Ever wonder what it would be like to live as the Leader of the Free World? Well that high-pressure, high-security experience may be hard to come by sans an electoral college vote but a presidential-style vacation is not. The winter vacation rental that President Obama and his family have spent the last three holiday seasons occupying could be yours for a weekend, a week, even a month if you have the cash to throw down.
The Plantation Estate at Paradise Point, nicknamed the "Winter White House" thanks to the fact that the First Family has called it home for the holidays, rents out for $3,500 a night. A monthly rental fetches $75,000, according to its listing on vacation rental site HomeAway.com.
Located on the island of Oahu's town of Kailua, the 5,000-square foot oceanfront estate sits behind a gate in the posh Castle Point community, looking out on Kailua Bay. It boasts five bedrooms with en suite bathrooms, a fitness room, a media room, and a decadent kitchen that leads to a 12-person dining room. Two of the bedrooms are actually located in a guesthouse. The grounds include two lanais and a central courtyard that opens onto a pool pavilion where a lagoon-style pool with waterfalls and an island spa is flanked by a bar and seating area. The Plantation Estate sticks to its name, decorated "Island Plantation Style," according to the property's website, with natural stone tiling, stained glass and African mahogany carvings.
It wouldn't be an estate fit for a President of the United States however if there weren't certain security features built into the premises. A six foot lava rock wall surrounds the Plantation Estate on three sides (the ocean side is open) and three sides and the house and grounds are connected to a monitored security system. Since the property is located on a peninsula, there is only one road in and out of the neighborhood, accessible only by a security gate.
"The home itself which, although large enough to easily accommodate our large family and guests, is beautiful, comfortable and makes you feel as though you are at a Four Seasons type resort," says Glenn Weinberg, owner of the Plantation Estate. Weinberg, whom resides primarily in Maryland, purchased the property in July 2010, as a secondary home for his family to use. He rents it out the rest of the year, using sites like HomeAway to book guests. The presidential affiliation, he says, definitely attracts prospective renters.
But while the Obamas have rented out this home every Christmastime since 2008, they will not -- contrary to earlier reports -- be relaxing here this year. "The Obama family will not be staying at my home this season because the home will be used by my First Family," says Weinberg. A look at the rental availability on HomeAway indicates that the estate is completely booked up through the last week of January. February is still up for grabs.
As for the real First Family's holiday travel plans, President Obama reportedly announced a 17-day trip to Honolulu from December 17 through January 2. But the President has since stated that if Congress isn't in recess, he too will stay put in Washington D.C., according to ABC News. The White House has yet to release a rundown of official plans for the President's vacation time.
This will mark the first season that the Obama Family hasn't stayed in one of their two usual vacation home rentals. In addition to the Plantation Estate, they have spent the past three Augusts renting out a Martha's Vineyard estate called Blue Heron Farm. That property, which fetched $50,000 a week during high-demand summer months, listed for sale for $23.7 million in September. It has already sold, to architect Norman Foster for $22.4 million, according to the Wall Street Journal. Looks like the Obama clan will have to hunt down two new homes for vacations in 2012.
There are no comments yet