1. Walking the Gardens and Trails
With 77-acres of land, Willow Creek Estancia is the perfect getaway for nature lovers without ever having to get away. Well-preserved paths meander around beautifully manicured gardens, 28 different species of trees, and lawns with delightful sculptures. The trails continue down to and around the 22-acre lake, past pastures with grazing horses, and connect with Rancho Santa Fe’s network of 50 miles of groomed equestrian and hiking trails, the avid naturalist will find plenty to enjoy. The flowers, hills and lake, will make you completely forget you’re living just a short drive to downtown San Diego.
2. Yoga in the Loggia
Sun salutations will rarely be as relaxing as on this serene patio facing acres of green lawn and trees. Covered and uncovered tiled areas, let you enjoy the warm light on your face as you wrap into eagle pose or the pitter-patter of rain under the protection of the adobe-tiled roof while you balance in tree pose. Meditate in lotus pose with the tranquil ocean breeze rolling gently over the hills from the west and the whispering trees and chirping birds providing natural, ambient music.
3. Water Workout
Surrounded by lush green grass, the beautiful blue salt water pool creates a refreshing foreground to the masterpiece of the main home. The 50-foot pool’s rectangular design, with steps entering at the corners leaving a clear width of wall for flip-turns, is ideal for lap swimming. For water lovers, the 9.5-foot deep oasis provides the perfect way to keep fit and cool during the many months of California sunshine. For those who prefer pools for relaxing rather than working out, the spa is a pleasant place for sipping lemonade or cocktails under the stars, which are particularly luminous due to Rancho Santa Fe’s dark skies community policy aimed at reducing light pollution.
4. Tennis on the Courts
Channel your inner Serena Williams or Roger Federer on the regulation-sized hardcourt. Designed for hosting friends, trainers and competitors, the fenced-in, painted asphalt court features a private clubhouse with half bath and kitchenette with mini-fridge and storage. When you are done trouncing your opponent, you can reconcile over a healthy brunch and mimosas in the shaded pavilion.
5. Wine Tasting
Why wait for the next trip to Napa or Bordeaux to enjoy your favorite vintage, when you can keep your own collection at home? The elegantly designed wine cellar is temperature and humidity controlled for storing and exploring different palettes from all over the world. Decorated with artistically rendered wrought iron doors and chandeliers, you’ll feel like you’ve entered another era as you swirl and sip in the exquisite tasting room accompanying the cellar.
6. Crafting in the Project Room
Makerspaces are all the rage these days! Everyone needs a place to be an artist, craftsman or inventor. Whether your passion is 3-D printing, quilting, scrapbooking, or robotics, you’ll love being able to organize your supplies in the plethora of cabinets and make your creative messes on the counter spaces and surfaces of this designated crafting room. With plenty of room for everything from tools to glitter, you can enter your own world for hours at a time in the quiet, privacy of the lower level of the main home or invite your friends over for group projects.
7. Gaming at the Arcade
Get in touch with your inner child or have a blast with the kids in the Recreation Pavilion! Hunt, box, or ski without ever having to get in the car. Play a family game of air hockey or challenge your buddies to a game of pool or poker. Or, let’s be more realistic, just relax and enjoy March Madness on the giant screen tv while the kids entertain themselves! With a full bar and catering kitchen, this amazing recreation room is also the perfect place for parties, whether you’re watching the Super Bowl or celebrating a birthday, you get all the fun of a Dave and Buster’s without having to wait in line or fight the crowds.
8. Bowling in the Alley
Rainy days will never be boring again when you can live like the president with your own personal bowling alley. The White House has nothing on Willow Creek Estancia with the ranch’s two-lane alley equipped with pins, balls, electronic scoreboard, and ball-return machine. You don’t have to worry about gutter balls when you have the lanes all to yourself to practice or compete to your heart’s content. Best yet, you don’t have to ask the Secret Service when you want to go and enjoy some fresh air on the covered entertaining patio.
9. Water Sports on the Lake
Whether you’re looking for a scenic repose, an outdoor sport to keep fit, or just a place to let loose and goof off, you’ll find having your own personal lake opens up a myriad of possibilities. If it floats, it will float on the 15-acre bass-filled lake. So enjoy a quiet day fishing under the blue skies. Get your arms in John Cena or Ronda Rousey shape rowing a kayak or canoe over the blue waters. Learn to paddle board before hitting the ocean waves amid the serene green scenery. Challenge your friends to a polar bear contest in the winter, race to the opposite shore or do cannonballs off the little dock. With a changing room along the shore and a nearby “outhouse” fancier than some people’s bathrooms, you can quickly and conveniently spend a day outdoors without leaving the ranch.
10. Horses, Of Course!
Just as you can surf without being a surfer, ride a bike without being a biker, and write without being a writer, you don’t have to be a self-proclaimed equestrian to ride horses! Maybe you didn’t grow up taking lessons or the closest you ever came to being a cowboy was riding a mechanical bull at the bar. That doesn’t mean you won’t love living on a ranch. Worst case scenario, if riding doesn’t interest you, you can always cruise around on the horse-drawn wagon or simply take in the picturesque scenery of horses in the pasture. Best case scenario, you’ll be calling yourself a vaquero in no time. While the estate is equipped with barns, pastures, farrier, and grooming spaces, you don’t have to know that a farrier shoes horses to enjoy riding one of the smaller western horses along the trails by the lake. The beauty of the equestrian estate is that you’ll have ample facilities for your expert staff to worry about the upkeep and health of the horses, train you in the basics, guide you through the area, and have you enjoying your own quiet outings around the estate and onto the trails in no time!