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The most extravagant vacation homes owned by tech billionaires

The most extravagant vacation homes owned by tech billionaires

When Microsoft billionaire Paul Allen isn't cruising the high seas on one of his yachts, he can relax at one of his many luxurious retreats.

In October 2014, news surfaced that Facebook billionaire Mark Zuckerberg had bought a 750-acre property on the North Shore of Kauai. He reportedly paid more than $100 million for the estate, which includes a white-sand beach and former sugarcane plantation.

Source: Forbes

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff loves all things Hawaii. He wears Hawaiian shirts to work and even named his dog "Koa," after a type of Hawaiian tree. He also owns a 5-acre estate on the Big Island, which he purchased for $12.5 million in 2000.

Source: Wall Street Journal, Honolulu Magazine

Google chairman Eric Schmidt has a $72-million yacht called the "Oasis," which he uses to sail to the French Riviera and other destinations. The yacht has plenty of amenities, including a pool, jet skis, and a gym that can be converted into a disco.

He and estranged wife Wendy also own homes in Nantucket and Montecito, California, in addition to their primary residence in Atherton.

Source: GQ

HP chief Meg Whitman owns a mountain home and dude ranch in Telluride, Colorado. The ski home is said to be valued at $4.8 million, while Skyline ranch is worth about $18 million. She has also donated millions to preserve endangered land in the area, including near Alta Lakes.

Source: SF Gate, The Bay Citizen, Wall Street Journal

PayPal cofounder and early Facebook investor Peter Thiel bought this 1.7-acre oceanfront property in Maui in 2011. The home is made up of four pavilions that wrap around a courtyard and swimming pool.

At a selling price of $27 million, it was reportedly the biggest single-family purchase ever completed on the island.

Source: Wall Street Journal

In late 2014, Bill Gates spent $18 million on a 228-acre horse farm in Rancho Santa Fe, California. The property, known as the Rancho Paseana, includes a racetrack, guesthouse, office, veterinarian's suite, orchard, and five barns.

Gates also owns another horse ranch (and several surrounding properties) in Wellington, Florida, in addition to his primary residence outside Seattle.

Source: WSJ, The Real Deal

Former Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz vacations at a five-bedroom home on Hawaii's Big Island. The 11,700-square-foot lot is surrounded by black lava and a luxury golf course.

Source: Honolulu Magazine

Dell founder and CEO Michael Dell escapes with his family to a massive Hawaiian retreat known as the "Raptor Residence." The seven-bedroom tropical retreat has been rumored to be worth as much as $64 million.

Source: Honolulu Magazine, Business Insider

Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos reportedly bought this seven-bedroom home in Beverly Hills in 2007. Though the final sale price was never reported, it was estimated to be somewhere just south of $30 million. Bezos' primary residence is in Medina, Washington.

Source: Variety

Virgin Group billionaire Richard Branson owns Necker Island, a 74-acre Caribbean acre that's played host to a number of wild parties packed with A-listers.

The resort can accommodate up to 30 people and has eight guest bedrooms, a 1,500-square-foot master suite, and a zip line that carries guests down to the beach.

Source: Business Insider

Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison has an entire Hawaiian island to explore in his downtime. He purchased the island of Lanai — and its two Four Seasons Resorts — for $300 million in 2012.

If he gets bored of Hawaii, he can always relax at his private golf club in Rancho Mirage or one of his beachfront houses in Malibu.