Larry Ellison travel tips

Move over, Jeff Bezos. Mark Zuckerberg is looking like this summer's Poseiden.

The average Joe celebrating a personal renaissance after, say, the end of a long-term relationship or when approaching a fresh decade might commemorate it with an ankle tattoo or a sportscar. But if you're a billionaire, you may instead spend hundreds of millions on a yacht.

This article originally appeared in the March issue of AGENTatHOME magazine.  Subscribe here to receive your free copy each month.

The Indian Wells Open is my favorite U.S. tennis event, bar none. The Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa is a stone’s throw from the venue, and its beautiful desert grounds are a welcoming respite from the throngs trying to get a glimpse of Rafa (who will play on the evening of March 7th). Why is Indian Wells so special? There’s a paradoxical mellow and electric vibe there. A short drive from Palm Springs, California and set in the comparatively verdant Colorado Desert, it’s a place for meditation, introspection, self-care — and world-class tennis. The Indian Wells Open, AKA the BNP Paribas Open (BNP Paribas sponsors the event) is the most popular tennis event in the world aside from the four major slams, but the venue, Indian Wells Tennis Garden (owned by Larry Ellison since 2009), is so nicely designed that it never feels as crowded as it is. Food options are remarkably good (think Nobu sushi), and VIP and corporate boxes are close enough to the action (unlike at many venues) with excellent catering and service.

With its crystalline waters and sublime beaches, Sardinia’s Costa Smeralda, a 20- kilometer tranche of seaside running along the island’s northeast coast, has been a go-to for the world’s elite for decades. When Prince Karim, Aga Khan IV, who led a consortium that developed the area in the 1960s, first surveyed a then barren landscape he reportedly said, “There is a multitude of fine sandy beaches and no one to walk on them.” But once the posh retreat—sustainably planned and created by top architects of the day—opened for business it drew a rarified crowd, including Greta Garbo, Grace Kelly and Gianni Agnelli, who came to experience the unique beaches, or at least gaze at them with admiration from their nearby yachts.