245 oceanfront residences. A 5.6-acre amenity deck. A car-elevator skyline penthouse. Here's the honest breakdown of Sunny Isles' most exclusive address.
Key Takeaways
- The Estates at Acqualina is the only Sunny Isles tower currently delivering at $4,000–$5,500 per square foot — pricing that puts it in direct competition with Mandarin Oriental Brickell Key and Fisher Island as Florida's true trophy oceanfront market.
- Trump Group built the Estates as an "ultra-luxury" sister to the existing Acqualina Resort & Residences, with 5.6 acres of amenity decking and one of the most over-engineered amenity stacks in U.S. residential real estate.
- Resale activity in 2026 is thin and sticky — but the trades that close are setting new records for Sunny Isles oceanfront price per square foot, repricing the entire submarket above $3,000/sqft.
Sunny Isles Beach has, for the last 15 years, traded as Miami's "Russian Riviera" — the high-end oceanfront submarket where international buyers from Moscow, São Paulo, Buenos Aires, and Mexico City bought trophy condos at Porsche Design Tower, Jade Signature, Mansions at Acqualina, and the original Acqualina Resort. The buyer pool is global. The product is institutional. The pricing has historically run roughly half of Fisher Island or Indian Creek Island per square foot.
Then the Estates at Acqualina delivered. And the math changed.
This is not the original Acqualina (the 51-story 2006 tower next door). This is the Estates — two new towers, "Acqualina Estates South" and "Acqualina Estates North" — delivered by Trump Group as the ultra-luxury sister project to the existing Acqualina Resort. Construction completed in late 2024; the buildings entered their first real resale window in 2026. And the asks coming out of the building this year are pricing some Sunny Isles inventory at the same per-square-foot levels as Brickell Key trophy product.
What the Estates Actually Is
Two oceanfront towers, 51 and 49 stories respectively, totaling 245 residences across a single shared 5.6-acre amenity deck — one of the largest amenity decks in U.S. residential real estate. Located at 17855 Collins Avenue, directly oceanfront, sandwiched between the original Acqualina Resort and the open beach.
Unit mix: Residences begin at roughly 4,000 square feet, with most floor plates configured as half-floor and full-floor homes Floor plans range from $7M for entry-level units to over $50M for the largest oceanfront penthouses (the skyline penthouse with private car elevator listed at $69M) All units delivered finished — premium oak floors, statuario marble, Gaggenau appliances, integrated smart home, private elevators directly into each residence
The Amenity Deck — Why It Matters
Trump Group's central thesis on the Estates was that the residential building wars in Sunny Isles had been won and lost on lobby chandeliers and gym equipment. The Estates went the other way: 5.6 acres of programmed amenity decking, including:
A FlowRider surf simulator Multiple oceanfront pools, including a children's pool and a competition-length lap pool A private ice skating rink (yes, in Florida) A full bowling alley A formula-1 racing simulator room A black-tie ballroom that seats 320 A 21-treatment-room spa under "Acqualina ESPA" branding A full-service oceanfront restaurant and beach club open to residents A 14,000+ sq ft fitness center A dog park, children's club, teen club, and full concierge A wine cellar, cigar lounge, and private chef-staffed catering kitchen
This is the most over-engineered amenity stack in any U.S. residential tower I'm aware of in 2026. It is also, predictably, the single biggest driver of the building's $1.85–$2.20/sqft monthly HOA fees. Owners aren't paying for a building. They're paying for a private resort that happens to include their home.
Why The Estates Is Pricing Sunny Isles Above $4,000/SqFt
Before the Estates delivered, Sunny Isles trophy product traded in the $2,200–$2,800 per square foot range. The Estates is currently transacting in the $4,000–$5,500/sqft range on its high-floor oceanfront units, and the penthouse asks push above $6,000/sqft. That's not a small jump. That's a structural repricing of the Sunny Isles ceiling.
The reasons: First, Trump Group's existing Acqualina Resort & Residences (the 2006 building next door) has functioned as a proof-of-concept for 20 years. International buyers know the operator, the service standard, and the resale liquidity. The Estates inherits that brand equity directly.
Second, the international buyer pool. As I covered in "Relocating to Miami from Latin America in 2026," the Latin American ultra-high-net-worth buyer is back in force, particularly Brazilian and Mexican wealth, and the Estates is the single most-shown Sunny Isles building to that buyer profile.
Third, scarcity. Trump Group has stated this is the final Acqualina-branded tower planned for the Sunny Isles oceanfront. There is no Acqualina Phase 3. Buyers who want into the Acqualina ecosystem do it now or never.
Fourth, the trophy comparison set. When you start pricing in the $4,000+/sqft band, you're competing against Mandarin Oriental Brickell Key, Faena Penthouses, Fisher Island, and Aman Beach. As I broke down in "Mandarin Oriental Residences Miami: Inside the $6,300/SqFt Tower," and "Aman Residences Miami Beach," those competitors are pricing meaningfully higher per square foot — making the Estates look like the relatively "accessible" entry into the Florida trophy market.
The Investment Reality
The Estates is not a cash-flow asset. Short-term rentals are prohibited. The HOA structure makes month-to-month leasing economically unattractive. Buyers here are buying primary, secondary, or family-legacy homes — not income properties.
What the Estates does deliver well: real estate as wealth storage and intergenerational transfer. Florida has no state estate tax. Real estate held in proper structures (LLCs, trusts, family limited partnerships) is among the most efficient ways to transfer wealth at scale. As I discussed in "How to Structure Your Miami Real Estate LLC in 2026," the structures around trophy Florida real estate are increasingly being designed not for tax shelter on operating income, but for clean multi-generational wealth transfer.
The trade you're making: roughly $1.85–$2.20/sqft monthly in carrying costs (HOA + tax + insurance + utilities, blended), in exchange for an asset that has historically held value through cycles, lives oceanfront, and operates under one of the most respected service brands in Florida luxury.
The Resale Market in 2026
Real talk: the resale market at the Estates in 2026 is thin and sticky. Active listings: roughly 14 units across both towers at any given time. Average days on market: 156 days. Sellers are not under pressure — most paid cash, most have multiple homes, most are willing to wait for their number. Bid-ask spreads are wide.
That dynamic is actually a feature, not a bug. The Estates' resale market trades the way a museum-grade art piece trades — slowly, at very high price points, to a narrow buyer pool. If you want fast liquidity, this is the wrong asset.
If you want a multi-generational Florida home in arguably the most over-engineered amenity stack in U.S. residential real estate, you should be looking here.
Miami Market Snapshot — June 2026:
- Median sale price at The Estates at Acqualina (2026 trades): $4,640/sqft (vs. $2,420/sqft Sunny Isles broader average)
- Active resale inventory at The Estates: 14 units (thin, slow-moving)
- Average days on market for closed Estates trades: 156 days
- Sunny Isles broader market: median sale price $1.82M (down 1.8% YoY), active inventory up 19% from 2025
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How does The Estates at Acqualina compare to the original Acqualina Residences next door? A: The original Acqualina (2006) trades at roughly $1,800–$2,400 per square foot — about 40% below the Estates. The original is still a top-tier Sunny Isles building, but the Estates was built specifically to set a new ultra-luxury ceiling. Different buyer profile, different service level, different price point.
Q: Are short-term rentals permitted at The Estates? A: No. The Estates condo documents prohibit short-term rentals. Minimum lease terms are 6 months. This is consistent with all top-tier Sunny Isles trophy product and is one of the reasons resale values have held — investor saturation is impossible.
Q: What's the realistic entry point at The Estates in 2026? A: Entry-level half-floor residences in the 4,000–4,500 sq ft range are currently asking $16M–$22M. Full-floor residences run $25M–$45M. Penthouses and the trophy skyline units price $50M+. There is no sub-$10M entry at the Estates.
Q: Is Sunny Isles still considered a "Russian Riviera," and how has the buyer mix changed in 2026? A: The international buyer mix has diversified significantly since 2022. Current Estates buyers are predominantly Brazilian, Mexican, Argentine, U.S. domestic ultra-high-net-worth from New York, Connecticut, and California, and a smaller share of Middle Eastern, Italian, and Turkish buyers. The "Russian Riviera" label is now more historical than current.
Explore the full The Estates at Acqualina project on my website: carloscabalerealtor.com/new-development/estates-at-acqualina
When you're ready for trophy oceanfront, let's talk. Partnership Realty / Partnership Realty Inc / +1 (561) 629-0358 / carloscabalerealtor.com
Partnership Realty Editorial
Content Team · Partnership Realty Inc
+1 (305) 340-6251 · partnershiprealtyinc.com