Party Palace of ‘Suntan King’: Beachfront Mansion Built for Hawaiian Tropic Founder Available for $6M
Realtor.com
A beachfront home with three swimming pools but no real kitchen has hit the market for just under $6 million.
Ron Rice, founder of sun-lotion company Hawaiian Tropic, built the Ormond Beach, FL, spread in 1987 as a party palace.
Known as the “Suntan King,” Rice died in May at the age of 81. But his real estate legacy shines on.
Courtesy Realty Pros Assured
Courtesy Realty Pros Assured
Courtesy Realty Pros Assured
Courtesy Realty Pros Assured
His fanciful Florida retreat is for sale for the first time.
“It’s a time capsule. That’s the best way of putting it. Ron was a celebrity his whole life, and he did a tremendous amount of entertaining there in his 50s, so the last 20 to 30 years, it’s been a time capsule,” says listing agent Bill Navarra, with Realty Pros Assured.
Ocean views and 3 pools
The 12,414-square-foot marvel sits on an acre with 200 feet of beach frontage. Rice gutted the original small home and turned it into an indoor pool and bar. He then built an 8,100-square-foot home and connected the two structures with an indoor bridge.
“There are two entries [into the home]. The one is the entry into the bar and pool area, which is magnificent and has the Hawaiian Tropic trophies that are about 12 feet tall,” Navarra explains. “As you walk in the main house, you see amazing views of the ocean and a very eclectic collection of artifacts from all over the world.”
Alas, those artifacts and other furnishings are not part of the sale.
Courtesy Realty Pros Assured
Courtesy Realty Pros Assured
Courtesy Realty Pros Assured
Courtesy Realty Pros Assured
The home has one bedroom near the indoor pool, which connects to one of the two outdoor pools with a swim-in/swim-out feature.
The other three bedrooms are in the main house.
“My favorite thing is the primary suite because it has 180 degrees of oceanfront view,” Navarra says.
Then there’s the main bathroom.
“It’s a time capsule. The marble is definitely a very interesting color with the blacks and the golds. There’s a sauna, a six-person spa, a walk-in shower, and then an actual Roman tub, all in the primary suite’s bathroom,” Navarra says. “It’s tremendous.”
Courtesy Realty Pros Assured
Courtesy Realty Pros Assured
Courtesy Realty Pros Assured
Rice hosted many epic parties at the home with Hawaiian Tropic pageant winners and contestants as well as other celebrities.
Surprisingly, the home lacks a real kitchen.
“I was told for many years, there was no kitchen in the house for at least 15 years,” he says. “Now it has a bar/kitchen. It has a stove, refrigerator, cooktop, beverage cooler, and a big bar top that surrounds it with bar stools. It’s definitely not a chef’s kitchen or a conventional kitchen by any means.”
While some of the details are eclectic, the bones of the house were ahead of their time.
“Everyone is amazed by the architecture. [Rice] brought all of the stone from North Carolina, and he used the same stone on the Hawaiian Tropic building in Ormond Beach,” Navarra says. “It’s got soaring ceilings, beautiful mahogany wood walls, skylights, and a real open area in the center with a walk-around balcony on three sides.”
Navarra says the home is sturdy and could be the perfect pad for someone who wants to entertain and can look past the furnishings.
Rice “didn’t like to keep stuff in closets and hide them. He liked to enjoy his possessions, so he always had those out. As you walk in, you’ll see a full-sized alligator, a 16-foot-tall dinosaur, beautiful trophies, a wood-carved bear. They were just memories for him.”
Courtesy Realty Pros Assured
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