You could definitely get used to these top-of-the-line luxury homes. Too bad only a select few can afford them, but if they’re up for viewing, a peek shouldn’t hurt. Below is a list of the most luxurious homes not just in the U.S.A. but around the world. Look at what you’re missing.
Mumbai’s first Billion Dollar Home
Believe it or not, the most lavish home around the world is not in the U.S.A. but in India. You can find this treasure at Antilla, Mumbai, owned by no one less than the fifth richest man on the planet: Mukesh Ambani. How did this palace happen? Mukesh Ambani just happens to own one of the most prominent petrochemical companies in India: the Reliance Industries. Thanks to this company, he is safely insured with $43 billion worth of assets.
Not only that, this man is also about to own the skyscraper that has people talking in town. This particular skyscraper is the first home built here that’s worth $2 billion. He doesn’t want his wife to live any less like a queen while the construction is going on so Nita Ambani is checked in at the Mandarin Hotel of N.Y.C.
The Mrs. was impressed with Mandarin’s Asian doors so she told us that she wanted something similar incorporated into their Billion Dollar home. When a home is based on a hotel, two things are expected. The Billion Dollar home in India is now the most expensive and the biggest house the world has ever seen. It would have 27 stories, and each floor would be built according to the specifications of the extravagant couple.
With every story looking like an independent home on its own, the cost escalates to how much it would take to build twenty seven different properties. It doesn’t matter because the couple has the means for it. The lucky contractor for this one-of-a-kind project is the Hirsch Bedner Associates and they promise that the property is going to be an eye candy for anyone who are fortunate enough to view its interior.
England’s Updown Court
Worth at least $150 million today, the Updown Court in England remains among the most significant private homes in the United Kingdom.
It has been regarded as so since the 19th century, and you’ll recognize it as soon as you come across its huge palatial iron gates. This is a short 25-mile drive from London, and it shares the neighborhood with Elton John and the Queen of England.
Among the most lavish features of the home are the 24-carat leafing on its study’s mosaic flooring, the five swimming pools that surround the property, the tennis court, squash court, bowling alley, and screening room which can seat 50 guests, a marble driveway which is also heated, a helipad, and an underground garage which currently houses eight limousines.
The property is currently listed with the Savills and Hamptons International. Even if you’re not of royal lineage, as long as you have the dough for it, you can live just like, if not more extravagantly than, royalty.
Versailles, Florida’s Biggest Mansion
Third on the list is the Versailles mansion in Florida which has 30 bedrooms—more than enough for a resort. It can also function like one if the owners wished because it has its own bowling alley, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, and its own roller-skating rink. Certainly, it’s the biggest home built within the U.S.A.
The catch is that it’s still not done. Reports say that there’s still 18 whole months of work to be accomplished on the mansion. The construction started three years ago, funded by time share tycoon David Siegel and his wife Jacqueline who used to be a beauty queen.
So far, the property is already worth $75 million. According to reports, at least $25 million is needed for the property to be finished. This magnanimous house doesn’t just have 30 bedrooms. There are also 23 bathrooms built on it, special handmade windows, a ballroom, and a theater for children. One of the windows of the house provides what today is probably the best view of Lake Butler.
The garage can fit 20 cars, the property has its own boathouse, an entire baseball field, at least 2 tennis courts, manicured formal gardens, and a gatehouse with its own apartment. There’s not one but two grand staircases, a Grand Hall that’s at least 60 by 120 foot wide, a stained glass dome that’s 30 sq. feet and a wine cellar with two stories.
It also has three spas which can be found behind the curtain of an 80-foot high waterfall. Each of the 23 bathrooms is a full bathroom with its own Jacuzzi, and the property is aptly named Versailles because it’s frontage is a close replica of France’s Palace of Versailles.
Mariah Carey’s Flor de Lys in Beverly Hills
Actually owned by Mariah Carey and not just a backdrop for her beautiful legs, the Flor de Lys is the fourth most extravagantly lavished mansions in the world. It’s built right at the heart of Beverly Hills which means that aside from the generous trimmings of this palace, it’s also rooted on prime land. The asking price for this treasure is $125 million, and it covers a sprawling five acres of land.
Just like the mansion-in-progress we’ve mentioned earlier, the diva’s crib was also modeled after the Palace of Versailles. Hugging the mansion are hectares and hectares of manicured lawn, trees, ornamental (pricey) gardens, a tennis court that can play host to a championship game any day, and garden folly.
The property also has its own pool and spa in a private pavilion, as well as a manager’s and staffer’s quarters big enough to house ten people.
Godfather Mansion of Beverly Hills
Otherwise called the Hearst Mansion, the Godfather Mansion in Beverly Hills is next to the diva’s mansion in terms of extravagance. While the Godfather mansion’s asking price is higher at $165 million, the styling details are just a bit humbler than Mariah Carey’s palace. It was formerly owned by the famed tycoon William Hearst, and the statues that you see outdoors were imported from the Hearst Castle itself.
The property has 29 bedrooms, tennis courts, three swimming pools, a cinema theater, a nightclub, life-size paintings of Betty Davies, and a quirky H-shape structure. Hearst first acquired the property in 1947 at $120,000. It was bought by someone else in 1976, and has been put up again for sale in 2007.
Should you be able to afford this home, you’ll be rubbing elbows with celebrities like Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, and the Beckhams.
Florida’s Acqua Liana Mansion
Celebrated as the most luxurious mansion standing, to date, the Acqua Liana was designed by the famed Frank McKinney. This property sprawls for a total of 15,000 sq. ft. and is a proud “eco-mansion” inspired by the artist’s trips to Hawaii, Tahiti, Fiji, and Bali.
It’s a humble 7-bedroom palace with 11 bathrooms, a “wet bar” (an aquarium that curves to double as a bar table), solar panels (it does have to be environmentally-friendly and not just eco-inspired), and a water system which collects and treats the property’s run-off water to supply the water of its pool for at least two weeks.
The mansion is also claimed to have a highly efficient lighting system which cuts of electric usage by up to 70 per cent. While it’s still a lavish mansion, the Acqua Liana seems to have been built with more environmental concern than the rest.
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