3111 Padaro Lane

Address: 3111 Padaro Lane, Carpinteria

Status: On the market

Price: $14,600,000

The summer we turned 15, my best friend, Juli, and I went to the beach almost every day. We kept a calendar to track our escapades. If we made it to the beach, we marked the calendar with a big X. If we didn’t get there, we recorded the explanation: “It was cloudy; went shopping.” By the time school started, almost every day was crossed out. It was a glorious, golden summer. We swam, body surfed, and pretended we were on our own private island.

Fast-forward more than a few years to the present. Juli and I are still best friends and still pretty beach-obsessed. Families and careers have overshadowed some leisure time, but last year we vacationed together right here in Santa Barbara and visited five beaches in five days. It was as close to that 15-year-old summer as we’ll likely get in the foreseeable future.

I still try to get to the beach every day, and I still harbor the dream of my own private island.

When I visited 3111 Padaro Lane last week, I knew it would be a special property, but I had no idea just how special. As I walked toward the house, I could see through the open door to the wall of windows looking out on the backyard and the ocean beyond. I was drawn straight through the high-ceilinged living room, out the glass-walled veranda, to the edge of the cliff. The view is incredible. From the left, you can see all the way past the distinctive white roofs of Santa Claus Lane to Loon Point. To the right, there’s more sweeping coastline and crashing waves out to Surf Point.

Truth be told, I was somewhat intimidated going to visit a $14 million property. I confessed as much to Jasmine, who was showing me the house that day, but she encouraged me to make myself comfortable and look around. She pointed out the separate guest house that was open and available to tour, as well, so I decided that if I had to tear myself away from the ocean view and go inside, the smaller sister might be the less nerve-racking starting point.

The little one-bedroom/one-bathroom guesthouse is light, airy, and casual. It feels like an informal vacation home. I relaxed a little more.

Feeling bolder, I toured the main house, finding four bedrooms and three bathrooms that were just as comfortable and inviting. I could imagine kids traipsing straight into the house from the beach and not being scolded for tracking in a little sand. While it’s not rustic by any means, it’s certainly not fancy. It’s a sturdy, beautiful two-story beach house with huge windows, decks, and doors that all take advantage of the amazing panoramic ocean view.

It turns out that this property has been in the same family for generations. It was part of an original 30-acre parcel with a home called Rosewood Mansion, which still exists near the Beach Club. In the late ’50s, the 30-acre parcel was subdivided into various-sized lots and sold, but the owners kept this two-acre parcel and built this home in 1965. It has remained in the family ever since and has never before been on the market.

I thanked Jasmine for the history lesson. It was time to head back to the office, but I couldn’t resist one more walk along the ocean bluff. I may never live in a $14 million house, but I was now feeling at home, and that hypnotizing beach view gave me my own private island.

3111 Padaro Lane is currently for sale in Carpinteria, listed by Riskin Partners of Village Properties Realtors. Reach Riskin Partners at (805) 565-8600.

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