Carbon Beach, Malibu, CA

Carbon Beach is the mile-and-a-half stretch of sand just east of the Malibu Pier, lined almost end to end with oceanfront houses and known well beyond the city as Billionaires' Beach. Unlike the canyon and bluff neighborhoods farther west, life here runs in a single line between the highway and the water. The houses sit shoulder to shoulder on narrow lots, most of them glass-fronted contemporary homes with decks over the sand and garages opening straight onto PCH. Older beach cottages have steadily given way to larger rebuilds. On the hillsides across the highway, streets like Carbon Mesa Road hold homes with views back down over the bay. The public can reach it through a few access paths between houses, including the Ackerberg access on the west end and the Geffen access to the east, with free street parking and no restrooms. Surfrider Beach and the pier are a short walk west, and Malibu Lagoon is just past them for birding and quieter walks. Food is close by local standards. Caffe Luxxe, across the highway from the sand, pours espresso and pour-overs in the mornings alongside organic pastries. Casa Escobar, a few doors down PCH, covers Mexican food. The tradeoff on Carbon Beach is the highway. PCH traffic is constant behind every house, pulling out of a driveway takes patience, and summer weekends bring slow traffic toward the pier. Groceries mean a short drive to Ralphs or Whole Foods in the Civic Center. On Carbon Beach the morning routine can be a walk on the sand at low tide, then a coffee at Caffe Luxxe across the road before the highway fills.