Yahoo News Property: 7 houses suitable for The Apprentice candidates
The BBC's The Apprentice is compulsive viewing for many, and one of the great things about it is seeing the sumptuous houses the candidates live in while they’re vying to be hired by Lord Sugar.
Eagle-eyed viewers would have noticed that this year’s wannabees are in the same one as last year — a contemporary eight-bedroom mansion with an indoor pool and steam and treatment rooms.
All these properties for sale are big enough to accommodate an entire cohort of contestants, so if money’s no object, take a look — and at some point you could be the owner of the country’s most famous short-term rental property.
1. Ewich House, Crianlarich, Perthshire, offers over £750,000
In walk-in condition, this eight-bedroom house is in a rural spot about an hour and a half’s drive from both Edinburgh and Glasgow.
The local area is renowned for outdoor pursuits, with watersports available on nearby lochs and the River Tay, hills and woodlands to explore and ski centres within easy reach.
There’s a woodfired hot tub and sauna to relax in after a hard day of challenging tasks. Find out more from Galbraith.
2. Arden House, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, £1.5m
This attractive period house has been operating as a boutique hotel and the existing owners have refurbished throughout, giving rooms an eclectic, modern feel.
It’s being sold with planning consent to turn it back to residential use and includes 10 bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, three spacious reception rooms, a courtyard garden and a parking area — where the contestants’ cars could wait before whisking them away for 4am starts. Available through Vaughan Reynolds.
3. King’s Lynn, Norfolk, offers over £1.5m
The bright yellow front door of this Grade II listed Georgian house is a clue as to what you can expect once inside as virtually every room is decorated in jewel colours and flamboyant theatrical prints.
It’s well used to accommodating lots of people as it’s often rented out for group stays and special events, and includes nine individually designed bedrooms — which sleep 18 — spread across the main house and a self-contained cottage.
There is also a large cinema/entertainment room and a hot tub housed in the former coach house. On the market via Purplebricks.
4. The Elms, West Pennard, Glastonbury, offers over £1.75m
Often, buying an older property comes with work to do on the house, but this isn't the case with The Elms, as this eight-bedroom Victorian Gothic-style house has been refurbished to a very high standard.
Over the past 18 months it’s been re-roofed, re-wired, re-plumbed, the windows have been replaced, a new central heating system installed, and the kitchen and all five bathrooms have been refitted, yet it retains all its original character and charm.
The inspiring views over the Somerset countryside to nearby Glastonbury Tor and beyond should get the candidates’ creative juices flowing. Find out more from Fine & Country.
5. Villa Formosa, Faro, Portugal €6.5m (£5,732,262)
Lovers of contemporary architecture are bound to be bowled over by this state-of-the-art property, comprising a five-bedroom main villa and a three-bedroom guest house, currently under construction.
As well as panoramic views of the Algarve coastline and glorious sunshine for much of the year, it offers complete privacy, plenty of open space, a large heating swimming pool, a gym and a cinema. Available through O and O Property.
6. Agios Nikolaos, Crete, Greece, €12.5m (£11m)
If future contenders for Lord Sugar’s £250,000 investment ever get the chance to visit this fabulous whitewashed waterfront villa, they’ll probably never want to return home.
Sitting on a sheltered, sun-kissed peninsula, it comes with its own stretch of sandy beach, a swimming pool, spa, patios and verandas on different levels and a fully-equipped gym.
The 15 bedrooms are minimally but exquisitely furnished to create a calming atmosphere and frame views of the Minoan sea.
There are also 20 bathrooms, so no one will have to share. Contact Sotheby’s International Realty.
7. Mayfair, London W1, £16.5m
An elegant double-fronted townhouse, right in the heart of prime central London and convenient for the infamous boardroom — actually a custom-built set in a studio in Acton rather than in a high-rise tower in Canary Wharf.
Spread over six storeys, it has a magnificent 60 foot reception room, eight ensuite bedrooms, a sizeable terrace at the top that looks out over the rooftops and — as incoming residents will be relieved to discover — a lift that serves all floors. Find out more from Carter Jonas.
