If you took everything about an episode of Miami Vice (the swagger of a young Don Johnson, the soft colors of Italian designer suits, the unapologetic excess) and translated it into a piece of luxury real estate, this is what you’d get: a $12.5 million mega-mansion offering 23,787 square feet of sun, water, and palm trees in (plot twist!) Escondido, CA, a good 2,500-plus miles west of Miami Beach.
High-speed criminal pursuits by motorboat aren’t really a regular occurrence in this inland town in San Diego County, but no matter — in this Escondido home for sale, drama comes preloaded. Just peep the revolving dining room, which offers a different valley view with every sip of wine cooler. And what about that totally gnarly courtyard pool? It’s “one of the largest residential swimming pools in existence,” according to the listing.
The fortresslike estate is perched upon 18 hilltop acres in Escondido, CA, a mountain valley city located about 30 miles northeast of San Diego. Beyond its angular facade, a union of stucco and glass, the amenity-packed mansion hosts eight bedrooms, nine full bathrooms, two living rooms, a movie theater, game room, gym, 20-car garage, and a wine cellar, all of which are arranged to circumscribe a courtyard swimming pool.
Talk about making an entrance: The mammoth front door is part puzzle piece, part larger-than-life belt buckle from the Dynasty wardrobe archives. The two-toned wooden door pivots to reveal the palatial formal entry as a security camera keeps close watch overhead.
Flanked by curved staircases, the two-story formal entry sets the tone for what’s to come: a heck of a lot of beige, from the ceilings all the way down to the upholstered furnishings and wall-to-wall carpet. Don’t be too quick to assume this is preserved ’80s opulence; this Escondido home for sale was actually built in 1995.
The mansion’s defining feature, the Tetris block–shaped courtyard pool, is among the largest residential pools in existence. Sure, its cool waters and shady palm trees are ideal for beating the SoCal heat, but some might argue that this particular piscine is best enjoyed from afar or, more specifically, from the comfort of a tufted settee well outside the boundary of the pool deck.
It’s a perk made possible by the home’s many retractable glass walls, which fold away like an accordion to blur the line between indoors and out.
Stainless steel and marble are polished to a high shine in the restaurant-quality kitchen, but they can’t compete with the wow factor of an authentic teppanyaki station (the Japanese griddle popularized by Benihana). What can compete, however, is the action happening in the adjacent formal dining room. There, a round rotating platform sets meals to the hypnotic movement of a (hopefully) slow RPM.
Would you expect anything less than resplendence in the master suite? Separated from the elements by giant picture windows, the crescent-shaped suite opens to the residence’s rooftop deck, an open-air vantage point from which to take in 360-degree views of the entire Escondido Valley. On a clear day, the view includes the Pacific Ocean, some 20 miles to the west.
With more volume than a can of Aqua Net, the massive courtyard pool spans the entire length of the home — and then some. Its teal waters continue well beyond the mansion’s heavy concrete walls, culminating in an infinity edge just before the sharp drop-off of the property’s west-facing slope. Framing a shimmering valley view, twin fire features mirror the slow burn of the golden hour, as afternoon becomes evening.
See the full listing for this house at 19101 Fortuna Del Este, Escondido, CA 92029.