If you are a wealthy snowbird living in NYC, Chicago, Pittsburg, and other cold winter cities, making the migration to Miami for months every year, you know Bal Harbour for sure. It’s that narrow enclave just south of Sunny Isles that’s home to a select group of privileged people who prefer to live an opulent but under-the-radar lifestyle. Unlike its more ostentatious northerly neighbor with futuristic skyscrapers reaching sixty-eight stories and higher, Bal Harbour is the location for relatively low-rise but iconic developments. The Ritz Carlton Bal Harbour (previously Bal Harbour-One) bordering an amazing blue-water inlet to the sea, and St. Regis Bal Harbour Hotel and Residences are world-famous. So what do Bal Harbour residents do for exercise and fitness once they leave their front door?
An array of fitness activities only downstairs.
Well, in many cases, they don’t even have to step outside of the building. Upscale condo communities feature state-of-the-art health clubs that provide not only technology-centric equipment but also personal trainers and classes to meet every exercise taste. Are you into Pilates? It’s there seven days a week. Also, Zumba, Yoga, and, of course, spinning. Perhaps you’re addicted to cycling but lean more toward privacy? The new Peloton stationary bike is just the thing to keep you engaged. Step up to the saddle on this elite athlete’s designed option with its online App and video screen. Ride with other active Peloton groups live worldwide or through simulated Tour De France stages that traverse the Alps. Measure yourself and keep records on every fitness metric that signifies your health and competitive stature. It’s all the rage right now, attracting a following of opinion-leaders throughout the USA.
Or a few steps in front of your Bal Harbour Residence
Florida’s weather from November to April is on the top of the champagne scale. The opportunity to get out under the sun and experience the state’s gentle sea breezes may be too tempting to miss. Right in front of your Bal Harbour condo, no matter which development you reside in, there’s a paved and packed-sand path ocean-side for runners, walkers, inline skaters, and cyclists. It cost $3 million to construct and stretches for nearly ten miles with little route deviation. For ardent outdoor enthusiasts, there and back with endless sea views is almost marathon distance.
Activities up and down the Miami coastline
Now, while the focus of this article is on the ways the wealthy stay fit, not all the ways they select costs big money to participate. There are Bal Harbour fitness fanatics that regularly get into volleyball games on the sand close to the corner of eighth avenue and Ocean Drive or the numerous meetup groups all along the beachfront. Also, outdoor yoga classes are available daily for only a small donation, even out of season.
Or through the Miami waterway network
Then there’s kayaking as a phenomenal aerobic activity that also gives your arms and legs a complete workout. Many New Yorkers (and there are many) into this start by renting. Eventually, as the bug bites, they can spend over a thousand bucks on a customized, sleek bullet-shaped craft that they oar through the city’s waterways like North Miami Beach’s Oleta State Park, Coral Gable’s Matheson Hammock, and Key Biscayne. That’s not to mention the thousands of canals and tributaries throughout the region.
On rolling parks and other surfaces
Bal Harbour residents, of course, love golf. Unfortunately, playing it in Florida mostly consists of jumping in-and-out of motorized carts, and covering the few miles as a passenger or driver. The exercise factor is limited to swinging the club at the ball as much as hundred-and-something times (with practice swings included), but not a hectic workout by any stretch of the imagination. One iconic “walking” course that’s genuinely challenging, especially to those that are single-figure handicappers, is the Doral Golf Resort and Spa course. It’s a PGA fixture that even the pros fear. Play it for up to $450 per round, including the mandatory caddie. Naturally, private golf with country-club membership is close by at courses like The Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort & Club, where equity entry is at $65,000 non-refundable.
Look no further than the Oceana Bal Harbour ( the former Bal Harbour Beach Club) for an active tennis community enjoying two clay courts for minimal impact on knees and leg joints. The site offers a full tennis concierge and coaching service to create a great user experience.
What else is there?
The fitness, exercise, and sports activities covered above focus mostly on health advancement, but of course, there are many options not specifically included here. Swimming, deep-sea fishing, snorkeling at numerous reefs, wave running, and water skiing are aqua-sports at the fingertips of Bal Harbour residents as occasional pastimes or mainstream selections. Having your yacht docked at the Bal Harbour Yacht Club is an easy way to access all the mindblowing resort-like resources Miami Beach has to offer.
If you are considering a residential move to Bal Harbour or any beach location in the close vicinity, look no further than the Ivan and Mike Team for five-star attention and realty advice that’ll save you time and money without compromising your options.
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