The new Monaco Yacht Club has its own stylish tender—sort of. June 20 marked the official opening of the Riva Aquarama Lounge. The room was designed to resemble the very essence of a Riva Aquarama.
Occupying the top floor of the yacht club, the area leaves no doubt as to what brand is involved. The Riva Aquarama Lounge entry bears the distinctive logos of both the builder and its famed runabout. The floor and ceiling resemble long strips of teak decking. More decking inspiration comes in the form of the cocktail tables around the room. The Riva Aquarama Lounge further has a bar (above), shaped like an Aquarama’s transom.
The histories of the Monaco Yacht Club and Riva have been intertwined since the 1950s. The first Monaco Yacht Club was established by the late Prince Rainier in 1953. In that same decade, Carlo Riva took over his family’s famed company. Rivas were already popular boats, but they became even more coveted by celebrities, moguls, and dignitaries, including Prince Rainier. And, in 1959, the famed Riva Tunnel was created in Monaco. It’s literally a tunnel, dug out over the course of two years from the rocky cliff beneath Grimaldi Palace. It was, and still is, used to house the all-wood Rivas in winter.
In case you’re not familiar with the Aquarama’s history, it’s quite interesting. The first Riva Aquarama debuted in November 1962. The name came from the Cinerama widescreen-movie system. Pioneered in the 1950s, it dramatically changed movie production and movie-going. Simiarly, the Riva Aquarama arguably forever changed Riva, becoming a brand within a brand. Fun fact: The original price was 10.8 million liras, or about $7,550.
Below are more photos of the Riva Aquarama Lounge, from our Facebook page.
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