Though he’s not as wealthy as his billionaire friend Warren, with whom he shares a surname though not DNA, Jimmy Buffett hasn’t done too poorly from epitomizing the lifestyle of an escapist beach bum — as best described by his still-in-rotation 1977 hit “Margaritaville.” With a business empire based largely on his Margaritaville Café restaurant chain and its numerous merchandising spins-offs, Buffett’s net worth is currently stacked to over $550 million, according to Forbes.
So the troubadour-turned-tycoon can afford to buy and sell real estate as he pleases. The latest holding to be jettisoned from his padded property portfolio is a nearly 4,800-square-foot Palm Beach, Fla. home that just sold for $6.9 million, as first reported by Mansion Global.
Appropriately described in marketing materials as an “Island Contemporary” and built in 2003, the resort-like spread, which Buffett picked up in 2011 for $4.95 million, was originally listed for $7.6 million. In true Buffett fashion, the sun-drenched dwelling is designed for decompressing, and laid-back lounges surround a cobalt-blue pool set amongst a lush backdrop of towering palms and other assorted tropical plantings. Deeded beach access allows owners and their guests to walk shoeless to the ocean.
Included in the three-bedroom, 3.5 bath single-story is a guest suite above a two-car garage, while all the main rooms enjoy soaring vaulted ceilings capped with cupola skylights. In the living room, walls of sliding mahogany framed doors are topped with a string of clerestory windows juxtaposed against relaxed linen furnishings, gleaming white-tiled floors and shiplap-sheathed walls. Elsewhere, the jungle-themed artwork is a nod to Buffett’s passion for conservation, and the monochromatic all-white kitchen opens to a combo living/dining space with simple wood cabinets and pale wood floors.
Guest bedrooms are generously sized with up-to-date attached baths, while the master suite features sliding glass doors that open to both the pool and a spa-like bath slathered in watery blue marble and snow-white floor tiles.
There is a dedicated dining area in the house, but a more appealing al fresco option is a loggia just a few feet from the pool that offers a rustic wood table that conjures up images of barefoot barbecues and suntanned snacking. In the gardens, tropical plants drape quaint brick pathways topped with pristine pergolas while planted palms reflect on the shimmering pool. In a small courtyard outside the living room, a gurgling fountain adds to the laid-back atmosphere. All in all, it’s enough to make one want to reach for a margarita and a shaker of salt.
Buffett, who has owned a seven-plus-acre waterfront compound in the Hamptons since the mid-1990s, also holds the titles to a getaway on the Caribbean Island of St. Barts and an ultra-modern pavilion in Beverly Hills that was scooped up in 2014 for $8.25 million, Denise Hanley of Denise A. Hanley Inc was his listing agent in the Palm Beach deal; the buyer was repped by Christian Angle of Christian Angle Real Estate.