Hot property: international homes with an A-list past

(Image credit: Jim Bartsch)

last updated 5 December 2017

Currently owned by actor Mel Gibson, this collection of three luxury villas in Costa Rica offers its owners a real retreat into nature. Sat amid 403 acres of private jungle in the Nicoya Peninsula on the western coast, the estate sits atop a hillside and its properties offer spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding jungle. It's a short walk to the secluded powdery white sands of Barrigona beach below, which is shared with the locals: the olive ridley sea turtles who return here to nest each year from June to December. With seven bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a grand living space with vaulted ceilings and multiple verandas, Casa Guanacaste is the largest villa, while Casa Barrigona and Casa Dorada each offer two bedrooms and multiple living areas. All properties enjoy their own swimming pool and barbeque areas for outdoor entertaining. The design embraces the Modern Colonial style of architecture popular throughout Costa-Rica, with terracotta roofs, warm red-toned walls and tiled floors.

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Once home to Will Smith and his family, Secret Beach sits at the tip of Kauai – Hawaii's northernmost island. The villa has three bedrooms and bathrooms, but you won't want to spend much time inside when visiting "the Garden Isle". A fruit orchard on the estate has an abundant crop of avocados, grapefruit, starfruit, bananas and oranges, while an expansive veranda, fringed with palm trees, optimises the home for outdoor living, complete with a pool, hot tub, pavilion, day bed, outdoor shower and a gym. Over 28 acres of land, covering mountain to coast, allow for uninterrupted views of Kauai's idyllic northern shore, and the potential for further building on three additional sites within the estate.

A collaboration between the architect Oscar Shamamian and designer Michael Smith, this Mediterranean-style estate takes inspiration from countries around the world with features such as a reclaimed roof from Venezuela, terracotta floors from Italy, Venetian plasterwork and Moroccan glazed bathroom tiles. Currently owned by the TV star Jim Belushi, of Saturday Night Live fame, the six-bedroom property is located in the affluent Brentwood district of Los Angeles, not far from the famous Sunset Boulevard. The outdoor dining room provides an ambient space for alfresco entertaining, complete with a grand fireplace, while the pool house, swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna, cinema room and landscaped gardens offer many ways to relax at home. The gated property also encompasses a detached guesthouse, merging what was formerly two sites into a spacious 1.3 acre estate.

Movie producer Sidney Kimmel is selling the Malibu mansion he bought from Johnny Carson, the late host of The Tonight Show. Created by the renowned architect, Ed Niles, the modernist, geometric design of the property features huge glass walls that flood the rooms with light, framing stunning views of the Californian coastline. The estate encompasses four acres of manicured gardens, tennis courts, a cliff-top swimming pool and a private beach. There is also an outdoor lounge, jacuzzi, wine cellar, glass-walled office and separate guest quarters. A staff cottage and a security lodge make the property fully equipped to welcome a substantial entourage. The Asian-inspired interiors of the main house match natural materials such as wood and stone with oriental fabrics, ornate furnishings and indoor foliage to create a zen-like space.

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