The Bentley Bay in Miami Beach was originally conceived as one of the premier luxury waterfront condominium buildings in South Beach that was supposed to compete other Miami Beach luxury condominium buildings such as The Continuum on South Beach, The Murano at Portofino, The Portofino Tower, andIcon South Beach. The Bentley Bay's twin towers were to be the luxury gateway at the entrance to South Beach. Located just North of Fifth Street, these twin condominium towers have THE most amazing views of the Downtown Miami skyline, Star Island, Fisher Island, and Biscayne Bay. With only 168 total condominiums, these boutique twin luxury buildings featured Ivana Trump as the official spokesperson during pre-construction sales in 2001. However, the original Developer ran into many construction delays (reportedly due to his constant design / floorplan changes), and construction was ultimately delayed by several years and eventually completed under Bankruptcy court supervision.
By 2005, closings commenced and the North and South Towers continued to have construction issues, with repair work supervised by an experienced Bankruptcy Court Trustee. As the Florida real estate market collapsed, many underwater owners stopped paying their maintenance dues, and many individual condominium owners ended up in Foreclosure and sold their units as "short sales". During the worst of the Miami Beach real estate crisis, the Bentley Bay condominium maintenance delinquency rates rose to almost 50%. However, in the past year, a new and more assertive Board of Directors was elected, and delinquency rates have dropped considerably. Lately, the Bentley Bay's financial reserves and overall management have vastly improved.
As of this writing, these spectacular luxury condominiums are some of last remaining bargains in Miami Beach's luxury condo market. The Bentley Bay Board of Directors has pending plans to upgrade and repair the Common Area Hallways, North and South Tower Lobby's, Gymnasium, and entry pavers and doors.
IF these planned upgrades proceed forward in a timely and efficient manner, I predict that The Bentley Bay will soon fulfill the promise to being one of THE premier luxury condominium buildings in Miami Beach. For savvy cash buyers, who have lately been betting on this fantastic location, overall design & features, this may turn out to be one of the best opportunites in Miami Beach's waterfront Real Estate market.
The Bentley Bay condominiums themselves feature many ultra-luxury features such as:
- 9' Floor to Ceiling Windows and Sliding Glass Doors
- All-Marble Bathrooms with Kohler sinks and Italian Fixtures - see a few sample pictures below
- Marble Countertops and Italian Appliances (North Tower has top of the line GE Stainless Steel Appliances)
- Italian lighting and custom framed Italian Doors
- A unique waved designed building- conceived by Architectonica
- Oversized Glass Balconies (wrap around for corner condos)
- A Boutique Building- just 168 total condos
- Premier location at the entrance to South Beach, facing Biscayne Bay / Star Island Estates
- Riperian Rights Retail Space located on the ground floor (currently empty) that sits across from the 5th & Alton Shopping Center AND soon to be announced new retail mall located between West Avenue and Alton Road.
Miami Beach's Bentley Bay Past Eighteen Months of Closed Sales:
Miami Beach's Bentley Bay Eighteen Months Closed Sales| Closed Date | ADDRESS | Miami Beach Condo Building | List Price | Living Area | LP$/SqFt | Sold Price |
| 10/15/2009 | 540 WEST AV # 714 | BENTLEY BAY CONDO | $ 459,000 | 1,058 | $ 434 | $ 455,000 |
| 3/29/2010 | 540 WEST AV # 1413 | THE BENTLEY BAY | $ 360,000 | 777 | $ 463 | $ 360,000 |
| 1/22/2010 | 540 WEST AV # 2413 | Bentley Bay | $ 447,500 | 777 | $ 576 | $ 410,000 |
| 10/30/2009 | 540 WEST AV # 812 | The Bentley Bay North | $ 325,000 | 779 | $ 417 | $ 319,000 |
| 5/28/2010 | 540 WEST AV # 1414 | The Bentley Bay | $ 430,900 | 1,058 | $ 407 | $ 430,000 |
| 8/27/2010 | 540 WEST AV # 1514 | Bentley Bay | $ 465,000 | 1,058 | $ 440 | $ 450,000 |
| 4/1/2010 | 540 WEST AV # 2014 | Bentley Bay | $ 489,000 | 1,058 | $ 462 | $ 450,000 |
| 5/11/2010 | 540 WEST AV # 2414 | THE BENTLEY BAY CONDO | $ 690,000 | 1,058 | $ 652 | $ 480,000 |
| 12/13/2010 | 540 WEST AV # 412 | BENTLEY BAY | $ 339,000 | 779 | $ 435 | $ 320,000 |
| 12/21/2010 | 540 WEST AV # 1513 | THE BENTLEY BAY | $ 345,000 | 777 | $ 444 | $ 358,000 |
| 9/2/2010 | 540 WEST AV # 1411 | THE BENTLEY BAY CONDO | $ 460,350 | 1,252 | $ 368 | $ 460,350 |
| 8/31/2010 | 540 WEST AV # 1711 | THE BENTLEY BAY | $ 470,000 | 1,252 | $ 375 | $ 470,600 |
| 10/9/2010 | 540 WEST AV # 2214 | Bentley Bay | $ 485,000 | 1,058 | $ 458 | $ 485,000 |
| 1/31/2011 | 540 WEST AV # 711 | THE BENTLEY BAY | $ 465,000 | 1,331 | $ 349 | $ 465,000 |
| 8/11/2010 | 520 WEST AV # 1003 | BENTLEY BAY | $ 369,000 | 776 | $ 476 | $ 347,000 |
| 3/23/2011 | 520 WEST AV # 1102 | THE BENTLEY BAY CONDO | $ 600,000 | 1,499 | $ 400 | $ 500,000 |
| 2/8/2011 | 520 WEST AV # 1402 | Bentley Bay | $ 557,000 | 1,499 | $ 372 | $ 530,000 |
| 1/25/2010 | 520 WEST AV # 2103 | THE BENTLY BAY | $ 549,000 | 1,175 | $ 467 | $ 499,005 |
| 4/7/2010 | 520 WEST AV # 1004 | BENTLEY BAY | $ 280,000 | 776 | $ 361 | $ 280,000 |
| 12/21/2009 | 520 WEST AV # 1801 | Bentley Bay Condo | $ 875,000 | 1,994 | $ 439 | $ 751,250 |
| 6/7/2010 | 520 WEST AV # 1201 | Bentley Bay Condo | $ 870,000 | 2,158 | $ 403 | $ 750,000 |
| 11/22/2010 | 520 WEST AV # 1702 | Bentley Bay | $ 725,000 | 1,929 | $ 376 | $ 725,000 |
| 12/29/2010 | 520 WEST AV # 1803 | THE BENTLEY BAY CONDO | $ 399,000 | 1,175 | $ 340 | $ 365,000 |
| 11/29/2010 | 520 WEST AV # 2001 | The Bentley Bay | $ 750,000 | 1,994 | $ 376 | $ 665,000 |
| 12/23/2010 | 520 WEST AV # 1204 | Bentley Bay | $ 329,000 | 776 | $ 424 | $ 319,000 |
| 2/16/2011 | 520 WEST AV # 1005 | The Bentley Bay | $ 450,000 | 1,210 | $ 372 | $ 415,000 |
| 2/18/2011 | 520 WEST AV # 1103 | THE BENTLEY BAY CONDO | $ 250,000 | 776 | $ 322 | $ 250,000 |
| 1/19/2010 | 540 WEST AV # 2011 | THE BENTLEY BAY | $ 675,000 | 1,252 | $ 539 | $ 500,000 |
| 7/28/2010 | 540 WEST AV # 814 | Bentley Bay | $ 400,000 | 1,058 | $ 378 | $ 422,500 |
| 4/1/2011 | 540 WEST AV # 212 | THE BENTLEY BAY | $ 231,900 | 777 | $ 298 | $ 243,000 |
