Always wanted to live out your very own Pretty Woman fantasy—albeit one that involves idling away your days at a tropical beachfront retreat in Hawaii as opposed to a posh Beverly Hills hotel? You’re in luck, because a blissful estate that Oscar-winning actress Julia Roberts once called home has just popped up for sale on Kauai’s magical North Shore in the remote town of Hā‘ena, asking a dash under US$30 million (approximately HK$235.08 million). Neal Norman of Hawaii Life holds the listing.
With a main home and a guest cottage offering up a total of four bedrooms and four baths in nearly 3,150 square feet, the secluded residence has plenty of room for any like-minded dreamer to eat, pray, love, and more while enjoying some particularly stunning ocean and mountain views. Famously owned by the Oscar-winning actress and her longtime cinematographer husband Danny Moder for more than a decade, records show the ranch-style property was last sold to an entity linked to a Miami-based LLC in 2020 for around US$20 million (approximately HK$156.72 million).
Image courtesy of Gelston Dwight
Tucked away off a private road on three contiguous parcels that total 8.3 acres and offer 400 feet of ocean frontage on pristine Limahuli Beach, the three-bedroom, three-bath primary dwelling was built in 1970. Remodelled during Roberts’s tenure by the San Francisco architecture firm Walker Warner, it comes complete with rustic hardwood floors, soaring exposed-beam ceilings bolstered by steel tie bars, wood-panelled walls, and vast expanses of glass, plus new solar panels.
Upon entry, an open-concept great room features a living room, a dining area, and a kitchen boasting a butcher block-topped eat-in island that seats up to four for casual meals and an accompanying workstation. French doors lead out to a covered lanai. The primary bedroom sports a spa-like bath with a large oval soaking tub and access to an outdoor shower, and one of the guest bedrooms has been converted into a gym.
Image courtesy of Gelston Dwight
In addition to a detached one-bedroom, one-bath guest cottage, the alluring grounds also host a 490-square-foot infinity pool integrated into a wood sundeck, along with landscaped gardens, a running stream, and plenty of grassy spots suited to alfresco lounging and dining. An added bonus: The retreat is adjacent to protected land that includes Hā‘ena State Park and the National Tropical Botanical Garden.
Roberts and Moder acquired the Limahuli Beach spread in June 2009 for US$10 million (approximately HK$78.36 million), and they previously owned another Kauai property, a charming compound on Hanalei Bay they bought in late 2011 for US$13.3 million (approximately HK$104.22 million) and offloaded to Michael Fleiss, creator of ABC’s The Bachelor, in 2016 for US$16.2 million (approximately HK$126.94 million).
Click here for more photos of the Kauai residence.
