Private Compounds: 5 Multigenerational Estates in Vacation Hotspots

The private compound is the ultimate, multipurpose luxury home.

Within its walls, there is security and seclusion for those who crave privacy, yet its separate spaces and grand amenities are ideal for hospitality, whether for visitors and long-term guests, or configured for unit rentals—or even a boutique hotel. 

A compound is perhaps best suited, however, for the multigenerational, extended family, with plenty of features and fun for the nannies, cousins, and grandchildren. It becomes a legacy then, offering vacation space or permanent homes, while accruing value for generations to come. 

Consider America’s most famous family compound: In 1928, clan patriarch Joseph P. Kennedy bought a clapboard waterfront cottage for his wife, Rose, and their growing family to spend their summers. What became a three-home compound on six acres would serve as the headquarters of then Sen. John F. Kennedy’s 1960 presidential campaign and later as his summer White House. 

But one needn’t have presidential aspirations to enjoy a private family compound, or to invest in “compound interest”: the increasing value, year in, year out, of legacy properties in vacation spots at home and overseas.

Herewith, Luxury Defined spotlights five family compounds in resort destinations near or far afield. 

1. La Ceiba, Ocean Club Estates in Nassau, Bahamas 

Asian and Caribbean design converge at La Ceiba, a private, multigenerational family compound in Nassau’s exclusive Ocean Club Estates. 

The property extends to 20,800 square feet, with 10 bedrooms and nine full bathrooms. The Asian-inspired grounds are graced with waterfalls and two swimming pools (an infinity-edge pool and lap pool). 

The manor house has five bedrooms, two kitchens, a gym, wine cellar, and four-car garage, as well as 2,400 square feet of covered seaside verandas, recreation spaces, and outdoor lounging places. 

There are two guest cottages, each with one bedroom, and separate staff quarters with an additional two bedrooms. Adding to the resort ambience is an entertainment hub with a cinema, games room, and croquet/bocce ball court, outdoor kitchen, fire pit, and a hot tub in the dunes. 

Related: Read Vacation Market Insights from Real Estate Experts 

2. Grand Palacio on the Golden Mile, Marbella, Spain 

This stunning Spanish estate is a Mediterranean gem in a peaceful, secure locale on the Golden Mile, just minutes from Marbella‘s finest hotels, beach clubs, and upscale restaurants—including the Puente Romano Resort and the Nobu Hotel.  

The main house offers seven suites and an imposing primary with its private terrace and ocean views. The separate guest house has four suites, a double-size living room, a private pool and three terraces for alfresco dining. 

Marble floors extend throughout the palatial living spaces, and columned windows and hallways welcome natural light. The infinity pool and spa, tiled with a beautiful bronze mosaic, are surrounded by a teak deck.  

Together, the buildings are ideal for a family resort or even a boutique hotel, but require full renovation to meet contemporary standards for luxury. 

The grounds, even more enchanting by night, provide fountains, ponds, and a vaulted courtyard with a retractable glass roof, all set within a lush tropical garden with majestic palms, fragrant cedars, olive trees and graceful cypress trees—an oasis of serenity.  

3. Maison Blanche in Grasse, Alpes-Maritimes, France 

Built in the early 1950s for cosmetics mogul Helena Rubinstein, Maison Blanche presides over 7.5 acres of parkland on the “Hill of the Billionaires” overlooking the rolling hills of Grasse—the perfume capital of the world—and the Mediterranean Sea.   

There are five buildings in total: The splendid bastide-style manor house was built by celebrated French architect Louis Süe on a hillside, surrounded by Florentine cypresses and lush, Mediterranean greenery.

In 2002, the property underwent extensive refurbishment by interior designer Bert Quadvlieg. There are two guest houses, an artist’s house, a caretaker’s house, and several garages.  

The parkland has been laid out according to the plans of the celebrated landscape architect (and Grasse native) Jean Mus from 2009 to the present day. It is planted with about 450 olive trees, assuring a generous production of high-quality olive oil.  

Offering seclusion and panoramic views of the countryside, Maison Blanche is just 40 minutes from the Nice Côte d’Azur Airport and a half-hour’s drive from the culture, glitz and glitter of Cannes. 

Related: Discover Castles in the Countryside

4. Homestead Odemira in Alentejo, Portugal 

This rambling riverine estate perches on a wooded ridgeline above the Mira River and the Santa Clara dam impoundment, far from any madding crowds in the unspoiled Alentejo region of southwest Portugal.  

Homestead Odemira encompasses 13 idyllic acres, with ample accommodation for residents, guests, and staff, with shaded, lazy terraces and arbored walkways.

There are 16 bedrooms in all (14 of them en suite) cleverly distributed among the main residence and its several ancillary structures, including a charming, 538-square-foot yurt. 

Beyond its potential for a Kennedy-style compound, this turnkey property could be easily configured as a boutique hotel unique in the region: Start with the restaurant-grade professional kitchen serving a vast, open living/dining and entertainment space, with its custom-designed bar and an office for the hotelier—or the digitally nomadic guest. 

The wellness suite includes a sauna and massage room. The outdoor terraces include an alfresco dining space with a pizza oven and barbecue fixtures.

Beyond are lush organic gardens, fruit trees, and plenty of space for sports and recreation. The lake impoundment offers sport fishing, with a pontoon and several boats on the property.  

The estate is energy efficient with solar electricity and generators, a water filtration system, irrigation, a greenhouse, garage, and repair shop, and even a helipad, all available at the turn of a key. 

Bustling, beautiful Lisbon is 2.5 hours distant, and the wild, pristine beaches of the Costa Vicentina are just an hour’s drive. 

5. A Venetian Village in Andros, Greece 

The tale of this unique property is as romantic as its old stone arches. It was love at first sight—”the thunderbolt,” a coup de foudre—for a connoisseur who fell hard for this Grecian village, a 17th-century architectural masterpiece on the island of Andros, northernmost in the Cyclades archipelago.   

What followed were years of persuading more than 70 owners to sell their properties. The resultant complex encompasses a land area of more than 4.5 acres and buildings of nearly 12,000 square feet, offering 12 bedrooms with en suite bathrooms, and most with sitting rooms. Every room is different, and each house is unique. The village may be enlarged by a further 10,764 square feet of construction. 

One house serves as the main reception space, with a large living room, a dining room, a card room, and a reading room/library. 

Many of the terraces and grounds have sea views, and the estate’s plantings include grapevines, olive and citrus trees, and 250 almond trees. The beaches and the seaside village of Korthi are a short distance away, and a jaunt to Athens is just two hours by ferry.  

Searching for a multigenerational estate? Explore our portfolio of private compounds at home and abroad.