Encinal Bluffs
Encinal Bluffs is a highly exclusive neighborhood in Malibu, located west of famous Broad Beach and the El Matador State Beach and just south of the Charmlee Wilderness Park. Privacy abounds in Encinal Bluffs, despite the celebrity home owners who range from A-list movie stars to technology giants and beyond.
In the summertime, Encinal Bluffs is one of the most sought-after areas for rental properties. Some call Malibu "the Hamptons of the West" and the rental prices of homes in Encinal keep up with those in East Hampton, South Hampton, Bridgehampton and Montauk. $30,000, $50,000 and even $80,000 per month are not unheard-of asking prices for rentals in Malibu's Encinal Bluffs.
Ocean views abound in Encinal Bluffs, with wildlife to match. Diving, snorkeling and paddle-boarding are favorite activities. The cliffs of this iconic California-scape at the edge of the Pacific contain sea caves and eroded rock "sea stacks" that are home to local sea lions.
Encinal Bluffs is the site of Malibu's first $10,000,000-plus sale. One of the most historic sales in Malibu real estate history was in 1999, when Herbalife founder Mark Hughes bought a 20,000-square-foot estate for $27,000,000. Hughes died in the early 2000s and his estate sold the property for $31,000,000. More recently, the Hughes estate was fully redone and sold to an international buyer for $125,000,000.
Other notable Encinal Bluffs homeowners and sales include Brad Pitt, who sold his $13,000,000 Chris Sorenson-designed uber-modern home to television host Ellen DeGeneres. DeGeneres and her actress wife, Portia De Rossi, sold the home six months later for roughly the same $13,000,000 asking price, demonstrating the investment quality of Encinal Bluffs. The Frank Gehry-designed "Gunther House" was erected in Encinal Bluffs in 1977, long before Gehry was commissioned to design the Disney Hall in Downtown Los Angeles.