Build me a villa that thinks it’s a yacht,” the owner said to his architect—and as one wanders around the resulting seven-bedroom, 10,700-square-foot property, it’s clear he got what he wanted. It feels like the ocean is everywhere. The property, designed and decorated by Ora Architecte and Patrick Raffeneau Design, sits on a lagoon, as if moored, with a stepped infinity pool reaching out to the island’s lagoon. A private swimming hole allows for snorkeling .
He personally inspects potential additions to the portfolio and wants to grow slowly and carefully to cater to the lifestyles of his target clientele. “We don’t send people to properties that we don’t know,” he says. Bounekala hires the staff at new locales to work for him directly, which ensures a consistency of service. He also really wants to get to know you, so the pre-arrival questionnaire is encyclopedic.