Two buildings. Same oceanfront corridor. Both fully delivered. Both ultra-luxury by any reasonable definition. Both with 154 residences in a 54-story tower — a numerical coincidence that somehow makes the comparison feel even more fitting.
If you are evaluating the Sunny Isles Beach ultra-luxury condo market above $5 million and you have done any research at all, you have almost certainly ended up comparing the Estates at Acqualina and Turnberry Ocean Club. They are the two most established, fully delivered ultra-luxury addresses on Collins Avenue north of Bal Harbour, and they attract overlapping but distinct buyer profiles for reasons that are worth understanding in detail before you make a decision.
I am Ashton Coleman, a luxury real estate specialist with One Sotheby’s International Realty. I represent buyers across both buildings regularly. This comparison is honest, direct, and based on current market data and firsthand building knowledge — not developer marketing materials.
At a Glance: The Two Buildings Side by Side
Before going deep, here is the quick-reference comparison across the most important decision variables:
| Estates at Acqualina | Turnberry Ocean Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Address | 17901 & 17975 Collins Ave | 18501 Collins Ave |
| Towers | Two towers | One tower |
| Total residences | 245 | 154 |
| Stories | 50 per tower | 54 |
| Completion | 2022–2023 | 2020 |
| Residence sizes | 2,897–15,332 sq ft | 2,900–10,750 sq ft |
| Bedrooms | 3–7 | 3–6 |
| Entry pricing (Q2 2026) | From ~$3.9M | From ~$5.750M |
| Avg price per sq ft | $2,787 | $1,800–$2,200 (upper floors) |
| Amenity space | 50,000+ sq ft | 70,000+ sq ft (6 floors) |
| Private beach | 502 linear feet | Yes, direct oceanfront |
| Developer | Trump Group (GSF Acquisition) | Turnberry Associates & Fontainebleau Development |
| Architect | CFE Architects / STA Architectural Group | Carlos Zapata & Robert Swedroe |
| Lobby design | Karl Lagerfeld | Jan Clausen |
| Short-term rentals | Restricted (6-month minimum) | Restricted (6-month minimum) |
The Buildings: Architecture and First Impressions
Estates at Acqualina makes its statement through art and couture rather than architectural drama. The two towers — Via Acqualina 777 and Via Acqualina 888 — are classically proportioned, Palladian-inspired structures connected by colonnaded loggias and manicured gardens. The genius of the design is not in the towers themselves but in the spaces between them: a three-story Mediterranean amenity Villa surrounded by European-inspired fountains, sculpture gardens, and lush landscaping across 5.6 acres. The Karl Lagerfeld lobbies — crystalline, silvery, flower-adorned — are the most talked-about interior spaces in the Sunny Isles Beach market.
Turnberry Ocean Club makes its statement through architectural boldness. Designed by Venezuelan-born Carlos Zapata in collaboration with Robert Swedroe — whose mentor was legendary Miami architect Morris Lapidus — the 54-story all-glass tower is one of the most visually distinctive buildings on Collins Avenue. Sleek protruding balconies intersect white pillars on all sides, creating a dynamic facade that reads differently from every angle and distance. The three-story, dramatic glass lobby is a genuine architectural statement — an arrival experience that announces itself before you reach the elevator.
For buyers who value visual impact and architectural originality as primary criteria, Turnberry Ocean Club has the edge. For buyers who value curated art, couture interior design, and estate-scale grounds, the Estates at Acqualina delivers something Turnberry cannot match.
The Residences: Size, Layout, and Specification
Both buildings offer flow-through floor plans — meaning every residence has both ocean and Intracoastal views, with no single-exposure units in either tower. That is a meaningful shared distinction that separates both buildings from the majority of the Sunny Isles Beach market.
Estates at Acqualina residences range from 2,897 to 15,332 square feet across the two towers, with the North Tower offering half-floor and full-floor configurations from 4,505 square feet, and the South Tower offering more accessible entry-point sizes from 2,897 square feet. Every residence is delivered furniture-ready — a complete, move-in-ready home with custom Italian cabinetry, La Cornue gas ranges, Gaggenau, Sub-Zero, and Wolf appliances, imported onyx and marble master bathrooms, Savant smart-home systems, and wrap-around terraces with summer kitchens and private saunas on North Tower residences. Upper-tier residences include private leisure pools on the terrace.
Turnberry Ocean Club residences range from 2,900 to 10,750 square feet across three to six-bedroom configurations, with two to four units per floor throughout the 54-story tower. The flow-through layouts deliver simultaneous ocean and Intracoastal views from virtually every living space — one of the most immersive dual-view experiences in the Sunny Isles Beach market. The building’s 30th-floor cantilevered swimming pools — jutting out over the city below — are an architectural feature that has no parallel in the Miami condo market. Finish specifications are at the ultra-luxury standard with custom cabinetry, natural stone, and premium appliance packages throughout.
The key difference: The Estates delivers a furniture-ready product — you close and move in. Turnberry delivers a white-box-style residence where the buyer customizes finishes and furnishings. For buyers who want immediate occupancy and no buildout process, the Estates wins. For buyers who want full creative control over their interior environment, Turnberry’s approach is the advantage.
Amenities: 50,000 vs. 70,000 Square Feet
This is where the comparison gets genuinely interesting — because both buildings make a legitimate claim to the most comprehensive amenity offering in Sunny Isles Beach, and they are making that claim with very different philosophies.
Estates at Acqualina delivers over 50,000 square feet of amenities through Villa Acqualina — a standalone three-story amenity building situated between the two towers. The offering includes the Circus Maximus entertainment floor — ice skating rink, four bowling lanes, Formula One simulator, golf simulator, Wall Street Trader’s Clubroom, movie theater, billiard room — alongside a 20,000 square foot ESPA spa, five restaurants on the property, six pools including a FlowRider surfing wave pool, a regulation basketball court, soccer field, bocce court, dog park, and 502 linear feet of private beach with full Acqualina Resort service. The house Rolls-Royce, resident concierge, limousine service, and Five-Star hotel service infrastructure round out a package that is genuinely unlike anything else in the residential market.
Turnberry Ocean Club delivers over 70,000 square feet of amenities across six dedicated floors — three of which are located at the 30th floor Sky Club, with the remaining amenity space distributed across the building. The Sky Club floors deliver sunrise and sunset swimming pools, two hydrotherapy spas, lounge cabanas, a pool bar, an outdoor al fresco fitness center with panoramic ocean views, and an adults-only Sky Lounge at the upper tier. Additional amenities include three private dining areas, three bar and lounge areas, an indoor theater and screening room, a stock trading lounge, an executive boardroom, a multimedia game room, a children’s playroom, and a full-service concierge. Owners also receive membership privileges at Turnberry Isle Resort — covering golf, tennis, and marina access — and preferred rates at Fontainebleau Aviation at Opa-Locka Executive Airport. The building has 35 purchasable cabanas on the amenity decks.
The honest assessment: Turnberry wins on raw square footage — 70,000 versus 50,000. The Estates wins on the resort service infrastructure and the uniqueness of the Circus Maximus. If your priority is sky-high pool decks with panoramic views and a club atmosphere, Turnberry delivers something the Estates does not. If your priority is a full resort lifestyle with ice skating, a FlowRider, a Five-Star hotel concierge, and 502 feet of private beach service, the Estates delivers something Turnberry cannot match.
Views: Ocean, Intracoastal, and Sky
Both buildings are positioned directly on the oceanfront and deliver the dual ocean-and-Intracoastal view experience that defines the best of Sunny Isles Beach living. But the view experience is distinct in meaningful ways.
Estates at Acqualina at 17901 and 17975 Collins Avenue sit on the northern half of the Sunny Isles Beach oceanfront corridor. Upper floors of the North Tower deliver some of the most expansive unobstructed north-south ocean views available on this stretch of Collins — looking down the Atlantic with no obstruction in either direction. The wrap-around terraces on North Tower residences extend the outdoor living space around three sides of the unit, giving owners a panoramic experience that is rare in any high-rise market.
Turnberry Ocean Club at 18501 Collins Avenue sits slightly further north, at the upper end of the Sunny Isles Beach corridor near the Aventura border. The 30th-floor cantilevered pools — extending out over the city on both the east and west faces of the building — create one of the most dramatic elevated view experiences in Miami real estate. Swimming at 300 feet in the air with the Atlantic on one side and the Intracoastal on the other is a genuinely singular experience. Upper floors of the tower deliver clean, high-altitude ocean views across the full Atlantic horizon.
For pure drama at its height, Turnberry’s cantilevered 30th-floor pools are unmatched in the market. For wrap-around terrace living and the estate-scale outdoor experience, the Estates’ North Tower residences are the clear choice.
Pricing: Where the Two Buildings Stand in Q2 2026
The pricing gap between these two buildings is one of the most important data points in the comparison — and it is more nuanced than a headline number suggests.
Estates at Acqualina carries an average list price of $2,787 per square foot — the highest average of any building in Sunny Isles Beach condos. The median list price as of May 2026 is $4,995,000, with entry-level South Tower residences starting from approximately $3.9 million and North Tower half-floor residences from $6 million. The $50 million crown penthouse sets the ceiling for the entire Sunny Isles Beach real estate market.
Turnberry Ocean Club currently shows active listings ranging from $5,750,000 at the entry end to $25,900,000 for upper-floor and penthouse positions. That lower entry point reflects the building’s broader price range — lower floors in the three-bedroom configuration are available well below the Estates’ entry point — while upper-floor and penthouse positions are competitive with the Estates at the $10 million and above tier.
For buyers with a budget in the $5 million to $8 million range, Turnberry offers more optionality — more floors, more configurations, more room to find the right unit at the right price. For buyers specifically targeting the $8 million and above tier, the two buildings are more directly competitive, and the decision shifts to lifestyle preference rather than price.
For investors evaluating yield, both buildings enforce a six-month minimum rental period — short-term rental activity is restricted at both addresses. Annual rental income in the $4 million to $8 million tier at both buildings is meaningful but should not be the primary driver of an acquisition at this price point.
Service and Lifestyle: The Decisive Factor for Most Buyers
After price, floor plan, and view, the factor that most consistently drives the final decision between these two buildings is service philosophy — and here the two buildings diverge most clearly.
Estates at Acqualina delivers service through the Acqualina Resort and Spa — a Forbes Five-Star, AAA Five-Diamond hotel with nearly two decades of operational history on the same beachfront. The service is not curated for residential buyers; it is the exact same standard the resort delivers to its hotel guests, applied permanently to residents. The house Rolls-Royce, the resort-staffed beach, the five-star concierge available around the clock — these are not aspirational amenities. They are the daily operational reality for every Estates owner.
Turnberry Ocean Club delivers service through the Turnberry Associates and Fontainebleau Development partnership — two names with over 50 combined years of luxury hospitality infrastructure in South Florida. The Sky Club floors create a private members’ club atmosphere within the building, and the Turnberry Isle Resort membership privileges — golf, tennis, marina — give owners a lifestyle reach that extends well beyond the building’s Collins Avenue address. The Fontainebleau Aviation partnership at Opa-Locka Executive Airport is a uniquely practical amenity for private aviation users that no other residential building in Sunny Isles Beach offers.
For buyers who want resort-hotel service as a permanent residential feature — full concierge, beach butler, house car, Five-Star hotel infrastructure — the Estates at Acqualina is the clear choice. For buyers who want a private members’ club atmosphere, sky-level amenities, and lifestyle reach that includes golf, tennis, marina, and private aviation access, Turnberry Ocean Club delivers a package the Estates cannot replicate.
Who Should Buy Where: The Direct Answer
After representing buyers across both buildings, here is my honest assessment of who belongs where.
Buy at the Estates at Acqualina if:
- Service is your primary criterion, and you want Five-Star resort hotel service as a permanent feature of your home
- You want a furniture-ready delivery — no buildout, no design process, keys and move in
- Estate-scale square footage — particularly the North Tower’s half and full-floor configurations — is important to your lifestyle
- You want the largest private beach in Sunny Isles Beach with resort service on the sand
- The Circus Maximus amenity floor — ice skating, bowling, Formula One simulator — fits your family’s lifestyle
- You are a repeat Acqualina buyer who already knows the brand and ecosystem
Buy at Turnberry Ocean Club if:
- Architectural originality and the drama of the 30th-floor cantilevered pools are important to you
- You want full creative control over your interior design, rather than a furniture-ready delivery
- Private aviation access at Fontainebleau Aviation and marina, and golf privileges at Turnberry Isle are meaningful to your lifestyle.
- Your budget is in the $3 million to $6 million range, and you want more floor optionality than the Estates provides at that tier
- You prefer the private members’ club atmosphere of the Sky Club floors over the resort-hotel service model.
- The Fontainebleau brand resonance and Turnberry’s 50-year legacy in South Florida carries weight in your decision
The buyers for whom the choice is genuinely difficult: Ultra-high-net-worth buyers with a $7 million to $15 million budget who prioritize both exceptional views and exceptional service. At that tier, both buildings make compelling arguments. The tiebreaker is almost always either the specific floor plan — the North Tower’s wrap-around terraces versus Turnberry’s cantilevered pool experience — or the service model preference.
The Third Option: What If Neither Is Right?
If this comparison has helped you clarify what you want, but neither building is quite right, Sunny Isles Beach offers compelling alternatives worth considering alongside these two.
For buyers who want the Dezervator sky garage innovation and a newer building, Bentley Residences — completing Q1 2028 — is the most discussed pre-construction opportunity in the market, starting from $5.8 million. For buyers who want the Porsche Design Tower experience — the original sky garage concept, fully delivered — active resale listings are available in the $3.7 million to $14.6 million range. For buyers drawn to the fashion and design heritage of Karl Lagerfeld but seeking a lower entry point than the Estates, Armani/Casa Residences offers branded luxury living from approximately $2 million.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is more expensive — Estates at Acqualina or Turnberry Ocean Club?
On a per-square-foot basis, the Estates at Acqualina averages $2,787 per square foot — the highest of any building in Sunny Isles Beach. Turnberry Ocean Club’s upper floors are competitive in the $1,800 to $2,200 per square foot range, but the building’s broader price range — with entry points from $5,750,000 — gives it more flexibility across buyer tiers.
Which building has better amenities — Estates at Acqualina or Turnberry Ocean Club?
Turnberry Ocean Club has more total amenity square footage — 70,000 versus 50,000. The Estates at Acqualina has more unique amenities — the Circus Maximus entertainment floor, FlowRider pool, and Five-Star resort service infrastructure through the Acqualina Resort. The right answer depends on which amenity philosophy matches your lifestyle.
Are short-term rentals allowed at Estates at Acqualina or Turnberry Ocean Club?
Both buildings enforce a (6) six-month minimum rental period. Neither is suitable for Airbnb or VRBO rental strategies. Both are owner-occupier-focused buildings where the residential character is protected by governance.
Which building has better views?
Both offer flow-through floor plans with simultaneous ocean and Intracoastal views from every residence. Turnberry’s 30th-floor cantilevered pools offer the most dramatic sky-level view experience. The Estates’ North Tower wrap-around terraces offer the most expansive private outdoor view experience.
Which building was completed more recently?
The Estates at Acqualina was delivered in 2022 to 2023 — making it the newer of the two buildings. Turnberry Ocean Club was completed in 2020.
Can international buyers purchase at either building?
Yes. There are no restrictions on foreign nationals purchasing condos at either building. Both have significant international buyer bases, particularly from Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East.
Ready to Compare Specific Units?
The Estates at Acqualina versus Turnberry Ocean Club decision almost always comes down to one specific floor plan comparison — a North Tower half-floor at the Estates versus a comparable upper-floor unit at Turnberry, evaluated side by side on price per square foot, view line, amenity access, and total carrying cost. That comparison takes a single conversation and a current availability matrix from both buildings.
I am Ashton Coleman, a luxury real estate specialist with ONE Sotheby’s International Realty, holding the Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist (CLHMS) Million Dollar Guild designation, Certified Negotiation Expert (CNE), Transnational Referral Certification (TRC), and Resort & Second-Home Property Specialist (RSPS) designations.
View the Sunny Isles Beach condo market report for Q2 2026, and available residences at the Estates at Acqualina and Turnberry Ocean Club at MiamiPenthousesandEstates.com, or contact me directly for a current availability matrix and side-by-side comparison tailored to your specific budget and priorities.
📞 Call or text: 305.978.7704 📧 Email: AColeman@onesothebysrealty.com 🌐 Search all Sunny Isles Beach luxury condos at MiamiPenthousesAndEstates.com
Information provided is for informational purposes only and subject to change without notice. Pricing and market data are current as of Q2 2026. Verify all details with your legal and financial advisors prior to entering any transaction.
