Few coastal compounds carry as much cinematic gravitas as Seacliff. You may not know it by name, but Sealiff had a starring role in several iconic films and TV shows. Perched dramatically on famed Spindrift Road in the Carmel Highlands, the estate is set amid an ancient cypress forest on granite cliffs overlooking the Pacific. Spanning 5.35 acres, it first captured Hollywood fame as Sharon Stone’s home in the 1992 film "Basic Instinct" and later appeared in HBO’s "Big Little Lies."
Now back in the spotlight and recently covered in a Wall Street Journal exclusive, the property is listed for $91.35 million, placing it among the most significant offerings in the country. The compound stretches nearly 1,000 feet along private oceanfront coastline in what listing agent Tim Allen of Coldwell Banker Realty in Carmel-by-the-Sea calls “a once-in-a-lifetime aggregation of five contiguous lots.” The estate offers more than 12,000 square feet of living space across its main residence and multiple guest cottages.Cypress groves, rocky beaches, and moody vistas frame the property, creating the kind of windswept romance for which the Carmel Highlands is famous. Allen said Seacliff is one of the most dramatic and inspiring oceanfront properties he's ever listed or laid eyes on.
At the heart of Seacliff is The Lodge, the eight-bedroom main residence made famous on screen.
Its interiors draw directly from the rugged coastal landscape, incorporating 150,000 pounds of moss-covered boulders, massive floating flagstone steps, and multiple seaward viewing posts. Six oversized rustic fireplaces anchor the design, giving the home—and the surrounding cottages—its defining bohemian character.
Three kitchens, including one with a 10-burner stove and a 1,250-bottle wine refrigerator, are an enduring example of the luxury added to the home over the years. One of the most unique spaces is the two-story Art Deco library, originally owned by adventurer Steve Fossett, where an gold-leaf domed ceiling depicts a mural of Johannes Kepler’s “Laws of Planetary Motion."
Wellness takes equal billing too: there’s a sauna, steam room, and indoor spa, complemented outdoors by a barrel sauna, cold plunge, and Zen garden marked by jade boulders. A waterfall pool and hot tub lead into the gym.
The current owners — software entrepreneur Gary Vickers and wife Kerry purchased the property in 2018 and have since poured more than $11 million into renovations, even adding acreage reported The Journal. Four newly built stone cottages with oversized fireplaces now join the main residence, giving the compound "the flexibility of a private retreat, luxury rental, or multi-generational enclave," Allen points out. Meandering paths weave through the breathtaking oceanside gardens, numerous meditation areas, and three coastal access stairways that bring you down to the Pacific's edge. As Gary Vickers told The Journal, “For me, Seacliff was like a jailbreak from the toils of commerce I had been conducting over the prior 30 years. In its creation, I became akin, once again, to the nuances of nature.”
The combination of Hollywood provenance, cliff-hugging design, and vast acreage makes Seacliff a once-in-a-generation opportunity—iconic not just for its screen credits, but for its unmatched stature on California’s Central Coast.
Video Credits:
"Cloudbreak" Original Music Video by The Whiskey Wasps
Starring Sasha De Sola and WanTing Zhao from San Francisco Ballet
Written, Directed, and Edited by Billy Schmidt
Cinematography by Mike Buffo/House of 8 Media
