Two swimming pools? Yep. A whale-watching deck? You bet. This Maui pad checks all the boxes when it comes to island living.
Built for a Silicon Valley couple, the palatial abode was nearly a decade in the making and, well, you can tell. Sass Somekh and his wife Eta bought the land in 2001 for $4.65 million and finished building the mega-mansion around 10 years later, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. It is now listed at $35 million, making it the most expensive home on the Maui market.
Perched on a lava point, the waterfront manse was inspired by villas of Tel Aviv and is nothing short of palatial. It offers its own private beach, sprawling ocean views, a 1,500-square-foot rooftop terrace—and that’s just the start.
“There simply is not anything like it that combines a modern design with the earthy experience of expansive ocean views and the West Maui Mountains from almost every room,” listing agent Chelsea Dimin of Compass told Robb Report.“It faces north/northwest so it doesn’t get blasted by the sun, and there’s no heat gain.”
Sited on a half-acre parcel with 158 feet of ocean frontage, the 7,400-square-foot home has five en suite bedrooms, each of which comes with its own private lanai. The couple tapped architect Rick Ryniak forthe design, which incorporates clean lines, curved glass walls and a white color scheme. This decidedly modern aesthetic is rarely seen in Hawaii.
Inside, the living quarters are broken into two stories. However, you’ll find soaring ceilings and sliding glass doorsthroughout. The open-plan layout sees a sun-drenched living area on the first floor, along with an indoor-outdoor dining area. A primary suite can also be found on this level.
To reach the other bedrooms, you can take the elevator to the second floor. Here, you’ll find an office, plus a spiral staircase that leads to a rooftop deck with panoramic views of the ocean and mountains. There’s a jacuzzi up there as well, of course.
Closer to the water—about 15 feet above the ocean, to be exact—is a concrete observation deck from which you can spot whales as they visit between the months of December and March. Sass told the WSJ he saw three to four whales a day from the lookout during peak season. Elsewhere, additional resort-like amenities, such as a cold plunge pool, a dry sauna, a steam room and a fitness room, will make you feel like you’re always on vacation.
Now that’s what we call island living.
Click here to see all the photos of the Maui manse.
Authors
Abby Montanez
Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, dining, travel and topics…
