Desi Today Magazine
Antilia
MukeshAmbani, the fifth richest man in the world and head of the Mumbai based petrochemical giant Reliance Industries is estimated to be worth somewhere in the region of $43 billion. He is also the owner of a 27-story skyscraper in downtown Mumbai that cost him a small fortune of $2 billion. His wife, Nita Ambani, was staying in the Mandarin Oriental in New York and was so impressed with the interior Asian style decor that she wanted something similar for her home. What resulted from that is the world’s largest and most expensive home ever. Every story in their skyscraper home is built to a different specification. The vast variation of materials to be used in its build has tremendously added to its overall cost. A full-time staff of 600 maintains the residence, reportedly the most expensive home in the world.
The building is named after the mythical Atlantic island of Antilia and is situated on an ocean-facing 4,532 square metres (48,780 sq ft) plot at Altamount Road where land prices are upward of US$10,000 per square metre.
Updown Court
Situated 25 miles from London, through a pair of large sophisticated iron gates, Updown Court is a palatial construction of immense scale and beauty. The property is best known for its price tag: more than 85 million British pounds, has 103 rooms, five swimming pools and 24-carat-gold leafing on the study’s mosaic floor. There’s a squash court, bowling alley, tennis court, 50-seat screening room, heated marble driveway and helipad. Eight limousines will fit in the underground garage. The mansion is situated on 58 acres of landscaped gardens and private woodland and in 2011 sold for a smooth $35 million after originally being listed for $75 million.
Versailles Mansion
This 30 bedroom mansion boasts its own bowling alley, roller skating rink and Olympic sized swimming pool, making it the largest family home ever built in the US. Time share mogul David Siegel and his former beauty queen wife Jacqueline began building the huge estate in 2004. As well as 30 bedrooms the home, once completed, will have 23 bathrooms with spectacular views over Lake Butler, about 20 miles from Orlando. The hand-built windows for the house cost more than $2 million, and other luxuries include a ballroom and a children’s theatre. There is a garage with enough space for 20 cars, three swimming pools, a large boathouse, formal gardens, and a one-story gatehouse with an apartment. There is also a baseball field, two tennis courts, a 60-foot by 120-foot Grand Hall with a 30-foot stained glass dome, two grand staircases, a 37-foot by 30-foot kitchen, 10 satellite kitchens, a two-story wine cellar and a rock grotto with three separate spas behind an 80-foot waterfall. All 23 full bathrooms have full-sized Jacuzzis, 160 tripled paned windows and Brazilian mahogany French-style doors.
The property was called Versailles as the entrance was modeled after the Palace of Versailles in France.
Villa Leopolda
The magnificent $750 million Villa Leopolda in Villefranche-sur-Mer was built for King Leopold II of Belgium in 1902. The estate is so big that it requires 50 full time gardeners. The grounds cover 20 acres of garden and visitors can stroll amongst 1,200 olive, orange, lemon and cypress trees. Formerly owned by the world renowned Microsoft tycoon, Bill Gates, Villa La Leopolda is now reportedly home to the Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.
Ira Rennert Mansion
Covering 63 acres of the New York Hamptons waterfront in Sagaponack, this mansion is considered another of the largest residential compounds in the US. The property was completed in 2003 after construction began in 1998 for self-made billionaire of the industrial sector, Ira Rennert. The mansion holds elegant and entertaining home touches such as a 164-seat cinema, two bowling alleys alongside tennis courts, games rooms and also offering an astounding 29 bedrooms and 39 bathrooms. The house has a dozen chimneys and a Mediterranean-style tile roof as well as a 91-foot long formal dining room, a basketball court, a bowling alley, two tennis courts, two squash courts, and a $150,000 hot tub. Its property taxes in 2007 were $397,559.00. Based on these taxes, the home is currently valued at $198 million.
