Jeff Bezos, Lauren Sanchez Reportedly Drop $78 Million on Remote Maui Getaway

He may no longer be the world’s richest human, but Jeff Bezos can cast those troubles adrift this winter — because he’ll likely be putting down anchors in paradise! Yes, the Amazon overlord and his longtime partner Lauren Sanchez have joined the likes of other billionaires like Oprah, Mark Zuckerberg and Larry Ellison in acquiring a Hawaiian estate. The big buy was first reported by Pacific Business News.

More specifically, the Sanchez-Bezos home of choice lies on the island of Maui. Though the deal actually closed back in June, the exact sales price went unreported in records because the transfer was unusually complex, with Bezos buying out the holding company that owns the land rather than the land itself. But local real estate sources say the amount rang in at somewhere around $78 million, which sounds very plausible considering this estate is much larger and vastly more private than a Maui house that recently sold for $45 million to a hedge fund-rich couple from Malibu, Calif. The Bezos sales price, if accurate, is a Maui record.

And even by Hawaii standards, this oceanfront estate is isolated and remote. Located on the sparsely-populated southwestern side of Maui, the roughly 14-acre complex is nearly a world away from Kahului, the biggest city on Maui, and the island’s major tourist traps. It’s also about 12 miles south of Kihei, the nearest major city, and is surrounded by state parkland and rocky lava fields. No neighborhood trick-or-treaters here.

Locally known as the Carter estate, the La Perouse Bay property is unique in that it contains seven contiguous parcels of land and the remains of a Hawaiian fishpond, which means Bezos and Sanchez now own a white-sand beach that’s completely private and all their own. The place was sold to Bezos by Colorado-based energy businessman Doug Schatz, who originally acquired the property in 1996 with his business partners for $4.2 million, per records. In ’98, Schatz and his wife bought out their partners’ interest in the property and subsequently spent millions more to craft themselves an epic family compound.

Since the estate was never on the market, photos are few. But the sprawling main house is about 4,500 square feet, per records. There’s also a 1,700-square-foot guesthouse, several other smaller buildings of unknown purpose, and a perfectly circular, 700-square-foot swimming pool. Archived permit documents provide a few other clues about the estate, revealing that the Schatzes sought to create an estate based on a traditional “Hawaiian plantation home.” All the buildings are single-story, and there’s an outdoor kitchen with ocean views off the main house. Landscaping is dense, with thick grasses and dozens of mature palm trees dotting the lot.

As befitting a billionaire baller of his caliber, Bezos has a vast array of homes that include his main residence — a $165 million Beverly Hills mansion, plus estates in Seattle, New York City and Washington D.C.

Now all Bezos and Sanchez need are a couple of Dobermans and a 1980s Ferrari 308 to live out their “Magnum, P.I.” fantasies. (For the record, no real estate agents were used — or harmed — in the Maui transaction.)