Bill Gates treats his family to a Mediterranean vacation

• World's richest man is vacationing with his family off the coast of Sardinia, Italy
• Is renting superyacht for $5million-a-week that cost $330million to build
• Was photographed also enjoying jet-skiing with his wife and three children

Bill Gates vacations exactly like you would imagine the richest man in the world should.

First up a relaxing game of tennis in the morning before being helicoptered - not ferried - back to the superyacht you and your family have chartered to the tune of $5 million-a-week.

Then, an exuberant jet ski around the $330 million boat with wife Melinda and children Rory, Jennifer and Phoebe, moored off the billionaires playground of Porto Cervo, Sardinia.

The Microsoft founder and philanthropist - worth $76 billion - has taken time away from his busy schedule to relax with his family - renting The Serene, the 436ft yacht of Stolichnaya vodka magnate, Yuri Scheffler, as a luxurious base.

Style: Bill Gates returns to The Serene, the $330 million yacht he has chartered for $5 million-a-week. Currently moored off the coast of Sardinia, Italy

Boating: The helicopter carrying Bill Gates approaches to land on The Serene -the world's 9th largest yacht - this week during the billionaire software pioneers vacation

Tough start: Bill Gates serves in his tennis match in Sardinia as he works up a sweat in the morning as he vacations with his family

Return: Keeping fit allows the 58-year-old to travel the world for his philanthropic ventures - such as working to rid the world of malaria

Smiles: The billionaire, who has a fortune of $76 billion and is the richest man in the world, seemed to enjoy his tennis match in Sardinia

Deft control: Bill Gates was playing to win during his tennis game in Sardinia this week

Beaming as he played his shots during his tennis game, Bill obviously had no need for a more traditional boat to get back to the huge yacht his family is aboard.

Walking with his entourage from the courts to his aerial transport, Bill was flown back to his yacht, christened The Serene, where he changed into a wet suit for a jet ski with his entire family.

Boasting not one, but two helicopter landing bads, because, let's face it one is never enough, The Serene can play host to 24 guests in 12 staterooms, which includes a master suite, one VIP stateroom, seven double cabins and three twin cabins.

 

Up close with the $300m super-yacht where Bill Gates is...

Stroll away: The billionaire walks away from the tennis courts at the billionaires playground of Porto Cervo, which became a resort when the Aga Khan purchased land along the Sardinian coast in the 1960s

Just bring your racket: Bill didn't need to bring much with him for his tennis match seeing as it was only a short hop from his yacht to court - via a helicopter

Your ride: Bill Gates gets ready to get inside his helicopter that will take him back to his rented yacht. In the past he has said that he does have guilty pleasure purchases - such as his own private plane

Can you take me to my yacht? The richest man in the world would have no problems finding a landing spot on his rented yacht - it has two helipads

Get comfortable: The billionaire prepares to sit down to be helicoptered back to the 436ft long yacht. When asked to reveal a secret about himself which no-one would expect, Gates said: 'Playing Bridge is a pretty old-fashioned thing in a way that I really like. 'I do the dishes every night - other people volunteer but I like the way I do it.'

Ready to go: Bill Gates prepares for take-off to be returned to his $5million a week yacht moored of Porto Cervo in Sardinia. In an interview earlier this year, Gates said he oesn't plan to stay at the office for days at a time as he did in his younger days when he had 'energy and naivete' on his side

Approach: This wider shot shows the green-grassed landing pad that the Microsoft billionaire's helicopter waited for him on. Gates held the title of 'richest man in the world' for 15 out of the past 20 years, but he was succeeded- briefly- by Mexican telecommunications magnate Carlos Slim Helu for the past four years

Luxury: While most would settle for a boat to take them back to their yacht, Bill Gates decided to go large

With 52 crew, The Serene also boasts a hanger for the helicopter, a seawater swimming pool, submarine hanger, a cinema and onboard WiFi.

LUXURY FIT FOR A BILLIONAIRE: THE $5 MILLION-A-WEEK BOAT CHARTERED BY BILL GATES

The Serene was built in 2011 for the owner of Stolichnaya vodka, Yuri Scheffler.
She is 436ft long and comes complete with a sundeck that has a wet bar, a wood fire pizza oven and a Teppenyaki grill.
She is capable of traveling 6,000 nautical miles on one tank of fuel, which is the same as traveling from London to New York and at least half way back again.
Her most impressive feature are her two helipads, but the luuxrious yacht does not shirk on features.
She also has an indoor climbing wall and a dedicated children's playroom to keep infants occupied.
She also has a fully equipped spa and club and three external swimming pools and one indoors.
Boasting an underwater viewing room, The Serene also has space or a large submarine able to reach a depth of more than 330 ft.

The opulent yacht also has a gym, swimming pool and two jacuzzis on deck.

The Serene also has a full library, health spa, underwater viewing room, nightclub and indoor climbing wall for the Microsoft billionaire and family to enjoy.

It has a cruising speed of 15 knots and is able to travel 6000 nautical miles on a full tank - which is almost the distance from London to New York and back again.

Indeed, the Gates family have been vacationing off the coast of Porto Cervo for years.

Every August the coastal town off the coast of Sardinia becomes a literal billionaires playground.

Originally owned by the Aga Khan, who bought up 50km of coastline almost as a private beach in the 1960s, Porto Cervo is now undergoing a mini-boom since he sold it to a consortium of bankers in the early part of the 21st century,

It is where Princess Diana spent her final days before her fated trip to Paris.

Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and ex-British prime minister Tony Blair have spent time relaxing in the sun there.

Now dotted with Louis Vuitton and Gucci stores, the coastline is the perfect spot for the richest man in the world to unwind.

However, they may be the children of the world's richest man, but Rory, Jennifer and Phoebe probably should enjoy this vacation while they can - because their father is not leaving them any of his $76 billion fortune.

Back on the boat: Bill Gates aboard The Serene with his wife, Melinda

Which wetsuit? Bill Gates looks for suitable gear to wear for a jetski while his son, Rory, runs past him

Family fun: Bill Gates, wife Melinda, daughter, Phoebe, son Rory and daughter Jennifer (being pulled from water) prepare to get wet off the coast of Porto Cervo

Adventure: The Gates family get ready to jet ski aboard the $5million-a-week superyacht The Serene which the billionaire is renting from the owner of the Stolichnaya vodka brand

Rested: Melinda Gates walks the decks of The Serene later that day while her husband prepares to head out again for a jet-ski

In a rare insight into his personal life in March, the Microsoft founder and his wife, Melinda, opened up about how they are raising their family.

The couple, speaking at a TED conference in Vancouver, said their children will be encouraged to make their own way in the world without the help of billion-dollar trust funds.

Gates said that instead of money, they had given their two daughters and son a good education so they can learn how to rely on their own abilities rather than their parents' fortune.

'You’ve easily got enough money despite your vast contributions to the foundation to make them all billionaires,' conference organizer Chris Anderson said.

Luxury: The Serene has the ability for two helicopters to land on deck - the circular pool seen in the middle of the boat can be transformed into a helipad

Opulence: The state room of The Serene is capable of hosting huge parties and guests of billionaires

Super: The Serene cost $330million and boasts space for 24 guests and 53 crew and was delivered to its owner, Stolichnaya tycoon, Yuri Scheffler in 2011

But, according to Wired, Gates responded by saying: 'They won’t have anything like that. They need to have a sense that their own work is meaningful and important.'

'You’ve got to make sure they have a sense of their own ability and what they’re going to go and do,' he added.

Anderson likened raising three children in the world's richest family 'to a social experiment without much prior art' before asking the couple, who run the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, how they had decided to raise their family.

'We want to strike a balance so they have the freedom to do anything but not sort of a lot of money showered on them so that they can go out and do nothing,' Gates said.

He added that they have told their children most of the fortune would be left to their charity, which tackles poor health and poverty.

Beach day: Microsoft founder Bill Gates later made his way to a beach near Porto Cervo, Sardinia, with his wife, Melinda. The husband and wife married in 1994 and now run the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle

Heat: Bill Gates used a boat to get to the beach after earlier transporting himself from his tennis match to his yacht via a helicopter. His foundation has assets worth $37.1 billion, thanks in part to contributions of shares from his mentor, American 'uber-investor' Warren Buffett