Some are cool, some are just crazy, but these 10 beach houses are an instant escape to luxury, adventure and an endless summer.
Floating Pole House - Fairhaven Beach, Australia
Photo: viewretreats.com
This has to be one of the coolest homes in the world. The Floating Pole House is perched 132 feet above a stunning beach in South Australia. It reopened last year after a five-year renovation project and it now has floor-to-ceiling windows, modern furniture, and the walkway to the home is like walking on air. It’s amazing, and yes, it’s a vacation rental!
The Shell House - Isla Mujeres, Mexico
Photo: Flikr / Steve Brokaw
This beauty of a home is on a small island just off the coast of Cancun, Mexico. Visitors get to stay in a sea shell, bathe under a shell fountain, and swim in a pool surrounded by coconut trees. What more could you want in a beach house? According to legend, long ago a mammoth conch shell washed on shore, and inside the shell, there was enough conch meat to feed the entire island. The remains of the shell still exists today, in the form of this beach house.
The Razor Residence - La Jolla, California
Photo: facebook.com/decoratoinforhouse
Internet buzz suggests The Razor Residence inspired Tony Stark’s home in the Iron Man movies. This home sits on the cliff above Black’s Beach, a world famous beach north of San Diego. With its awe-inspiring architecture, floor-to-ceiling windows, and remarkable views of the Pacific Ocean, this home is pure luxury. It also has a geometric shape to help with airflow, and the 60-foot cliffside infinity pool is most impressive.
Casa Kimball - Cabrera, Dominican Republic
Photo: Flikr / Chris Ford
No expense was spared at this stunning Caribbean villa. Each bedroom suite has a wall of glass and opens up to a breathtaking view. Outside, the infinity pool stretches to the ocean, and guests can hear the sound of waves crashing on the rocks below. Casa Kimball is named after its owner, Google executive Spencer Kimball. He opens his home to guests for a price - up to $5,000 a night.
Casa Atrevida - Preciosa Beach, Costa Rica
Photo: guaduabamboo.com
Imagine staying in a home built almost entirely with bamboo. It’s possible, and Casa Atrevida’s clever design protects against floods and earthquakes. A rooftop garden helps cool the home, and solar panels power it. This private refuge could be your next vacation spot for you and up to 9 friends if you’re willing to put up $3,500 per week.
Celine Dion’s Waterpark Home - Juniper Island, Florida
Photo: thericheset.com
Celine Dion’s mega-mansion is currently on the market for $62.5 million. It’s a jaw-dropping vacation oasis with 17 bedrooms, 24 bathrooms and a custom built waterpark complete with waterslides and a lazy river. And there are three pools as well! Every inch of this home is luxe. The star decided to sell because her family spends less than one month each year at this home.
Tower House - Bequia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Photo: wallpaper.com
On a steep hillside of a tropical island, there is a concrete fortress. It may not look inviting, but one step inside reveals that this ultra-urban home is a stunning and serene beach getaway. The design is very unique, too.A series of small rooms surround a pool as a way to cool the home. The pool itself will take your breath away... it looks like the water goes right over the edge of a cliff. And the view is nothing but deep blue sea and sky.
Dome Home - Pensacola, Florida
Photo: 50statesorless.com
It’s not only one of the most unusual beach houses in the world, it’s also one of the most indestructible. The Dome Home was built to survive 300 mile-per-hour winds. And it did, when Hurricane Ivan flattened nearby homes in 2004. The house sits on 16 pilings, driven 17 feet into the sand. It was designed to make sure water rushes around the house, rather than knock it down. The Dome Home is now a vacation rental, complete with a tiki bar and bath house.
Mushroom House - La Jolla, California
Photo: Flikr / OaklandNative
This home is wild, and sits right on the beach in the resort town of La Jolla. It was built in the 1960s for Sam Bell of Bell’s Potato Chips. He wanted a guest house for his new vacation home, and he had it built 300 feet down a cliff. There were three requirements for this beachfront getaway. It must withstand earthquakes, bad weather and look futuristic. The Mushroom House is now only accessible from the beach during low tide.
Castel Meur - Brittany, France
Photo: Flikr / Marmotte73
It’s known as The House Between the Rocks. This work-of-art fits right between two natural granite pillars and has a great view of the English Channel. Postcards with a picture of this home were sold around the world, making it a tourist attraction. Then tourists started behaving badly (think climbing on the roof of the house for a picture). The owners had enough, and banned the commercial sale of pictures of this home.