When you visit Hawaii, you usually stay at a resort. But for a cool $22.8 million, you could buy your own private resort in Kailua, HI. Made with materials sourced from around the globe, this property -- nicknamed Hale Palekaiko, or " The House of Paradise" -- is a spot you likely won't want to leave. Ever.
The 36,995 square feet of immaculate waterside property features several structures, including floating pavilions in the pool, a fully stocked guesthouse, the main quarters, and an outdoor bar and kitchen.
The place is essentially brand-new, too. Listing agent Anne Oliver says the owners bought it in 2013, when it was an abandoned shell left behind by the original builders due to a divorce. They lived on site, finishing the property to their highest-end specs over two-and-a-half years. To their surprise, "they realized it was too big for them," says Oliver. Just three months after its completion, they put the huge home on the market.
The property has been on the market for only a few days, but Oliver says she's received inquiries from people who have checked it out online. Interested speculators include buyers from China, Japan, and Canada.
Maybe the international interest has something to do with the construction materials sourced from around the world, including the following:
- Italian travertine slab flooring
- Old-growth bleached Burmese teak hardwood flooring
- Italian Calacatta Luccicoso marble countertops and walls in the kitchen
- A seven-burner, three-oven range imported from France
- Driftwood-finished French oak cabinetry for the indoor bar, with Italian travertine countertops
- Indonesian teak wood bale doors
And that's just for the interior of the four-bedroom, 8,348-square-foot main house. Step outside and check out the freestanding bar, which has Peruvian travertine countertops, a whitewashed bamboo ceiling, and ebonized teak cabinetry. The bar comes with Viking appliances and a Kalamazoo pizza oven. So, why not pick a few herbs from the on-site garden?
In the back of the bar is a full bathroom, so you can change in style. Its walls are made of Indonesian pebble tiles, and there's a vanity and spa bench made out of teak driftwood.
In the center of the property is a massive pool, which is "the biggest I've seen in my 20-plus years of real estate," Oliver says. And there are Indonesian-style pavilions, a three-bedroom guesthouse, and a spa too!
Oliver describes the home, which was built by Hawaiian architect Peter Vincent, as "Indo-modern" (translation: a property with modern aesthetics and an Indonesian influence). And despite its opulence, it exudes a laid-back quality that is fully in tune with Kailua. The town, Oliver says, has been kept "purposefully small" with a "relaxed lifestyle," despite being home to one of the best beaches on the planet and President Obama's "Winter White House."
While $22.8 million is a big chunk of change, it's par for the course for oceanfront property. Houses here cost anywhere from $7 million to $32 million, Oliver says. As for taxes -- you'll be saying aloha (the goodbye kind) to $4,455 a month if you purchase this home. Such is the cost of paradise.
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