The rich and famous undoubtedly have every amenity in their mega-mansions. Pools, luxury fixtures and over-the-top finishes, gyms, salons, ballrooms, theaters, ample room for guests and staff — and maybe even a place to land their helicopters.
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When some of the super-rich vacation, they do so in the style to which they’ve grown accustomed: on their fancy luxury yachts, which have become floating mansions filled with all the comforts of home and room to entertain a few dozen of their friends.
The most expensive yachts cost hundreds of millions of dollars and can sail the globe, docking at some of the world’s greatest playgrounds for the rich — places such as the French Riviera, the Greek Islands, the Florida Keys or Dubai.
Let’s sail through five of the most expensive yachts in the world.
An unidentified Malaysian businessman commissioned designer Stuart Hughes of Liverpool, England, to build his 100-foot yacht. The project took three years to complete and includes 100,000 kilograms (110 tons) of solid gold and platinum. The deck, dining area, rails and anchor are among the yacht’s components constructed from precious metals. Even the base of the yacht was wrapped in gold, according to Hughes The main sleeping quarters include a feature wall made of meteoric stone with a dinosaur bone from a Tyrannosaurus rex shaved into it.
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Luxury Launches reported it was built in 2011. Several media sites estimated the value at $4.8 billion.
It reportedly is owned by Robert Kuok, identified by Forbes as the richest man in Malaysia. The 98-year-old founded the Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts chain in 1971 and also has other interests in real estate and commodities. Forbes estimated his net worth at $10.6 billion.
The 533-foot Eclipse is the second-longest superyacht in the world. Designers and builders spent more than four years creating the yacht, which contains nine decks, 18 guest suites, a pool and the requisite helipad. It also includes a built-in missile-defense system and bulletproof windows. Eclipse was delivered to its owner, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, in 2010.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Abramovich has been sanctioned by the United Kingdom, European Union, Canada, Switzerland and Australia, Forbes reported. That means if Eclipse travels through the waters of any of those regions, the governments can seize it.
Abramovich, who has stakes in Russian steel and nickel producers, has kept the yacht far away from those waters. In mid-August, it made port calls in Turkey.
The yacht cost $700 million to build, Business Insider reported. However, some reports peg the value at $1.5 billion.
The numbers surrounding the construction of Azzam, which launched in 2013, are staggering. Work to build the 591-footer at German shipyard Lürssen took four years and involved 4,000 people who chalked up 6 million total man hours, Boat International reported.
Azzam is billed as the world’s biggest yacht. It has a large main saloon and can sleep 36 guests and hold up to 80 crew members. The interior has a vast amount of mother of pearl and also includes a pool, gym and “golf training room,” per Boat International. And it’s fast, traveling up to 33 knots.
The yacht was owned by Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president of the United Arab Emirates, until his death in May 2022 at age 73. The current owner of Azzam is unclear.
The value of Azzam has been estimated at between $600 billion and $650 billion.
Solaris, also owned by Abramovich, reportedly cost $600 million to build, per Business Insider. After the invasion of Ukraine, it moved from Spain to Montenegro and then to Turkey and the Aegean Sea to avoid nations with sanctions.
German shipbuilder Lloyd Werft delivered Solaris to its owner in May 2021. The yacht has a pale-gray hull and a white superstructure and contains more than 21,500 square feet of glass surfaces across the decks, CharterWorld reported. It can accommodate 36 guests and a crew of 60.
Yacht Bible described the decks of Solaris as having a “minimalist and modern” layout, adding the interior contains a spa, several salons for events and a large gym.
Forbes report Abramovich is worth $8.7 billion.
That’s the working name for the 417-foot megayacht that is soon to be turned over to its reported owner, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. While the builder, Oceanco of the Netherlands, hasn’t confirmed the buyer, author Brad Stone wrote that the yacht was under construction in his 2021 book, “Amazon Unbound.”
Boat International reported that the three-masted schooner will become the world’s largest sailing yacht when Bezos takes possession of it, once finishing touches are complete. According to Elite Traveler, the yacht “features a black hull, white superstructure and elegant silhouette.” The three huge masts allow it to be powered, for the most part, by kinetic energy from the sails.
A plan to dismantle temporarily the middle section of the Koningshaven Bridge in Rotterdam to sail the ship — with its three large masts, it is too tall to go under the bridge — from the city river into open waters was widely criticized. Oceanco instead towed the ship, without the masts, and left the bridge intact.
Bezos can afford both the yacht and the towing bill. His net worth is $146.9 billion, according to Forbes. Construction costs of Y721 reportedly are $500 million.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: The Most Expensive Yachts in the World
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