The Top 10 Most Expensive and Luxurious Properties In The World
In the gloom that is the current property market, with remortgage deals all but dried up, and lenders not lending. Here\’s a hit parade of the worlds most lavish properties to re-instill our faith in the property market, or perhaps just to make us all jealous!
1 \’Antilla\’ South Mumbai: Antilla is a mansion with a whopping twenty seven floors, costing $1 billion to construct, naturally such a home can only be for one of the world\’s richest men and this it case it goes to Mukesh Ambani, 4th richest man on the planet. The head of Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries, Ambani and his family have various ballrooms, \’hanging gardens\’ and three helicopter pads to call home, a home which stands 570ft, dominating the Mumbai skyline.
Quirky Fact: Along with the Ambani family, the staff also lives in the towering property. Now, a maid or two would be reasonable to house in a building of this size wouldn\’t it? Well how about 600? Yep, that\’s right, 600 staff live in the property to help keep and maintain it.
2: Cote d\’Azur France – \’Villa Leopolda\’:
With a calculated worth of over $500m, this French Villa is home to the Safira family, Edmond Safira a wealthy French banker recently passed away, leaving the mansion in the ownership of his wife. Situated on the gorgeous French Rivera, the 80k square foot home is the picture of continental beauty. The mansion is perhaps one of the most traditionally styled on this list, originally being built at the very beginning of the nineteenth century. Villa Leopolda is as much about culture and history as it is about the modern and contemporary world.
Fascinating Fact: This building was in fact used as the setting for most of the scenes in Alfred Hitchcock\’s 1955 film To Catch a Thief starring Grace Kelly.
3: \’One Hyde Park: The Penthouse\’ – London:
This penthouse suite is deserving of its very own celebrity status, despite being just a small part of a huge retail and residential complex. Talking of celebrity status, this particular property is a magnet for the high profile individuals of our society, such as wealthy bankers and celebrities. The safety features of The Penthouse are undoubtedly its main pulling factor with 24 hour SAS guard, optical scanners on entry, multiple panic rooms, bullet proof windows and even secret passageways which provide the perfect quick getaway to nearby destinations including the exclusive Mandarin Oriental Hotel (perhaps one of the most fashionable addresses in the capital). People need to be willing to fork out for their safety when it comes to staying here though – The suite alone is worth around $200million.
Quirky Fact: It\’s unsurprising that the One Hyde Park Penthouse Suite is considered the third safest property in the whole of Britain, just trailing behind the properties on Downing Street and Buckingham Palace.
4: the Hamptons – \’Fairfield Pond\’:
Fourth on the list of the most expensive properties in the world is Fairfield Pond with an estimated worth of $170 million. With 29 bedrooms and 39 bathrooms spread over 63 acres, Fairfield is considered the biggest residential property in Northern America. The property is currently home to Ira Rennert and American Investor and business billionaire. The main building is regarded as quirky due to its 12 chimneys and Mediterranean style roof. The interior includes a bowling alley while the exterior showcases 5 different sports courts.
Fascinating Fact: The interior also includes a hot tub (that\’s nothing too out of the ordinary I hear you shout), well how about a hot tub worth $15,000 – yes, that\’s right!
5: \’Hearst Mansion\’ Beverly Hills, California:
Hearst Mansion is a true celebrity within the LA property world, and that\’s saying something when Beverly Hills is one of the most exclusive areas in the world. Not only was the mansion used as setting for the famous \’horses-head-in-the-bed\’ scene in Francis Ford Coppola\’s The Godfather in 1972, but it was also used as the main set location for The Bodyguard (starring Whitney Houston). The house blends into its Beverly Hills surroundings perfectly, spreading over 6 acres, it certainly enforces it\’s dominance within this regions highly competitive property market. Hearst has a total of twenty-nine bedrooms and a total of 3 indoor and outdoor swimming pools.
Quirky Fact: Hearst\’s celebrity status doesn\’t quite stop at its feature in some of world\’s top films, oh no! The mansion was even good enough for President John F Kennedy to spend part of his honeymoon there with wife Jacqueline.
6: Kensington, London: \’Franchuk Villa\’:
As the second UK entry, Franchuk Villa stands proudly at 6th on the most expensive properties in the world. Named after its owner, Ukrainian Philanthropist Elena Franchuk, the 5 story \’villa\’ is worth an approximated $161m. The building once served as a Girls Preparatory School until 1997 after which Elena bought it. In 2008, she funded a 10m renovation on the entire property and as a result she now has ten bedrooms at her disposal.
Fascinating Fact: Franchuk Villa has its very own underground world, which includes a cinema room, a gym and sauna and a large swimming pool – pretty impressive wouldn\’t you agree?!
7: Montana, \’The Pinnacle\’:
The owners of the Pinnacle, in the heart of Montana\’s mountains, are perhaps the most best known couples in the world of billionaires and celebrities. Tim and Edra Blixseth jointly own the exclusive Yellowstone golf and ski resort which attracts millionaires from across the globe. Their property is quite possibly the most beautiful cabins I have every scene (have a little Google of it!), and it\’s no wonder it is priced at way over $150m. The Pinnacle is specially designed to withstand the extreme Western US weather, coming inclusive with under floor heating throughout the house. Even the driveway is heated!
Fascinating Fact: As if numerous fireplaces and heated floors weren\’t enough, even the driveway is heated (that\’s one huge heating bill!)
8: \’The Manor\’, LA:
This is the largest residential property in the whole of Los Angeles, with a total square footage of 56,500. The manor was built and designed especially for producer Aaron Spelling but since his death and while it is currently home to his wife, it is on the market for a whopping $150 million. This property is perhaps one of the most bizarre in terms of its interior. Along with the \’normal\’ inclusions such as swimming pools, 3 kitchens and 123 rooms, the house also boasts an indoor ice skating rink, its very own private orchard and 100 private car parking spaces.
Fascinating Fact: And the property\’s strangeness doesn\’t stop there. It also houses a room dedicated to wrapping presents, a temperature controlled room for storing jewellery and a whole floor dedicated to clothes. Like that wasn\’t enough, the 17,000 square foot attic was recently fitted with a beauty salon and a barber shop!
9: \’Updown Court\’ – Windlesham, Surrey:
A third UK entry is Updown Court, a property valued at $139 million. It has a total of 103 rooms, 24 of which are bedrooms, 5 swimming pools and 58 acres of private garden and woodland. Taking note from The Pinnacle in Montana, the court also has a heated marble driveway which partially covers a huge underground garage which can hold up to 8 limos.
Fascinating Fact: Not only does Updown Court have a larger acreage than Buckingham Palace but it is the biggest private residence to be built in the UK during the 19th Century.
10: \’Dracula\’s Castle\’, Romania:
The debate over whether this really is the inspiration for Bram Stoker\’s Dracula still rage today, what is not debatable however, is its price of $135 million. Technically, it shouldn\’t be on the list as its owner, Archduke Dominic Habsburg converted the castle from his residence into a museum in memoriam to Queen Marie and her family, back in 2009. 17 of the castle\’s 57 were bedrooms, no doubt making it a large and atmospheric residence in its time.
Fascinating Fact: Perhaps most famously, the property stands on 200ft of rock, and attracts over 450,000 tourists every year – a nice little earner for the Archduke wouldn\’t you agree?!
James writes for Just Remortgages one of the UK\’s top sites for the latest remortgage rates and remortgage deals
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