Avila in Tampa, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
Sep 4th 2008 at 1:02PM

Let me take the opportunity of today's estate of the day to remind everyone just how much I love getting tips on outrageous real estate. If you find a luxury property you think I should see, please use the tips form on this site to send in the info.

Today's estate was referred to me by Luxist reader Chris who rightly thought it would make an interesting estate of the day. Certainly we don't see homes this lavish in Tampa, Florida too often. The huge compounds usually tend to be on the Atlantic side of the state near Palm Beach or Boca Raton. Today's home is located inside Avila, a private country club community. The gated home is on over five acres overlooking the golf course, pond and conservation areas within Avila. The compound is over 28,000 square feet of space and with attached guest quarters it has 10 bedrooms. The home is pretty ornate. Outside it has a grand manor-like look. Inside there is a large ballroom, a library paneled in dark wood , 14 fireplaces, elevator, wine room. The grounds include a pool and spa with cabana and basketball court. Obviously a lot of money has been spent here but I question the overall effect. The dark wood, marble and touches of gilding. It reminds me of Villa Versailles in Malibu which is on the market for around the same price in that it aspires to grandeur but seems too overblown to be livable even for those with the most lavish of tastes. This home is listed at $25 million.

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Gallery: Avila in Tampa