Bandar Aspen Spread On The Block For $135 Million

July 12th, 2006 at 06:06am Michael Conniff 2

Here’s the big question: where is former President Jimmy Carter going to go on his ski vacations?

The ex-Prez’s pal, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the former Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United States, is putting his Starwood compound on the block for $135 million smackeroos in what would likely be the largest single sale of residential real estate in United States history.

That’s real money, even in Saudi Arabia.

The Prince, a member of the royal family, is so close to the Presidential Bush political clan that the roly-poly potentate is known lovingly as “Bandar Bush.” He is so close to the United States government that when Central Intelligence Director George Tenet announced his resignation he went on a farewell tour that included the keys to the kingdom for a weekend with his CIA pals at the Prince’s place in Jihad.

But Bandar is also known hereabouts as a good neighbor who plies local groups with semolians in exchange for dollops of good will. It seems to work, even though local Bandar sightings are right out of Comedy Central.

There’s the story about him renting out the entire Isis theater for his entourage. Or the one from the slopes, where he has been seen skiing surrounded by a circle of bodyguards. In the Aspen world of big money, Prince Bandar is bigger than anybody.

As for the Starwood manse, it would be perfect for the head of state looking for, say, 56,000 square feet, 15 bedrooms, a couple-three dozen bathrooms, a horse stable, indoor pool, tennis court, yada yada yada. It’s just right for the monarch—Bill Clinton comes to mind—who would be happy with a spread just shy of 95 acres. The Prince's jet is so big he has to fly into Grand Junction rather than Aspen.

In a statement, Prince Bandar said: "I have always had fond memories of the time I have spent in Aspen with friends and family but my new responsibilities at home in Saudi Arabia will prevent me from spending as much time as I would like in Aspen. I have therefore concluded that it would be better to allow some of the property to pass on into other hands. I intend to continue to visit Aspen from time to time and to enjoy its unique natural beauty and the generous welcome of the Aspen community."

One can hope those “new responsibilities” include actually helping the United States government to squelch terrorism. Fifteen of the nineteen 9/11 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, as is their ringleader, Osama bin Ladin, who is still at large. In the new book, “The One Percent Doctrine,” Pulitzer Prize-winner Ron Suskind reports the Saudis refused to allow any interviews with the families of the 9/11 hijackers in Saudi Arabia, and rejected any attempts in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks to follow the money in their country.

Entry Filed under: Real Estate, Aspen, Business, People, Foreign Policy, Pitkin County, Fractional Post