Florida has always been a vacation get-away. It’s beautiful sandy beaches, proliferation of luxury homes and architectural styles along with oceanfront and waterfront properties cause people to flock here. Whether you want the glitz and glamour of an international city like Miami or a planned community with everything in walking distance like Rosemary Beach, towns in Florida run the gamut insuring you’ll find that luxury home you’ve been waiting to buy.
PANHANDLE
The Florida panhandle is sometimes called “the other Florida” because unlike most of the state, this region experiences all four seasons. It backs up to South Georgia on the north and has water views of the Gulf of Mexico to the south.
Panama City has lots of choices when it comes to luxury homes. Here you can find a striking Mediterranean mansion overlooking St. Andrews Bay or live on the beach and wake every morning to sweeping Gulf of Mexico sights and sounds. Enjoy entertaining friends and family on veranda style balconies that overlook the water. Choose a luxury bay front condo minutes from downtown and be swept away every time you look out your floor to ceiling windows to see St. Andrews Bay and the Gulf.
Rosemary Beach is a unique town, an unincorporated planned community, located on the Gulf Coast, between Panama City and Destin. Here you’ll find peace and solitude, observe long stretches of pristine beaches and feel refreshing breezes wafting off the warm Gulf waters. In this community, cars are restricted to alleyways behind homes and the town is built so that everything within the community is easily accessible by foot. This beachside community makes use of its natural topography. Roadways were paved in conformity to the contours of the land.
Santa Rosa Beach is best known for its quiet, wide stretches of beach and nature trails that pass through a 15,200-acre forest. This is part of the Emerald Coast where you’ll experience the beauty of ocean waters that are truly emerald green. Here you’ll taste the best of both worlds from the privacy of a custom-built luxury home on your own lot to a home in a gated golf community. There are mansions and luxury condos. Gulf front estates with wrap-around porches and lots of windows to give you an unobstructed view of the Gulf of Mexico. Luxury condominiums that sit on bluffs give you such gorgeous views you’ll feel like you’re sitting on top of the world. Homes that rest on sugar white sands reflecting the emerald waters that lap at its edges. In Santa Rosa Beach you can truly appreciate what it means to live in luxury and style.
Destin is known as “The World’s Luckiest Fishing Village”. The water is brilliant green, the dunes are towering, there are loads of fish and the excitement never ends. Sparkling quartz sand squeaks beneath your feet welcoming you to one on the most beautiful beaches you will ever see. Purchase a luxury home here and you can walk the beach all the time! There’s a plethora of exclusive homes and communities in Destin. Choose a gulf front home in an exclusive gated community that makes the most of the views the Gulf Coast has to offer. Take the stairs down to the beach or lounge by your pool. Maybe a Tuscan style villa with lots of windows that allow for spectacular Gulf views and overlook the pool and canal. If you’re a golfer find an exquisite custom home on a bay front lot in a gated golf community. Balconies and terraces set the scene for gracious beachfront living and entertaining. If you enjoy high-rise living, find a harbor front condo with balconies that include expansive water views.
Jacksonville was named for Andrew Jackson, Florida’s first territorial governor and later the President of the United States. Today, Jacksonville is a nice mix of urban charm and rural beauty. Located on the St. Johns River, Jacksonville has grand historic neighborhoods, cultural and sports entertainment. It’s an important military port graced with white-sand beaches that constantly tempt you to play on them. Your next luxury home could very well be a St. Johns River front mansion surrounded by ancient oak trees sitting on several acres of land just minutes from downtown. Have your own gated entrance, indoor pool, dock with hoist, guesthouse and 5-car garage. Perhaps a historic gated estate on a bluff that overlooks the river. Here you’d have privacy plus convenience to the city and beaches. There are also waterfront Mediterranean estates with panoramic views, luxury condos at a Yacht Club or waterfront town homes with water views in every room and even sights of downtown Jacksonville. This is casually elegant, luxury living at its finest.
Tallahassee is the capitol of Florida and home to universities, gracious historic homes and rolling hills. It is near the Apalachicola National Forest. So if your idea of luxury is living amongst rolling hills, oak-canopied roads and historic plantation homes – this is the location of your next home. Just because there’s no ocean doesn’t mean there are no water views available. Luxury homes have lake views and heated salt water pools. Gated estates with lots of land, privacy and convenience to the city. Some estates are already built to suit the equestrian lifestyle with fencing and barns on large plots of land. Palatial estates with plenty of acreage and a gated entrance are also appealing. If you enjoy entertaining you can find a large luxury estate with tennis court, pool, circular drive multi-car garage and more. Luxurious golf community homes and high-rise condominiums that overlook trees and the city from their balconies will give you a postcard view of this town.
NORTH FLORIDA
Orlando is world famous for its theme and water parks. Included in the Orlando metro are the areas of Kissimmee and Lake Buena Vista. If you’re looking for a luxury home in this locale you will get more for your money but with less water views. There are many activities to enjoy here including shopping, museums, sports, performance arts and interesting outlying towns and neighborhoods. Kissimmee is less flashy than Orlando. It has more of a hometown feel that stems from its cow-town origins. Cattle auctions and rodeos are still a way of life in the historic downtown area.
Daytona Beach boasts resorts, attractions and, of course, the Daytona International Speedway. It’s one of the only places you can drive on the beach plus there’s excellent surfing and other water sports. Ponce Inlet Lighthouse, Florida’s tallest lighthouse (and the second highest in the US) has 203 swirling steps to the top and then a stunning 360-degree view of the Atlantic Ocean and the salt marshes of the intracoastal. Here you can have a home with equally astounding views. A fenced and gated waterfront estate often comes with frontage and dockage. Four floors of living space provide impressive views. Wraparound balconies and a private sunset balcony pamper you at the end of a long day. Choose an ocean front condo that’s only minutes from upscale boutiques and fine dining. A lavish condo in a golfing community may appeal to the avid golfer in you. But an oceanfront home with the Atlantic Ocean and Daytona Beach as your backyard – now that’s the ultimate in luxury living!
GULF COAST
Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater are three areas in close proximity to one another but each has something different to offer. Tampa has sophistication, culture and a rich heritage in the Cuban-influenced district of Ybor City. Tampa is situated on Florida’s largest inlet, Tampa Bay, which separates it from its sister city, St. Petersburg.
Clearwater is popular with golfers and fishermen love it because there are more than 300 species of fish here. It’s quieter and more laid back than Tampa with a certain subdued style. Life here is meant to be simple and enjoyed. A high-rise condo on the water with a white sandy beach and sparkling crystal water may be just what you’re looking for. A historic waterfront mansion will impress with its awesome views of Clearwater, the bridges and the intracoastal
St. Petersburg has literally miles of bleached white beaches, stately palms and the Gulf of Mexico’s turquoise water lapping at its shores. With approximately 361 days a year of sunshine and an average temperature of 73 degrees, outdoor activities are all the rage: sailing, fishing, snorkeling, jet skiing and scuba diving are part of everyday life.
SOUTH FLORIDA
Miami is the place for luxury homes with a capital “L”. This city is an international destination for people all over the world and has everything you could ever want – and more: arts and culture, lots of nightlife, gorgeous beaches, five-star dining, water activities, impressive architecture and an abundance of shopping. Whether you’re in South Beach checking out glamorous Art Deco residences on Ocean Drive, hanging out in funky Coconut Grove or taking a boat past the very private homes of Star Island, you can’t help but be impressed with the selection of luxury homes available here. There are gate-guarded communities on the water with ocean access, palm trees and lush tropical landscaping. Take your pick of opulent high-rise condos with panoramic views of the Miami skyline. If historic homes interest you, you’ll find several waterfront estates here, too. There’s an abundance of luxury to be had in Miami.
Fort Lauderdale is sometimes called the “Venice of America” due to its extensive canal system. The city of Fort Lauderdale has a variety of activities and just as many different areas in which to live. Whether you’re searching for a waterfront mansion, an island estate, city high-rise or a luxury home in a gated community, it’s all here. A sumptuous home with wide water views that open up to a pool or terrace for entertaining guests is the perfect location for living the good life.
Pompano Beach is located between Palm Beach and Miami, and is often referred to as “the Heart of the Gold Coast.” Pompano began as a farming and fishing community and gets its name from the popular ocean fish. Today, the city of Pompano Beach is known for its small town feel, Hillsboro Lighthouse and the beautiful beach where fish are still abundant offshore. If you’re searching for a unique home you’ll find many to choose from here. Discover an oceanfront, gated estate with views of not just the ocean, but Hillsboro Inlet and Lighthouse as well.
Incorporated in 1925, Boca Raton was created as a resort town. Water sports – from scuba to sailing – are prevalent here thanks to the Gulf Stream and a variety of reefs and shipwrecks. A haven for the affluent since the turn of the century, Boca Raton blends culture with small town appeal. The cultural events calendar is packed year round. So it makes sense when looking for your next luxury home here to purchase one on the water.
Palm Beach and West Palm have the reputation as being a playground for the wealthy. Ever since Henry Flagler brought his railroad to Palm Beach and built magnificent hotels for his passengers, the town has been synonymous with luxury. Superlative mansions and trendy landmark restaurants are plentiful here.
Jupiter and unincorporated Hobe Sound create a quiet, wealthy enclave north of Palm Beach. Blowing Rocks Preserve protects the island’s natural habitats and its large stretch of Anastasia limestone. When winter storms or high tides roll in, the ocean breaks against the limestone rocks and forces the water 50 feet skyward into a beautiful show of nature. Jupiter and Hobe Sound both have wonderful outdoor activities including fishing, golfing, surfing and of course, beaches. Your next luxury estate could be on the intracoastal waterfront with a dock for your boat. Colonial, Old World and Mediterranean styles are just a few of what you’ll experience.
THE KEYS
Key West is the southernmost Key as well as the southernmost tip of the United States. Real estate titles in Key West date back to the Kings of Spain. While strolling palm-lined streets you’ll spot historic Victorian gingerbread mansions, tin-roofed conch houses and Ernest Hemingway’s home with an overabundance of polydactyl cats in the yard.
If you’re looking for a luxury home in a relaxed island atmosphere head to Key West. It’s a small island – only about 4 miles long and 2 miles wide so pretty much anywhere you live will provide spectacular views of the ocean. Choose a condo, town home or waterfront mansion. Because the island is subtropical, there are lush grounds and tropical plantings everywhere
Key Largo is the northern-most Key and only an hour’s drive from Miami yet it feels like you’re on a totally different planet. Locals call Key Largo “The Diving Capital of the World” but the island is equally famous for its sport-fishing. Sandwiched between the Everglades and the only living coral barrier reef in North America, it’s also home to several parks, a national marine sanctuary and awe-inspiring botanical scenery. This lush, quiet island is perfect for a second or third home especially during the winter.
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In the United States, real estate is showing a strong growth trend especially in the refined luxury sector. That means that now is the best time to take advantage of these investment opportunities.
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