In a city brimming with optimism and reinvention Sunny Isles Beach stands at the pinnacle of the Miami zeitgeist.

What was once a sleepy strip of dilapidated Sahara-themed motels and rows of sea grape trees is now a glitzy community of soaring condo towers and upscale hotels. The 1.7-mile city is known for its enviable waterfront property–bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Intracoastal Waterway on the west–and its lax restrictions on height limitations, thereby paving the way for ambitious developers to outdo each other with cloud-grazing projects.


 

Just twenty minutes north of South Beach, the densely-developed town is a study in contrasts, from the million-dollar penthouses that dot A1A to the frenetic strip malls teeming with Russian delis and drugstores that flank the west side of Collins Ave. But there’s also a cultural presence here, with an annual Jazz festival that attracts 2,000 music lovers (this year’s theme was a "Tribute to Women in Jazz”) and plans for an Aquarium and marine observatory. And in the last decade the city has plowed all that extra tourism and real estate revenue back into municipal infrastructure, building a modern-looking library with high-tech equipment and creating and maintaining ten public parks and recreation centers. This year saw the opening of the Newport Fishing Pier, the only public fishing pier in Miami-Dade and a $6.5 million project that took eight years to complete. 

The self-proclaimed “Florida’s Riviera” was established in 1920 by private investor Harvey Baker Graves and was known as North Miami Beach until 1931, then known as Sunny Isles until 1997.

The late 1990’s ushered in an era of intense redevelopment where the town went from being populated primarily by one-story motels to welcoming mega-developers like Donald Trump who built a two-building complex called the Trump Royale and Trump Palace. Trump’s hotel and residential property features a circular floor plan and suites that employ a “floor-through-see-through” design that allows for views from all directions, which means guests can have the unique experience of enjoying both the sunrise in the morning and the sunset in the evening. There’s also the 51-story Acqualina Resort and Spa with its Mediterranean revival architecture and massive clock tower. When the resort opened in 2005 it was the swankiest spot north of South Beach with Baroque fountains and marble-and–gold leaf columns in the public areas evoking an opulent Venetian palace. And it’s not lacking in luxury, with an outpost of the British-based spa company, ESPA, the 20,000-square-foot pampering haven features a crystal steam room, Finnish sauna, spa pool, Roman waterfall, and sun deck.

The restaurant scene in Sunny Isles varies from run-of-the-mill chains and juice bars to excellent fine dining. In 2003 local chef Tim Andriola opened the 100-seat Timo in a modest strip mall space and ten years on the place continues to impress with  its neo-Italian menu that includes everything from homemade pasta to seafood to pizzas baked in a wood burning oven. Dinner specialties include the fois gras crostini, Mediterranean sea bass brazino, and braised short ribs. Last year chef Ralph Pagano (a contestant on Hell’s Kitchen) opened Alba Seaside Italian at the hip Sole on the Ocean hotel. With a Rat Pack vibe and huge portions of traditional Italian staples the spot has quickly gained a loyal following.

And yet, things have not slowed down. In the last year, six new luxury projects have been slated for development. Gil Dezer is behind the Porsche Design Tower, a 132-unit fortress constructed around three car elevators that travel all 60 stories and make up the core of the building. Then there’s the The Mansions at Acqualina with a $55 million Palazzo d’Oro penthouse that has two stories, 20,000 square feet, and comes complete with a $5 million Fendi Casa furniture package and a glass-bottomed outdoor pool that cantilevers out 12 feet, for a 649-foot view straight down. Then there’s Regalia and Chateau Beach Residences, that latter of which has units selling for $1,000 to $1,100 a square foot.
Still, despite the Vagas-like excess it would be easy to dismiss Sunny Isles as the place where Russian billionaires go to retire with their trophy wives and stash of sports cars, but that would be missing the boomlet for the condo towers. The beach remains pristine as ever, with a public park providing tots a window into the gin-colored waves. And the atmosphere is undeniably pleasant. A typical weekend at this tony enclave could include a morning swim in the Atlantic, a lunch of stone crabs and chocolate babka at the gourmet Epicure market and a day spent fishing off the Newport pier. And in the span of twenty-four hours, all that’s wonderful about South Florida can be had. Nestled between Miami and Ft. Lauderdale the city is part laid-back coastal village, and part opulent jet-setting destination. If visitors are lucky, they’ll get to experience both.