World's Most Expensive Penthouse Sells for $308 Million in Monaco

Barely a month after we reported that a London penthouse had sold for $220 million, making it the world's most expensive private residence, the record has been shattered with the $308 million sale of a palatial penthouse in Monaco (above). The Monaco property, called La Belle Epoque, has quite a history; formerly the home of billionaire banker Edmund Safra, it's where he was found dead following a mysterious fire that gutted the apartment in 1999. The three-bedroom, 17,500-sq-.ft. duplex penthouse, which includes a double-height library and vast roof terraces complete with mature 15-foot trees and an infinity pool, is thought to have been purchased by an Arab sheikh, the Economic Times reports.
The apartment's luxe features include a panic room with reinforced glass and surveillance cameras, cinema screens which emerge from walls at the touch of a button, numerous walk-in wardrobes and dressing rooms, a leisure room with billiard tables and arcade video games, a Jacuzzi and spa, and a media room with special executive chairs which convert into beds. The penthouse was sold by British property developers Christian and Nick Candy, who acquired the space relatively cheaply following the fire from Lily Safra and hired designer Martin Kemp to oversee $40 million in renovations, including a dining room (above) with a platinum leaf ceiling.
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