There are homes with ocean views, and then there’s this Carbon Beach penthouse — a spot where the Pacific is less a view and more a roommate.
Gal Gadot and her husband, Yaron Varsano, picked up this three-bedroom, three-bathroom retreat in December 2020 for $5 million, purchasing it from Bui Simon, a former Miss Universe and Thai philanthropist who had owned the property since the early 1990s. At the time of the purchase, Gadot had just co-produced and starred in Wonder Woman 1984 and was ranked by Forbes as the third highest-paid actress in the world, with $31.5 million in earnings that year. The deal was executed through a trust named after Gadot’s grandfather — a quiet detail that speaks to how the couple handles their affairs.
What followed was a complete renovation that turned a traditionally styled beach unit into something far more atmospheric. By the time the property hit the market in 2025 with an $8.75 million price tag, it had become one of the more talked-about listings on the Malibu coast.
I want to walk you through what makes this space stand out — the design overhaul, the location, the numbers, and the broader real estate strategy behind it.
An Open Floor Plan That Brings the Outdoors In
The layout here isn’t just open-concept — it’s borderless.
The living room, dining area, and kitchen flow into one continuous space, all oriented toward the ocean. A full wall of floor-to-ceiling glass frames the Pacific, and when the sightlines are open, the interior merges seamlessly with a covered, tiled balcony that runs along the building’s rear. The listing describes it as “seamless indoor-outdoor living,” and for once that phrase actually earns its keep.
What the renovation accomplished is what gives this property its character. Gadot and Varsano reworked the entire interior, replacing the original traditional look — white walls, simple wood accents, clean lines — with something considerably more moody. Dark hardwood floors run throughout. The ceilings are limewashed, and a wood-beamed skylight sits above the main living area, pulling natural light from above while keeping the overall palette grounded in cream and earth tones.
The Step-Down Living Room
A few steps down from the kitchen and dining area, the living room drops into its own zone — a step-down design that creates distinct areas without putting up walls. It keeps the floor plan open while giving each space a clear sense of purpose.
Two L-shaped couches frame the room, facing a modern tubular fireplace on one side and unobstructed ocean views through the glass wall on the other. The balcony sits just beyond, fitted with a glass railing so nothing interrupts the sightline to the water. There’s a firepit out there, too, set up for evenings with the sound of waves as a backdrop.
What I find interesting is how much atmosphere the design packs into a relatively modest footprint. It’s not a sprawling party space. It’s intimate — the kind of room that pulls you in rather than impressing from a distance. For a property under 2,000 square feet, the step-down layout was a smart move: it adds depth and dimension without sacrificing flow.
The Kitchen
The kitchen sits at the same level as the dining area, connected to the living space below by those few steps. It’s compact but well-equipped — custom cabinetry, granite countertops, high-end appliances, and a sizable island with a breakfast bar that seats up to five people. A separate dining space is anchored by a midcentury modern-inspired table, keeping the eating and cooking zones close but distinct.
What works here is that the kitchen isn’t tucked away behind a wall. It’s part of the main space, so you’re cooking with the beach right there through the glass. For a family with four daughters, that kind of layout makes everyday sense — everyone’s together without being on top of each other.
Beyond the main living area, the penthouse includes a media room with angled windows and recessed lighting — a secondary space that makes a sub-2,000-square-foot home feel more complete. The primary suite rounds out the private quarters with a custom walk-in closet and a luxe bathroom, giving the home a sense of finish that goes beyond the showpiece living room.
80 Feet of Carbon Beach — With Direct Access
Here’s the stat that truly sets this property apart: 80 feet of direct frontage on Carbon Beach, one of the most exclusive stretches of sand in California.
There are no shared walkways or staircases to navigate. You step off the balcony, and the sand is right there. The gated complex adds another layer of privacy, with a high-tech security system, gated entry, and parking that accommodates both a two-car garage and secure guest spaces for up to eight additional vehicles.
Carbon Beach earns its nickname — “Billionaire’s Beach” — from the company it keeps. David Geffen, Larry Ellison, and other high-profile names own estates along this strip. Gadot’s penthouse sits in a four-unit condo building, but that 80-foot frontage and unobstructed whitewater views put it in genuinely rare territory.
Location-wise, Nobu Malibu is steps away. The Malibu Pier is a short walk in the other direction. Soho House’s Little Beach House and the Malibu Beach Inn are both in the immediate neighborhood. The property sits along Pacific Coast Highway, roughly a mile from the area that was impacted by the January 2025 California wildfires — close enough to be a concern, though the penthouse itself remained untouched.
So, Why Is Gal Gadot Selling?
This was the question that came up the moment the listing went public in 2025.
The couple bought the penthouse in December 2020 for $5 million and listed it for $8.75 million after completing an extensive renovation. That’s a significant markup, and it naturally raises the question of why someone would invest that kind of attention into a property only to let it go.
The honest answer: Gadot hasn’t publicly explained her reasoning. What the listing does suggest is that the penthouse served primarily as a weekend retreat rather than a full-time residence. The couple’s main home has been in Beverly Crest since 2016, and they also maintain a property in the Hollywood Hills and a home in Tel Aviv. With four daughters — Alma, Maya, Daniella, and Ori — a sub-2,000-square-foot beach condo, no matter how beautifully done, has natural limits as a family space.
Looking at the bigger picture, this reads less like an exit and more like portfolio management. They bought well, transformed the property, and listed at a price that reflects both the renovation investment and the scarcity of an 80-foot Carbon Beach frontage. Benjamin Illulian of Illulian Realty holds the listing, and the property is positioned to attract buyers who understand what that beach access is worth.
The Beverly Hills Home Base
Gadot and Varsano’s primary residence tells a very different story from the Malibu penthouse. Purchased in 2016 for $5.55 million, the home sits in the Beverly Crest neighborhood — perched on a hilltop at the end of a cul-de-sac, with sweeping views and the kind of privacy that comes from being tucked away from through-traffic.
The property spans around 4,300 square feet across five bedrooms, giving the family significantly more room than the coastal retreat. Outside, the amenities lean into full-time family living: a custom knife-edge pool and spa, an outdoor kitchen, a firepit, and multiple terraces spread across the grounds. There’s greenery, privacy hedges, and enough space for the kids to have room to breathe — the kind of setup that works for everyday life, not just weekends.
It’s a telling contrast. Where the Malibu penthouse was a sleek, moody escape perched directly over the sand, the Beverly Hills home is a more grounded, traditional setup built around family rhythms. Different properties, different purposes — both clearly chosen with intention.
The Israel Connection
Gadot has always maintained strong ties to Israel, where she was born and raised. She and Varsano own a home in Neve Tzedek, one of Tel Aviv’s most charming and sought-after neighborhoods — walkable, full of boutique shops and cafes, with historic stone architecture that feels worlds away from the gloss of Los Angeles.
It’s not hard to see why she keeps that connection close. In a 2023 interview with Vogue Hong Kong, Gadot spoke about growing up next to Egypt and hearing stories of Cleopatra from childhood — “Israel borders Egypt, and she’s like a household name… if Wonder Woman is the imaginary strong female leader, Cleopatra’s actually the real one.” That cultural rootedness shows up in how she and Varsano have structured their lives across cities and continents. The Tel Aviv home isn’t an investment play. It’s personal.
What Her Real Estate Moves Tell Us
Look at the portfolio over the past decade, and a clear pattern emerges.
In 2016, they secured the Beverly Hills primary residence for $5.55 million. In 2020 — Gadot’s peak earning year — they added the Malibu penthouse for $5 million and invested heavily in a renovation. They’ve held onto a Hollywood Hills property purchased roughly a decade ago for $5.6 million, and they maintain the Tel Aviv home.
Each property serves a distinct role. Beverly Hills for family life. Malibu is a coastal retreat. Hollywood Hills is another LA asset. Tel Aviv as a cultural anchor. When the penthouse no longer fit the plan, they listed it at a price that reflects both the work they put in and the inherent value of that beachfrontage.
That 2020 purchase at $5 million — even if the final sale price comes in slightly under the $8.75 million ask — represents a substantial return, driven by the renovation and the irreplaceable location. It’s disciplined real estate, the kind of move that treats property as both a place to live and a long-term asset.
What’s Next
The Malibu penthouse was never a forever home. It was a retreat — a place where someone with global visibility could disappear behind a wall of glass and the rhythm of the Pacific.
Gadot’s career trajectory, meanwhile, has been anything but quiet. From her debut as Gisele Yashar in Fast & Furious (2009) to becoming Wonder Woman, to appearing as the Evil Queen in Disney’s live-action Snow White, she’s consistently expanded her range. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2025 — the first Israeli actor to earn one — and her Cleopatra project remains in development, a passion piece rooted in stories she grew up with.
At 40, she and Varsano have built a real estate portfolio that mirrors the career behind it: intentional, diversified, and quietly ambitious. The penthouse on Carbon Beach will find a buyer who understands what 80 feet of direct beach frontage means in a market where that kind of access essentially doesn’t exist anymore. And whoever that buyer is will walk into a space that a thoughtful renovation turned from a 1980s-era condo into something genuinely memorable.
