Acqualina

17875 Collins Avenue, Sunny Isles Beach, FL 33160 · Sunny Isles Beach, Miami-Dade

Acqualina Resort & Residences is a 51-story, Mediterranean-style oceanfront condominium and resort tower in Sunny Isles Beach that opened in 2006 with about 188 private residences above a Forbes Five-Star hotel.

At a glance

Type: Condominium residences above a resort hotel
Built: 2006
Height: 51 stories, about 550 feet
Residences: About 188, plus a hotel of fewer than 100 rooms
Architect: Robert M. Swedroe; developed by The Trump Group
Service: 24-hour security and valet, concierge, room service, housekeeping
Amenities: About 400 feet of private beach with service, three pools, 20,000 sq ft ESPA spa, fitness center, on-site restaurants
Pets: One pet up to 25 lbs (confirm with the association)

The tower that launched the "Florida Riviera"

Acqualina was developed by The Trump Group, the Aventura-based company led by South African-born brothers Jules and Eddie Trump, who are not related to Donald Trump. After building Williams Island in Aventura, the brothers turned to Sunny Isles Beach, a barrier island then lined with aging motels, and marketed the stretch as the "Florida Riviera." The resort opened in May 2006, originally operated by Rosewood; in 2007 the owners ended that relationship and took over management under their own Acqualina brand.

The 51-story tower, designed by architect Robert M. Swedroe, stands about 550 feet tall on 4.5 oceanfront acres with roughly 400 feet of beach. Its yellow and orange stucco, clock face, and Tuscan detailing set it apart from the glass towers around it; The New York Times noted in 2006 that the building is nearly half as wide as it is tall. Most of the tower is private condominiums, with a hotel of fewer than 100 rooms on the lower floors. The developer describes the residences as three- to five-bedroom homes from about 2,200 to more than 6,000 square feet, many with ocean-to-Intracoastal flow-through layouts.

Acqualina became the anchor of a larger campus. The Mansions at Acqualina, a 79-residence tower, debuted to the south in 2015, and The Estates at Acqualina, two 50-story towers, followed to the north. The resort says it has earned a Forbes Five-Star award for its hotel and spa for 14 consecutive years and was named Best Hotel and Best Resort in the Continental U.S. in U.S. News & World Report's 2026 rankings.

Josh's view of Acqualina

What you won't find on a listing portal, in Josh's own words.

Who it suits

Everyone! This is the crème de la crème of luxury buildings in Sunny Isles. The apartments are spectacular, and so are the amenities. First class all the way!

Buying here

This is like living at the best hotel in the world. The service is unlike any other.

The best lines

Direct oceanfront, but almost anything works. Some of the units feature 360-degree views with stunning floor-to-ceiling windows.

Mistakes buyers make

This is not only a great place to live, but an excellent long-term investment. Oceanfront property can't be duplicated!

What a listing won't tell you

The class and sophistication you will feel when walking into this building.

Inside Acqualina

Acqualina tower in Sunny Isles Beach against a blue sky, seen from street level

Upward view of the Acqualina facade with its clock and curved balconies, Sunny Isles Beach

Acqualina from Collins Avenue at sunset, against a blue sky, and from below. Photos: Wikimedia Commons (credits below).

Living at Acqualina

Sunny Isles Beach is a 1.78-square-mile city on a barrier island in the northeastern corner of Miami-Dade County, bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Intracoastal Waterway on the west, with an estimated population of about 22,900. Incorporated in 1997, it was rebuilt in the 2000s as a corridor of high-rise condominiums along Collins Avenue (A1A), between Bal Harbour to the south and Golden Beach and Aventura to the north and west.

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) is about 13 miles by car via I-95, roughly 15 to 35 minutes depending on traffic.
Miami International Airport (MIA) is about 22 miles by car via I-95, roughly 45 minutes (25 to 55 minutes depending on traffic).
Direct oceanfront: the resort sits on about 400 feet of Atlantic beach with chair and towel service for residents.
Near Bal Harbour Shops and Aventura Mall; city parks such as Samson Oceanfront Park and Senator Gwen Margolis Park are within walking distance along Collins Avenue and North Bay Road.

Sources: Acqualina official site, Residences · Acqualina official site, About Us · Swedroe Architecture, Acqualina project page · CTBUH Skyscraper Center, Acqualina Resort & Spa · Forbes, Jan. 25, 2023: South Florida's Trump Group Just Reset The Global Bar For Luxury Real Estate · The New York Times, Dec. 3, 2006: Sunny Isles Beach, Fla.: Acqualina Resort · Hospitality Net, Oct. 2007: Acqualina ends relationship with Rosewood · VIE Magazine, 2017: Acqualina · Wikipedia: The Trump Group · Wikipedia: Sunny Isles Beach, Florida · City of Sunny Isles Beach, About Sunny Isles Beach · Bensimon/Compass building file with MLS closed sales and pet policy · CondoIntelligence, Acqualina Residences closed sales · Zilbert, PH4601 closed sale ($8.0M, March 2024) · Zilbert, Unit 705 closed sale and building sales table · BEX Realty, Unit 4101 sold record with county legal description · Miami Condo Investments, Acqualina building FAQ (pets, rentals) · MiamiCondoHQ, Acqualina Resort & Residences · Coldwell Banker, Unit 4103 MLS record (building facts) · Distance-Cities, Sunny Isles Beach to MIA · Distance-Cities, FLL to Sunny Isles Beach · Airport Commuter, Sunny Isles Beach airport drive times · Wikimedia Commons, Category: Acqualina Resort & Residences

Photos: Photo: Jimmy Baikovicius, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped · Photo: B137, CC0 1.0 (public domain dedication), via Wikimedia Commons · Photo: andrea.anzi, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Thinking about Acqualina?

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