Home cinemas, larger than life swimming pools, UFO-shaped buildings and theme-park rides. These are only a few of the home add-ons that celebrities love to splurge on.
From Bill Gates’ incredible Xanadu 2.0 to Hugh Hefner’s infamous Playboy Mansion, here’s our pick of the top seven most outrageous celebrity properties in the world.
The Manor – Petra Ecclestone, Los Angeles
Daughter of English Formula One billionaire Bernie Ecclestone, the 24-year-old heiress and socialite dropped a whopping £52 million on Aaron and Candy Spelling’s former Los Angeles home.
Complete with 100 rooms (including one room solely devoted to gift-wrapping), three hair salons, six guest rooms (including the Prince Charles suite, where Diana and Charles once stayed) and a walk-in wardrobe so large it has a second level accessed by an internal staircase, the property is the most expensive house in Los Angeles.
Ecclestone refurbished the place when she purchased the manor in 2011, employing 500 workers to redecorate it in nine weeks.
Jumbolair Estate – John Travolta, Florida
Specifically designed to house his Gulfstream and Boeing 707B, Travolta’s holiday estate is part home, part airport terminal.
It includes easy access to the planes, with a personal, private runway, while the main house comes equipped with a small control tower alongside multiple luxurious bedrooms.
Xanadu 2.0 – Bill Gates, Medina Washington
The Pacific lodge-style estate, named after the title character’s mansion in Citizen Kane, unsurprisingly incorporates the latest in technology and high-tech features, including guest pins that automatically adjust music, lighting and temperature based on an individual’s preferences when entering a room.
With a secret bookcase in the library that opens into a bar and a swimming pool with its own underwater music system, Xanadu 2.0 is one of the most outrageous celebrity-owned properties in the world.
The Playboy Mansion – Hugh Hefner, Los Angeles
The infamous Playboy Mansion boasts a grotto, zoo, game room, aviary, wine cellar, tennis courts, and more than 70 staff members.
Renowned for its lavish, over-the-top parties and for its live-in Playboy bunnies, who are each given a private room, Hugh Hefner’s bachelor pad was built in 1927.
The house was estimated at around £30 million pounds in 2011 and is the only residence in Los Angeles to hold a Pyrotechnic Licence that enables it to host fireworks displays.
The Water Park House – Celine Dion, Jupiter Island, Florida
Celine Dion’s water park house comes complete with slides and a lazy river, despite its oceanfront location.
The property requires nearly two million litres of water to fill the water park, a demand that has caused a local water shortage. It’s now on the market for an asking price of £18 million.
Capital Hill – Naomi Campbell, Moscow
Built on a Moscow hilltop by Naomi Campbell’s former boyfriend, Russian billionaire Vladislav Doronin, Capital Hill boasts a futuristic style reminiscent of a spaceship.
Designed by renowned architect Zaha Hadid, the luxurious home includes a Finnish spa in the basement, a Turkish bath, a Russian bath and a master bedroom atop a 65-foot tower accessible by elevator.
Neverland Ranch – Jackson Family, Santa Barbara, California
No list would be complete without Michael Jackson’s controversial and opulent former property Neverland Ranch, acquired by the artist in 1988 for a reported sum of between £10 to £20 million.
In its golden days, the Ranch housed an amusement park, complete with an iconic Ferris wheel, theme park rides, carousel and a train with its own station.
Due to a number of legal issues, in 2006 the house had started to decay and most of the staff were dismissed. Following Michael Jackson’s death, the musician’s children acquired Neverland earlier this year and have been working on refurbishing the property and bringing it back to its former glory.
Written by insider city guide series Hg2 | A Hedonist’s guide to… whose guides cover all the best hotels, restaurants, bars, clubs, sights, shops and spas
(Feature © Associated Fabrication)
