Peter and Denisse Schnebly transformed their backyard avocado orchard in Homestead, Florida into an elaborate outdoor oasis resembling the natural cenote springs of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. Using only a can of spray paint and his imagination, Peter designed a lagoon fed by seven waterfalls surrounded by stacked oolite rock walls and over 200 palm trees. Over nine months, hundreds of tons of rock were excavated to carve out multi-level pathways, beaches, docks, and entertainment spaces overlooking the 2.3 million gallon freshwater lagoon. The organic retreat, built entirely from materials on the property, now serves as a private resort for the couple to relax and host large parties for up

1. Reminiscent of a
carved-rock spring
along the Riviera
Maya, Peter and Denisse
Schnebly’s backyard
oasis is a feat of
creativity, design and
hard work.
WORDS BY MICHELLE PAYER / PHOTOGRAPHY BY NICK GARCIA
FOUND
Paradise on’t think about it.
Just do it.” Peter Schnebly
said that was his mantra
when, in 2004, he and his wife,
Denisse, decided to convert
their expansive tropical fruit
groves in far-south Miami-Dade
into a winemaking operation.
It worked: Schnebly Redlands
Winery attracts droves of visitors
to Homestead to taste its exotic
wines (try the AvoVino, a dry
white fermented from avocado),
eat chef Dewey Losasso’s food
at the on-site Redlander
Restaurant, and tour the winery
as well as the Schneblys’ craft
brewery, Miami Brewing Co.
So when the Schneblys
wanted to do something different
with the avocado orchard in
the back yard of their home,
located four miles from the
winery, Peter repeated his
mantra. On a January day in
2015, he ventured out with a
can of spray paint to mark
off a design that existed only
in his mind — no architects,
no landscape designers, no
blueprints, no plans.
“There is something about
space that a piece of paper
doesn’t give you,” Schnebly said.
LOST MAYAN CITY
What emerged from his
imagination is an emerald-green
lagoon and outdoor oasis that
resemble cenotes, the natural,
carved-rock springs common
along Mexico’s Riviera Maya.
Magically, like a real cenote,
Schnebly’s creation looks as
if it has always been there and
was only recently discovered.
Using Schnebly’s spray-
paint marks as a guide,
workers excavated and cut
hundreds of tons of rocks.
A dance floor was carved out,
overlooking a new lagoon and
band shell. Schnebly realized
he didn’t have a plan for the
unearthed rock fill. Necessity is
the mother of invention,
and thus rose a 180-foot-long
back wall with massive oolite
blocks stacked to support it,
all resembling a lost Mayan city.
The oasis is entirely organic,
using materials found on the
property, 215 palm trees they
planted 15 years ago (“for $1.50
a piece!” Schnebly boasted),
and coral from the Florida
Keys, where the Schneblys
recently sold their house on
the ocean.
Seven waterfalls pour into
the freshwater lagoon; water
trickles through rock cracks,
where ferns and orchids grow
wild. A kayak rests on one of
the lagoon’s beaches. Turtles —
“liberated from PetCo,” Schnebly
joked — paddle happily amid
koi and cichlids. A royal palm
that Schnebly calls Avatar rises
up on an elevated oolite platform
near a center island. Multilevel
pathways wind around the
property, overlooking avocado,
lychee and longan trees, creating
natural nooks for watching
sunsets and entertaining. Guests
can meander down a path
through a shallow, rock-filled
pool and duck under the tallest
waterfall to cool off. Or they can
cliff-dive off a natural outcrop.
Yes, cliff dive. In Homestead.
D“
The Schneblys live about four miles from Schnebly Redlands Winery and Miami Brewing Co., which they founded in part
to help jumpstart agritourism in South Dade. They said they wanted to turn their yard into a private resort.
www.miamiindulge.com | AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2016 | INDULGE 3

2. By the Numbers
LIKE NOWHERE ELSE
“We love water,” Schnebly
said. “We work all day in
paradise [at the winery] and
we would come home to
something that wasn’t paradise.
We wanted to come home
to a resort; an oasis where we
could relax and entertain.”
And entertain they can.
Natural coral seating lines a
curved, 2,000 square-foot
dock. “It’s really a deck,” said
Denisse, teasing her husband
of 22 years, “but Peter likes
to call it a dock.” And palm-tree
planters were strategically
placed for additional seating,
with dining tables set in
between. The Schneblys tested
out the space last fall for
200 guests during daughter
Gabriella’s quinceañera. More
parties are planned, including
the Farm Bureau’s Christmas
party, plus charity fundraisers
and family celebrations.
Coral steps lead from the
dock to an outdoor kitchen and
terrace that seats another 30.
A marble-covered, L-shaped
bar wraps around side-by-side
stainless steel grills (gas and
wood) and a four-tap draft
tower that pours Miami Brewing
Co. beers. Every view leads
to the lagoon; even Zazu, the
Schneblys’ macaw, keeps an
interested eye over his habitat.
“Truth be told,” Peter said,
“I went a little wild with a can of
spray paint one day. But every
day we come home, there’s no
place we’d rather be.” ☐
Peter and Denisse Schnebly, bottom, built an outdoor bar and kitchen that includes four beers on draft, all from Miami Brewing Co.,
the craft brewery they own. Stainless steel gas- and wood-burning grills have enough firepower to feed a party.
‘We wanted to come home
to a resort, where we could
relax and entertain.’
4 INDULGE | AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2016 | www.miamiindulge.com
Tons of rock excavated: 453
Palm trees planted: 215
Square feet of Florida Keys coral used: 1,479
Gallons in the freshwater lagoon: 2.3 million
Waterfalls: 7
Entertainment spaces: 12
People at full-party capacity: 240
Blowout parties so far: 1
It took nine months to build
Peter and Denisse Schnebly’s
backyard haven.