Becoming a billionaire is no easy feat, but staying sane at the top is even harder. So for uber-wealthy folk constantly in the throes of corporate life, it's important to have an escape or two (or ten).
Here's a glance at a dozen over-the-top holiday estates belonging to some of the most affluent people on the planet, from a sprawling San Diego ranch (owned by the world's richest man) to a mammoth New York manor (owned by The Donald).
Bill Gates' Equestrian Estate
Though the tech tycoon spends most of his time in his $120.5 million, 50,000-square-foot home in Medina, Washington, he has numerous properties all over the country on which he can kick back and relax. Among them is Rancho Paseana—a 229-acre horse farm located in Rancho Santa Fe, which he purchased in 2014 for $18 million from weight-loss bigwig Jenny Craig.
The Microsoft founder reportedly acquired the ranch—which includes a three-quarter-mile race track, five barns (totaling 141 stalls), and an olive orchard—in hopes of converting it into a “hunter and jumper” training facility for his daughter Jennifer, an avid horse rider.
Yuri Milner's Los Altos Hills Hideaway
The Russian businessman paid close to $100 million for his 25,000-square-foot mansion, situated on 11 acres in Silicon Valley.
While the home's north wing caters to entertaining on grand scales (with a ballroom, formal dining... [+]
Originally designed by architect Bill Hablinksi for software pioneer Fred Chan, the Moscow resident’s California estate emulates an 18th-century French chateau with a central court that encloses a formal entrance on three sides.
Mark Zuckerberg's Oceanfront Oasis
In 2014, the Facebook CEO and founder picked up a 750-acre tract on the Hawaiian island of Kauai for $100 million. The purchase included two adjacent parcels: the $66 million Kahu’aina Plantation—a 357-acre former sugarcane plantation with 2,500 feet of oceanfront and a working organic farm—and 89.2% of Pila’a Beach, a 393-acre property with a white-sand stretch (Denver executive Gary Stewart refused to relinquish the remaining 10.8%, which he procured for $6.04 million).
Though the plantation alone was approved to house up to 80 homes, Zuckerberg only planned to build a... [+]
Michael Bloomberg's Riverside Residence
The former New York mayor spent $26 million on a historic brick mansion in London once owned by author Mary Ann Evans (better known by her nom de plume, George Eliot).
Apart from seven bedrooms, the honorary knight’s baroque-style home features a private entry road... [+]
The home isn’t the Bloomberg LP founder's first in the English capital—he also owns a four-bedroom, three-bath pad in Cadogan Square.
Eric Schmidt's Santa Barbara Spread
The executive chairman of Alphabet Inc. bought his Montecito retreat from Ellen DeGeneres for $20 million in 2007.
Designed by George Washington Smith in 1926, the Spanish-style abode is famous for having serving as... [+]
An escape from his primary residence in Atherton, the four-acre property is dotted with various gardens, fountains, and fruit trees, and features a four-bedroom home with a full-floor, 1,300-square-foot master suite.
Roman Abramovich's Caribbean Hideout
In 2009, the Russian oligarch shelled out nearly $90 million for a piece of Gouverneur Bay—a 69-acre plot on St. Barth’s once owned by David Rockefeller.
Dotted with Balinese-style bungalows constructed out of tropical woods and local stones (each... [+]
The Chelsea Football Club owner also owns a villa along the French Riviera known as Chateau de la Croë (once home to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor); two homes in Aspen (together worth $29.2 million); and estates in Sardinia and London (including a $140 million home on Billionaires’ Row), plus a soon-to-be mega-mansion in Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
Ken Griffin's Floridian Freeholds
The Citadel founder and Chicago local purchased two beachfront condos in Miami’s Faena House last fall: the luxury tower’s crown jewel (a five-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bath bespoke spread that cost him $60 million), along with the three-bedroom unit directly beneath it.
Offering 18,253 square feet of living space, the full-floor, two-level penthouse—accessed via a... [+]
The hedge funder recently placed both properties back on the market, pricing the penthouse at $55 million and apartment at $18 million.
Larry Ellison's Malibu Mansion
The Oracle creator added this Michael Graves-designed mansion to his massive real estate collection in 2012, paying former Yahoo CEO Terry Semel $36.944 million for the 10,317-square-foot beach house along Carbon Beach.
A year before, Ellison purchased a ranch in Rancho Mirage known as Porcupine Creek—a 249-acre swath complete with a 16-bedroom main house, a clubhouse, and a 19-hole golf course—for $42.9 million. He also owns a Japanese-style estate in Woodside, California that cost roughly $200 million to construct, complete with a manmade lake, a tea house, a bath house, and a koi pond.
Michael Dell's Tropical Refuge
The founder and CEO of Dell, Inc. strung together three premier parcels to create Raptor Residence—a 4.3-acre Hawaiian estate tucked in the gated enclave of Kukio on the Big Island’s Kona Coast.
Valued at $64.7 million, the single-level sanctuary—which offers 18,500 square feet of living... [+]
An Austin local, the tech magnate also owns a four-story neoclassical home in Anguilla.
Jeff Bezos' California Quinta
The Amazon founder and CEO’s extensive holdings include a $24.5 million Beverly Hills mansion purchased in 2007. Positioned on a two-acre lot behind Tom Cruise’s compound on North Alpine Drive, the estate’s 11,891-square-foot main house consists of seven bedrooms (including four suites) and seven baths.
The house features a media room, staff’s quarters, a master suite with a veranda, plus an eat-in... [+]
The Medina-based mogul—who ranked #5 on this year's Billionaires List—also owns a 10,000-square-foot home in Manhattan’s Century Tower comprised of three linked apartments, which he purchased in 1999 for $7.7 million.
Howard Schultz's Lush Retreat
Last August, the Starbucks CEO paid $25 million for this 10,641 square feet home in the exclusive Four Seasons Hualalai resort in Hawaii.
Situated on the edge of the resort’s golf course, the hideaway—sold by former head of Wells Fargo... [+]
Spanning two lots (with the main house on one and a four individual pods on the other), the 1.8-acre estate also features two golf courses, multiple sports and beach clubs, and swimming facilities.
Donald Trump's Sylvan Manor
The GOP presidential candidate reportedly bought his lavish Westchester property in 1996 for $7.5 million with plans to transform it into a world-class golf course. Over two decades later, however, the 230-acre estate—dubbed “Seven Springs”—remains a secluded family retreat where the Trump kids once spent their summers and weekends fishing and hiking through woods.
Originally built in 1919 for the World Bank’s first president Eugene Meyer, the 15-bedroom, 50,000-square-foot main house contains a total of 60 rooms, two servant’s wings, and three pools (including a natatorium encased in Italian white marble). Among other highlights of the estate are a bowling alley, a barn with stables, and a separate Tudor-style home called “Nonesuch” (commissioned by Meyer’s friend, H.J. Heinz).
