Abramovich's Caribbean New Year's Eve party 'most expensive in the world'

Roman Abramovich's yacht, Eclipse. Photo: PA

There's New Year's Eve parties, and then there's Roman Abramovich's New Year's Eve party.

The Russian oligarch threw a £5 million bash for a lucky select 300 guests at his £58 million holiday estate on the Caribbean island of St Barts, according to the Telegraph.

The estate, which was once owned by the Rockefellers, has a handful of swimming pools, pavilions and beach bungalows, is the near the beautiful Gouerneur beach on the upmarket island.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers provided the entertainment, and guests, who were told the wear "island chic", were led through candlelit pathways to get to an elaborate marquee in the garden.

According to the Daily Mail, the menu was put together by local restaurant owner Xavier Pinet, who catered the party last year, and chef Thomas Chiarelli, who runs a top-notch restaurant on the island, K'Fe Massai.

Dishes on the menu included pelmeni - Russian dumplings similar to ravioli - filled with locally caught mahi-mahi; pirozhki - little baked pies stuffed with ground beef, cabbage and mushrooms - and blinis aladia - pancakes topped with salmon in a sauce flavoured with vodka and lemon zest.

There were also "rivers" of vodka for toasts, as well as only the best Champagne - Cristal, Ruinart and Louis Roederer - to quench the guests' thirst.

Everyone partied on at a group of superyachts in the estate's marina. The pride in the Chelsea boss's fleet is a £300 million 543ft vessel called Eclipse, which has nine decks, a cinema, library, restaurant, numerous Jacuzzis, two heliports, 24 cabins equipped with bulletproof glass, a submarine and a system for detecting missiles.

This boat has a crew of fifty staff, some of which are former militaries from the Russian special forces.

Roman's New Year's Eve parties are legendary, and past guests have included Prince, Gwen Stefani, Beyoncé, Demi Moore and George Lucas.

St Barts is a well-known celebrity magnet, and is part of the French West Indies, along with Guadeloupe, Martinique, and St Martin.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers weren't the only ones working in the Caribbean on New Year's Eve; Rihanna and The Wanted also performed at a private party at the Sandy Lane Resort in Barbados, where Simon Cowell enjoys his annual Christmas break.

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