If you have spent any time looking at homes in Leisure Village, you have probably noticed that people here talk about their homes by model name. Someone will tell you they live in a Del Mar, or a Capri, or an El Dorado, and everyone in the room nods. It is a useful shorthand, because in a community of roughly 2,100 homes spread across 35 villages and built off a set of original floor plans, the model tells you most of what you need to know about how a home lives.

The La Jolla is the one buyers ask about most often, for a simple reason: at 1,829 square feet, it is the largest model in Leisure Village.

We just finished filming a full walkthrough of one — 22106 Village 22 — and it is a good example of what the La Jolla offers when it has been updated. Watch the tour below, then read on for what the floor plan actually does well, what it costs to own here, and who tends to be happiest in it.

(Wondering how the other Leisure Village models compare? Request access to our full floor plan library here.)

Leisure Village floor plans start around 672 square feet and climb from there — the Galaxy at 1,180, the Fiesta at 1,342, the El Dorado at 1,498, the Valencia at 1,667. The La Jolla sits at the top of that list, and the extra space does not go into a third bedroom. It goes into living space.

That is the trade-off worth understanding. The La Jolla is a two bedroom, two bathroom home — but it adds a large library and study that most other models simply do not have. Buyers use that room in very different ways. Some make it a home office. Some make it a craft or sewing room. Some fill it with bookshelves and a good chair and call it done. A few use it as an occasional guest space when family visits.

Everything is on one level. There are no stairs anywhere in the home, and all bedrooms are down. When we ask buyers shopping active adult communities what their non-negotiable is, single story comes up more than any other feature, and the La Jolla delivers it without asking you to give up square footage to get it.

The layout also includes a separate formal dining room, an indoor laundry room rather than a garage hookup, and a two car garage with room left over for storage.

This particular La Jolla was built in 1978, like most of the community, and has been brought forward with a recent full facelift.

The entry and living area. New flooring runs throughout and the paint is fresh. Ceilings are smooth — no popcorn texture — which is a meaningful detail in homes of this era and one of the more disruptive updates to do after you move in. Newer dual pane windows bring in natural light and cut down noise noticeably.

The kitchen. Updated with granite counters and sleek cabinetry, with the appliances in place: dishwasher, electric cooktop, electric oven, and refrigerator. It is a working kitchen with real counter space, not a galley you have to shuffle through.

The primary suite. Generously sized with its own updated bathroom attached. The second bedroom and second full bath sit apart from it, which is the arrangement guests appreciate.

The library and study. This is the room that sells the La Jolla. It is large, it is flexible, and it is the reason people who could technically fit into a smaller model choose this one anyway.

Systems and outdoor space. The home has a newer HVAC system with central air and central heat. Outside there is an open patio, a stone fence, and views out toward the neighborhood and the hills.

22106 Village 22 is currently offered at $800,000, with an HOA of $1,014 per month.

That HOA number deserves context, because it is the figure that surprises people coming from a single family home outside the gates. It is not just a fee for the pool. It covers grounds maintenance, insurance, management, security including the guard-attended gate, and pest control and sewer. Owners consistently tell us their monthly maintenance workload — the yard work, the exterior upkeep, the coordination of vendors — dropped close to zero after moving in. For a lot of people at this stage, that trade is the entire point.

The house is only half the decision. Leisure Village is a gated, guard-attended 55+ community with 24- hour security, and it is built around staying active rather than winding down.

Inside the gates you will find a golf course, an Olympic size pool, a fitness center, tennis, paddle tennis, pickleball, bocce ball, and additional sport courts. The recreation center is the social hub — woodworking shop, billiards, game and card rooms, meeting rooms, and a year-round calendar of clubs. There are picnic areas, barbecues, an outdoor cooking area, and a fire pit for evenings outside.

And then there is Camarillo itself, which does a lot of quiet work in this decision. Shopping, dining, and medical care are minutes away. The 101 gets you almost anywhere in Ventura County quickly, and the coast is a short drive.

In our experience, the buyers who end up in a La Jolla usually fall into one of a few groups.

They are downsizing from a larger home and are not ready to drop to 1,200 square feet in one step. They work from home, or have a hobby that needs a dedicated room. They host family regularly and want a home that does not feel tight when four extra people are in it. Or they simply want the largest thing available in a community they have already decided on.

If that sounds like you, the La Jolla is worth seeing in person. Video does a lot, but square footage is one of those things you have to stand inside to judge.

To schedule a private showing, or to talk through whether Leisure Village is the right fit before you start touring, reach out anytime. We are happy to answer questions for a move that is still a year or two out — no pressure either way.

McKay Barlow, Barlow Realty Group — 805-987-5755

Want to compare the La Jolla against the other Leisure Village floor plans? Request access to our full floor plan library.