Robb Report Monaco & Côte d'Azur

The aphorism ‘simplicity is the ultimate sophistication’, widely attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, and more commonly distilled into German-American architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s less-is-more ethos, remains proudly placed at the crest of the zeitgeist. Yet today’s design landscape is defined as much by its rejection of that principle as its embrace of it.

For decades, the world’s most prestigious yachts competed on a familiar set of measures: length, speed and the number of amenities onboard. While those attributes remain important, they no longer define the industry’s most significant launches. Today, yacht design is increasingly influenced by a different question: how do owners actually want to spend their time on the water? The answer can be seen across this year’s Best of the Best victors.

In May 2022, the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé, one of two 300SLRs ever built, stowed away in the manufacturer’s museum for six decades, sold at a private RM Sotheby’s auction for €135 million. It was the highest price ever paid for a motor car. It was also, crucially, a car that had never turned a wheel in competition. That detail matters.

For decades, private aviation has been defined by measurable achievements: faster speeds, longer ranges and greater efficiency. Today, however, the industry’s most significant innovations are increasingly focused on something less tangible—the art of arrival. Across this year’s most impressive aircraft, the emphasis has shifted from simply transporting passengers to ensuring they arrive feeling better than when they boarded.

Covetable homes are, increasingly, defined not by simply location, but by the lifestyles they represent. From landmark developments in London to private retreats on the French Riviera, from soaring penthouses in the Middle East to country estates set amid Europe’s rolling landscapes, today’s most desirable properties reflect an emotional connection to location.

There are beach clubs, and then there is Nikki Beach Saint-Tropez. Since its debut in the summer of 2002 – a launch party still spoken about in the same breath as the wildest Riviera nights on record – the all-white, sand-set destination on Pampelonne Beach has been the European flagship of a brand that first took root in Miami in 1998, under the vision of founder Jack Penrod.

Every great story deserves a proper ending, and McLaren has just written one. The new 788HS is billed by the marque as the definitive and final evolution of the supercar family launched with the 720S, sharpened into the 765LT, and matured into the 750S. Rather than let the line fade quietly, Woking has chosen to send it off with the most extreme series production expression of the platform yet. The name matters.

For much of the past two decades, luxury travel was defined by a familiar formula: the world’s most celebrated destinations and the most prestigious hotels. Today, however, a shift is underway. Travellers are now looking beyond the obvious. Rather than following well-trodden paths, they are drawn to emerging destinations and experiences that offer a genuine sense of discovery.

There is a particular kind of alchemy that happens when a global hospitality name finds exactly the right address. For Zuma, the contemporary Japanese dining brand with outposts from London to Dubai to Hong Kong, that address is the garden of Hôtel Byblos, the property that has defined Saint-Tropez glamour since 1967. Following its 2024 debut in Cannes at the storied Palm Beach, Zuma’s second Riviera chapter opened in May 2025, and it has spent its first two summers proving it belongs.

“Time flies,” as the old adage goes, “when you’re having fun.” And for me personally, there is nothing more fun—or more rewarding—than sharing with our readers the finest products, experiences and innovations that have come into our orbit over the last 12 months. Reporting on the pinnacle of human achievement is a privilege for which our editorial team will always be grateful.