A house for those whose biggest problem is whether to take the yacht or the helicopter
Crown Pigeon Island is a private island paradise in the Bahamas with three beaches, a marina, its own golf course and space to land your helicopter.
It's hard to define exactly where the very top end of the property market is. Granted, there are a handful of mega-properties around the world that hit the nine-figure mark that lets them vie for the distinction of being the world's most expensive house. But those places aren't so much the cherry on cake as the glistening sugar coating on the cherry. The cherry itself is bigger than that — albeit still wildly exclusive.
How exclusive is hard to pin down. Knight Frank took a stab at it in their Wealth Report back in April, when they estimated that there are 3,1110 billionaires in the world, and 713,626 people in the world have a net worth of $30 million or more. That number is apparently growing fast — or at least it has been. The report estimated that 89 more people hit that $30 million mark each day.
We're not entirely convinced that $30 million is the right number to define the threshold for those with Ultra High Net Worth (UHNW), so instead here's a better measure: anyone wealthy enough to own a private island, a helicopter and a yacht meets the criteria. Anyone, in other words, who looks at the pictures of Crown Pigeon Island on this page, and instead of sighing and moving one, picks up the phone to call their man or woman in the Bahamas to see about taking a look at this astonishing $39.5 million property.
I use the word 'property' advisedly, because this isn't really a house as such. The 11-acre island has three villas, with five bedrooms, four bedrooms and two bedrooms. The two and four-bedroom places each have two separate cottages close to them, while there's also a beach club, and a golf course.
If you've lost count (I know I did), the agents — Bahamas Sotheby's International Realty — have helpfully totted it all up, and tell us that there are 15 bedrooms, 20 bathrooms (15 full and five 'partial', by which I think they mean a cloakroom) and 12,000 square feet of space, all set on this 11-acre dot on the map.
At this point you'd be forgiven for asking how they fitted a golf course on to an island this size, for even a nine-hole layout usually takes up around 75 acres. The answer is a clever bit of trickery by the course designer, Mark Phillips of Celebrity Greens, who has built three greens and a whole host of different tee boxes so that you can play the same holes from a variety of different angles. It's clearly not the same as having a full-sized golf course, but then again — this is a $39.5 million property, not a $395 million one.
If your more interesting in marine life than birdies and eagles, you'll be thrilled to know that the marina has 600 feet of dockage to park your yacht(s) at, as well as boat lifts, a hauling ramp, 'large slips' and staff accommodation. Wildlife is abundant: the area is know for the turtles who live in these pristine waters, and there are outstanding deep sea fishing spots too.
The whole place is kitted out very nicely, but simply: this is a relaxed, Bahamian island pad, rather than some sort of Dubai-style house of bling. That's not to say that those touches aren't in place here and there: the pool at the four-bedroom villa has its own swim-up bar, for example. And then, of course, there's the helipad, which can help you get to and from the airport on nearby Eleuthera (which is just three miles away) in a matter of moments. Or you can take the more relaxed option and nip across on your yacht instead. Decisions, decisions: there are endless conundrums in the lives of the UHNW property owner.
Crown Pigeon Island is for sale at $39.5 million — see more details.
