I visited the billionaire hideaway of the Pacific Northwest and clocked 5 signs of extreme wealth and luxury

Bill Gates lives on a 10.5-acre estate in Medina. Gates bought the land between 1988 and 2009 and built a mansion complex with ultra-luxe features you wouldn't expect, like a pool with an underwater sound system and a trampoline room.

Jeff Bezos lived in the area for over two decades before moving to Miami in 2023. He's owned several Washington properties. In 2023, his Seattle-area real estate empire was worth about $190 million. He resided in both Medina and Hunts Point, a bordering 200-acre town.

Hunts Point is also home to the richest person in the state, Steve Ballmer, the former CEO of Microsoft and current owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, who is worth $153 billion, according to Forbes.

Medina is primarily residential. You won't find strips of shops and restaurants there — that's what Seattle is for. The 900-acre town has a few parks, a mini grocery store, and so many mansions.

The average home value in Medina is about $4.5 million, according to Zillow.

Extravagant estates dominate the neighborhoods. I didn't see many modest homes during my trip.

I've visited neighborhoods in wealth hubs around the US, and usually, I can get pretty good views of the most expensive homes on the block.

That wasn't the case during my trip to Medina. There were some streetside houses, but many of the mansions were hidden between trees. I thought this gave the ultrawealthy privacy and seclusion from the world outside their gigantic estate.

Hiking to the shoreline in Fairweather Nature Preserve gave me decent views of expensive homes across the water in Hunts Point.

Several had ornately landscaped backyards that led down to what appeared to be private docks. All the houses I saw had boats, many of which were yachts.

I couldn't help but picture myself rolling out of bed on a Sunday and walking just a few yards to my yacht while still in my pajamas.

Kitchen & Market isn't your typical errand stop. It's a small, gourmet grocery store that feels like an upscale farmers market or an elevated bodega.

The employees greeted me like an incoming guest at a five-star hotel. They were so friendly and seemed genuinely delighted by my arrival as they handed me a free sample of the best tomato soup I'd ever had.

I wandered the few aisles and found locally sourced produce, artisan breads, elevated meal kits, and a grab-and-go station where I picked up a chicken salad sandwich and a bottle of lavender grapefruit juice for $15.

I walked down the road to Medina Beach Park to have a solo picnic by the water. When I bit into the sandwich, I couldn't believe it wasn't made to order. The ingredients felt crisp and fresh. I loved the juice's tangy, floral flavor and hadn't seen it at any grocery stores before. The pairing tasted like a $30 meal at a restaurant.

Full and quenched, I made my way back to Seattle. The cab ride back was only 20 minutes long.

I was in awe that Medina manages to feel like an idyllic village in the middle of nowhere while being so close to a major city.