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Mediterranean masterpiece in La Jolla

Want to be neighbors with US Senator Mitt Romney?

Really, why even live in La Jolla if you don’t have a private beach access point?
Really, why even live in La Jolla if you don’t have a private beach access point?

The 10,300-square-foot mansion at 308 Vista de la Playa in La Jolla is billed in listing remarks retrieved from Zillow as “a rare legacy property.”

Built in 2000, the seven-bedroom, nine-bath residence is described as a “custom Mediterranean masterpiece that boasts lavish custom appointments throughout,” including “imported Carrera marble accents, floor to ceiling panoramic view windows, oversized ocean viewing decks on all three levels” and a private elevator to provide passage for those uninclined to use the grand marble staircases.

Eat like a king. Or at least, where a king might eat.

The home features the requisite custom kitchen with commercial-grade appliances, oversized center island, two chandeliers, and a butler’s pantry. A formal dining room includes intricate molding, recessed tray ceiling with decorative detail work, and another crystal chandelier. There’s also a “generous game room” with wet bar and fireplace, a custom home theater, an “impressive home office” lined with built-in cabinetry, and a wine cellar.

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While each of the seven bedrooms has its own en-suite bath, the owner’s suite enjoys a fireplace retreat, private ocean view deck, his-and-hers separate bathrooms, and a “closet large enough to be your own clothing boutique” spanning several rooms on its own. (A previous listing notes this includes a temperature-controlled fur closet.)

Outside, the rare double-wide oceanfront lot occupies nearly three-quarters of an acre, with a gated front entryway providing secure parking for residents and guests. The backyard includes a “unique and rare impressive oceanfront pool,” spa with built-in cocktail table, and a sunken outdoor dining area to keep dry guests at eye level with others who choose to soak. A tightly manicured lawn in back slopes down to one of only a handful of private beach access points a few blocks south of Marine Street.

The Vista de la Playa estate was last listed for sale in 2013; at that point it had an asking price of nearly $20 million and was one of the first homes Unreal Estate ever examined. At the time, we noted that the location was just a few doors down from US Senator and onetime presidential hopeful Mitt Romney’s vacation home and its controversial “car elevator.”

While it was reported in 2015 that Romney had sold his nearby residence at 311 Dunemere Drive, public records still list him and his wife Ann as the owners. The Vista de la Playa house, on the other hand, did sell — but at a price far short of what the former owner, a defense contractor who also sold the Romneys their beachfront getatway, had hoped. Tax rolls show local professionals Yongquan He and Xiaomei Zhang paid just $13.8 million for the home in August 2013, while luxury markets were still recovering from the Great Recession — far short of the $19,950,000 originally sought.

After more than seven years off-market, the property, seemingly unchanged in condition from the time of its last sale, was re-listed in early December. Its asking price of $25,988,000, good for the fourth-highest currently on offer throughout the county, remains unchanged to date.

  • 308 Vista de la Playa | La Jolla, 92037
  • Beds: 7 | Baths: 9 | Current Owners: Yongquan He and Xiaomei Zhang | List Price: $25,988,000

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Pie pleasure at Queenstown Public House

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Really, why even live in La Jolla if you don’t have a private beach access point?
Really, why even live in La Jolla if you don’t have a private beach access point?

The 10,300-square-foot mansion at 308 Vista de la Playa in La Jolla is billed in listing remarks retrieved from Zillow as “a rare legacy property.”

Built in 2000, the seven-bedroom, nine-bath residence is described as a “custom Mediterranean masterpiece that boasts lavish custom appointments throughout,” including “imported Carrera marble accents, floor to ceiling panoramic view windows, oversized ocean viewing decks on all three levels” and a private elevator to provide passage for those uninclined to use the grand marble staircases.

Eat like a king. Or at least, where a king might eat.

The home features the requisite custom kitchen with commercial-grade appliances, oversized center island, two chandeliers, and a butler’s pantry. A formal dining room includes intricate molding, recessed tray ceiling with decorative detail work, and another crystal chandelier. There’s also a “generous game room” with wet bar and fireplace, a custom home theater, an “impressive home office” lined with built-in cabinetry, and a wine cellar.

Sponsored
Sponsored

While each of the seven bedrooms has its own en-suite bath, the owner’s suite enjoys a fireplace retreat, private ocean view deck, his-and-hers separate bathrooms, and a “closet large enough to be your own clothing boutique” spanning several rooms on its own. (A previous listing notes this includes a temperature-controlled fur closet.)

Outside, the rare double-wide oceanfront lot occupies nearly three-quarters of an acre, with a gated front entryway providing secure parking for residents and guests. The backyard includes a “unique and rare impressive oceanfront pool,” spa with built-in cocktail table, and a sunken outdoor dining area to keep dry guests at eye level with others who choose to soak. A tightly manicured lawn in back slopes down to one of only a handful of private beach access points a few blocks south of Marine Street.

The Vista de la Playa estate was last listed for sale in 2013; at that point it had an asking price of nearly $20 million and was one of the first homes Unreal Estate ever examined. At the time, we noted that the location was just a few doors down from US Senator and onetime presidential hopeful Mitt Romney’s vacation home and its controversial “car elevator.”

While it was reported in 2015 that Romney had sold his nearby residence at 311 Dunemere Drive, public records still list him and his wife Ann as the owners. The Vista de la Playa house, on the other hand, did sell — but at a price far short of what the former owner, a defense contractor who also sold the Romneys their beachfront getatway, had hoped. Tax rolls show local professionals Yongquan He and Xiaomei Zhang paid just $13.8 million for the home in August 2013, while luxury markets were still recovering from the Great Recession — far short of the $19,950,000 originally sought.

After more than seven years off-market, the property, seemingly unchanged in condition from the time of its last sale, was re-listed in early December. Its asking price of $25,988,000, good for the fourth-highest currently on offer throughout the county, remains unchanged to date.

  • 308 Vista de la Playa | La Jolla, 92037
  • Beds: 7 | Baths: 9 | Current Owners: Yongquan He and Xiaomei Zhang | List Price: $25,988,000
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The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
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Classical Classical at The San Diego Symphony Orchestra

A concert I didn't know I needed
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Not enough open space, not enough closets for Hickory Street plans
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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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