A Bunker, a Volcano, and 126 Rooms: Qatari Sheikh Who "Bought London" Acquires Silvio Berlusconi’s Legendary Villa for $395 Million

Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, a member of the Qatari royal family better known in business circles as "the man who bought London," has cemented his 20-year love affair with the Costa Smeralda resort with a monumental deal. The former Prime Minister of Qatar, nicknamed HBJ, has purchased the famous Villa Certosa from the heirs of the late former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi for a staggering $395 million.

According to the Italian business newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore, the 66-year-old Sheikh plans to transform the luxury estate overlooking the Gulf of Marinella into an ultra-luxury hotel. The villa was initially listed for €500 million, but Al Thani managed to negotiate it down to a "bargain price"—€150 million below the original asking price.

However, there is a catch to this "discount." The upkeep of the estate is so ruinously expensive that a regular billionaire could not afford it; it requires the truly bottomless pockets of the Qatari monarchy.

Astronomical Maintenance Costs:

• Annual upkeep and maintenance: approximately $9 million.

• Electricity bill: $1.5 million per year.

• Mortgage: The property carries an existing mortgage of €94 million ($107 million).

• Self-sufficiency: The estate operates its own desalination plant to ensure that taps and swimming pools never run out of water.

Vatican-Sized Scale and James Bond-Style Amenities

The estate spans 120 hectares. To put that into perspective, it is the size of 83 football fields and is larger than the entire country of Vatican City. The living space of the main house and outbuildings totals 4,500 square meters, accommodating 126 rooms and greenhouses filled with rare orchids. The Sheikh’s plans are obvious: it is far too large for a private residence, but just right for a luxury boutique hotel.

While standard five-star hotels offer two or three pools, Villa Certosa boasts seven, including a cascading complex of five tiered pools heated with seawater for thalassotherapy. But that’s not all: the grounds feature artificial lakes with swans and islands (named "Palm" and "Bio-lake"), complemented by a floating tiki bar for evening aperitifs right on the water.

Sports enthusiasts will also have plenty to do. Instead of the single tennis court typical for billionaires, the estate features:

• A full-sized football pitch (meeting all regulatory standards);

• Tennis and bocce courts;

• A private golf course;

• A helipad and a full-scale spa complex;

• An ancient Greek-style amphitheater.

For lovers of the exotic, the villa offers truly spy-like features. The estate includes a nuclear bunker, as well as a secret grotto carved directly into the rock face. Guests arriving by sea can sail straight inside via a special underwater tunnel, making the villa look like a villain's secret base from a James Bond film.

An Open-Air Botanical Paradise

The estate is a masterpiece not only of architecture (designed by architect Gianni Gamondi) but also of landscape design. Created with the guidance of garden historian Rosy Zuliani Sgaravatti, the villa's gardens serve as a unique natural museum:

• Cactus amphitheater: approximately 2,100 succulents of 500 different species;

• Palm collection: around 1,200 specimens;

• Hibiscus museum: about 5,000 bushes of 850 varieties;

• "Garden of Gethsemane": 150 century-old olive trees;

• Citrus grove: 800 trees of 160 varieties.

Given that the estate includes seven additional villas, guest houses, and cottages besides the main residence, keeping this park in pristine condition is a colossal task. The silver lining for the rest of us is that once the hotel opens, anyone (with deep enough pockets for a room) will be able to experience Berlusconi’s lavish lifestyle without having to shell out $400 million.

The Qatari Sheikh's Sardinian Footprint

For Hamad bin Jassim, whose fortune Forbes estimates at nearly $5 billion, the purchase of Villa Certosa is more of a personal move than a purely financial investment.

The Sheikh owns the legendary 133-meter superyacht Al Mirqab, valued at $300 million. Every summer, the vessel drops anchor in the ultra-exclusive bays of Porto Cervo and off the coast of Costa Smeralda.

Although his company, Constellation Hotels, already owns iconic properties around the globe, Villa Certosa will become the crown jewel trophy in his collection.