From Bermuda to Brazil, a quintet of luxury estates that have entertained the rich and the famous — each of them offered by Christie’s International Real Estate
Formerly owned by impresario and Broadway producer Billy Rose, 3.5-acre Tavern Island has hosted such showbiz luminaries as Marilyn Monroe, Barbra Streisand and playwright Lillian Hellman, who wrote The Little Foxes while staying here. The unique estate comprises a beautifully restored Tudor-style main house, with interiors exceeding 6,000 square feet, complemented by a newly built boathouse with guest quarters, an antique caretaker’s house, and a tea house.
Villa Agora is a luxurious 14,000-square-foot property at the world-renowned Casa de Campo resort, which features three championship golf courses and an expansive marina. Those who have enjoyed its spectacular views over the Country Club course include several heads of state, pop singer Shakira, photographer Helmut Newton, designer Oscar de la Renta and model Naomi Campbell. The living space encompasses four master bedroom suites and 5.5 bathrooms, while the gardens and surrounding land cover 6,700 square metres.
This elegant Tudor-style residence, built in 1918, is known as Sunnyside by locals, with period details that include inlaid floors, high ceilings, large crown mouldings and five fireplaces. From 1926 to 1971 the seven-bedroom property served as an exclusive hostelry and culinary destination, hosting guest including former American Secretary of State General George C. Marshall, author Thomas Wolfe, and actress Grace Kelly.
This magnificent penthouse with three generous storeys offers a large marbled pool on the top floor, plus stunning gardens and dazzling views of Guanabara Bay and Sugar Loaf Mountain. Boasting more than 40,000 square feet, the penthouse was built by the Guinle family, owners of the fabled Copacabana Palace Hotel. The family’s best-known scion, Jorge Guinle, was a playboy whose associates included Jayne Mansfield, Ava Gardner, Rita Hayworth, Lana Turner, Nelson Rockefeller and Errol Flynn.
Chelston occupies a commanding position 200 feet above sea level on 14 oceanfront acres, with superb views of the Atlantic, the city of Hamilton, and the gardens and sweeping lawns that comprise the estate. For more than 30 years Chelston was a U.S. consulate, and as such has been visited by such dignitaries as former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and President George Bush, and celebrities including Brooke Shields and Michael Douglas.