Villa Leopolda – the worlds most expensive villa!
The beautiful Côte d’Azur luxury home Villa Leopolda in France, is one of if not the most expensive estates in the world. The estate in all of its beauty was formally owned by Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates. The home has been owned by many other rich people or celebs which means the home has been passed down many times as well. When the home was at its top price, it was $750 million! The home was slowly brought down to $500 million still giving it the title of most expensive home in the world. But now, still up for sale, the price has reduced to only $102 million. However, one owner says that the home was really never up for sale.
The 29,000 sq. foot home includes 11 bedrooms and 14 bathrooms. But if you are the owner, you will not be spending much time inside. The estate is surrounded by luxurious and extremely cared for bushes, plants, and a pool. Outdoor staircases with rich balconies will take you right to the commodities. On the balconies, one can enjoy many fireplaces and a sauna.
The villa appeared in the news in the summer of 2008 with reports of the Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov having purchased the home at a price of approximately 500 million Euros ($736m / £397m).[However, the price reported at the occasion of a lawsuit in February 2010 was €370 million, which still would have made it probably the world's most expensive villa.
However, Prokhorov's spokesman denied that he was the purchaser, and said he refuses to do business in France until he receives an apology for being investigated in a prostitution probe.[
In February 2010, a Nice court decided that Prokhorov could not demand back the €39 million down payment made to Lily Safra in 2008 and had to pay an additional €1.5 million of interest. Lily Safra announced that she would donate the entire sum to a number of institutions focusing on medical research, patient care, education, and other important humanitarian causes around the world.
Luckily not all holiday villas are that expensive. Why not search Bargain Villas for your next cheap holiday villa in France.