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Acqualina Resort & Residences: Which Property Are You Buying?

Distinguish the original Acqualina Ocean Residences from the Mansions and Estates, then investigate unit rights, hospitality services and ownership documents.

By Published Updated 3 min readEditorial policy
Acqualina Resort & Residences exterior, photographed 2012-01-20.

Acqualina Resort & Residences exterior, photographed 2012-01-20. Historical photograph; current conditions may differ. Photo: B137 · CC0 · View image. Site watermark added; display may resize or crop.

Start with the original property

Acqualina Resort & Residences is at 17875 Collins Avenue in Sunny Isles Beach. The operator describes a 51-story tower with 188 residences and records the resort’s opening in May 2006. Its residential publications distinguish this original property from The Mansions at Acqualina and The Estates at Acqualina.

That distinction belongs at the start of a search. A photograph, price reference or service description attached to one Acqualina development may not apply to another. The source-checked profile is at /buildings/acqualina-resort-residences.

Match the advertised home to the ownership documents

Ask for the legal description and current plan of the exact unit. Establish whether the advertised interest is an Ocean Residence, a hotel-related ownership arrangement or a home in a neighboring development. Have the appropriate title professional or attorney explain the documents if the advertisement does not make the category clear.

Keep a written list of the facilities and services that matter to you. Then identify the document supporting each entitlement. A hotel’s guest information is useful for understanding a stay, but it does not settle the rights of a condominium owner or the restrictions applicable to a lease.

Separate included services from optional purchases

The resort describes pools, spa facilities and hospitality services. A buyer still needs to establish which services are included in association charges, which are optional purchases and which are provided under separate agreements. Ask how charges are allocated and whether the applicable schedule can change.

Consider the practical details as well as the description. What access applies to guests? How are deliveries, parking and housekeeping arranged? Which service contacts would an owner use? Request the current written procedures and compare them with your intended use of the residence.

Do not derive leasing rights from a hotel booking page

A hotel may accept a type of stay that the condominium documents do not permit for a particular residence. Ask for the declaration, amendments, rental approval requirements and current written rules. Confirm the unit’s category before asking a professional to evaluate whether your intended occupancy or leasing arrangement is allowed.

The same approach applies to pet policies: a hotel guest rule does not establish the association’s rules for an owner. This guide deliberately leaves unverified short-term rental permissions and current HOA charges absent.

Research condition and costs separately

A resort opening date does not establish an inspection deadline or an exemption for the building. Use the current Florida inspection guide at /blog/miami-condo-milestone-inspection-sirs and ask the association and local building authority about applicability and available reports. The earlier version of this article calculated an inspection date from a blanket coastal rule; that conclusion has been removed.

Use /research/condo-document-checklist to organize the budget, reserves, assessment notices, insurance and unit inspection questions. Miami Condo HQ does not have a live Miami MLS feed, so sample unit prices are not current market evidence. A licensed partner introduction is available through /contact.

Questions buyers ask about Acqualina Resort & Residences

Where is Acqualina Resort & Residences?

Acqualina Resort & Residences is at 17875 Collins Avenue in Sunny Isles Beach. The operator records the resort’s opening in May 2006. The source-checked profile is at /buildings/acqualina-resort-residences.

How many floors and residences does Acqualina Resort & Residences have?

The operator describes a 51-story tower with 188 residences. Those figures describe the original property, not The Mansions at Acqualina or The Estates at Acqualina.

Is Acqualina Resort & Residences the same as The Mansions or The Estates at Acqualina?

No. The operator’s residential publications distinguish the original property from The Mansions at Acqualina and The Estates at Acqualina. A photograph, price reference or service description attached to one Acqualina development may not apply to another, so establish which category an advertised home belongs to from its legal description and plan.

Can an Acqualina residence be rented short term?

This guide deliberately leaves unverified short-term rental permissions absent. A hotel may accept a type of stay that the condominium documents do not permit for a particular residence, so ask for the declaration, amendments, rental approval requirements and current written rules. Confirm the unit’s category before asking a professional to evaluate your intended leasing arrangement.

Are resort services included in Acqualina association charges?

The resort describes pools, spa facilities and hospitality services, but a buyer still needs to establish which are included in association charges, which are optional purchases and which are provided under separate agreements. Ask how charges are allocated and whether the applicable schedule can change. This guide does not state current HOA charges.

Sources and review scope

Sources checked 2026-09-05. The notes identify which facts each publication supports.

Our editorial policy and corrections process
Tagged:AcqualinaSunny Isles Beachbuilding deep-diveMiami condosoceanfront

Written by

Publisher and editor, Miami Condo HQ

Miami Condo HQ is published by Eltherion, LLC. This article is not reviewed by a licensed real estate agent or broker and is not professional advice.

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