From a century-old Tudor to a 1980s country estate, homes on the lakes scattered around the Twin Cities boast buyer bait such as French-inspired wine rooms, indoor swimming pools, even the privacy of island living. Lakeshore luxury comes at a price, of course. These residences, currently on the market, run from $2.25 million to $11.9 million, the priciest property for sale right now.
Mooney Lake mansion
Cost: $5.5 million.
Features: This 17,251-square-foot abode in Medina is designed for sports fanatics and friends with a golf hole, tennis court, sports simulator and swimming pool. Added bonus: 200 feet of lakeshore.
Ultra-luxe features: A bar for swimmers at the indoor pool and spa, teppanyaki cooktop in the kitchen's island, sports simulator and indoor basketball court, man cave with wine cellar. Plus an outdoor kitchen and fire pit flanks the lakeside swimming pool.
Meredith Howell, Coldwell Banker Burnet, 612-940-4566, has the listing.
Minnetonka chateau
Cost: $11.9 million.
Features: Ooh-la-la! This 5-acre estate on Lake Minnetonka's Maxwell Bay features lots of fancy French style — 16,000 square feet of it — including a European-inspired house with attached guest apartment and a detached lakeside boathouse/studio with a kitchenette.
Ultra-luxe features: A shrine to wine in lower-level tasting room, modeled after a medieval French vineyard. Plus seven fireplaces, French-inspired movie theater, smoking room, 3-hole golf course.
Bruce Birkeland of Coldwell Banker Burnet, 612-414-3957, has the listing.
City lake Tudor
Cost: $2.345 million.
Features: The stone and stucco 7,540-square-foot home on E. Calhoun Parkway offers a saltwater heated pool in the backyard and scenic Lake Calhoun outside the front door.
Ultra-luxe features: Sits on a knoll for up-high lake views — and privacy from the street. Also: Expansive four-season wraparound porch, finished lower level with media room, fitness area and sauna, Wolf-brand range and copper sink in the updated kitchen and you can gaze at sunsets while doing yoga in a room off the master suite.
Jacqueline Day, Edina Realty, 763-522-9000, has the listing.
Island living
Cost: $2.25 million.
Features: What would it be like to live on an island and still be only 15 minutes from downtown St. Paul? This five-bedroom house built in 1998 is part of an exclusive gated community on historic Manitou Island in White Bear Lake. "It was where old-money St. Paul built vacation homes," said Pat McGrath, Coldwell Banker Burnet agent.
Ultra-luxe features: Cross a charming bridge from downtown White Bear Lake to the island. There's a two-story great room with panoramic lake views and four-season sunroom. Also: the island has 29 homes, some designed by Edwin Lundie, and a park with tennis courts. The place comes with a dock, 130 feet of shoreline and access to the 2,400-acre White Bear Lake.
Pat McGrath, Coldwell Banker Burnet, 651-485-4850, has the listing.
Elegant entertaining on Long Lake
Cost: $4.75 million.
Features: This 1987 Georgian-style estate is on 23 wooded acres and only a block from the town of Long Lake.
Ultra-luxe features: Outdoor heated pool, spa and screened gazebo, his-and-her two-sided steam shower and antique vanities in master bathroom, lower-level exercise room and sauna, in-law suite equipped with a full kitchen and living room, plus a dock and sandy beach for water sports on Long Lake.
Bob Ritter, Re/Max Results, 612-382-0241, has the listing.
