St. Barths has long been a haven for the elite, which we detailed in our travel piece “St. Barths: Paradise for the Connoisseur.” What we should have mentioned was that it was for the luxury connoisseur, a category that Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich is certainly familiar with, as he has a strong penchant for the finer things in life—including a 544-foot megayacht dubbed Eclipse, which is in its final stages of construction. This craft will join Abramovich’s fleet that includes the 377-foot Pelorus and the 282-foot Ecstasea.
So it is no wonder that he was drawn to the crystal clear waters and unpretentious paradise that is St. Barths. He just plopped down a whopping $90 million for the estate belonging to Jeet Singh, co-founder of Art Technology Group. The Wall Street Journal reported that the 70-acre Governor Bay property consists of Balinese-style bungalows, tennis courts, swimming pools and entertaining pavilions. Former owner Singh has been living on the property since leaving ATG in 2002 and also used it for private gatherings for his family and friends, but had recently moved to Paris.
This is not the first foray into the real estate sector for Abramovich. His primary residence is in Moscow, but he also has property in London (where he owns Chelsea Football Club), Knightsbridge, and owns the Chateau de la Croë in Cap d’Antibes on the French Riviera. It’s the former home of the exiled Duke of Windsor, who gave up the British crown in 1936. He has also purchased two properties in Related Companies’ Snowmass Village in Colorado.
