What is The Best Miami Luxury and Oceanfront Pre-Construction Condo in 2018?

The Best Miami Condo in 2018 (If you don’t want to be on Miami Beach)

First off is our initial caveat. We are here to report the facts, but of course we have our personal opinion on every project, which is based on our experience and holistic knowledge of the market. If you like to hear my personal opinion about any of the below projects, please give me a call at +1.305.508.0899.

Are you looking for an oceanfront luxury condo in Miami? For those looking to live outside of Miami Beach in a large waterfront residence, we selected three of the most luxurious condo towers in Miami.

• The Markers in Coconut Grove
• Park Grove in Coconut Grove (Tower 1)
• UNA Residences in Brickell

First of all these three condos are oceanfront, offer high-end finishes and 5 star amenities and they all provide for private elevators. They are all in the same price range of $900 per SF+. We will compare these three condo projects on several aspects, which we consider important for true luxury condos.

The Developer

• The Una Residences are built by the Russian  OKO GROUP, owned by billionaire developer Vladislav Doronin. The group has done most of its work in Russia with limited invested interest in Miami.
• The Markers is built by Eduardo Avila and Grove Isle Associates, LLC. Eddie Avila is a senior developer in Miami, he oversaw and directed projects which shaped the Brickell landscape such as the first phase of Brickell Key (in a joint venture with Swire Properties), and Brickell Place in Miami.
• Park Grove is being built by Coconut Grove resident David Martin, CEO of Terra Group. Terra has a proven track record in Miami and is the developer behind Glass and 87 Park in Miami Beach, Modern Doral and Botaniko in Doral and Grove at Grand Bay in Coconut Grove.

Given their invested interested and proven track record we think Park Grove is a clear winner here

The Markers

Park Grove

Una Residences

The Density & Privacy of the projects

• The Markers offers 1 unit per 4,691 SF. The Markers is located on 7 acres and offer 65 units. The Markers are built on the “top” of an island and therefore have no neighbors left and right of them. The three existing towers look into the back of the Markers. Which means more privacy.
• Park Grove offers 1 unit per 760 SF. Park Grove is located on 5,2 acres and offer 298 units. We focus only on Tower 1 for this comparison, which offer 54 units, however the entire project offers 298 units. Park Grove is surrounded by neighbors Grove Tower and the Ritz Carlton Residences. Besides the neighbors, the three project towers allow for other residents to look inside your unit (albeit that only tower 2 looks into the back of tower 1)
• UNA Residences Brickell offers 1 unit per 350 SF. The 135 residences are built on a 47,248 SF lot. UNA does have neighbors on both sides. On the left hand side we find Brickell Townhouse, which is slightly more to the back than the UNA Residences and there is quite some space between the two. The right-hand neighbor is separated from UNA with a street.

The Markers offers the most privacy in all aspects while the UNA Residences are offering the highest density of all

Ceiling Heights and Balcony Depth

• The Markers offer 11 Ft ceiling heights and 15 Ft deep balconies
  • The Markers penthouses offer 12’5 Ft ceilings 20 Ft deep balconies
• Park Grove Tower 1 offers 12 foot ceilings and 20 ft balconies in all units
• Una residences offer 10’8 ft ceilings heights for standard units and 10 ft deep balconies
  • Una Penthouses offer 11’7 – 12’4 Ft ceilings

For general units Park Grove offers the highest ceilings and the deepest balconies. The Markers Penthouses offer the highest ceiling heights

Walkability to Restaurants, Bars and other places of interest

• The Markers is located on a gated island with several amenities and the island is very walkable itself. Coconut Grove’s famous Kennedy Park is within walkable distance as well as the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. Leaving the island for restaurants, the movies or anything else you would need a car.
• Park Grove is located on South Bayshore Drive, this bay front strip is steps away from Coconut Grove’s center with restaurants, bars and parks nearby.
• The UNA Residences are located on the end of Brickell Avenue. You could walk to Brickell’s core, but in Miami’s heat that might be a bit too far away (not ideal for a quick coffee). So there is walkability but one might not opt for that.

Park Grove offers the best walkability followed by UNA. The Markers is more secluded, which undoubtedly is the entire idea behind this project located on an island.

The Markers

Park Grove

Una Residences

Unit Sizes and Flexibility

• The Markers offers 2,200 SF to 5,000 SF units with pillars in the units. According to the sales center there is some form of flexibility, but no specific information was given
• Park Grove Tower One offers 2,546 SF to 7,311 SF with a lot of flexibility in what you can do with your unit. Park Grove has no colums or pilars in the residences.
• UNA offers 1,100 to 4,786 SF residences with pillars in the residences. There is some flexibility, for example units can be combined and other changes can be made upon request.

Park Grove offers the largest residences and as there are no pillars in the residences, no space will be lost

The Amenities

All of these residences offer the best in amenities like several pools, fitness centers, saunas, kids rooms etc. We are just mentioning what sets them apart with links for you to find more information

• The Markers is ideal for water lovers. The condo offers 10 boat slips for sale and for those who do not own a boat, the condo offers a 40-foot Fjord boat exclusively for residents of The Markers (a la carte)
• Park Grove offers 50,000 SF of amenities including a nanny’s room with onsite nanny and a large private cinema

• The UNA residences offers a private marina as well as a private catering kitchen.

The Downsides and Upsides of Each Condo

• The Markers offers superb oceanfront residences on a gated island. These high-end residences are truly a boaters dream.  Downsides are that the Markers only offers valet parking and the island is shared with three dated condos.
• Park Grove is a true luxury project offering grand residences and the best of amenities. I think Park Grove is the best replacement one can find for a single-family home. Park Grove however is not directly on the water (there is a road and a park in between) and some people might argue the third tower (smaller units around the $1M mark) takes from the towers prestige.
• Arguably the only true luxury tower on Brickell with great finishes and a brand new building right on the bay with direct access to the I95. This condo however is located on a very small lot, which creates a high density feeling. Furthermore the walkability is limited, it won’t be easy to go out and grab a quick coffee