In the global marketplace for luxury real estate, just what does $10 million buy? That’s the question—and the answer—in this edition of Luxury Defined.  

Does the buyer dream of an island escape? Consider a “sea-to-sea” idyll in The Bahamas’ Abaco archipelago, a majestic oceanfront retreat in the Dominican Republic, or perhaps an elegantly playful “gulf-to-bay” estate—with a boat dock and a putting green—on the barrier island of Captiva, Florida.

Or does paradise whisper from the scenic Southlands of Vancouver, British Columbia? There lies Villa Balaclava, an architectural masterpiece amid golf courses and horse country—close to but a world apart from the city. And seekers of grandeur in paradise off the beaten path might find it in a 15th-century silk farm on 988 acres in France’s Rhône Valley.

1. Casa Kimball in the Dominican Republic

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The grandeur that is Casa Kimball presides over an oceanfront promontory on a pristine stretch of shoreline in Cabrera, on the Dominican Republic’s north coast.   

This contemporary estate extends to about 2.5 acres bounded by a lush tropical landscape. The interior space encompasses 21,527 square feet; fully half of it lavish private quarters, and all of it wrapped in tall glass and surrounded by sunny terraces, sculptural landscaping, and a vast pool deck above the surf.   

There are eight spacious bedrooms, eight spa-grade full bathrooms, and four partial baths. Many rooms have wide wraparound verandas, with verdant gardens and sapphire seas as the backdrop.

The reception rooms are scaled for events, with a formal lounge and bar, and an oceanside dining room that seats 20. The outdoor spaces are styled for alfresco dining, entertaining, or simply relaxing. The highlight is the pool terrace, with its 160,000-gallon infinity pool, which seamlessly melds with the azure waters of the Atlantic below. 

2. Stay Salty on Captiva Island, Florida 

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A waterfront estate with a coveted gulf-to-bay site on Captiva, a beautiful barrier Island just off Florida’s Gulf Coast, Stay Salty lives up to its playful name. 

Built in 2000 on just over an acre in the gated Tarpon Bay community, the home’s contemporary coastal design has undergone continual upgrades over the years.   

The cool palette and white oak floors extend to four airy bedrooms, three sybaritic full baths, and one partial bath. Interior spaces, framed by impact sliding glass doors, look out to panoramic water views. An elevator links all levels. Electronic security, a Sonos sound system, and a 40-kilowatt Kohler whole-house generator also serve the property. 

The 21st-century updates include linear fireplaces for the cooler months, and the kitchen clad in Zebra Onyx countertops and Ruffino wood cabinetry. The detached “bonus room” is ideal for an artist’s atelier or collector-car display.  

Stay Salty has its own deeded boat dock with a 10,000 lb boat lift. There’s also a kayak launch, a heated saltwater pool with a tanning shelf and spa, and even a private putting green—a replica of the 12th hole at Augusta.  

3. Villa Balaclava in Southlands, British Columbia, Canada 

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Villa Balaclava is an architectural masterpiece, disguised as a private sanctuary tucked away in the leafy equestrian neighborhood of Southlands in Vancouver, British Columbia. 

Built in 1984, the 7,000-square-foot home evokes the Frank Lloyd Wright style of compression and release: A succession of intimate, human-scale entries, galleries, and transition spaces suddenly unfold to open, breathtaking interiors with vast wall space for art.  

There are seven ample bedrooms, seven full bathrooms and two partial baths, warmed and illuminated by multiple fireplaces and skylights. The owner’s suite, with two bathrooms and two dressing rooms, overlooks the serene gardens to the sounds of flowing water features. 

These spacious yet intimate interiors look out to the tranquil terrace landscapes, gardens, lawns, the pool, and tennis court. An attached two-bedroom coach house can open to the main residence, and there are two double garages.  

Related: Discover Homes with Gardens and Groves

4. Coconut Palm Bay in Abaco, The Bahamas 

Coconut Palm Bay is a one-of-a-kind oceanfront escape on Man O' War Cay in The Bahamas’ Abaco Islands.  

On one of the finest sites on the island, and indeed the entire archipelago, Coconut Palm Bay is a 14-acre refuge bridging the Atlantic Ocean to the Sea of Abaco, with beaches on both shores.  

The 6,500-square-foot, multi-level main residence offers uninterrupted vistas of the sea. A four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom guest house provides an additional 2,200 square feet of air-conditioned living space and 360 square feet of covered porches and balconies. 

Both residences lie within landscaped gardens enveloped by a coconut grove. The protected private marina is another unique feature of Coconut Palm Bay, offering 390 feet of docks (nine feet wide with an MLW depth of 8 feet), a covered boat lift with 13,000 lb. capacity, and a boathouse. The estate also includes a 5,000 gallon a day reverse-osmosis water-filtration system with 200,000 gallons of rainwater capacity.  

5. Former Silk Farm in Uzès, Gard, France 

This former silk farm offers peace and privacy on 988 pastoral acres surrounded by a Natura 2000 classified reserve in the Ardèche department of southeastern France. 

The original farmhouse, the “hunter’s house,” and stone outbuildings were transformed into a luxurious private compound with a combined 9,687 square feet of fully furnished, energy-efficient living space, offered turnkey.  

The architectural style is pure Provencal: Old stone walls, wooden doors and shutters, vaulted ceilings, exposed beams, and floors of hardwood, terracotta, and stone add to the character.  

The residential complex is in an 8,072-square-foot courtyard with a marble swimming pool; a pool house kitted with a gym, sauna, and shower; an indoor resistance pool and a Jacuzzi; as well as a lawned pétanque court. 

A 10,076-square-foot equipment barn houses a tractor, rotary harvester, and buggy. The wider grounds include miles of hiking trails, a subterranean lake, and 37 acres of orchards, olive groves, and a truffle oak forest stretching as far as the eye can see. 

Seeking paradise for $10 million or thereabouts? Find it here.