MG EXPERIENCE LUXURY
MG EXPERIENCE LUXURY
From water parks to polo fields, resort-style megahomes offer plenty of ways to unwind Five-Star Living
BY MICHELE LERNER
W hen Patrick Nesbitt started accumulating land and planning his extravagant Summerland estate on the Pacific Coast near Montecito, Cal- ifornia, in 1993, he never would have guessed that someday he and his wife, Ursula, would host a day-long concert and fundraiser for 4,000 guests. “In 2018 we hosted what we called the ‘Kick Ash Bash’ to honor first responders to the Thomas Fire and flash flooding in Montecito, and to raise funds for survivors and for emergency equipment,” says Patrick Nesbitt, chairman and CEO of Windsor Hospitality. “We had about 4,000 people here and raised more than $2 million with performers like Katy Perry, Kenny Loggins, and Wilson Phillips.” While the Nesbitt’s lavish property, known as the Bella Vista Estate, doesn’t always host crowds that number in the thousands, it encom- passes numerous amenities to keep multiple generations happy when they host gatherings for about 35 family members, says Ursula Nesbitt, a philanthropist. “The entire lower level of the house
opens to the Olympic-size pool, which has views of the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Ynez mountains,” Ursula says. “Inside on that level are a disco with room for about 200 people, a sports bar, and a movie theater that seats 20 people.” Bella Vista Estate, a 20-acre prop- erty with a 10-acre polo field, is listed for sale at $70 million. The Nesbitts plan to downsize to a custom home on an adjacent lot that will include nearly all of their favorite amenities, just on a smaller scale and without the polo field. Sellers of unique properties who heavily invested in extravagant amenities may not always generate profits from the sale to cover their full investment, but for many of them the joy of sharing special experiences with guests or using the property to raise funds for charities is worth more than what they spent, according to real estate experts. “When people build properties of this caliber and with this level of amenities, it’s not about getting their money back,” says Joshua Baris, a salesperson with Coldwell Banker Realty in Fort Lee, New Jersey. “It’s
Bella Vista Estate Amenities
more about their enjoyment of the home and property for 10 or 20 years with their friends and family.” Owners of homes with over-the-top resort-style amenities typically love to entertain and have fun creating an atmosphere with an abundance of activities. “When our extended family comes, everyone loves to just go from one activity to the next,” Ursula says. “We have the prettiest pickleball court you’ve ever seen and a bocce-ball court next to it.” Patrick prefers playing polo. He practices on the putting green or in
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Wine room for 5,000 bottles and adjacent tasting room
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Helicopter hangar 10-acre polo field
square-foot house on 20 acres 27,000
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Gym Spa
Polo clubhouse and lounge 330-yard driving range, putting green, and sand trap with swing-analytics equipment Olympic-length infinity swimming pool with a pool house
Beauty salon
32-car auto gallery
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Landscaped gardens with streams, ponds, and a waterfall Monarch butterfly habitats
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bedrooms
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Sports bar
Above: The owners of a vast mansion in Montecito, California, known as the Bella Vista Estate, have built up a resort-like array of amenities, from ocean-side lawns where they entertain thousands at a time to a disco bar. Opposite page: At the heart of the estate is the 27,000-square-foot main house inspired by classical architecture.
Disco/ballroom with space for 200 guests
bathrooms
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20-seat movie theater
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