The Buccaneer House

You come in at street level, a hundred feet from the sand. This floor holds a bedroom with its own gas fireplace and a slider straight out to the walled patio — the easiest room in the house for anyone who would rather not take the stairs.

The patio is paved and planted with palms, sheltered from the wind, and catches sun most of the day. It is where wetsuits dry, where the cooler lives, and where the first coffee of the morning gets drunk before the rest of the house is up.

A full bathroom and the two-car garage sit on this level, along with the laundry, so beach towels and sandy clothes never have to travel upstairs.

• Ground-floor bedroom
• Gas fireplace
• Private walled patio
• Full bathroom
• Two-car garage and laundry

The main floor is one bright, open room turned toward the water. Wraparound picture windows put the palms, the beach and the sunset in front of you from the sofa, and the light changes the whole space from morning to evening.

The kitchen is fully equipped for a full house: granite counters, a long island with four stools, double ovens, a gas cooktop and a full-size refrigerator. The bar seating faces the living room, so whoever is cooking is still part of the conversation.

There is a sectional big enough for everyone, a second seating group by the fireplace, a dining table beside the windows and a small desk nook for the one person who has to answer an email.

• Wraparound ocean-side windows
• Granite island with bar seating
• Double ovens and gas cooktop
• Two living areas
• Dining table and desk nook

Five bedrooms and five bathrooms mean nobody in the group has to negotiate. The primary suite takes the corner of the house, with windows on two sides, a bench seat under the glass and a bathroom in tile and mirror with a jetted tub and a separate glass shower.

The guest rooms are vaulted, white and quiet, each with its own bathroom, television and blackout shades. Two of them look into the palms; one sits behind a curtained entry with its vanity just inside.

Beds are made up with proper linen before you arrive, and every room has a fan for the handful of warm nights the coast gets each summer.

• Corner primary suite
• Jetted tub and glass shower
• Five bathrooms in total
• Vaulted guest rooms
• Blackout shades and ceiling fans

The whole roof is yours: a full-width private deck looking west over the rooftops to the Pacific, with a dining table under an umbrella, a lounge set and chaises for reading.

It is the best seat in South Oceanside at seven in the evening. The pier lights come on to the north, the palms go black against the sky, and the sun drops into the water in front of you.

Mornings are cooler and quieter up here — bring the cafetière and watch the surfers paddle out across the street.

• Full-width private roof deck
• Panoramic ocean and sunset views
• Outdoor dining for six
• Lounge seating and chaises
• Pier and coastline views