Home essentials of the mega-rich
From a fire-breathing dragon to guard your mansion to a luxurious car elevator for your Porsche, the world's most extravagant homes are bursting with mind-blowing extras that us mere mortals can only dream of. Prepare to be wowed by the most decadent home features you never knew you needed...
Private movie theatre
We all love a trip to the movies, but on those nights when you just want to stay home, a private theatre can come in very handy. With no need to purchase a ticket, it's an essential feature for any super-rich homeowner with a penchant for a Hollywood flick. This impressive entertainment space can be found at the Asherwood Estate in Indiana, USA, and comes with authentic cinema chairs, a classic red velvet curtain, ornate walls and a magnificent painted ceiling.
Luxurious panic room
When you're made of millions, you want to keep it that way! That's why incredible panic rooms are a top priority for VIP homebuyers. But why stop at an ultra-secure walk-in closet when you could kit your house out with a custom-made, impenetrable sanctuary like this one? This elegant retreat redefines the typical panic room, offering luxury and safety in one thanks to bullet-proof walls and doors, a sublime king-sized bed and a plush ensuite bathroom.
Climate-controlled car showroom
Sometimes, one garage just isn't enough when you have a serious collection of supercars. The Thunder Ridge estate, perched on top of a mountain outside of Denver, Colorado, offers more than just a place to store a vehicle or two. Spanning 30,000 square feet, its climate-controlled car showroom can easily house 100 cars. The massive space boasts a carwash, gas station, a professional-grade audio system, state-of-the-art lighting for display bays, car lifts and ports for charging electric vehicles.
Private golf course
While there are plenty of plush golf clubs for billionaire homeowners with big budgets, there's nothing quite like owning your own course. This hilltop hideaway in California, USA, boasts its own 110-yard practice area, two putting greens, three traps and multiple areas to tee off from. It was also designed by Jay Blasi, the architect behind Chambers Bay Golf Course, which hosted the US Open in 2015, so no big deal then... How's that for a billionaire backyard?
At-home spa
Busy homeowners with deep pockets have little time for relaxation. So, in order to make the most of every moment of downtime, some billionaires choose to install luxe private spas in their residences. This mega-mansion in California comes with a stunning at-home spa that would put many professional retreats to shame! Complete with treatment rooms and a sauna, the peaceful space overlooks the garden and leads out to a jaw-dropping infinity pool.
Lavish beauty salon
After a pampering session, it's off for a fresh hair cut and colour. And why venture out when you can bring the beauty salon to you? Also found at the Thunder Ridge estate, this dramatic mirror-clad room is the perfect spot to get fixed up. It features a wash station, a reclining salon seat and a dryer hood to help the home's lucky residents look their best – there are even wall-mounted televisions to help pass the time.
Private beach
Having a swimming pool is one thing, but what about when you're craving the rush of the ocean and the feeling of sand between your toes? Well, those with deep pockets could snap up a home with its own private strip of coastline – or, better yet, a pristine island all of your own. This jaw-dropping beach house in Bermuda is enough to make us pack our bags!
Rising film screen
LA's Bel Air neighbourhood is renowned for its fleet of luxury billionaire homes, but none more so than the multimillion-dollar plush palace known as Sarbonne. The 25,000-square-foot mansion is surrounded by a vast 20,000 square feet of private land, including an incredible infinity pool fitted with a cinema screen that rises up from the pool’s edge, so you can enjoy the latest blockbuster during your evening splash-about.
Private airport
For super-rich aeronauts looking for a spot to store their plane collection, this private airport is just the ticket. As far as luxury features go, Mesa Vista Ranch in Texas, USA, sure knows how to impress. The estate has its own FAA-approved airport, consisting of a 25,000-square-foot hangar and a 6,000-foot runway, so you can jet off at a moment's notice.
Secret slide passageway
You never know what surprises are around the corner – or under the floorboards – in a multimillion-pound mansion. In this kaleidoscopic West London abode, a steel slide is hidden underneath a hatch in the floor, connecting the upstairs with the plush living space downstairs and adding a playful flourish to this stylish home.
Multipurpose sports area
Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, this lavish mansion is jam-packed full of luxury features, including an enormous multipurpose sports arena that’s substantial enough to host Olympians and world champions alike. It can be used as a tennis court, hockey pitch or ice rink, depending on what you're in the mood to play.
Cristal Champagne room
Real estate developer Nile Niami definitely has a taste for gold. His Beverly Hills creation Opus, once listed for $100 million (£77m), is awash with the precious metal, from the mansion's car collection to this free-for-all champagne vault. Inside you’ll find 170 bottles of Cristal Champagne ready to be popped at the slightest call for celebration. Cheers!
Batcave garage
Could Batman be living in a Melbourne suburb? Australian architect firm Molecule was given the challenge of installing a new garage and car showroom in this stately home in Toorak without compromising its historic charm. Their response? A hydraulic ramp that raises up part of the tennis court in true Batman style, unveiling an underground Batcave full of swish automobiles – and maybe a gadget or two... Talk about a mansion with a massive secret!
Crystal bathtub
Dubai is renowned for its luxury lifestyle and this development of Renaissance-inspired villas are among the most exclusive in the city. The jewel in their crown? The bathrooms, some of which house one-of-a-kind bathtubs carved from rock crystal. This incredible feature weighs in at a whopping 10 tons and was sourced from the Amazon rainforest. When buying such opulent home furnishings, expect a price tag to match: a single tub costs anywhere up to $1 million (£771k).
Private helipad
The last residential tower project from the acclaimed British architect Zaha Hadid spares no expense in delivering luxury to the lucky owner of the One Thousand Museum penthouse in Miami. The fly-in home has got the only private residential helipad in the city – the concierge can book you a quick chopper flight to the airport, nearby islands or wherever your heart desires.
Candy wall
Whether a billionaire has a host of lucky offspring or is still just a kid at heart, this candy wall is every childhood fantasy come true. Found inside another Bel Air mansion, this home was designed to take your senses on a voyage, titillating your taste buds with an expansive candy selection that rivals Willy Wonka’s.
Bowling alley
The same home – known simply as Billionaire – will provide a lifetime of entertainment too. Once you’ve got your sugar fix, it’s time to bowl a strike in what must be the plushest bowling alley in the world. Outfitted with Louis Vuitton décor, you’ll get a huge thrill knocking down the gold and silver-plated bowling pins in this plush playground home.
Private pub
Invite your next-door neighbour Oprah around for a pint at this Montecito mansion’s personal pub – it’s the hottest watering hole in town! One drink in these intimate surroundings and the beautiful beamed ceilings and mahogany finishes will transport you from California right into the Great British heartland. Plus, if you have one too many, it’s not far for you to fall into bed!
Bubble tunnels
Antti Lovag believed that straight lines are “an aggression against nature”. Hence Palais Bulles – the Bubble Palace – was born. The curvaceous Cannes home's most unique feature, the interconnecting bubble tunnels create a seamless interior flow, while their huge round windows frame views of the turquoise sea and rocky coastline.
Indoor lazy river
If you’ve ever wanted to find new ways to laze around the house, one Miami millionaire has installed a tranquil indoor river in their mansion. Complete with intricate bridges and tropical foliage, it’s not any old swimming pool – it has a gentle inbuilt current that pushes swimmers along, imitating the flow of a real-life creek!
Swim-up pool bar
Cocktail hour in Costa Rica is calling. This remote luxury villa sits on a protected reserve and is optimised for outdoor living. The infinity pool is a perfect lookout point to take in the sunset over the jungle canopies before paddling your way to the bar for a refreshing piña colada.
Illuminated sneaker wardrobe
Ever thought you had too many shoes? Step into the world of teenage billionaire Rashed Saif Belhasa – Instagram star and son of a Dubai construction mogul. Among all the conveniences in his extravagant home, his custom-built sneaker showcase is the most wow-factor. Specially designed for hundreds of his limited edition trainers, each sealed shelf in the celebrity walk-in wardrobe features an individual spotlight.
Personal waterpark
Hate queueing? There's no wait for the log flume when you have a waterpark in the privacy of your own backyard. As you exit the house and step into the garden, a man-made beach opens out onto a spectacular freeform pool. A lazy river encircles the luxury waterpark which also includes a grotto, slide, tanning ledge, hot tub and waterfall.
Secret cliff elevator
Never forget the adage that time is money and every billionaire needs their own shortcut to get them into their mansion without breaking a sweat. This waterfront villa in Genoa, Italy, can be accessed by a tunnel cut through the rock to a private elevator that runs straight up to the top of the cliff on which the house sits. Which floor please?
Underground beach tunnel
Of course, billionaires also need VIP access to the beach and other public amenities. Silicon Valley entrepreneur Jim Clark built a private tunnel from his sprawling Italian Renaissance-inspired home, Il Palmetto, to the sands of Palm Beach so that his family and friends didn't have to cross South Ocean Boulevard to dip their toes in the Atlantic Ocean.
Fantasy cocktail lounge
Drinks with pals old and new will never be the same again once they’ve stepped inside this lava-inspired cocktail lounge located in a luxe party mansion in Miami. You can even play the night away with some smooth jazz tunes on the transparent baby grand piano...
Waterfront amphitheatre
An offshore tax haven, the mega-wealthy have been flocking to the stunning Cayman Islands for years, so it's unsurprising that opulent properties are in no short supply here. If you’ve ever fancied watching your favourite musician live from the privacy of your own home, then this lavish Crystal Harbour mansion, complete with waterfront amphitheatre, is the perfect purchase.
Go-cart race track
Petrolhead billionaires satisfy their need for speed with a backyard race track. When this pastoral Irish estate hit the market a few years ago, the lot didn't only include a beautiful country home, but also a go-cart track ready for a lifetime of family fun. You can even operate it through a race control office and send your carts into the shop with an onsite workshop and garage.
Indoor beach
English beach house, anyone? In 1882, this Swiss chalet was imported into East Molesey, Surrey. Thanks to its unusual beach room, you can get a taste of sunshine even in the depths of winter. The space includes 40 tonnes of sand stretching 68 feet – perfect for your next beach party bonanza.
Full-sized indoor basketball court
Now, this is a home basketball court worthy of an NBA superstar! Nestled in one of Dallas’ most exclusive areas, this fantastical fairytale estate consists of two separate mega-mansions, one of which, dubbed the funhouse, gives you plenty of room to shoot some hoops. The indoor basketball court also masquerades as a nightclub, complete with top-of-the-range lighting design and a DJ booth.
Transforming swimming pool
The future is eco-friendly, spaceship-inspired living, much like this self-sustainable contemporary home in rural Washington state. Our favourite feature is the swimming pool which has collapsible walls that open and close, so whatever the weather you can always swim alfresco.
Glass Porsche elevator
In Miami’s Porsche Design Tower, your car is as much the VIP as you are. Your prize wheels can zip up the 650-foot, 60-storey tower with the help of their utterly unique glass elevators – the first in the world that can carry both vehicles and passengers. The swish billionaire home item carries a gold standard for safety, too, as well as being bomb-proof and fire-resistant.
Turkish bath
Along the world-renowned Costa del Sol, you’re sure to find an abundance of plush villas with decadent features. In this San Pedro de Alcantara villa, respite and relaxation take priority. The luxurious basement is made up of a sprawling spa area including a 252-square-foot heated pool, gym, temperature-controlled wine cellar and the pièce de résistance, this lavish marbled Turkish bath.
Fire-breathing dragon
Do you deserve to sit on the iron throne? This fire-breathing dragon, worthy of Daenerys’ fleet, sits outside a castle in North Wales, guarding the grounds and emitting real-life flames through its nostrils. Trespassers beware...
Yacht garage
What’s the most impressive feature of this three-storey Vancouver lakehouse? While the personal elevator, geothermal heating and 8,000-gallon koi pond all make the cut, its most alluring asset has to be the ground-floor yacht garage. Once your boat is safely moored, you can take the lift right up to the house. Ahoy!
Enormous home aquarium
Scuba gear is necessary when you have an amazing aquarium that spans the entire width of your living room wall. Wildlife enthusiast Eli constructed a 10,000-gallon personal aquarium so he could flounder about with his fishy friends and enjoy the relaxing properties of the water.
Jellyfish tank
However, a marine museum we definitely won’t be dipping our toes into – or any part of our bodies for that matter – is this jellyfish aquarium, which was proposed in early plans for mega-mansion The One in Bel Air. While not so friendly up close, these tentacled creatures make a pretty spectacular sight from behind glass!
Floating swimming pool
Brutalist-inspired chic doesn’t come sleeker than Lot 14, designed by Guedes Cruz Arquitectos. An ultra-modern Portuguese home, it boasts not one but two large swimming pools situated across two levels. The top is a bridge-like structure that hovers above the patio and pool below. Its glass bottom creates a dreamlike illusion, allowing swimmers to observe each other from above and below.
Georgia Marsh, LM
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