empire that made what he described as a 'magical beverage'. READ ALSO How to drink your coffee in the French style France even has a coffee roast bearing its name – French roast coffee tends to be darker than many modern roasts, and it's not as fashionable these days in many parts of the world, but it's probably what you'll get if you ask for un café . But what about the French and their thé (tea) consumption? Advertisement Tea history It's not just Britons who consume vast oceans of tea. It's popular with the Irish, Turks, Moroccans, Pakistanis, Japanese, Chinese, Kenyans and New Zealanders, among many others. The irony is that tea reached France before it got as far as Britain. The Dutch, another European nation not particularly noted for their tea drinking proclivities, introduced it to France in the 17th century. Meanwhile, they even grow tea in France. There are plantations as far north as Brittany. Louis XIV - who later received that gift of the 'magical' coffee - encouraged tea drinking in his court and one of his chief ministers, Cardinal Mazarin, drank it as a cure for gout. Perhaps because of that history, tea is often still considered a luxury drink, or a health drink in France – far removed from the dark brown builder's tea Britons are used to. So what's the modern tea scene in France? The French tea-drinking tradition tends towards fine teas, in particular heavily perfumed varieties - usually served without milk. You're spoiled for choice if you like tisanes, green teas, or infusions. If you order tea at a café in France, you're more likely to get a herbal or fruit tea, known as une tisane or une infusion , or perhaps a green tea ( thé vert ). Most big cities will have specialised tea shops and several come up if you do an internet search. Meanwhile there are famous French brands such as Mariage Frères and Dammann Frères (tea seems to have been a brotherly business in the 1800s), although they tend to specialise in the highly perfumed teas that that the French enjoy. They do also ha ve fruit and herbal teas, as well as some Asian-style offerings too. Advertisement There is also the salon du thé (tea shop) - this is a nice alternative to a classic café for the afternoons, usually selling teas, coffees and cakes and other sweet treats. As with other French tea venues, however, it's unlikely to serve you a cup of British/Irish style tea - by which we mean black tea so strong you could dance a donkey on it, with a dash of cold milk added and definitely, definitely no lemon. So if I want 'builder's tea'? If you're a tea drinker of the builder-strength persuasion then probably don't bother with the packets of thé anglais you might see in the supermarket. An entire box might satisfy your tastebuds, but it's an expensive way to get your tannin fix. You could look for thé noir. But the good news is that British teas are routinely available in French supermarkets. You'll generally find them alongside the tisanes , while it's also worth checking the 'British' bit of the world food aisle, if there is one. That's where you'll also usually find the brown sauce, too, and the Worcestershire sauce. And the Colman's mustard sometimes. But not, sadly, Lancashire sauce. You can always order monster-sized boxes of Tetley, PG Tips, Yorkshire Tea, and – good news, Irish tea drinkers – Barry's online. Meanwhile you will be happy to know that tea is not covered by the EU rule on food product imports, so you can beg or bribe friends travelling from the UK to bring a box with you. Do you have any (PG) tips for finding good tea in France? Share your recommendations in the comments section below
