South Beach Condos Blog

The Union Tribune is reporting that a proposed joint venture between a local San Diego developer and New York’s Setai Group to create a west coast outpost of the prestigious, The Setai South Beach, is now uncertain.

In November, the Setai Group sued 5th Avenue Partners and its principal, Orange County developer Rebeil, alleging that the San Diego project is being falsely promoted as a Setai property under the name Setai San Diego.

5th Avenue formally announced that the Setai Group would operate the Diegan as the Setai San Diego in an Oct. 18 news release, claiming that the San Diego property would be the first “five-star luxury condominium-hotel in the city as the result of a groundbreaking east coast-west coast partnership considered to be the first of its kind in the country.”

Within hours, the Setai Group’s attorney informed 5th Avenue that talks were off and “improperly repudiated” the letter of intent, according to the 5th Avenue countersuit.

Burton said there was nothing improper about Setai pulling the plug. Final terms were never agreed on, so the proposed partnership never materialized, he said.

The Setai Group operates The Setai Resorts & Residences South Beach and the Setai NYC.

Translating the Setai to NYC [Real Deal]

One Bal Harbour is Bal Harbour’s newest condominium since 2004.  One Bal Harbour started closings on Thursday and here is a first look in and around the condominium.

This is the lobby for the condominium of One Bal Harbour.  It is very traditional.

Here we have the oceanfront social room.  The room resonates with sophistication.

One Bal Harbour offers a theater for building residents which is equipped with surround sound.

An elegant bar within the oceanfront social room.

Oceanfront pool for residents of One Bal Harbour.

One Bal Harbour’s location is arguably one of the two best locations in Miami, at 10295 Collins Avenue in Bal Harbour, Florida.  The condominium has 185 residences and is combined with a five-star-quality Regent Bal Harbour condo-hotel which has 124 units. 

This is a great example of why One Bal Harbour’s location is considered so priveleged.  The north side of the building overlooks the Haulover Inlet which provides breathtaking, expansive and unobstructed northern views. By the way, this photo WAS NOT provided by the developer and is not a rendering.  I took this photo from the 25^th floor of the condominium.

The developer of One Bal Harbour Condominium and The Regent Bal Harbour condo-hotel is WCI Communities.

One Bal Harbour provides the amenities of a 5–star hotel to its owners including fine dining and a 10,000 s.f. world-class spa managed by the famous L’ Institut de Guerlain Paris offering massage, skin treatments, hand and foot therapies as well as nutritional and anti-aging treatments (woo hoo!). 

For more information on One Bal Harbour Condominiums click here

One Bal Harbour, Miami Condos, Miami Beach real estate, Miami Beach condos

If you’d like to forward this post to someone you think might be interested, simply click on the “Share This” link and click “E-mail.”

Canyon Ranch Living is a three-phase project that is located on the ocean at 6801 Collins Avenue in Miami Beach. This perfect address encompasses more than 1,000 linear feet of oceanfront and is just minutes north of world-famous South Beach and minutes south of the Bal Harbour Shops.

Phase one is the South Tower (condo residences) and the Center Tower, also called the Carillon Tower (condo-hotel units and condo residences). The second phase will be the North Tower, and the third phase will be the historic Golden Sands Hotel property at 6901 Collins Avenue (no details yet on how the Golden Sands will fit into the project). The first two phases of the project will have 581 units total:

• 143 in the South Tower (phase one)
• 151 condo-hotel units in the center Carillon building (phase one) on floors 2–10; floors 10–16 in Carillon Tower are condominiums
• 80 condo units in the center Carillon building on floors 11–16
• 207 condos in the North Tower (phase two), including seven direct oceanfront beach houses

The developer is expecting the T.C.O. (temporary certificate of occupancy) for the South Tower any day. Closings will begin ten days after a T.C.O. is obtained. Closings for the Center Tower (Carillon) should begin 30 to 60 days after the South Tower, and the Canyon Ranch Living Miami Beach Resort should open in the first part of 2008.

Restaurants at Canyon Ranch Living Miami Beach

Cabana Grill – Offers healthy meals served in the pool area exclusively for Canyon Ranch guests and residents.

Café Vida – Casual dining and tasting room offering creative cuisine, fine wines, and to-go items.

Juice Bar – Here you can sample locally-fresh and seasonal juices and smoothies in the ocean-view Juice Bar located on the 4th floor Spa Lobby.

The Restaurant at Canyon Ranch – A fine-dining oceanfront restaurant with indoor & outdoor seating will offer award-winning and nutritionally-balanced gourmet cuisine and will be open to the public. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily, the restaurant sits adjacent to the hotel lobby and borders the beach. The terrace features dining with superb ocean views. Sensual and experiential dining venues include an exhibition kitchen, tapas area and private dining for up to 40 guests – all serving signature, nutritious Canyon Ranch gourmet cuisine. Lobby level.

The food at the Canyon Ranch Restaurants will be organic, seasonal, delicious, and healthy!

Amenities for Hotel Guests & Residents of Canyon Ranch Living

• 73,000 sq. ft. spa for residents and hotel guests only
• 22 treatment rooms with nine different “experiences”
• The Health & Healing Center will have full-time physicians and health practitioners offering integrative medical consultations and will focus on a preventative approach to health
• Complimentary fitness classes
• Four pools within the Canyon Ranch Living Miami Beach resort, including an adults-only pool above the spa
• Additional 7,000 sq. ft. fitness area in the North Tower
• Two-story indoor rock climbing wall with ocean view

Condos for Sale in the Canyon Ranch Living Miami Beach North Tower

It is no secret that I am a huge fan of this project. Here’s why: Canyon Ranch Living will NOT be just another condominium; it will be a destination. Guests will come specifically for the Canyon Ranch experience. They want to de-stress, unwind, get healthy, meet new people, and eat beautifully prepared, organic healthy meals.

Even in today’s real estate market, Canyon Ranch Living Miami Beach is doing exceedingly well. The first phase of the project, the South and Center Towers, has been sold-out for two years or more. With the introduction of the North Tower, sales continue to be brisk because Canyon Ranch is selling more than real estate-they are selling lifestyle, wellness, and well-being.

North Tower Beach House Availability

• Direct oceanfront southeast corner, two-story beach house, 3 bedroom/3.5 + den, 3,555 sq. ft., $4,950,000
• Direct oceanfront 2 bedroom/2.5 + den, two-story beach house, 2,450 sq. ft., $3,500,000

North Tower Condo Residences Availability

• Direct oceanfront, 18^th floor 2/2, 1,290 sq. ft., from $1,548,000
• Flow-through 2/2.5, 2,050 sq. ft., direct ocean and bay views, from $2,300,000
• North Tower condo units facing west, 22^nd floor 2/2, 1,280 sq. ft., from $1,400,000
• Flow-through, wraparound corner unit, 3/2.5, 2,150 sq. ft. with east, north and western exposures, from $2,750,000

The North Tower is scheduled for completion in early 2008.

These are the beach houses for the South Tower at Canyon Ranch Living.

Click here for condo residences and condo-hotel re-sales in the South and Center Towers.

Canyon Ranch Living Miami Beach condos and condo-hotels and real estate

If you’d like to forward this post to someone you think might be interested, simply click on the “Share This” link and click “E-mail.”

According to the Miami Herald, the Regent Hotel has left as operator of the new hotel at 1458 Ocean Drive in South Beach.  The new hotel operator is Vincci, a Spain-based hotel chain.  The 80–unit property opened nine months ago were sold as condominium hotels.

If I were a owner of a unit, I would be pretty annoyed.  That is one of the risks of buying a condo-hotel unit.  It would be like the equivalent of buying a unit at The Ritz Carlton and ending up with a Super 8 operator, or worse yet, a Nicky O!

Speaking of Nicky O’Hilton

The Bentley Beach, a 109–room condo-hotel located at 101 Ocean Drive in South Beach, will become a Hilton next week.  The Hilton was famous for operating The Fontainebleau Hotel on Collins Avenue up until 2005.  Since 2005 Hilton has not operated a hotel on Miami Beach.

What’s Up With Paradiso Condos/Gansevoort Hotel?

It seems that the Chetrit Group, L.L.C., has sold the project to the owners of the Gansevoort Hotel in NYC.  Gansevoort Hotel owners, William and Michael Achenbaum, were originally tapped to be the hotel operator for the South Beach project.

A source has informed me that a mortgage was recorded on the property, by CSFB, earlier this summer for $370M.  Calls to the sales office have confirmed that Chetrit Group, L.L.C. is no longer the developer. Closings of Paradiso condominiums are scheduled to begin in October while the Gansevoort Hotel is slated for opening in November. 

Michael Achenbaum tried unsuccessfully to take over the Royal Palm Crowne Plaza Resort in 2004.

Gansevoort Hotel, Paradiso South Beach, Miami Beach condo-hotels