Outdoor areas rule at this Palo Alto estate where you could spend days aimlessly wandering through the gardens.

Originally built in 1926 and renovated in 2009, this vintage villa recalls the quiet English cottages of yesteryear with weeping willows and clusters of rose bushes. The back yard has a more Mediterranean vibe, with a bright blue-and-gold mosaic tiled pool. You could recline on the plush, cerulean pillows—as Cleopatra once did—while someone pops ice-cold grapes into your mouth and fans you with a palmetto leaf on a particularly blistering day in Palo Alto. In the summertime, you may pluck figs and apricots from the trees that dot the expansive property; in the fall—persimmons and pears.

Inside, perhaps you'll while away the hours in the expansive library, outfitted with a secret door leading to the dining room (you could also just go through the regular door—secret doors aren't really cool unless they lead somewhere secret). Or perhaps your aching muscles are wanting of a bout in the sauna; well, you've got one of those too. Whatever your fancy, this house is like another world—even the marble bathrooms are gilded in 18-karat gold.

Location: 51 Crescent Dr., Palo Alto, CA

Bedrooms: 4

Bathrooms: 4 full, 2 half

Asking Price: $17,800,000

Size: house—7,145 sq. ft., lot—23,522 sq. ft.

// For more information, visit crescentparkestate.com.