From Agence France-Presse
A luxurious New York apartment furnished with bullet-proof panic rooms and a sushi island bar is on the market for an eye-watering $48.5 million, reportedly the property of Saudi royalty.
The palatial pad, which straddles three floors and has two inbuilt salt-water aquariums, offers a tantalizing glimpse into custom-made luxury on offer in New York’s cut-throat property market.
US media named the owner as Saudi Prince Nawaf bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz al-Saud. The Wall Street Journal said the prince was the principal of the corporation listed as the apartment’s owner.
The 20-room apartment takes up 10,500 square feet (975 square meters) and has four bedrooms and 10 bathrooms on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, according to the listing from Douglas Elliman.
It comes with a jacuzzi, gym, venting cigar room, billiards room, massage and treatment room, steam room and pedicure tub, the listing said.
Described as “one-of-a-kind” with an “opulent” finish, it commands stunning views of the Hudson River and has a dining room that can seat 16.
Alcohol may be illegal in Saudi Arabia, but the lounge boasts a marble-topped bar which, according to the listing, “invites one to cozy up and enjoy a cocktail as the sun sets.”
There is another full bar downstairs to service the hot tub.
The master suite includes a spa bath and steam shower, private sitting room, grooming room and twin powder rooms.
The apartment’s heat, air conditioning, lights and music can all be controlled remotely by the touch of a tablet or smart phone.
The triplex is in the 31-floor Heritage building at tycoon Donald Trump’s eponymous Trump Place just steps from Riverside Park.
Douglas Elliman refused to comment on the owner but The Wall Street Journal quoted a rival agent as saying he rarely used the apartment, and was therefore selling up.
© 1994-2015 Agence France-Presse
Here are some photos of the flat, taken from the listing at http://www.elliman.com/new-york-city/240-riverside-boulevard-6atriplex-manhattan-osbuqdm
