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Top 5 Fitness and Sports Activities Wealthy People do in Bal Harbour

Top 5 Fitness and Sports Activities Wealthy People do in Bal Harbour

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?

Top 5 Fitness and Sports Activities Wealthy People do in Bal Harbour

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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10 Must-Have Features Your Next Luxury Home Needs

10 Must-Have Features Your Next Luxury Home Needs

The pursuit of high-end living is all about a comfortable and splendid lifestyle.  The true connoisseur of luxury is not only looking for top-notch amenities but also that unique edge that showcases their exclusive status and position.

The leaps in technology have allowed builders and creators to come up with truly amazing and genius ideas that take lavish living to the next level. Open spaces and expansive bedroom sizes aren’t enough anymore, with new technology-based amenities on the rise.

It is not only the ease that technology provides but also the culmination of comfort and splendour for the affluent homeowner on the hunt for their palace of peace. So without further grandstanding, here are 10 must-have features your next luxury home needs…

10 Must-Have Features Your Next Luxury Home Needs

Motion Activated Kitchen Appliances

The kitchen is said to be the hearth of the modern home. It is a place where people gather and thus needs to reflect the comfort of the homeowner. Opulent living requires a kitchen that makes your life easier and comfortable. Motion-activated faucets and smart fridges not only make daily tasks feel like a breeze but also make your use of your resources greener and more efficient.

Smart Beds, Smart Mirrors and Smart Showers

High-end home automation is the crux of an affluent lifestyle with every feature accessible and controllable through your smartphone. Smart beds feature plush mattresses whose softness and rigidity can be controlled according to your needs. Luxury Spa bathrooms deliver not only smart showers with multiple faucets, jet styles, and preset preferences but also smart mirrors that track the users’ necessary health information. Towel warmers and heated floors are part and parcel of this package to make your baths feel like royalty.

Hydroponic Indoor Garden

Organic living is not only healthy but also a highly expensive endeavour to undertake. Home-based organic food growing is an option open to only the richest and cultured homeowners. An indoor hydroponic garden can easily be installed even inside the kitchen drawer and allows for the natural growth of all kinds of herbs and micro-greens, making your food journey a truly luxurious one.

Pet Shower

You deserve the very best in home living, and your pet does the same. True luxury extends to not only oneself but also to our beloved pets, who we all love spoiling. A shower designed and constructed specially for your pet is the epitome of comfort and wealth.. Be it your prize-winning Samoyed or your beloved British Shorthairs make your life easier and theirs through the very best in pet care. You’re a star, and we believe your loved pets are too!

Secret Tranquility Room

Successful and highly driven people are by their nature magnets for responsibility. A chic lifestyle is often taxing on your body and mind. A home should define tranquility and peace for you and thus must contain a room built for that purpose. Secret tranquility rooms are tailored to your needs and give you an escape from your hectic and glittering lifestyle. The beauty of a tranquility room is that it can serve several leisurely interests. Make your Fortress of Solitude a game room, massage room, sauna room, or if you’re feeling magnificent, maybe all three!

Dynamic Swimming Pool

Classy living demands the easy availability of a wide range of relaxation options that necessitate the creation of unique pools. A simple pool is a thing of the past; what feels like pure elegance is a pool that transforms your surroundings to the peak of opulence. Dynamic swimming pools not only provide heating options but also give a variety of water movements to make your morning laps feel like an ocean adventure.

Pool Theater

Entertainment rooms are a prerequisite to affluent living with their adoption by the richest a norm these days. The genuinely elite separate themselves from the rest through innovation in comfort. Pool theaters not only give a fun edge to your movie nights but also provide grandeur mixed with bliss. Not only that, but a pool theater gives you more flexibility when it comes to party size and viewing options. Immerse yourself in a genuinely cinematic experience and make your movie nights stand out from the rest. Besides, imagine watching Jaws while you float above the water with the surroundings rife with tension and excitement!

Wine Room

A wine and tasting room is another highly sought after amenity. No longer relegated to hidden underground parts of the house, wine rooms have taken prime placement among luxury homes. Make your wine room a highlight of your kitchen experience by giving it the center stage it deserves. A beautiful wine room must not only contain attractive displays but a wine dispensing system with temperature control.

Walk-in Closet

The definition of magnificence contains the importance of open, expansive spaces in your home. Nothing makes getting ready for a glitzy night more exciting than a walk-in closet featuring complete attires displayed at your pleasure. Living like a King means having a room for your one-of-a-kind fashion sense to shine and be on display. Make getting ready a pleasure rather than a task with a sprawling walk-in closet that you can walk around freely.

Outdoor Living and Eating Spaces

The marriage of indoor living spaces with outdoor ones is the true definition of a kingly home. Sunday lunches prepared on an outdoor kitchen and enjoyed on an outdoor stone dining table combine splendour with rusticity. The options with outdoor spaces are endless with various groovy amenities like cabanas, roving patios and poolside bars. Make your poolside chats into mini-vacations that not only relax you but cater to your personal preferences.

Make your next dream home a truly grand spectacle with these fantastic features to complement your royal standards.

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Tranquility, meditation and wellness: a trend in luxury buildings in South Florida

tranquility, meditation, and overall wellness in the luxe real estate of South Florida

There is a clear trend of amenities for tranquility, meditation, and overall wellness in the luxe real estate of South Florida. Resort lifestyle is no longer just about making things look good, instead developers now create spaces and services for making top-tier buyers feel good physically and mentally. It is true that the richest in the world want incredible looking properties with mesmerizing architecture, but wellness is becoming increasingly important in luxury buildings around the world, and of course in Miami Beach.

The developers of high-end homes must be on par with the amenity requests of high net worth buyers. A recent report by ONE Sotheby’s International Realty states that properties with amenities focused on wellness sell on average between 10% and 25% more.

So, what wellness amenities are the top trend in South Florida? These are some of the most desired in the new projects:

Tranquility, meditation and wellness a trend in luxury buildings in South FloridaMeditation and Mindfulness Rooms:

It’s a trend in luxe real estate to have peaceful spaces where people feed their minds, focus on the breath, listen to soft music and sounds of birds with integrations of high technology and virtual reality that stimulate the tranquility of the meditators.

These meditative rooms are built with spectacular views towards the sea where those who enjoy them can concentrate on the waves, sunsets and sunrises to cool down their senses and to be mindful of the present moment and well-being.

The Resort Spa Wellness Pavilion in 57 Ocean is a clear example of a South Florida luxury building with spaces for indoor and outdoor meditation and relaxation, and a library to feed the tranquility of the mind while watching the Atlantic Ocean.

Massage Rooms in Luxury Buildings in South FloridaMassage Rooms:

Body massages relax both body and mind and first-class buyers for sure know it and request it on their properties, which now offer places of relaxation where the masseuse will provide rejuvenating facials and relaxing body and face massages in aromatized spaces with calm music.

This delightful environment can be found in The Ritz-Carlton – Sunny Isles Beach with an outdoor massage area and a wellness center, treatment areas, sauna and steam rooms.

Tranquility Gardens in Luxury Buildings in South FloridaTranquility Gardens and Spaces:

The vegetation has always brought peace to people, not in vain most of us seek from time to time to go to natural places where trees, plants and water create a relaxing environment. Plants are now found indoors in the common areas of high-end buildings creating better spaces to live for the top-tier buyers.

We now see a trend in luxury buildings to create natural foliage paradises and waterfalls in spaces such as rooftops, libraries, lobbies, meditation rooms and restaurants.

A beautiful sample of indoor nature can be admired in Eighty Seven Park, a top luxe development in The Millionaires Row, where a botanical exhibition takes place including the best collection of orchids and other objects such as Bonsai and Petit Cactuses.

Yoga and Pilates

Yoga and Pilates Studios:

Indoor and outdoor studios are on the rise for homeowners with taste for Yoga and Pilates who often look for properties with specially designed areas to practice their sessions with a personalized coach. The luxury buildings are being designed to provide spaces like this on the roofs, large balconies with tropical plants and high-tech private studios.

Construction firms took this into account and Yoga and Pilates areas are present in all the newest luxury buildings in South Florida, but you can see a specific example at The Oceana Residences in Bal Harbor with two Oceanfront Spas; and at Una Residences across the Biscayne Bay with state-of-the-art gym equipment and separate studios for yoga and personal training among other fitness and wellness activities.

Organic FoodOn-site Organic Food

All the luxury amenities that satisfy tranquility, meditation and wellness are not complete without on-site organic food services. The luxe real estate found its way to cover this need: from five-star restaurants that serve food at the request of residents, to nutritionists and rooftop orchards that produce the ingredients that are latter served at the table of demanding diners.

Buildings now serve luxury and also wellness and tranquility; understanding what the buyers are looking for is essential for developers that will always plan to meet and surpass their needs and demands.

Know we only have to ask ourselves, what will be the next request and how it will be implemented in the properties, but one thing is for sure, homes will only become better to meet the new demands of South Florida’s luxe buyers. What would be yours?

Did you feel identified with any of the relaxation, meditation and wellness amenities mentioned in this post? There are plenty of high-rise buildings that will fulfill your taste. Top Realtors Ivan & Mike have created a list for you to judge each project.  See the list of the latest pre-construction and new construction developments in South Beach by clicking here.