Words: Jonathan Wells
Places in Mayfair don’t come cheap. In fact, they come eye-wateringly uncheap. The affluent area is home to Claridge’s, The Dorchester and The Ritz. It’s where you’ll find Burlington Arcade, Berkeley Square and more boutique bakeries than you can shake a truffle and brie baguette at. But of course you know this — you’ve played Monopoly.
And, like that little rich chap who pops up on the board game — you know the one; moustache, top hat, carries around a little metal Scottie dog for some reason — you’d have to be rolling in the green stuff to afford a place in Mayfair. Late last year, in fact, estate agent Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward revealed that the average flat in the area was sold for £5,401,759. And that begs the question: what could you buy for the price of a Mayfair flat elsewhere around the world?
Alpine Chalet, France, £4.5 million
On the market for almost £900,000 less than the average Mayfair flat — which is enough to buy yourself 20 new Land Rover Defenders, 60 top-of-the-range Polaris Snowmobiles or enough Moncler ski jackets to kit out an entire resort — this superb new-build chalet in Megève is surely enough to tease you away from the luxuries of London’s Zone 1.
Included in its Alpine ‘amenities’ are a cinema, indoor swimming pool, jacuzzi and sauna. There are seven bedrooms, six bathrooms and enough natural furs and untreated wood to make even the most seasoned slopesman blush.
Upstate Mansion, New York, £3.9 million
Far from the bustling black cab cacophony of Mayfair, this meticulously-designed country house may look English, but is set across a tranquil acre in Quogue, New York State. It’s got a beach, a large heated pool, a guest house and a garden pavillion.
It’s the full Gatsby. The American dream. And, at £3,859,513, it comes in well below the asking price of your average W1J pad. And we’re not saying it’s better than digs slap bang in the centre of the capital — but, if you want the same amount of shirt-throwing, swing-dancing, night-swimming space that Redford and DiCaprio enjoyed, there’s surely only one sensible choice.
Bonefish Cay, The Bahamas, £5.4 million
Now this, technically, is more expensive than an average Mayfair flat. £13,000 more expensive, to be precise. But if you’ve got the money to splash on a private island, that’s not an amount you’re likely to quibble about. And there’ll be a lot of splashing, let us tell you — thanks to those two long, sandy beaches on opposite sides of the island.
It’s also called Bonefish Cay; a cool name that just wouldn’t look right on a buzzer just off Grosvenor Square. You’ll also enjoy a majestic main lodge, a mile long nature trail, mangrove shallows and a 21ft trimaran currently docked among the dolphins in the Sea of Abaco. Prospective Bond villains, you know where to sign.
Merrymaid, Vintage Yacht, £4.2 million
Why buy one place to lay your head, when you could invest in a superyacht and explore every inlet and waterway the world has to offer? Especially when the vessel in question is dripping in turn-of-the-century luxury.
This 1904-built Camper & Nicholsons yacht is available in concourse condition; all studded oxblood leather and intricate carvel-planked teak. And the best part? At £1 million under the average price of a Mayfair flat, you can afford a trendy tender, a treasure trove of water toys and a wardrobe stuffed to the gunnels with great nautical style, too. Anchors aweigh.
Cote D’Azur Villa, Var, £4.5 million
So this could be your best option: a Mediterranean villa of the highest order, perched in Sainte Maxime and with views so tasty you’ll be reaching into the wine cellar for a bottle to pair them with. And all for £900,000 less than new digs in Mayfair.
It’s got a cinema, four bedrooms, an interior and exterior pool and even a hammam — which isn’t impossible to find in central London, but is unlikely to crop up on the market at this price. So, if you’re serious about your steam, this villa is sure to heat things up for you.
Looking for the high life instead? Step inside the world’s most luxurious penthouses…
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