Zillow recently made waves by releasing a promotional listing for the “extravagant island commune” from the new Netflix movie “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” complete with an exorbitant $450 million price tag! I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but (spoiler alert!) the pad isn’t actually up for grabs, nor is it real, for that matter – at least not as it appeared onscreen. In truth, a vacation dwelling known as Villa 20, located on the grounds of the fabled Amanzoe resort on Greece’s cerulean Peloponnese peninsula, portrayed the massive compound belonging to eccentric billionaire inventor Miles Bron (Edward Norton) in the film. However, some special effects were utilized to bring it to life onscreen.
“Glass Onion,” which enjoyed a limited theatrical run before hitting Netflix on December 23, is a follow-up to 2019’s “Knives Out,” with Daniel Craig once again stepping into the well-heeled shoes of Southern gentleman Benoit Blanc, aka “the world’s greatest detective.” Don’t go calling the film a sequel, though! Writer/director Rian Johnson, who also helmed the original, considers it instead “a new Benoit Blanc mystery,” in the vein of Agatha Christies’ beloved Hercule Poirot book series, with an entirely new story set in a wholly new location and featuring a completely new cast. This time around, Benoit heads to Bron’s private Greek island to enjoy a weekend getaway/murder mystery party that the billionaire has staged for his longtime friends, a ragtag group of “disruptors” that includes former model Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson), genius scientist Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr.), gruff Twitcher Duke Cody (Dave Bautista), Connecticut governor/senatorial hopeful Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn) and Bron’s disgruntled former business partner, Cassandra Brand (Janelle Monáe).
While “Knives Out” was shot in the Boston, Mass. area, Johnson tells The Hollywood Reporter that to visually distinguish “Glass Onion” from its predecessor, he “traded in the browns of New England for the blues and yellows of Greece.” At the center of the tale is Miles’ luxe island retreat, or “commune of creativity” as he describes it, a sprawling terraced mansion capped by a series of translucent domes, which the entrepreneur has dubbed “Glass Onion” in honor of the New York bar where he and his friends first met.
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Image Credit: Courtesy of Aman In reality, Amanzoe is not situated on an island as purported onscreen. (That look was achieved via CGI.) But it might as well be. Perched atop a bluff on 237 pristine acres just outside the town of Porto Heli, the exclusive resort boasts untapped 360-degree views of the Aegean Sea and the entire surrounding coastline. Part of Aman Resorts, a luxury boutique hotel chain established in 1988 that is largely recognized as having redefined the industry standard in luxury, Amanzoe was unveiled to much fanfare in 2012. Designed by prominent architect/interior designer Ed Tuttle, the chic lodging was constructed over the course of two years at a cost of more than $100 million.
Boasting a style inspired by ancient Greece but with a contemporary twist, the resort consists of 38 standalone suites known as “pavilions,” each appointed with its own courtyard, terrace, custom furnishings, a 20-foot-long cool pool and sleek wood and stone accents. Over 65,000 square feet of Lygourio Light and Pocahodas marble was brought in to outfit the walls and baths alone! Offering the ultimate in first-class accommodations, as travel journalist Cathy Hawker noted in a 2016 Evening Standard article, “For get-away-from-everyone exclusivity, Amanzoe is just about perfect.”
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Image Credit: Courtesy of Aman The resort’s amenities are, not surprisingly, plentiful and plush. Just a few of the onsite perks available to lucky guests include two fine dining establishments, a casual poolside eatery, a bar, a two-story marble library with 1,000 books, a youth center, a boutique selling local handicrafts and jewelry, and a 9,300-square-foot wellness center with seven treatment rooms, six pools, two tennis courts and a gym.
Vacationers also have access to the hotel’s private beach club (pictured above), tucked just a few miles away on the sands of Paralia Korakia. The idyllic enclave, which appears at the beginning of “Glass Onion” as the cove where Bron greets his friends when they first arrive on the island, boasts four pools, a restaurant, a gym, a spa and four overnight cabanas for guests seeking a seaside sleep. Don’t go looking for that “pisceshite” Banksy dock anywhere on the premises, though. That was just a set piece brought in for the shoot and dismantled once filming wrapped.
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Amanzoe, Greece – Accommodation, Villas, Villa 20, Aerial
Image Credit: Courtesy of Aman Guests hoping for an even more exclusive experience also have the option of booking one of Amanzoe’s 11 private villas. Villa 20, the largest of the structures with accommodations for up to 18, was designed by Tuttle in conjunction with Marios Angelopoulos of the Athens-based Archiplus Architects & Associates in 2015. While the Zillow listing details Bron’s pad as consisting of 17 bedrooms and 22 baths in 29,000 square feet, the property’s actual measurements are smaller, but no less impressive. In real life, Villa 20 weighs in at nine bedrooms and 25 baths in 28,000 square feet.
The colossal six-level house sits on a vast 4.7 acres, offering unparalleled views of the surrounding landscape from every angle and a mind-blowing array of amenities. Villa 20 guests have access to such elite creature comforts as a 2,100-square-foot private spa, a multitude of gardens and olive groves, seven pools (six outdoor, one indoor, each lined in green marble), a staff of 18 including a private chef, meeting/business rooms, a fire ring, a gym, a library/game room and a whopping five kitchens! (Glass domes are not included, though. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the ostentatious globes were added in post-production via AR and VFX.)
And while Miles may have preferred to live off the grid, utilizing only a fax machine for communication, guests will be pleased to know that, in real life, Villa 20 is equipped with high-speed Wi-Fi throughout.
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Image Credit: Courtesy of Aman Villa 20 rates are only available upon request, but considering that Amanzoe’s regular pavilion suites start at about $1,700 a night, you likely need pockets as deep as Miles Bron to secure a stay.
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Amanzoe, Greece – Accommodation, Villas, Villa 20, by Night
Image Credit: Courtesy of Aman Interestingly, the resort is one of the first locations production designer Rick Heinrichs (who also created the looks of “The Big Lebowski,” “Fargo” and “Sleepy Hollow”) scouted for the movie and, as such, he immediately dismissed it before eventually doubling back. He tells Condé Nast Traveler, “It turned out after, I don’t know, six weeks or so of scouting, that nothing matched the Aman. That’s like life sometimes. You’re afraid you’ll fall in love too early and there’s something better out there, but as it turns out, you were right in the first place.” Indeed, Villa 20 proved the ideal spot to portray the Bron residence, with its staggering size, stunning vistas and cacophony of stairs not only beautiful to look at but a beguilingly dramatic backdrop for the film’s central mystery to unfold.
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Image Credit: Netflix Although “Glass Onion” made copious use of the villa’s exteriors, scenes involving the interior of Bron’s home were primarily filmed on a set constructed by Heinrichs on a soundstage about 800 miles away in Belgrade. A mismatch of textures, colors and artwork, the design perfectly reflects Miles’ eccentric, showy and obnoxious personality.
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Image Credit: Netflix Of his creation, Heinrichs told The Hollywood Reporter, “That space was crazy because when you actually walked onto the set, it was so ugly — it assaulted your eyes because it’s all these things that don’t fit. You have a faux classic Greek ruin on one end and then this weird Death Star-like floor with all these plinths with the glass, and then you have this weird ’70s-like orgy pit with a red couch. It’s like an interior designer threw up on it. But when you film it through a camera, you start separating the sections out and it looks gorgeous in a weird way that doesn’t make sense.”
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Image Credit: Courtesy of Aman Villa 20’s actual interiors are far easier on the eyes. Cohesive, stylish and warm, the estate is thoroughly inviting in real life. As was the case onscreen, the abode is also outfitted with fine works of art throughout, including sculptures, large-scale installations and paintings. But the “Mona Lisa” can’t actually be seen on the premises. Thankfully, that piece remains safely ensconced at the Louvre Museum in Paris.
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Image Credit: Netflix A few of the pad’s interior spaces did make it to the screen in “Glass Onion.” The suite where Cassandra stays is one of Villa 20’s actual rooms (pictured sans set dressing here), as are the enclaves where the other characters bunk. And the estate’s private gym makes a brief appearance, as well. No word on if Serena Williams is actually standing by to provide on-demand fitness-mirror-type workouts to guests, though considering the property’s many other opulent offerings, I wouldn’t be surprised!