Sunny Isles Beach

Sunny Isles Beach is a two-mile barrier island city between Haulover Park and Golden Beach, and almost all of it is Collins Avenue: a single line of oceanfront towers on the east side, the Intracoastal Waterway on the west, and a handful of cross streets to the bridges at Sunny Isles Boulevard and 163rd Street. It was a strip of 1950s motels until the 2000s; today it holds the tallest residential buildings in Florida outside downtown Miami.

The towers are grouped by era and brand. Acqualina and the Mansions at Acqualina, the three Trump towers, Jade Beach, Jade Ocean and Jade Signature, the Porsche Design Tower with its car elevator, the Armani/Casa residences and the Ritz-Carlton Residences form the new oceanfront; between them, the older Winston Towers, Sands Pointe, Oceania and Arlen House complexes from the 1970s–90s hold most of the city's units and its lower entry prices. Newport Fishing Pier and the beach parks break the line every few blocks.

Buyers here compare like with like: oceanfront versus Intracoastal side, new tower versus renovated older complex, and the very different maintenance fees that come with each. Aventura Mall, Oleta River State Park and the Bal Harbour Shops are all within a ten-minute drive.