While Related puts the finishing touches on the uber-amenities at SLS Lux, I wanted to share with everyone a new aerial drone video showcasing its 57th floor rooftop pool deck and 9th floor garden level amenities deck. Although Related received its temporary certificate of occupancy (TCO) for the upper floors last month, the sky lounge and rooftop pool deck have yet to officially open in order to allow the developer adequate time to properly furnish those spaces. In the video below, you will notice that the rooftop pool has been filled with water and has five poolside umbrellas around it but is missing lounge chairs. On the 9th floor amenities level, it’s good to see that the multi-purpose court is nearly finished.
For those curious about how the inside of this beautiful development looks, be sure to check out my photo tour of SLS Lux, which is filled with hi-res photos of the SLS Lux Brickell Hotel, on-site restaurant and bar, and building amenities. And if you’re curious to see the finishes of an actual condo residence at SLS Lux, be sure to check out my photo tour of unit 2009, which I listed for sale on April 26th and got under contract in just six days!
New Renderings Unveiled for Una Residences
Spa
Earlier this week, the Miami Condo Investments Team was invited to the Una Residences sales center to receive a special presentation for Brickell’s only waterfront preconstruction development. Not only did we have an opportunity to see first-hand the kitchen and bathroom finishes, we also had an opportunity to view the newly released renderings and see for ourselves some of the views that the development will offer.
Pre-sales for Una Residences launched a few months ago and the development has been very well received. The 47-story tower was designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill (AS+GG) and is being developed by OKO Group. Completion of Una Residences is slated for summer 2021.
private boat slips
lobby
Kids’ splash-pad area
terrace
level 3 lounge
Kids’ playroom
Top 5 Things to Do in Miami When it Rains
The long-awaited Memorial Day Weekend is FINALLY here…but so is the rain 😥 . The weather forecast for Miami over the holiday weekend calls for rain, rain, and more rain. Of course, that begs the question, “What to do in Miami on a rainy day?”. Below are our suggestions for keeping yourself dry and in better spirits.
5. Bowl with Friends at Splitsville
Even if you’re a lousy bowler, challenging a group of friends to games of bowling can be a great time. Splitsville, located in South Miami at The Shops at Sunset Place, has 13 bowling lanes along with a great selection of food and alcoholic beverages. For those with kids, it even has a kids menu and non-alcoholic beverages. Escape the rain, bowl to your hearts content, and be merry!
4. Get Sauced at M.I.A. Beer Company
Rainy days tend to get even the best of us down but there’s nothing quite like a cold beer with friends to turn that frown upside down. M.I.A. Beer Company has some outstanding beer options, but their bar food selection is equally as impressive. For those watching their caloric intake or don’t enjoy the bloat they get from beer, be sure to try HRD WTR. It’s delicious, refreshing, and has just 147 calories with 5 grams of carbs for 16 ounces.
3. Watch a movie at CMX Brickell City Centre CMX Brickell City Centre is the Rolls-Royce of movie theaters. It has just 10 viewing rooms, each with super comfortable, reclining chairs that are well spaced-out so that you won’t ever have to squeeze by other movie patrons as you make your way to and from your seat. In fact, the viewing rooms are intimate, with some having as little as 25 seats. Additionally, the theater has an excellent selection of food, beer and signature cocktails, all of which can be ordered while in your seat using their smart phone app or on-chair button. Last but not least, CMX Brickell City Centre has a super impressive sports bar called Stone Sports Bar located just outside the viewing rooms. It boasts the largest indoor LED screen in Florida…one of the best places in Miami to watch sports.
2. Shop ’til you drop at the Aventura Mall
You can easily spend an entire day at the Aventura Mall and still not have a chance to see everything. With 2,700,000 square feet of retail, the Aventura Mall is THE largest shopping mall in Florida and second largest in the United States. Last November, it opened a three-level expansion wing adding 241,000 square feet of stores and restaurants. Trust me, there’s something for everyone! If shopping ain’t your thang, enjoy the amazing restaurants that the Aventura Mall has to offer. My favs are Luke’s Lobster, CVI.CHE 105, Shake Shack, and Grand Lux Cafe.
1. Take a cooking class at La Centrale’s cooking studio called “La Cucina”
As you may have heard, La Centrale is a 40,000 square foot Italian food hall at Brickell City Centre. However, what you may not have heard is that La Centrale includes a cooking studio called La Cucina where you can learn hands-on the secrets of great Italian cooking from their master chefs. Some of their upcoming classes include: a Hands-On Neapolitan Pizza Workshop, Hands-On Pastry Class, Italian Sauces 101, and Fresh Pasta Workshop. They’ll have you saying al dente in no time.
A First Look at Panorama Tower
I recently had the pleasure of attending a group tour of the 49th floor at Panorama Tower: the 85-story mammoth development located at 1101 Brickell Avenue, encompassing a newly opened luxury rental community, along with (eventually) hotel, retail, and office space. Given that the building received its first TCO (temporary certificate of occupancy) only a few days prior, I was told that it was a special VIP treat to get a ride up the elevator and actually view rental units in person. While a construction manager escorted us to the appropriate floor, the leasing specialists delighted in no longer needing to don hardhats and work boots to visit the tower, also noting that air conditioning was a brand new addition.
Even completely empty, the 2-story lobby felt every bit as grand as it should in a building of this magnitude, as did the enormous porte-cochere. The elevator ride to 49 was amazingly quick. The construction manager beamed with pride while he praised the elevator’s security features and explained that guests must be granted specific access in order to get anywhere in the building. While I can’t speak for the other sections of the building, the elevator lobby we used to access floor 49 housed a total of 8 high-speed elevators. According to the floor plan map in the brochure, floors 23 through 51 (otherwise known as City Levels) offer only 1 and 2 bedroom residences – whereas floors 53 through 84 (the Sky Levels) offer 1, 2, and 3 bedroom units.
The 1 and 2 bedroom floorplans I viewed were surprisingly spacious. Whereas new construction condos in Brickell seem to trade living area for amenities, at Panorama, I found large living rooms, bedrooms, closets, and dens. Though kitchen islands were somewhat brief, overall kitchen storage seemed adequate, and the quality and colors of the finishes rival some of the pricier new buildings of greater downtown Miami. Floor to ceiling glass highlighted some breathtaking views of Biscayne Bay and Coconut Grove, and I couldn’t help but wonder how they’d look from the 85th floor. The 868-foot tower is currently the tallest residential tower south of Manhattan, so views that high will stretch as far as the eye can see.
All in all, I was impressed by what I saw on the 49th floor of Panorama Tower (especially of the floor plans and views) and would be excited to see more. I was told that amenities will be opening over the next few weeks, including a pool on the East side of the building that will be shared with the onsite hotel, and a larger one on the Westside that will be exclusive to residents. Other amenities include a poolside cafe & bar, fitness center, spa, yoga & pilates studio, two social lounges, a “muse” room/music studio, three private movie theatres, private dining and entertainment rooms, children’s playroom, personal wine lockers, billiards room, onsite pet daycare/grooming/boarding, and a cyber cafe/coffee bar.
The leasing specialist mentioned at the end of our tour that pricing will be going up next week, but at the time of this writing, the most affordable unit available is a 1 bed plus den, 1.5 bath residence on the 30th floor, featuring city views and 1,161 square feet for $2,856 per month. The most affordable unit on the water-facing side of the building is a 1 bed plus den, 1.5 bath residence for only $2,912 per month, with 1,142 square feet and located on the 34th floor. I was also told that previously scheduled move-ins were just beginning, and that depending on the unit, some of the earliest available move-ins going forward would be mid-July. To learn more about renting a luxury apartment at Panorama Tower, contact [email protected] or call 305-428-3860.
New Renderings Released for Canvas Miami
With completion just months away, new renderings were released earlier this week for Canvas Miami, the 37-story condo tower developed by NR Investments and located in the emerging Arts + Entertainment District of Miami at 1630 Northeast 1st Avenue. I must say, these newest renderings look much more exciting than their earlier ones. Besides showcasing their amenities, these renderings seem to emphasize the streetscape and pedestrian-friendly roads immediately surrounding Canvas, something which will be a welcome addition to that neighborhood.
On the 9th floor, Canvas will include 30,000 square feet of amenities:
Sunrise Pool
Sunset Pool
3,000-square-foot Fitness Center
Zen spa/sauna and treatment rooms
Indoor/Outdoor Yoga Garden
Racquetball Court
Social Room
Children’s Playroom
The rooftop level will include the following additional amenities:
Rooftop Lounge
Sky Plunge Pool
Signature Dining
Business Center
Theater
Canvas Miami is scheduled to be completed in summer of this year. The developer still has inventory remaining with prices starting in the mid-$300Ks.
Okan Tower Promo Video Released Ahead of U.S. Sales Launch
Ahead of its U.S. launch date, Turkish developer Okan Group has released a promo video for its upcoming mixed-purpose development called Okan Tower. The video is in Turkish but it includes a number of never-before-seen renderings of the 70-story tower. For additional information about this exciting project, read our previous blog post about the sales launch for Okan Tower.
Turkish Developer Okan Group Launches Okan Tower in Downtown Miami
Turkish developer and leading enterprise Okan Group announced yesterday the official sales launch of its first U.S. development – Okan Tower. The distinctive architecture planned for the 70-story mixed-purpose property is meant to emulate the silhouette of a blossoming tulip (Turkey’s national flower). Located in Downtown Miami at 555 North Miami Avenue, this innovative addition to the Miami skyline will feature a 294-key hotel by Hilton Hotels & Resorts, 64,000 square feet of ‘Class A’ office space, 236 condo-hotel units starting on the 36th floor, 149 condominium residences starting on the 51st floor, plus four duplex penthouses.
Okan Group Chairman and billionaire, Bekir Okan, credits the city of Miami’s vibrant energy and international fusion for his choice in the project’s location. “It is with great pleasure that we unveil Okan Tower as we embark on a journey to present a bold real estate product in one of the world’s leading destinations,” he added. “In selecting our projects throughout the world, we always seek to establish an impact that will make history. Not only in its design but through its level of experiential elements, Okan Tower will have a transformative effect on the metropolis that will forever change Miami’s skyline”.
The architecture firm behind the tower’s bold design in tribute to Turkish culture is Behar Font & Partners. Okan Tower’s studio, one-, and two-bedroom condo-hotel units will be delivered turnkey furnished, ranging in size from 447 to 1,245 square feet, while its condo-residence offerings will include one- to three-bedroom units plus a den, ranging from 698 to over 2,071 square feet; and 4 duplex-style penthouses ranging from 1,873 to more than 2,142 square feet. Okan Tower will also offer world-class amenities, including high-speed elevators with separate access for various mixed-use components, a sky pool with panoramic views from the 70th floor, outdoor lounge, Hammam spa, state-of-the-art health and fitness center, kids’ playroom, chef and gastro kitchen, movie theater, wine cellar and cigar room, as well as a rooftop restaurant located on the 67th floor.
There’s no doubt that this project will cater to the taste of the foreign buyers so highly accounted for in the past several years of Miami’s residential real estate sales. A 3,000 square-foot sales gallery for the tower already opened in Istanbul, Turkey on May 2nd, complete with a full model residence. The U.S. sales gallery will open on May 10th. Promising sophistication and convenience, Okan Tower’s location is close in proximity to business, entertainment, culture, and the arts – with Perez Art Museum, Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science, American Airlines, the upcoming Miami Worldcenter, and the Brightline Train all within blocks.
Privately funded, the project is already slated to break ground this fall. Pricing for units at Okan Tower starts from $318,500.
Enrique Iglesias & Pitbull Drop “Move to Miami”
Yesterday morning, Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull released their hot new dance single “Move to Miami” along with the above lyric video on YouTube. According to reports, Enrique and Mr. 305 were spotted this past March in Wynwood shooting a video for their new song, a video which will be released later this year.
We have to agree with Pitbull and Enrique…you should move to Miami…but you better do it before the surplus condo inventory gets swallowed!
Aria on the Bay Closings Set to Begin Next Week
After three years of construction, closings are set to begin next week for units at Aria on the Bay. The 53-story development received its Temporary Certificate of Occupancy last week. According to in-house sales reps, ten percent of the units at Aria on the Bay remain unsold, with prices for one- to three-bedroom residences ranging from $422,900 to $1,682,900. All units feature porcelain tiled flooring throughout, Italkraft kitchen cabinets, Bosch stainless steel appliances, and 9-foot high ceilings with floor-to-ceiling glass windows.
Aria on the Bay is located in Edgewater Miami at 1770 North Bayshore Drive. It was developed by Melo Group, designed by Arquitectonica, and will include 648 residential units.
SLS Lux Brickell Hotel To Open June 4th
In a newsletter sent yesterday to owners of the newly opened SLS Lux Residences, it was announced that the SLS Lux Brickell Hotel will open on June 4th. The poolside bar located on the 9th floor of the building will begin operation that day as well, with food and beverages available for purchase to residents and hotel guests.
SLS Lux Brickell Hotel guests will have access to a myriad of amenities including: a 75-foot lap pool, separate 112-foot beach-entry pool, poolside cabanas, poolside bar, state-of-the-art fitness center, full-service spa, full-service concierge, and much more.
