Over an Acre of Golden Blufftop Near Terranea Resort, 44 Sea Cove Drive is Fashioned Into a Fresh-air Celebration of Coastal Living by Architect Luis De Moraes
The sun-cast curves of Palos Verdes Peninsula and the rich depths of the Pacific Ocean visually take over when standing on the bluffs along Sea Cove Drive. So does the silhouette of Catalina Island—and a sweep of soft hues from the untouched panorama of sea and sky stretching north to the Channel Islands.
The location is a quiet cul-de-sac tucked into a lowkey neighborhood located along Palos Verdes Drive South, just east of Terrenea Resort. It’s a special community of 83 homes where families regularly gather for holiday events and children’s birthday parties.
“The community of Abalone Cove is really special,” says real estate agent Lisa Poach of RE/MAX Estate Properties. “Not many people are familiar with it.”
Tucked neatly between Terranea Resort and Abalone Cove Shoreline Park Trail (part of a 64-acre ecological preserve), this is a neighborhood of broad streets, wafting palm trees and rich green landscaping.
At 44 Sea Cove Drive for the past 20 years, like many of their neighbors, the homeowners have enjoyed the welcoming atmosphere, utilizing their radiant 1-plus-acre blufftop property as a sweet home base for big and small life events.
“They just loved raising their kids there,” says Lisa Poach. Parties and weddings, ranging from a few of their closest friends to attendees in the hundreds, were not uncommon. “With the property being over an acre of mostly all-usable land, they would have 200 to 400 guests,” she describes.
Then there’s 44 Sea Cove Drive: A Luxurious Blufftop Residence by Luis De Moraes. In late 2022 the homeowners completed a down-to-the-studs remodel that turned the 4-bedroom, 5-bathroom home of approximately 4,509 square feet into an architectural eye-opener of natural light, streamlined angles and fine materials. The architect is Luis de Moraes, whose EnviroTechno Architecture firm is responsible for a portfolio of notable local residences from the Westside and the South Bay to Palos Verdes, where he calls home.
In addition to his residential work, Luis De Moraes is an accomplished designer of luxury hospitality spots and an interior designer. He’s also a master of shaping homes into elementally elegant residences with barely perceptible lines between indoors and outdoors. Every bedroom is en-suite, and the primary suite connects directly to the outdoors. The floorplan is skillful, with every corner considered and transformed. Lisa Poach points out that many of the items in 44 Sea Cove Drive: A Luxurious Blufftop Residence by Luis De Moraes were custom-designed, created solely to suit specific spaces. That said, the home is being offered with the option to keep all furnishings and decor intact.
“It can be purchased completely turnkey and walk-in ready,” she shares.
In 44 Sea Cove Drive: A Luxurious Blufftop Residence by Luis De Moraes, floors are clad in rich hardwood and a selection of exotic stone dresses rooms in just the right dose of texture. After all, the ocean and coastline are the stars of the show. This Luis De Moraes showcases by linking main gathering spaces—airy and grand, with half-cathedral ceilings—with the outdoors via Fleetwood pocket doors. Postcard views aside, the home is favored with a choice microclimate.
“On Palos Verdes, there are seven or nine micro climates,” Lisa Poach describes, “and this property is locked in a sunny, warm pocket with almost no wind.”
At this home, there are countless places to enjoy it. Whether along the stone-clad pool deck or in the thick green grass, there’s a menu of inviting play and lounge spots. One section houses a grass-thatched bar—steps from the generous pool and bubbling spa—while another space is where you can enjoy a crackling evening fire atop the bluff. The landscaping is rich in texture and color, and there seems to be a fresh-air space for every mood.
Not to miss is a sprawling motor court that greets you after entering the gated property, where a 4-car garage awaits.
“There’s a whole side where you can play basketball and other games,” says the agent of this smooth, open space. “This past Fourth of July they taped the area off to have a pickleball tournament.”
Wandering around you may encounter a stone pathway that leads to one of the highlights of the property: an upper deck that juts over the bluff and ocean.
“You can entertain at the table for twelve,” notes Lisa Poach, “or just sit and relax.” One can choose the latter anytime, and especially at sunrise. “Because the property is south-facing, it has an incredible sunrise that comes up in the east,” she points out.
Sitting out on this special place at sunrise, when the glow of bright yellow and orange seems to rise from the sea, you feel like the only person in the world.
You can capture equally mesmerizing vistas in the structure directly beneath the deck—a light-filled studio with another walk-out deck. This unique clifftop hideaway has functioned as an office and is currently home to a gym where you can work out and stretch over epic ocean views.
“When this property was built,” the agent explains, “this, and the pool, were grandfathered in. So if someone were to buy a property like this today, you couldn’t create this, which makes it special.”
Amid the leisure and beauty of the property is the convenience of its location. Schools, groceries and dining spots are all less than 10 minutes by car. But at this address, there’s so much to do.
“It’s like your own little Terrenea,” says the agent.
A few doors away a private gate opens with access to the shoreline, where you can explore tide pools and birdwatch, or paddle out on a kayak or standup paddleboard. From your front door, the number of neighboring blufftop trails to explore seems countless, and you can always head to the award-winning Terranea Resort for golf, dining and spa treatments.
“To get a cliffside property that’s over an acre and completely remodeled is extremely rare,” states Lisa Poach. “And it’s special in that it’s close to the Montessori School, PV High School and Lunada Bay Elementary. It’s just kind of a perfect fit for a family.”
Lisa Poach | 310.997.7563 | DRE #01986229
RE/MAX Estate Properties
List Price: $11,500,000
Photographs Courtesy of Dan Solomon Photo
