
Laurie Stone
THE global market for ultra-luxury residential villas has never been stronger despite Britain’s property sector suffering from rising interest rates and falling house prices, says leading estate agent Ian Needleman. Here, entrepreneur Joe Ricotta backs up this trend as he offers The Business Influencer an exclusive look at his latest 60 million euro development in Spain’s magical Marbella hills.
ENTREPRENEUR Joe Ricotta has built many exclusive homes to sell, but he never intended to part with his own ultra-luxurious Marbella mansion.
But now the magnificent mansion, which earned Mr Ricotta a design award presented by the King and Queen of Spain, has been put on the market for offers in excess of 65 million euros.
“I always felt this was my forever home,” says Mr Ricotta, “which I would share with my wife Josie and has ample space for our family. However, since the project first began three years ago, we realised we needed to be in the UK much more often than we had previously, so it made sense to put the villa up for sale.”
Named after the owner himself, Villa Ricotta II’s lofty position affords both, mountain views and stunning coastal views including the Straits of Gibraltar. It is only ten minutes from Puerto Banus, the playground of Europe’s rich and famous.
Mr Ricotta, who splits hit time between Hertfordshire and Spain, has spared no expense on his dream home, which is situated in Sierra Blanca, one of Marbella’s most exclusive gated residential districts, which has 24 hour security.
The mansion has 6,000 square metres of floorspace arranged over three floors, set in 11,000 square metres of grounds. Think of the White House (6,200 square metres) situated on a site way bigger than an average-sized football pitch (7,140 square metres). It truly is spectacular.
This palatial masterpiece has an elegant double sweeping staircase with views of the Mediterranean sea from the ground floor. It has 13 beautifully designed bedrooms, all of which have ensuite bathrooms, walk-in wardrobes, a lounge area, and private terraces.
Visitors are greeted by a portico of the worlds only seven-metre-tall one piece marble columns. Mr Ricotta’s special touches for this one-off villa include, entrance fountains modelled on those at the Bellagio resort hotel on the Las Vegas Strip, where the water jets ‘dance’ in time to theatrical music.
This Villa is great for entertaining on a grand scale with its huge barbecue area featuring a wood-fire pizza oven. There is a family main kitchen and a industrial- size kitchen perfect for large events. The garden is filled with beautiful tropical flowers, as well as an enormous swimming pool and children’s pool. Plus, in the basement, there is a 21-seater cinema room, two lane bowling alley, bar and games area, a large spa including a wave machine, hammam and sauna. There is also parking for 50 vehicles.
And the prestigious villa has even won royal approval, at the Macael Awards for architecture, crafts, and design. Joe received the winning trophy for best villa design in the world 2022 from Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia.
Mr Ricotta is handling the sale himself and, asked about likely interest, he said: “Middle East or US buyers are in the mix, but it could be a tycoon from any country in the world. There are also likely to be corporate buyers like a bank or company that wants to host wealthy clients or board-level conferences.
“I had lots of interest in the villa even while I was building it, but it wasn’t for sale at the time.”
* To register your interest, please contact: Joe@marbella.co.uk