A taste of the High Life

Thinking of Monaco automatically conjures up images of rich, famous playboys, with Roman Abramovich, Jenson Button and Taki Theodoracopulos immediately springing to mind; and as the association with this type of person is immediately desirable, so a holiday to the principality in the South of France comes highly recommended.

Of the three aforementioned men, Abramovich is perhaps the most notorious: he famously courted Jose Mourinho on his super-yacht moored off the coast of Monaco, and the Russian billionaire was apparently so impressed with the Special One's dossier of player preparation and tactics that he decided to hire him. Perhaps if Jose wafted it under his nose now it might save his job. Then again, maybe not.

The mere mention of Abramovich brings me nicely on to Taki, a true playboy legend. For any of you unfamiliar with the great man, Taki is of Greek aristocratic descent, and has spent most of his life chasing after women, often in Monaco - especially in the 50s and 60s - a pursuit only interrupted to engage in a spot of tennis, or karate, or leftie bashing. Taki, it seems, is not a fan of new money - which Abramovich epitomises to the core - as he inherited all of his. This perhaps explains why he is so peeved at the size of Abramovich's yacht, or 'gin palace cruiser' as he dubs boats of that size, for whenever Abramovich and Taki are in town together the Greek complains incessantly that the Russian's mighty ocean liner blocks his view of the sea.

Jenson, of course, is too busy worrying about contract disputes to be concerned with the size of another man's yacht, while the rest of his time is reportedly spent, much like Taki's was in his heyday, in the pursuit of attractive ladies. Now at first glance, the lifestyle epitomised by these three men might not seem too glamorous - disputes over money, and the size of people's equipment, and girls, fairly dishonourable really - but I would recommend it without equivocation on the grounds that it is better to be squabbling about the finer things in life than grocery bills, who's done it with who, and which bird's the best looking off of Hollyoaks.

So, to Monaco it is: to the marina, and the infamous tunnel, and the casino, all bathed in glorious sunshine (unless it rains). It may be mighty expensive, but it's not necessary to stay long, as it's positively minute: the second smallest country in Europe, to be exact, narrowly losing out to Vatican City. And even if the experience doesn't prove enjoyable, holidaymakers are provided with ample opportunity for embellishment: there's only so much that can go on in Bognor Regis; yet in Monaco, it's possible to bump into one of the most eligible women in the world (Princess Charlotte of Monaco) or even the King playboy himself, Prince Albert II, Monaco's current ruler.