The streets might not be paved in gold but the world's most expensive residential roads are brimming with prestige properties boasting some of the most eye-watering price tags we've ever seen.

Of course, it's not all glitz and glamour. Hiding behind these prestigious postcodes are stories of scandal, tragedy and intrigue.

Click or scroll on to stroll down the planet's most expensive thoroughfares and see for yourself...

London is the world's fourth most expensive city, so it's no surprise that real estate here can come with a staggering price tag.

Ultra-exclusive streets criss-cross the capital, but the most expensive of them all is Phillimore Gardens (pictured), according to data released by Halifax. Tucked away in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, the leafty residential road boasts an average house price of £23.8 million ($29.2m). That's almost 82 times the national avergage of £291,000 (£357k).

Snapping at the heels of the exclusive address is Grosvenor Square in Mayfair, where the average house will set you back £23.5 million ($28.8). While homes on Ilchester Place, also in Kensington and previously the most expensive street in the UK, now go for an avergae of £17.7 million ($21.7m).

Let's take a walk down the UK's most expensive street and see what all the fuss is about...

Phillimore Gardens and its surrounding streets were built by William Phillimore in the 1770s and many of the grand houses are still owned and rented out by the Phillimore Estate today.

Thanks to its enviable position running alongside Holland Park, notable residents have long flocked to the street, including former British prime minster David Cameron, who lived there as a young boy before his family moved to Berkshire, and disgraced former MP Jonathan Aitken. 

After American shipbroker Ernest Simpson (pictured here in October 1936) divorced his wife Wallis Simpson, he lived just around the corner on Upper Phillimore Gardens in a home "stuffed" with servants, according to The Times. Wallis infamously went on to marry King Edward VIII, sparking the abdication crisis. 

Wind in the Willows author Kenneth Graeme, actor Sir Alec Guinness and rock legend Freddie Mercury have all lived on the surrounding streets.

Mercury wasn't the only rock star to grace the area. Former Rolling Stones guitarist Bill Wyman opened his restaurant Sticky Fingers on the corner of Phillimore Gardens in May 1989. Wyman is pictured at the opening with his then-girlfriend Mandy Smith. 

While the famous London eatery hosted star-studded parties and diners from around the world, it eventually closed due to the pandemic in 2021, after 32 "wonderful" years.

However, life on the street hasn't been devoid of scandal or tragedy.

In 2001, Norwegian heiress and former member of the Monaco royal family Michelle Lütken de Massy was found dead in her Phillimore Gardens flat. The 41-year-old model and socialite died from an overdose, just two years after she discovered the body of her former lover, Greek shipping billionaire Constantine Niarchos, who died under similar circumstances at his home in Grosvenor Square.

In 2019, Phillimore Gardens hit the headlines once again, when the owner of a £2.5 million ($3.1m) flat in this end-of-terrace building rented out her luxury home with disastrous consequences.

Elizabeth Stirling let out her immaculate five-bedroom apartment via Airbnb, to a woman who claimed she wanted to host a small surprise baby shower and dinner party, according to The Daily Mail.

However, her property was overrun with hundreds of revellers, who played "pounding dance music" and jostled and swore at the homeowner. The party was eventually shut down after a late night court order was obtained by police.

While her resin floor was scratched and rugs were burned – reportedly amounting to thousands of pounds worth of damage – Stirling's art collection, which included original works by Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Joan Miro and Picasso, survived the ordeal.

"The police told me that I'd been lucky because in two more Airbnb raves that evening in Kensington the properties had been wrecked, things had been stolen and one person stabbed," she told the Mail.

These wild goings-on certainly haven't had a negative effect on house prices. In the last six years, three homes have sold for £37 million ($45.4m) and above, one of which was a two-bedroom flat in a semi-detached house.

If you'd like to live among London's elite on the capital's priciest street, this five-bedroom, five-bathroom townhouse is on the market right now for a mere £24 million ($29.4m). 

The home has been beautifully restored and was the winner of London's Best Single Residence at the UK Property Awards in 2018, according to the listing.

Just some of the features in the state-of-the-art home include bathrooms of Italian marble, two original fireplaces, an eight-person lift, and a bespoke Boffi kitchen which is "supoprted" by an additional chef's kitchen with its own walk-in fridge.

One of the very priciest places to live in the whole of the USA is here, on Indian Creek Island Road in Florida. The expensive street is the only one on the island, stretching almost the whole way around the exclusive enclave. 

Known as 'billionaire bunker' island, the upscale community consists of just 32 lavish mansions, a highly-selective golf club and around seven vacant plots.  

Thanks to its tight security, privacy and high-profile neighbours, homes on the island have gone for an average of £32.7 million ($40.1m) since November 2020. That's a staggering 97 times the national average of £335,900 ($412k). 

Let's take a look around and meet some of the street's most well-known residents...

Totally manmade, the pristine island hideaway was dredged from Biscayne Bay in the early 1900s and, during the late 1920s, it developed into an exclusive country club with an 18-hole championship golf course, and became a winter retreat for tycoons of industry – and has been ever since.

Indian Creek Island has long had a staid, conservative atmosphere and is considered the classier, understated alternative to Miami's other billionaire enclave, Star Island. It's not without a little scandal though. Shockingly, the club, which has had several run-ins with the island's residents over the years, had strict policies in the past that discriminated against Jewish and Black people, and actively restricted their membership.

However, the island's seclusion and top-notch security is a major draw for the moneyed inhabitants. A veritable fortress, Indian Creek has its very own police force that scrupulously vets visitors. The community is only accessible by bridge via a heavily guarded gatepost, while armed officers patrol the island on land and by boat 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

While you don't have to be a billionaire to live on 'bunker' island, it certainly helps. In fact, the most recent resident to move to the secretive community is none other than the third richest man in the world, Jeff Bezos, and his fiancée Lauren Sanchez. 

The couple reportedly picked up this home (centre) in October, for a record-breaking $79 million (£65m). Originally listed for $85 million (£70m), the mansion features seven bedrooms and 14 bathrooms. But it wasn't their only purchase on the island.

Just four months earlier, Bezos snapped up the $68 million (£56m) houose next door (far left). The three-bedroom, three-bathroom home was built in 1965. Rumour has it that Jeff and Lauren may raze one or both properties to make way for an enormous mega-estate.

Bezos will be one of many billionaires living on the exclusive road. His new high-net-worth neighbours include hedge fund tycoon and former Sears CEO Edward Lampert, art collector and former Philadelphia Eagles proprietor Norman Braman, Hotels.com co-founder Bob Diener and Rakesh Gangwal, the co-founder of Indian budget airline IndiGo. The Emir of Qatar is rumoured to also own a home on the street.

Among the many famous faces to have a home on Indian Creek Island Road are Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner and their three children. 

Back in 2020, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner parted with $32.2 million (£26.7m) to snap up a coveted empty lot and, in April 2021, the pair also picked up a $24 million (£19.8m) fixer-upper mansion nearby.

After a two-year renovation, the luxurious home was finally habitable and Ivanka celebrated her 42nd birthday there (pictured) on 30 October. 

Javanka aren't the only famous faces to reside on the island. Jared's younger brother, billionaire Joshua Kushner, and his supermodel wife Karlie Kloss have a home there too. As does NFL quarterback Tom Brady and Spanish crooner Julio Iglesias.

French DJ David Guetta is the famous name widely rumoured to be in the process of buying this brand new 12-bedroom,16-bathroom home right next door to Jaren and Ivanka's newly renovated pad.

If reports are true and the deal goes through, the 15,578-square-foot home will change hands for the huge sum of $69 million (£57m).

While there aren't any other houses currently for sale on Indian Creek Island Road, don't despair. Guetta's purchase has been marked as pending for months, according to Zillow, so if you act quickly, you might just be able to snap it up and take your place on one of the richest roads in America.

You might be wondering why this rather unassuming – dare we say dull? – street features in a gallery filled with incredible locations? Well, it's because this is Hallstrom Close, the most expensive residential street in Australia. 

The rather bland-looking road sits on Hallstrom Point, a rocky promontory that juts into Long Bay, a prime position in Northbridge, an upmarket suburb on Sydney's Lower North Shore. 

Homes on the close typically have five bedrooms, cover 3,455-square feet and sit on a 9,500-square-foot plot – and have an impressive  median value of £3.9 million (AUD$7.5m / $4.8m), according to The Property Tribune and January 2023 data from Suburbtrends. That's just over 10 times the current national average of £385,000 (AUD$740.7k / $470.9k).

Let's find out why people pay a premium to live on such an unassuming street...

Hallstrom Close is named after Sir Edward Hallstrom (pictured here with George the gorilla in 1967), one of Australia's most well-known philanthropists and businessmen. The eighth of nine children, Hallstrom was born in 1886 to an English saddler, who was tried for arson and perjury before abandoning his family when young Edward was just ten-years-old.

Largely self-educated, Hallstrom suffered a bankruptcy and years of struggle before he invented and patented numerous refrigerator designs, which were a vast improvment on the ice chests being used by rural Australians at the time. His 'Hallstrom Silent Knight' model became a huge hit, making him a millionaire fridge magnate.

Due to a childhood of hardship, Hallstrom never forgot that his money came from "just the ordinary working man" and he sought to repay it through philanthropic acts. An animal lover, he poured much of his money into Toronga Zoo, which is still open today.

Knighted in 1952, Hallstrom's last home, Figtree House, and it's grounds – which contained his own private zoo – stretched along the shore of Figtree Point, which is now Hallstrom Point, upon which lies Hallstrom Close. 

The house was demolished in 1971, a year after his death, and was subdivided into eight housing plots. Many of the fig trees, which gave his house its name, still stand on the grassy point and have become a public reserve.

Despite the fact Hallstrom Close was named after an eccentric inventor, it's fair to say the nine homes that stand on the street look a little bland from the street.

But this five-bedroom, four-bathroom home on the road sold in April 2021 for a staggering £4.6 million (AUD$8.9m / $5.7m), and is currently valued at around £5 million (AUS$9.7m / $6.2m), according to Domain.com.au.

So what is it that makes these homes so desirable?

The incredible vista is, of course, what has everyone clamouring for one of the Hallstrom homes, although they rarely come onto the open market. 

Each waterfront mansion enjoys views out over the calm waters of Long Bay, taking in Bay Point and several waterfront reserves to the south.

The homes are built in levels that descend the rocky shoreline, making them much larger than they appear from the street. Each has its own jetty and deep-water mooring and most have a pool to boot.

Northbridge Golf and Cricket Clubs are just a few streets away, while the famous Sydney Opera House is a quick 15 minute drive south.

While there's nothing for sale on Hallstrom Close, take a few steps around the corner onto Coolawin Road and you'll find this incredible modern mansion, which is currently on the market. 

Described in the listing as a "waterfront masterpiece," this newly built, Tobias Partners-designed home has stunning bay views and is accessed via a concrete bridge, which crosses over a "serene" central garden.

The five-bedroom, six-bathroom home features fireplaces, bespoke cabinetry, a gym, a luxury steam room, a fully-tiled pool and a jetty for your boat.

While the price is only available on application, the suburb median is £3 million (AUD$5.8m / $3.7m), so be prepared to pay a premium!

It's easy to see why Vancouver's 'golden mile' is one of the priciest places to live in Canada. Otherwise known as Point Grey Road, the upscale street skirts the waterfront to the west of the city, overlooking English Bay.

The road stretches along a long oceanfront portion of Kitsilano, one of Vancouver's most coveted neighbourhoods. Known for it's beautiful beach, public saltwater pool, seawall walking trail and its 17 parks, Kitsilano attracts young professionals, tourists and high-profile Canadians alike (more on them in a moment). Point Grey Road continues west into the next neighbourhood, Point Grey, which has three beaches, a yacht club, tennis club and an abundance of luxury properties.

According to 2019 tax assessments, the very cheapest home on the exclusive street is an unassuming two-bed worth £770,000 (CA$1.3m / $939k). However, the most expensive is a sprawling mansion worth an estimated £43.3 million (CA$73.1m / $52.8m). Most of the homes on Point Grey Road lie between £5.9 million (CA$10m / $7.2m) and £11.8 million (CA$20m / $14.4m). 

Let's take a look around...

Stars such as Ryan Reynolds and Joshua Jackson have lived in Kitsilano, but the neighbourhood's – and Point Grey Road's – most high-profile house is known as the Chip Wilson mansion, named after its owner, the founder of athleisure brand Lululemon.

Built in 2008, the seven-bedroom, seven-bathroom mega-mansion has a huge 15,694-square-feet of living space and sits on a 0.7 acre plot. It also boasts two pools, a hot tub and what appears to be a pickleball court.

With an estimated net worth of £4.9 billion (CA$8.3bn / $6bn), the controversial businessman is the 534th richest person in the world. His £43.3 million (CA$73.1m / $52.8m) home is just a drop in the ocean of his vast wealth.

Born to a seamstress in San Diego, Wilson went to Canada's University of Calgary, starting his first sportswear brand in 1979, a year before he graduated. He sold the company in 1997 and founded Lululemon with a single Vancouver store in 2000.

While he remains the fashionable brand's biggest individual shareholder with an 8% stake, Wilson stepped down from the board in 2015. 

Known for his controvesial comments, the entrepreneur is said to have made up the name Lululemon because the "the Japanese consumer liked a name with an L in it." Wilson was quoted saying in 2004 that he found it funny that Japanese clients struggled to say "Lululemon," according to The List. However, he later denied the quote to The New York Times Magazine.

He also reportedly labelled plus-sized clothing "a money loser, for sure" and allegedly told delegates at a business forum in Vancouver that children should be allowed to work in factories.

However, Wilson isn't the only famous man who's caused controversy in the quiet area.

Before he became Canada's prime minister, Justin Trudeau was a French and maths teacher at West Point Grey Academy (pictured), a private school just around the corner from the western-most end of Point Grey Road.

The school hit the headlines in 2019, when Trudeau was forced to apologise after Time Magazine obtained a picture of him in brownface while attending an 'Arabian nights' gala at the school in 2001, aged 29. In it, he is dressed in an Aladdin costume, wearing dark make-up on his face and hands. 

"I take responsibility for my decision to do that. I shouldn't have done it," Trudeau said at the time. "I should have known better. It was something that I didn't think was racist at the time, but now I recognize it was something racist to do and I am deeply sorry."

In February 2022, the Point Grey neighbourhood made the news again when tragedy struck, after businesswoman Wu Shumin was found dead in a BMW outside her $4.1 million (CA$7m / $5m) home. Former Chinese soccer pro Sun Yingying was also found dead in the car. Vancouver police determined they died in a targeted shooting and investigated potential ties to organised crime.

For £9.3 million (CA$15.8m / $11.4m), you could snap up this increible home on Point Grey Road. Plans and permits are already in place to build the impressive four bedroom, six-bathroom home, which will cover 4400-square-feet and offer sea views from each of its three floors. 

Current plans include a rooftop deck with a hot tub, a 28-foot pool and a four car garage with car elevator and turntable, but – as it hasn't actually been built yet – the buyer can still make changes to suit their own tastes. 

The new owner won't just gain 180 degree views of the North Shore Mountains and English Bay, they'll also be buying up a slice of life on one of the most exclusive streets in Canada.

Think of Germany's most expensive street and a sophisticated boulevard in Berlin, Munich or Hamburg may spring to mind. However, the country's priciest thoroughfare is Hoboken-Weg, located in the village of Kampen on the picturesque island of Sylt.

Renowned for its charming thatched cottages, sea views and peaceful position, property prices on Hoboken-Weg reportedly range between £3,220 (€3.7k / $4k) and £4,000 (€4.6k and $5k) per square foot, as of May 2021. In 2022, the average price of a house in Germany was around £227 (€260 and $280) per square foot.

Homes on the extraordinary street are typically 3,200 to 5,400-square-feet – something not found elsewhere on the island – and they rarely come onto the market. When they do, their scarcity means they regularly fetch double-digit millions. The most expensive thatched roof villa in the area reportedly cost over £26.1 million (€30m / $32.4m) and is owned by a German IT entrepreneur.

Let's take a look around the intriguing island, where high society has on occassion rubbed shoulders with mafia scandal and even murder...

The idyllic village of Kampen has existed since around 1543, but didn't become a tourist destination until the 1920s. Drawn to the charming cottages, rolling dunes and white sand beaches, artists and writers – including Nobel laureate Thomas Man – flocked to the tranquil village, which quickly became a cultural hotspot in the 20s and 30s.

It was around this time that a local statue was declared, requiring all houses in Kampen be traditionally built, from brick with a thatched roof. The statue is still in affect today – even the bus stops in Kampen are thatched! 

After the Second World War, tychoons made rich by West Germany's rapid regeneration holidayed in Kampen. Everyone from artists and actors to playboys and politicians were drawn to the newly-moneyed village, including Gunter Sachs, the famed art collector, photographer and third husband of Brigitte Bardot.

To this day, Kampen – and the wider island of Sylt – is the premier weekend getaway destination for the country's elite and it's easy to see why.

High profile parties and society weddings are regular occurances, while the Beach Polo World Cup is held yearly on Sylt's white sands and the Windsurf World Cup takes place in the island's azure waters.

So wealthy are the residents and holidaymakers of Kampen that the local vending machine supplies freshly baked bread, Dolce & Gabbana perfume, upmarket dog treats and luxury fizz. 

Kampen is "number one in terms of image," estate agent Tom Kirst, an expert in luxury realty, told Moin.de. "You have nature experiences here that are very special," one anonymous resident added.

However, the darker side of life occasionally intrudes to shatter Sylt's rarefied calm. 

On 16 March, a walker discovered a black Volkswagen (pictured, inset) on an inland path close to the famous beach of Westerland, pictured here with its iconic hooded wicker beach chairs. Inside, police found the body of a man lying on the back seat of the locked car, covered in fire extinguisher foam. 

A homicide investigation followed and the man was identified as a 38-year-old Polish painter and craftsman, who had long visited Sylt for work and had rented a room in a home on a tranquil side street, according to Bild. Despite a large-scale search of the area, his murderer has yet to be found.

Just six months later, on 3 September, special forces from the State Criminal Police raided a luxury hotel in the pretty village of Keitum, just over a ten minute drive from the heart of Kampen, and arrested a man who had been working in the upscale resort as a fitness trainer and masseur. 

The man was Valerio Salvatore Crivello, a convicted contract killer, who had escaped house arrest in Venice in November 2020. The 44-year-old had reportedly worked as a butcher before being recruited by the 'Ndrangheta mafia, which has become Europe's "most powerful" cocaine mafia, according to The Times.

Described as polite and pleasant by those who knew him on Sylt, Crivello was also said to be someone "with whom you could... meet in the evening to play Monopoly." Unbeknownst to his friends on the quiet island, Crivello allegedly murdered the chief of a rival crime clan in a cold-blooded contract killing.

His arrest is not connected to the body found at Westerland.

However, the rich and famous of Sylt clearly haven't been put off by these shocking events and property still sells for millions of euros. 

While homes on the highly desirable Hoboken-Weg only rarely come onto the market, this delightful semi-detached cottage is currently for sale nearby for £5.9 million (€6.8m / $7.3m). The three-storey home has four-bedrooms, three-bathrooms and is built in the traditional Kampen style, in red brick with a neatly thatched roof, frieze gable, stable windows and wooden lattice windows.

For the same price as this cottage, you could bag a sprawling castle in Bavaria or a huge historic mansion in Saxony.

Nassim Road is unarguably the most exclusive – and most expensive – road in Singapore. Once a sprawling nutmeg plantation, it's set away from the hustle and bustle of the city, it's a mix of embassies, up-market condo buildings and the most sought after residential building of all: the Good Class Bungalow, or GCB, as they're known.

To understand the allure of Nassim Road, you first have to understand the Good Class Bungalow. An icon and a status symbol, a home can only be classed as a GCB if it has at least 15,000 square feet (1,400sqm) of land, while the building itself cannot be any more than two storeys high. If that wasn't hard enough to come by in one of the world's most populous cities, a GCB must also be located in certain neighbourhoods of certain districts, and the home itself can't take up more than 35 percent of the plot. 

As a result, GCBs change hands for multi-millions and, while they're only available to Singaporean citizens to buy, the rules are bent for billionaires.

Let's take a wander up Nassim Road...

Perched atop a hill at 28 Nassim Road is Eden Hall, the official residence of the British High Commissioner to the Republic of Singapore and one of the most recognisable homes in the area. Known as "The Wedding Cake" or "Wedgewood House" due to the pale grey exterior walls covered with delicate white plasterwork, Eden Hall was built in 1904 for a Iraqi-Jewish businessman whose wealth was built on rice and opium.

When Singapore fell to Japan during World War II, the owner and his step-son were imprisoned and Eden Hall became home to a Japanese admiral. After liberation, British Forces took up residence before it was finally sold to the British Government in 1955 for just £56,000, which would be about £1.2 million ($1.5m) today.

To put that sum into perspective, the British sold off half the land at Eden Hall in a closed-bid sale in 2001 and one of those lots was resold in 2012 for £38.3 million ($47.8m), according to The New York Times. Such is the staggering value of Nassium Road real estate.

Other official buildings on the road include the embassies of Japan, Pakistan and Russia. 

In 2019, this home, hidden behind its overgrown, unassuming entrance, became the most expensive single home ever to sell on Nassim Road, when it changed hands for £136.3 million (S$230m/$170m) to – rumour has it – Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin (pictured). 

The massive plot came with a pool and tennis court and covers 84,543 square feet, which is big enough to encompass five GCBs – that works out to about £2,181 ($2.7k) per square foot. 

That same year, British inventor James Dyson bought a GCB just around the corner on Cluny Road for £26.5 million ($33m). The achingly modern home, which includes an indoor waterfall and a cantilevered spiral stairway, was the vacuum mogul's second. Earlier in the year, he bought Singapore's biggest, highest and most expensive apartment, a three-story "super penthouse" opposite the 160-year-old Botanic Gardens, which he snapped up for £44.2 million (S$73.8m/$55m).

Of course, Nassim Road isn't immune from scandal. On 15 August, more than 400 police officers raided multiple addresses across Singapore and arrested 10 people suspected of forgery and/or money laundering. One was Su Baolin, a Chinese-Cambodian businessman arrested at this Nassim Road GCB. 

According to the Singapore Police Force, more than £464,600 (S$777k/$580k) in cash was discovered at the property and seized, as well as 11 electronic devices, 33 luxury bags and watches and 75 pieces of jewellery. They also froze assets including seven properties and six vehicles (pictured) with an estimated value of more than £45.4 million (S$76m/$57m). Baolin was charged with one count of using a forged document. 

Baolin was renting the luxurious hilltop home, which sprang back onto the rental market on 16 October. The five-bedroom, six-bathroom Guz Architects-designed home was only completed in 2022 and features a second-floor swimming pool, bomb shelter and staff quarters – and all for £71,700 (S$120k/$89.6k) a month.

GCBs on Nassim Road come on the market extremely rarely, which only elevates their value. However, condos on the street are more readily available. The 14 units in Les Maisons Nassim (pictured) are currently under construction, but many have already sold.

This duplex penthouse, with five ensuite bedrooms and an additional bathroom, is currently available for £46.3 million (S$78m / $57.8m). Said to be "the Good Class Bungalow equivalent in a condo," it's set to become the most expensive apartment in Singapore should its incredible levels of luxury and "unmistakable status symbol address" attract the full asking price. 

The Cape Town suburb of Clifton has long been South Africa's most expensive neighbourhood. Curling around a peaceful bay on the southern Atlantic seaboard, Clifton attracts the South African elite thanks to its white sand beaches, easy commute into Cape Town and exclusive residential streets. Historically, Nettleton Road is the priciest of them all.

Perched high up in the hills above the bay, Nettleton Road offers homeowners incredible views of the mountains to the south, as well as the pristine beaches and glittering sea below.

Homes in the pricey suburb go for £355 (R8,180/$445) per square foot, with homes on Nettleton Road and nearby Clifton Road currently ranging from £3.5 million (R80m/$4.5m) to £13 million (R300m/$17.5m).

Let's see what all the fuss is about...

You can spy Nettleton Road here, home to the distinctive glass-fronted black house at the top of the photo (spoiler alert: it's for sale – but more on that in a moment). As you can see, it has the most enviable position, rising above the hotels and apartment blocks below.

“It’s the most sought-after road on the African continent”, said Annette Hepburn, a Pam Golding estate agent in Clifton - and that was back in 2016, when Nettleton Road first topped the list of South Africa's most expensive streets. Asking prices have grown ever since.

Homes in this 'playground of the rich and famous' are often "very modern" with "daring architecture, magnificent views and imposing facades," according to Paul Turner of Engel and Volkers Cape Town.

As of May 2023, Cape Town is home to 7,200 millionaires, 26 centi-millionaires and one billionaire, many of them no doubt settling in Clifton.

Bantry Bay, just to the north of Clifton, is the next most desirable location for the super rich, with homes there commanding prices of £330 (R7,620/$415) per square foot.

These exclusive areas attract wealthy buyers from Nigeria, Senegal and Kenya, as well as Europeans who decamp to the Western Cape to enjoy a South African summer while it's winter back home.

Clifton property prices have increased 800% since 2000, but – like many a wealthy enclave – it hasn't always had a positive history.

The beaches of Clifton might be serene and laid back today, but they were segregated for white use only during the apartheid era. In 2018, a race row erupted after a private security firm was accused of "clearing" black visitors from Clifton 4th beach, the BBC reported.

The waters off Clifton hide an even more horrific past. Just beyond the shoreline lies the wreck of São José Paquete Africa, a Portuguese slave ship which sank in 1794. On route from Mozambique to Brazil, the ship ran aground on submerged rocks just 328 feet from the shore of Clifton Bay. Still in deep water, 212 enslaved people drowned, presumably in shackles, while the captain and crew were all rescued. Shortly after, around 300 surviving men, women and children were sold into slavery in the Cape. This 1772 painting shows us what the area looked like at the time.

Deadly rocks and hidden wrecks aren't the only terrifying thing to lurk in the waters off Clifton. While generally considered a safe area to swim, there have been two shark attacks here in living memory. One in 1942, when an 18-year-old medical student was snatched by a grgeat white shark. The other took place in 1976, when a young submariner was attacked by a great white while treading water 330 feet off Clifton 4th beach. Luckily, thanks to the presence of six doctors on the beach that day, the victim survived.

Despite its past, Nettleton Road is undoubtedly a beautiful place to live – and if you have £8.5 million (R195m/$10.6m), you could live in one of its most iconic buildings.

This minimalist, state-of-the-art home features floor-to-ceiling sliding doors, which open fully to reveal a terrace and a vertiginous, fully-heated infinity pool. Just imagine doing your morning laps while enjoying that view of the Atlantic Ocean and the Twelve Apostles mountain range!

According to the listing, the five-bed, seven-bath home is completely off grid, supported by a diesel generator, solar panels with back up batteries and gas back up for additional heating – so there's no need to worry about the infamous power cuts caused by South Africa's electricity crisis.

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