From private beaches to climbing walls and equestrian spas, the world’s most exceptional properties are defined by unique features tailored to their owners. Ruth Bloomfield explores the bespoke touches that make these luxury homes unforgettable.
To the jaded observer, the world of luxury property can start to feel a little, well, predictable. At the super-prime level, every home is equipped with a spa, a sauna and a pool, his-and-hers dressing rooms the size of regular apartments, cavernous catering kitchens and hectares of Italian marble.
But every now and then a home comes along with an add-on that is out of this world; an exceptional extra that would quicken the pulse of even the most cynical billionaire.
A wow-factor home fits no obvious category, no specific location or size. It might come with a private beach, an amusement arcade, wild sloths or original baroque artworks.
One thing these homes have in common is they are not easily forgotten. Victoria Garrett, director of global residential at Savills, says most top-end buyers are interested in sustainable homes that offer privacy and cutting-edge wellness amenities. “Health is the new wealth,” she says.
Entertaining spaces are also popular. For example, hidden in the basement of an opulently designed house in London’s St John’s Wood is a private bar that would not disgrace a private member’s club, with mosaic palm trees rising up to a vaulted brass ceiling. The five-bedroom house is available to let with UK Sotheby’s International Realty for £35,000 per week.
Conservatories do not have a particularly luxurious reputation, but the curving stone model at Maperton House in Wincanton, Somerset, has a glass-ceilinged space that would make a romantic spot for an intimate family wedding – the conservatory has a kitchen and is large enough to accommodate seating for 30 guests. The 1876 Regency property is for sale for £9.5 million with Blue Book Agency and Knight Frank.
From climate-controlled wine cellars to driveway turntables, toys have become big selling points. But the home of architect Adam Kushner in Greenwich Village, New York, goes a step further. The four-bedroom townhouse has a lift, but adventurous souls could move between floors on the 25-metre climbing wall. The 390-square-metre property is on sale for $20.06 million (£14.95m) with Sotheby’s International Realty.
“These very niche, specific things are there because they are right for the person who built them, not necessarily the next person to buy them,” cautions Garrett. But, given the current obsession with healthy living, she thinks that something like a climbing wall could chime with enough buyers to make a sale.
Some properties have priceless extras. An 80-room palazzo in the northern Italian city of Sondrio, 145 kilometres north of Milan, contains a collection of historic frescoes painted when the house was built in the 17th century, including a dining room ceiling that would make a fine dinner party talking point. The palazzo is on the market with Christie’s International Real Estate.
Anybody house-hunting in Mediterranean Europe would expect palm trees and swimming pools. But a lavish four-bedroom finca in Llucmajor, Mallorca, on sale with Savills with a guide price of €7.29 million (£6.32m), goes further with its own golf course, as well as a running track and pétanque court, in its 12 hectares of grounds.
Across the Atlantic in Leverett, Massachusetts, a 16-bedroom mansion takes home entertainment to new levels. Along with tennis courts, pool, bowling alley and private golf course is a fully equipped amusement arcade and a water park with slides and waterfalls. The property is priced at $9.999 million with Douglas Elliman.
Horse riders are notoriously fanatical about the comfort and well-being of their steeds. At Les Bordes, a 566-hectare gated estate in the Loire Valley, France, horses in livery at the onsite equestrian centre – designed by the British Olympic gold medal showjumper Scott Brash – will enjoy an equine masseur, solarium and acupressure grooming sessions. Their humans will have a choice of 52 Six Senses residences, including a €40 million, eight-bedroom house with three hectares of private grounds.
Private beaches are hard to find, and the beach that comes with The Estate at Playa Majagual in Nicaragua is beautiful. The estate is set in a tropical forest, so the owners can spot sloths, howler monkeys and armadillos. The 45-hectare estate’s main house, La Florcita, has six bedrooms and overlooks an infinity pool. There are also three casitas (beach houses) and a guest house. The property is with Christie’s International Real Estate Costa Rica for $31.5 million.
There are certainly larger and more expensive homes than Friedman Ranch, a contemporary three-bedroom house in Marfa, Texas, listed with Douglas Elliman for $3.7 million. But this stylish house, owned by photographer Douglas Friedman, has impeccable views of the Davis Mountains on one side and Haystack Mountains on the other, with the most charming rustic-chic outdoor seating area from which to enjoy them.
“These are not cookie-cutter houses,” says Garrett. “But they will appeal to a small niche of buyers willing to pay a premium for them.”
First published in the December 2025 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.