OCEAN CITY — Snuggled up behind a mighty system of dunes and expansive strand, the oceanfront oasis at 3730 Wesley Ave. was built to take advantage of its proximity to the beach.
Located among the handful of homes on the penultimate block of Wesley Avenue, the townhome features a top-floor great room whose double sliding glass doors open to let the sights, sounds and smells flow inside.
Out back, a beach path splits the dunes just on the other side of the grassy yard and fiberglass bulkhead that further protects the home.
Offering high-end amenities from materials to appliances and quality construction, the home has five bedrooms, five bathrooms, a powder room and extensive garage with a shower just inside the ground-floor veranda.
There’s also a rooftop deck for sunbathing, in case the trip through the dunes is too long on a blistering-hot day or you want to enjoy a drink under the stars.
Custom-built in 2013, the 2,296-square-foot home is the south side of a duplex that appears hunkered down as if braced for a storm. It has a paver brick parking pad that can accommodate one car outside the garage.
The home has gray cedar shake siding and a stacked-stone foundation skirt. More stacked stone surrounds the base of square pillars that flank the garage door. A path leads around the right to the main entrance and continues to the rear, where more stacked stone lines the bulkhead.
The extensive garage can be entered through the sliding glass door off the veranda. It has a sealed-concrete floor, finished walls and a shower for washing beach sand away, as well as a clothes washer and dryer.
Inside the tiled foyer, there is an elevator and handsome staircase that rises along the outer wall, providing light through windows all the way to the top. Everything is white, making for a crisp, clean aesthetic.
The second floor features three bedrooms, each with a private bathroom and deck.
Designed to accentuate the ceiling height, the home has 8-foot-tall solid-wood doors, making a short reporter feel rather small.
Just atop the stairs is the entrance to the master suite, located on the beach side with a private, covered oceanfront deck. The sleeping chamber has a king-size bed offering a front-row seat to the sun rising over the sea through double sliding glass doors. Two more windows flank the gas fireplace to the right, which has shadow-box paneling to the ceiling. There’s also a walk-in closet with built-in organizers.
In the bath, there is a deep, deep tub for soaking away the stresses of the day, as well as a tiled shower with a rain shower faucet and a Goebel vanity with dual sinks and Grohe faucets and fixtures.
The second bedroom is on the side of the house and set up for children with twin bunkbeds and a bathroom with a tiled shower. The third bedroom is on the street side of the house and very well-lit with multiple windows including three clerestory above the full-size bed. Silhouette blinds filter the light.
The next flight of stairs ascends to the third floor. The dining area is straight ahead, kitchen and living room to the right and two bedrooms to the left.
While fantastic with marble countertops, white Goebel cabinets and stainless-steel Thermador appliances, the kitchen has nothing on the living room just the other side of a marble peninsula with four tall chairs. The eye cannot help but be drawn to its bright beauty — until, of course, spotting the open ocean just outside.
Its lofty vaulted ceiling rises to a lighthouse cupola, bathing the area in nature’s brilliance. A leather sectional sofa rests across from the home’s second fireplace.
Down the hall toward the other end are two more bedrooms, each with a full-size bed.
Ocean City is one of the most popular shore resorts on the East Coast, featuring a 2.5-mile-long oceanfront boardwalk filled with hundreds of shopping, dining and entertainment venues, as well as miles and miles of pristine beaches. There also is an award-winning downtown business district centered on Asbury Avenue and a watersports district around Third Street on Bay Avenue.
The Southend neighborhood, from 34th to 59th streets, is narrow with fewer homes and businesses than the center of the island, which makes it the perfect getaway.
Everything needed for a beach vacation is located on the 34th Street business corridor or scattered throughout the neighborhood at mom-and-pop shops.
The Garden State Parkway provides access just across the bridge in Upper Township, so there is no need to schlep through downtown to get there, and all of the attractions that make Ocean City America’s Greatest Family Resort are just a couple of miles away on foot or bicycle.
