Christmas lists are a thing many people do this year. In this spirit I decided to release a unique kind of post around this theme. Posting ultimate or top product wish lists is a common thing for a lot of celebrities and TV talk shows to do, but none are as…opulent as you will find below. It’s like Oprah’s seasonal “favourite things list” except they’re mine and nobody is getting something or all of the list. Unless Oprah wants to do that. Ball’s in your court O.
“Diamond Dreams” Cottage getaway
2.5 Acres of property
approx $850,000
My family enjoyed a cottage for many years on the shores of Diamond Lake. Unfortunately this changed when the cottage was sold due because of the cost of upkeep. We, as in the grand kids, miss this cottage dearly and I often wish I could share the experience with my own family. My wife and many of our spouses haven’t seen the beauty we enjoyed.
This is an upgrade on what our cottage used to be. It was originally a little kit cottage built by my grandpa, uncles and my dad. The simple wooden structure sat on about half an acre of land overlooking the lake. This property features five times the land and frontage plus a sprawling 5 or 6 bedroom deluxe getaway custom designed and built by celebrity handy man Bryan Baeumler. Lot featured is cleared and land ready, just off the highway so you don’t have to pay for the private drive to be cleared. Easily not the most expensive thing on this list. Note that Bryan hasn’t built the cottage yet nor knows he is.
Lazzara Yachts LMY 64
Total length: 64 feet 6 inches
Sleeps 8 (plus crew)
Approx $2.35 million
I’ve long dreamed of owning a yacht. In the days past I once wanted to own the impressive 115 foot LMY 116 yacht. It’s a little known fact that I was once invited to join an owner’s wine and dine for SeaRay at their local dealership and spent a large portion of the time sitting in their flagship 52 foot yacht and chatting with owners. It was here that a sense of reality hit me. As much as I would love 116 feet of luxury the simple fact is the Great Lakes can’t handle anything longer than 70 feet. In fact anything over 60 is a stretch for most places open to the public. Also manning and sailing a boat that size would require a crew but, the owners told me, 50 to 60 feet is fairly manageable with some training.
Lazzara may sound like an Italian company but they are actually an American company long founded in the tradition of yacht construction. Their boats have a unique design (seriously, these million dollar beasts all look the same) and innovative technology. Tech toys are a standard feature of many of them. At half cruise this beast has the range to sail from Toronto to Ottawa and back with little issue.
Porsche Panamera Turbo Executive
520 hp 4.8L V8 twin turbo engine
0-62 mph (100km/h) in 4 seconds, seats 4 VERY comfortably
$255,000
I LOVE PORSCHE. Really that’s all there is to it. They are simply the best and most sophisticated engineered cars on the planet today. While there is no shortage of wonderful German luxury sedans, nothing compares to the Porsche Panamera. It has all the room and luxury of an S class Mercedes or Audi A8 longbody. It also has speed. Tons and tons of speed. Top Gear took the Panamera Turbo out for a spin against other four door saloons and, despite their hatred of all things Porsche, found little bad to say about it. Then they took it on the track.
You can take 4 full sized adults from 0 to 100 kph in less time than it takes to read this sentence. Half the time actually. Hopefully your passengers don’t scare easily. They may never notice, though, wrapped comfortably and completely in the plush leather reclining chairs in the rear.
85″ Samsung 4k TV with Bose Lifestyle 535 Home Theater
4k TVs display resolution four times higher than 1080p (high definition)
Bose Lifestyle home theaters set the gold standard for “out of the box” systems.
Approx $45,000
And now we get to the bargains of the list. This combination doesn’t even cross the $50,000 threshold but packs a lasting punch. The resolution capabilities of this 85″ TV are stunning. Four times more pixels than HD you can guarantee all the TV you watch right now will look like crap at best! That’s because 4k resolution shows and movies are limited to the demo reel that ships with the TV, or the occasional bleeding technical age movie.
But don’t worry, with this kit you’re future proofed. Blue ray player and a 4k smart TV makes sure you will be ready for the latest in digital resolution that is still four years from high end mainstream. Awe your friends with the numbers and then the Superbowl in glorious High Definition UPSCALED to 4K! Imagine the grainy goodness! Still, this TV is awesome.
2015 Sierra Denali 3500HD 4×4 CrewCab Duramax Diesel and Lifestyle Alfa Gold 3805BH
Brand new Sierra HD with over 20,000lbs of towing.
4×4 capability with Crew Cab family seating.
Alliston 6-Speed transmission
41 foot luxury 5th wheel with two bedrooms and external facilities bay.
Approx $160,000
Anybody who knows me saw this coming. In fact they probably expected it sooner. There are two parts to this puzzle but neither should exist without the other. The Sierra 3500HD is a gorgeous truck with it’s new redesign. I won’t go into too many details since I already did. However, the interiors of these trucks have a hugely refreshing update and a solid fit and feel. As much as I am a Ford fan this year the Sierra takes the cake. Perhaps when the new Ford SuperDuty redesign takes the stage this will change. The Denali level ensures lots of luxurious features, comfort and tech toys galore. I salivate just thinking about it.
Coming behind the Sierra, literally, is one of America’s top rated 5th wheels. A rear pop-out bedroom with a bed and bunks sleeps the kiddoes while mom and dad get to relax on the queen bed at the front. A couple leather couches, two fully equipped bathrooms and a kitchen you really have home when away. You nay sayers can complain this isn’t really camping, just don’t ask to sleep on the couch when the rain washes away your tent.