Villas, penthouses, off-market
Real Estate
Prime property is the luxury that pays rent, hosts your family and anchors your life somewhere beautiful. This section explains how it is bought, valued and run.
Location, plot, view, build
Luxury villas: how they are valued
How a luxury villa is priced: the location within the location, the plot, the view, the build quality and the licences.
The top floor
Penthouses: what the premium buys
A penthouse costs 30 to 100 percent more per square metre than the floor below.
The quiet market
Off-market property: how it really works
A large share of prime property never appears on a portal.
The real price
Buying property abroad: taxes and fees
Purchase taxes, notary and legal fees, annual property taxes and wealth taxes compared for Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, Monaco, Switzerland, the UAE, the UK, the USA and Greece, with the numbers you need before you make an offer.
The guide
Luxury Hotels: ten picks
Ten hotels that define what luxury hospitality can be, each chosen for a specific kind of stay.
- Ritz Paris · Paris, Place Vendôme
- Claridge’s · London, Mayfair
- Aman Tokyo · Tokyo, Otemachi
- Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc · Cap d’Antibes, France
- Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco · Tuscany, Italy
- and five more
The real price of a villa
Villa Cost Calculator
Purchase price and country: taxes, fees, annual running costs and the ten-year total, with rental income if you let it.
Gavalia Concierge
A personal shortlist, within two working days
Tell us the brief and the budget. A person, not an algorithm, replies with three to five considered options: the right watch, the right villa, the right hotel, the right gift.
- Free, independent, no affiliate links
- Three to five options with prices and reasons
- Introductions to the right dealer, advisor or hotel on request