Belize: a country so beautiful Leonardo DiCaprio purchased a private island there. Most of us won’t be getting an invite any time soon – nor will we be investing in our own secluded isle – but there’s another way to experience this slice of paradise in style.

Located three miles from San Pedro in the calm waters of the Western Caribbean, Cayo Espanto is an exclusive private island retreat with 5-star service and a celebrity following. Its crown jewel is Casa Ventanas, an intimate and ultra-chic overwater bungalow thoughtfully appointed with every imaginable comfort.

Casa Ventanas sits at the end of a dock that stretches over 150 feet off the island for ultimate privacy. The bungalow is surrounded on all sides by the Caribbean Sea, a picture-perfect window into the exotic turquoise water world of Belize. Sea life swims not only past but under the bungalow, which guests can view through a glass observation panel set in the floor.

Cayo Espanto doesn’t skimp on the amenities front. Casa Ventanas boasts WiFi, CD and DVD players, a television, an iPod dock, a movie and music collection, a fridge, a coffemaker, air con, and a butler’s pantry. Outside, guests can dine on the private verandah or cool off in an al fresco shower. There’s even a private sailboat and kayaks to get fully immersed in island living.

The island is an ideal base for fishing, scuba diving, and snorkeling in the world’s second-largest barrier-reef system. Cayo Espanto offers watersports, like windsurfing or catamaran sailing, as well as birdwatching tours, private cruises, picnic excursions, spa services, and exotic jungle adventures. Or just put your feet up in your hammock and enjoy three tailored meals per day from your personal chef.

The post Unique Retreats: An Overwater Bungalow On A Private Island In Belize appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

There is a God – especially if you’re someone who’s good at managing your finances but not your love handles.

According to the latest research data from Discover and Match Media Group, those who seek love are more likely to score dates for being prudent with their finances than being physically attractive. The study comprised of 2,000 American adults who either had an active dating platform or met their partner online.

Breaking down the stats from the study revealed a rather surprising result:

• 58 percent of online daters claim good credit record in a potential partner is more attractive than driving a nice car
• 50 percent say good credit is more important than an impressive job title
• 40 percent admitted they favoured good credit over physical fitness

According to Kate Manfred who is the vice president of brand communications and insights at Discover, there’s a very clear reason for this.

“Scores don’t lie,” she told CNBC. “They tell the truth about who you are as a person and how responsible you are, which is incredibly correlated with how much of a good companion you’ll be in life.”

“We know credit score is an important measure of financial responsibility and we had a core hypothesis…that it would translate into the dating realm. It turns out it did.”

On top of that observation, Dr. Helen Fisher, Ph.D. who is the chief scientific adviser at Match.com told the American news site that “driving a nice car doesn’t say whether you are paying for it, or what you’ve been doing in it or where you’re taking people in the car”.

The car, the job title and physical fitness summarises the person you are today, but doesn’t give an indication as to who you were before that or even beyond it.

“A credit score says who you were yesterday, who you were 10 years ago…and who you’re likely to be tomorrow,” she says.

In total, 69 percent of the surveyed respondents ranked financial responsibility in the region of very to extremely important whilst looking for a partner.

There’s also the common belief that a sense of humour is often enough to win over a date, but this data also disproves that. If you consider yourself a bit of a joker but have a shocking credit history and can’t scrape enough coin together to pay your next rent then you’re equally screwed – financial responsibility rated higher than sense of humour, attractiveness, ambition, courage and modesty in the research.

These were based around the characteristics outlined by respondents as “responsible”, “trustworthy” and “smart”.

But why is there such an emphasis in this area?

“I think we’ve evolved three distinctly different brain systems for mating and reproduction. Sex drive being one, feelings of intense romantic love being the second and feelings of deep attachment being the third,” says Fisher.

“I would guess that understanding someone’s credit score could really up your feelings of attachment because it elicits feelings of admiration and respect. And that is, by the way, the top thing that singles are looking for, somebody who respects them.”

So the next time you’re considering sliding into someone’s DMs with a sleazy pick-up line, maybe send them an Excel sheet of your annual budget instead. Or take note of the worst ways to ever invest your money.

The post Research Finds You'll Score More Dates For Being Financially Responsible Than Being Hot appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

The temptation to crack Russian bride jokes here is high, but luckily there’s a good distraction in this cool industrial apartment which shows off how bachelor living is accomplished in Russia.

The design itself is less brazen and slightly more constrained than what architects have pushed in the past, but it’s the liberal use of cascading columns here which makes this home in Kotelniki a worthy abode.

Geometrium DSGN was the firm behind the design which grew from the the client’s request of revolving around sports and a healthy lifestyle for an unmarried man. As such, there’s a mix of bold and masculine textures which extends to exposed cement, pinewood, black accents and raw brick.

Need Some Inspiration…

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The post Here's One Russian Apartment You'd Live In If You Were Single appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

There’s a fine line between pimping out hard and setting the standard for air travel in 2017. John Legend is a man who has managed to straddle this fine line between both, coming out the other end unscathed and in this case, like a well rested cool cat (we’d assume).

We’re talking about the return of the iconic tracksuit, people. All forms of them from the classic nylon of the 90s through to the more audacious satin construct of today, as seen on our main man, Sir Legend in airport transit. There’s no doubt that this is a trend resurgence as the fashion world continues to embrace athleisure wear.

But before you go pulling out your 90s Kappa tracksuit complete with snap on pants, be warned that today’s tracksuit game has changed slightly. Brands like Gucci, Thom Browne and even Adidas have given the look a luxe makeover by pairing exquisite patters, prints and fit to push the look into the upper echelons of laid back cool.

The post John Legend's Outfit Is The Future Of Air Travel appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

The two names synonymous with racing have once again come together for a special edition bicycle which pays homage to McLaren‘s 50th anniversary of Grand Prix racing. The answer? The Specialized McLaren S-Works Roubaix.

Whilst it may look a little more conservative than what we’ve seen from the partnership in the past, make no mistake that this piece of kit is derived from the DNA of Specialized’s advanced performance and design ethos – an approach similar to that of supercar manufacturer, McLaren.

The striking paint scheme on the bike is what captures the attention first, wearing a Heritage Orange which reflects the iconic McLaren Orange which graced the brand’s race cars from 1966 and is featured on the 2017 car. This attention to detail and correlation to heritage flows right down to the leather bar tape which features the same Heritage Orange contrast stitching.

The special edition Roubaix also wears custom Roval CLX 32 carbon fibre wheels mounted on chrome polished hubs that mimic the silver wheels found on the McLaren race cars of yesteryear. The frame itself is one of Specialized’s most lightest with an entirely FACT 11r carbon fibre construction.

The post Specialized x McLaren Unveil Their Latest Masterpiece On Two Wheels appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

A new year brings with it a fresh look for the much anticipated 2018 Bentley Continental GT.

The revamped super coupe takes its sleek new styling cues directly from the EXP 10 Speed 6 concept which proved popular with the public when it was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year. Think sculpted rear quarters, sharper lines and a more fluid shape which works to accentuate masculinity in a low slung body. Do we have your attention yet? But wait there’s more.

The styling appointments on the Continental GT are clear winners of the new car with intricate LED matrix headlights mimicking fine cut crystal glasses and an interior which comprises of luxury materials like leather, wood and chrome joining a new digital gauge cluster and central LCD screen.

Entertainment is sorted with a choice of three audio systems: a standard 10-speaker system with 650 watts of power, a Bang & Olufsen system with 16 speakers and a 1,500 watt amplifier and a range-topping Naim system with 18-speakers alongside a 2,200-watt amplifier.

For the purists who just want to drive there’s 20-way adjustable seats beautifully lined in quilted leather. The entire cabin and all of its luxury fittings takes Bentley nine hours to install by hand.

Helping to propel the 2018 Continental GT is a big motor in the form of the revised 6.0-litre W12 borrowed from the Bentayga SUV. Power is now up to 466kW and 900Nm of torque which is 32kW and 180Nm more than its outgoing predecessor – the W12 Continental GT. Power is sent to all four wheels via an 8-speed dual clutch transmission which helps to get the car from 0 – 100km/h in 3.6 seconds before topping out at 333km/h.

A trick anti-roll system is also integrated into the car’s suspension so that it can achieve optimum ride handling across numerous conditions.

Customers will be spoilt for choice with 17 different exterior paint colours to choose from and an extra 70 in the extended range. The car will officially debut at the 2017 Frankfurt auto show on September 12.

The post Step Inside The Stunning 2018 Bentley Continental GT appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

TAG Heuer‘s iconic Monaco Chronograph is aiming to recapture the hearts of racing fans with its latest Monaco Gulf Special Edition.

The square-cased timepiece comes as a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Gulf Racing stripes, a name and colourway synonymous with dominating on the world’s premiere race tracks. In its latest iteration the Monaco wears the legendary blue and orange racing stripes paired with a small Gulf logo on the watch’s dial.

The Monaco Gulf Special Edition will come in a 39mm steel case which houses the Swiss made TAG Heuer Calibre 11 automatic. This movement drives the hours, minutes, seconds and twin square chronograph counters at the 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock mark. There’s also a date window at the 6 o’clock marker just below the Gulf logo.

The circular indexes ion the dial meanwhile are rhodium plated and polished with white Superluminova for low light legibility. On the usability front the timepiece features a power reserve of 40 hours and 100 metres water resistance.

This special edition timepiece is currently only available in the United States and will officially be released on September 15 for a RRP of US$5,900 via TAG Heuer America.

The post TAG Heuer Unveils A Special Edition Monaco Made For Racing Fans appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Rare Ferraris are nothing new in the world of well-heeled collectors but when a special prancing horse emerges from the shadows forty years on as the only one of its kind in the world, the definition of rare is completely redefined.

This is the Ferrari 365 GTB/4, a living and (almost) breathing example of what can happen when precious things get stowed away and forgotten about for decades. The pedigree of such a car hails from 1969 to the late 70s where just 1,200 365 GTB/4 Daytonas were built. Five of those examples were constructed from light-weight aluminium and designated to racing duties only – except one. Ferrari built a single example of the race car in full street-legal trim and that car is the one you see before you.

Chassis no. 12653 has resided in a Japanese barn for the most part of four decades thanks to owner Makoto Takai who didn’t want to sell it. That all changed this year with the Rosso Chiaro vehicle now heading to auction without reserve during September’s Leggenda e Passione auction in Maranello.

Based on the images alone, the car is obviously in ‘barn-find’ condition meaning it’ll need some work to bring it back to its former glory, but otherwise all original parts are intact. Inside the vehicle there’s black Nero leather alongside features like matching engine numbers, transaxle, Scaglietti body numbers and the original spare tyre – unused of course.

The car had originally been in the hands of three owners in Italy before it was brought over to Japan in 1971 where it sits with 36,000km on the clock.

The price of exclusivity? €1,700,000 or a touch over AU$2,000,000. Place your bids here.

The post Priceless Ferrari Discovered In A Japanese Barn 40 Years On appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Fans of Vice Media’s edgy approach to journalism will soon have a chance to experience the Vice lifestyle firsthand. The company recently announced a partnership with Airbnb to send 100 lucky winners on one of four free, custom-made tours in Cape Town, Paris, New York, or Tokyo.

“Vice has long gone all over the world to find the most unique stories with reporters on the ground, but we have never given our audience a chance to experience it,” said Spencer Baim, Vice’s chief strategy officer. “We’ve done a ton of research on this and given that we are in 80 countries, our ability to send viewers on incredible trips seems pretty endless.”

Jonathan Mildenhall, Airbnb’s chief marketing officer, added: “The experiences side of our business appeals more to a younger, more exploratory, more innovative human mindset and that seems like it would fit well with Vice’s core audience.”

The pilot offerings include an opportunity to dive into the electronic music scene of Cape Town (and collaborate with a local DJ on your own track), explore the original underground voguing movement in New York City, tour Tokyo’s hidden queer world, and see a naughtier side of the City of Love.

Each winner will receive a ticket to one of the Vice-curated travel packages, including round-trip airfare and three nights in an Airbnb home. To enter, visit the Vice x Airbnb platform and submit a response to a thematic prompt on the contest page of your choice by September 1. Entrants must have an Airbnb account, be at least 21 years old, and live in Australia, Canada (excluding the Province of Quebec), France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, South Africa, United Kingdom, or United States.

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