‘It was a nightmare’: why world’s first luxury villa in a plane, in Bali, was so tough to build, according to the Russian entrepreneur who envisioned it
- Built in an old Boeing 737-200 on the edge of a cliff, the Private Jet Villa is one of the world’s most unique residences, renting for up to US$6,500 a night
- Russian property developer Felix Demin explains why it was so incredibly hard to make a reality, adding that he won’t be building another one – despite demand
In the cult British television series Grand Designs, presenter Kevin McCloud followed the progress of high-end construction projects, adding colour and drama by noting the usual hitches, delays and cost overruns.
More than a showcase for wow-factor architecture, the series offered insight into the emotional roller coaster owner-builders go through while doggedly pursuing their dreams.
In 2021, the then 30-year-old Russian property developer Felix Demin had an idea to build a Grand Designs-worthy project of his own after discovering an old Boeing 737-200 that had mysteriously ended up in a quarry not far from the airport in his adopted home of Bali, Indonesia.
After identifying and striking a deal with the owner – an Australian who bought the Boeing a decade before with the idea of turning it into a nightclub – Demin relocated it to a narrow plot of land he’d leased on the dramatic sea cliffs overlooking Nyang Nyang Beach, on Bali’s south coast.
His plan: to build the world’s first luxury villa inside a retired passenger jet complete with rock-star features such as an all-white interior, a jacuzzi in the cockpit and a sunset terrace on the ocean-facing wing.
The sheer originality of the plan, coupled with a handful of awe-inspiring drone shots of the Boeing in situ on the dramatic sea cliffs, garnered global media attention, featuring in hundreds of travel magazines and websites.