DIGS is the premiere luxury real estate lifestyle magazine serving the most affluent neighborhoods in the South Bay and Westside of Los Angeles, California.
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W hile the beachside homes of Malibu receive most of the attention, the oceanfront community offers a number of secret neighborhoods. Located on the north side of Pacific Coast Highway, these properties stun with breathtaking views, generous acreage and unparalleled privacy. While set sway from the prying eyes of paparazzi and casual day-trippers, discerning homeowners are quick to appreciate the balance of amenities here: accessibility to the area's natural and man-made charms—boutiques and specialty shops, restaurants, beaches, hiking paths and winding horse trails, with a bonus of generous acreage and seclusion. Malibu Park, bordered on the north by the Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area and on the south by Zuma Beach, is one of those areas. Quiet roads swing by well-hidden homes. Here, the lively and sophisticated center of Malibu, let alone the chaos of Los Angeles, seems like a distant memory. Turning onto Merritt Drive from Busch Drive, the verdant basin of land that underlines the mesmerizing vista of mountains and sky enhances this impression. Perhaps it's the solid wall, tinted the faint yellow tone of a European summer, that runs along two sides of the property, but Southern California seems to vanish, replaced by the quiet countryside of Italy. e gate opens, confirming this feeling. e one-story ocean-view home, washed in the same glow, is at once grand and welcoming, its almost 12,000-square-foot size only dwarfed by the splendor of the incomparable setting. Composed of three generous parcels, the property totals close to seven acres. Veiled by distance and foliage, neighbors seem nonexistent. Impeccably landscaped, the grounds conjure up memories of Europe's legendary formal gardens—e Villa Borghese, e Tuileries—with flower-lined pathways meandering throughout, past lemon and orange trees (one, conveniently situated just outside the home's kitchen). ere are pomegranate bushes, laden with ruby red fruit, here too. Benches beneath decades- old shade trees are picturesque spots for reading or meditation. As the weather warms, the flower garden, planted with roses and agapanthus, vibrates with color, while a vegetable garden with raised wooden beds serves up an abundant array of vegetables and herbs. Why leave the tranquil comforts of a lazy Sunday morning at home for the drive to the Malibu Country Mart and weekly farmers' market when the produce here rivals anything you might find there? e world, in fact, is happy to come to this doorstep— where it can be easily accommodated. e driveway holds up to a dozen cars; a subterranean garage has parking for a half-dozen more (with its double-gated entryway, it's the perfect place to stash a burgeoning collection of vintage vehicles). ose arriving to play in a casual tennis tournament will find a full-size tennis court with a backboard for solo practice. A covered pergola with stadium 32 DIGS.NET | 2.1.2019 PHOTOGRAPHS: (THIS PAGE, BOTTOM AND OPPOSITE, TOP RIGHT) COURTESY OF SIMON BERLYN