Venetian Islands Miami Condos: Every Belle Isle Building Compared (2026)

The Venetian Islands are a chain of six man-made islands strung across Biscayne Bay between mainland Miami and Miami Beach, linked by the historic 1926 Venetian Causeway. From west to east: Biscayne Island, San Marco Island, San Marino Island, Di Lido Island, Rivo Alto Island, and Belle Isle. Five of those six are single-family-home enclaves. The condominium market on the Venetian Islands is concentrated almost entirely on one island -- Belle Isle, the easternmost, sitting right at the doorstep of South Beach.

If you're cross-shopping Venetian Islands condos, you're really cross-shopping Belle Isle. The one exception -- 1000 Venetian Way -- sits on Biscayne Island at the western end of the chain. This guide covers all eight buildings that make up the Venetian Islands condo inventory: seven on Belle Isle plus 1000 Venetian Way on Biscayne Island. Unit counts, year built, architects, and which building actually fits which buyer.

Why Almost Every Venetian Islands Condo Sits on Belle Isle

The Venetian Islands were dredged from the bay in the early 1920s during Miami's land boom, and each island was platted with a different residential character. Biscayne, San Marco, San Marino, Di Lido, and Rivo Alto were carved into large residential lots and have stayed that way: waterfront and interior single-family homes, with waterfront lots at a standard 10,500 square feet and non-waterfront lots at roughly 7,500. Recent trades cite waterfront homes on those five islands between roughly $6M and $30M and dry-lot homes between $2M and $10M.

Belle Isle went a different direction. Zoned for higher density from the outset, it became the residential-tower island of the chain. Seven of the eight condo buildings covered here sit on Belle Isle -- 3, 5, 9, 11, 16, and 20 Island Avenue plus 10 Venetian Way (Grand Venetian). Belle Isle also holds the Standard Spa hotel at 40 Island Avenue, Belle Isle Park at the center of the island, and a handful of low-rise legacy buildings not on this list. Everything else on the causeway is estate zoning.

The one condo outside Belle Isle is 1000 Venetian Way on Biscayne Island, the westernmost island in the chain. It's the only real Venetian Islands condo address that isn't on Belle Isle proper.

The Quick Comparison

Unit counts for Nine Island Avenue vary between sources -- 216 is the most commonly cited figure and appears in the building's own material. Some third-party sites report 269 or 274; the higher figures likely include historical apartment breakdowns rather than current condominium units.

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The Difference in One Line Each

• Grand Venetian -- the newest full-service tower on the chain (2002, Kobi Karp), 25 stories on Belle Isle with impact glass, a covered garage, and pool deck built for modern living.
• 1000 Venetian Way -- the only Venetian Islands condo outside Belle Isle; a 22-story Biscayne Island tower plus ten four-story bayfront townhomes.
• Nine Island Avenue -- the amenity king: 25 stories, a private marina, tennis, basketball, three jacuzzis, a health club, yoga studio, on-site restaurant, and children's play area.
• Costa Brava -- the widest floor plan mix on Belle Isle (studio through four-bedroom) plus rentable marina slips at 11 Island Avenue.
• Island Terrace -- Morris Lapidus MiMo, 1967: signature wraparound balconies, symmetrical facade, and the smallest unit inventory of the mid-rise generation.
• Terrace Towers -- the other Lapidus building, the earlier one (1962), and the only Venetian Islands building operated as a cooperative rather than a condominium.
• Belle Plaza -- the entry-level Belle Isle condo: 226 units at 20 Island Avenue delivered 1962, direct neighbor to the Standard Spa, with a heated bayfront pool, tennis, and community boat dock.
• Belle Towers -- the boutique 1958 mid-rise: 46 units, open-air lobby with koi ponds, private dock, and the oldest occupied building on the chain.

The 1960s-70s Legacy Buildings: Where Most of the Inventory Lives

Six of the eight buildings on this list were delivered between 1958 and 1981. Together they make up more than 1,100 of the ~1,200-plus condo units on the Venetian Islands. If you're pricing entry into the market rather than shopping the top of it, this is where you'll actually be looking.

Belle Towers (16 Island Ave, 1958) is the oldest occupied residential building on Belle Isle and one of the earliest tall residential buildings on the Venetian Islands. It is a condominium (not a co-op), holds 46 units across 8 stories, and features an open-air lobby with koi ponds, a private dock with boat slips, and 1- and 2-bedroom layouts running roughly 1,085 to 1,900 square feet. Belle Towers reads as the boutique alternative on the island -- lowest density, smallest resident community, thin resale turnover.

Terrace Towers (3 Island Ave, 1962) and Island Terrace (5 Island Ave, 1967) are the two Morris Lapidus buildings on Belle Isle. Lapidus -- the MiMo architect responsible for the Fontainebleau, the Eden Roc, and the 1960 Lincoln Road Mall redesign -- lived at Terrace Towers until his death in 2001. Terrace Towers is the earlier of the two and is Miami Beach's rare Lapidus cooperative, with 144 studios through 2-bedrooms across 15 stories. Island Terrace, two years later at 16 stories and 139 units, is a condominium and offers 1-, 2-, and 4-bedroom plans between roughly 680 and 1,900 square feet. Both keep Lapidus's cantilevered lobby canopies, folded-plate concrete lines, and the MiMo balcony rhythm that defined the era.

Belle Plaza (20 Island Ave, 1962) is the largest of the Belle Isle legacy mid-rises -- roughly 226 residences across 15 stories, one of the first waterfront residential towers on the island, and the direct next-door neighbor of the Standard Spa at 40 Island Avenue. Residences run from about 590 SF studios to roughly 1,960 SF three-bedrooms with bay, downtown, and island exposures. A 2016 common-area renovation modernized the lobby and corridors while preserving the mid-century footprint. The amenity program is unusually deep for a 1960s Miami Beach condominium: heated bayfront pool and jacuzzi, tennis court, updated fitness room, community boat dock with slips, direct paddleboard and kayak launch access, bayfront BBQ area, 24-hour front desk staffing, and assigned garage parking with guest valet. Belle Plaza is the working entry point into Belle Isle for buyers who want the Venetian address without the Grand Venetian or Nine Island Avenue price band.

Costa Brava (11 Island Ave, 1972) is the first of the two 22-story Belle Isle towers built in the 1970s and delivers the widest floor plan mix on the chain -- studios, 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom layouts across 216 units. The private marina with rentable slips at fixed monthly rates is the differentiator that other same-era buildings don't have, and the sauna, tennis court, and community room round out a full-service amenity program at a lower price point than the 2000s stock.

Nine Island Avenue (9 Island Ave, 1981) is the largest and most amenity-heavy legacy building on the island. Designed by Sklar Isaac & Associates and completed in 1981, it delivers 216 residences across 25 stories with a private marina, tennis, basketball, three outdoor jacuzzis, a health club, yoga studio, sauna, spa, on-site restaurant, and a children's play area -- an amenity stack that reads closer to a full-service modern condo than a 1981 building. A multi-year renovation of common areas, lobby, and pool deck is set to complete in 2026.

The 2000s Trophy Condos

Only two buildings on the Venetian Islands were built after 1990, and only one was built after 2000. If you want modern glass, contemporary common areas, and impact-rated construction rather than a renovated legacy unit, this is a short list.

Grand Venetian (10 Venetian Way, 2002) is the newest condominium on the chain. Designed by Miami architect Kobi Karp -- who later designed Palazzo del Sol and Palazzo Della Luna on Fisher Island -- and developed by Apex and Zapata Development Groups, Grand Venetian rises 25 stories with roughly 122 to 134 residences depending on source. The tower delivers floor-to-ceiling impact glass, split-bedroom floor plans from 1-bedroom to 3-bedroom plus penthouses, a heated bayfront pool, and covered garage parking. It is the only Belle Isle building built with modern structural and impact-glass standards from delivery.

1000 Venetian Way (1000 Venetian Way, 1983) is the sole Venetian Islands condo outside Belle Isle -- it sits on Biscayne Island, the westernmost island in the chain, closer to mainland Miami than to Miami Beach. Designed by Tomas Luis Lopez-Gottardi and completed in 1983, the property is a 22-story bayfront tower plus ten four-story townhomes -- the townhome format is unique on the Venetian Islands and offers villa-scale living with private gardens and direct bay frontage. Total unit count runs around 120 to 122 depending on how the townhomes are counted. The building went through an extensive common-area renovation in 2022.

The Belle Isle Lifestyle: What You're Actually Buying

Belle Isle is the smallest of the Venetian Islands by land area but the most amenity-rich by resident program. The pieces that matter to a buyer:

The Standard Spa (40 Island Avenue). The Standard opened here in 2005 when hotelier Andre Balazs converted the property. The site was built in 1953 as the Monterrey Motel and Yacht Club to Miami Modern designs by architect Norman Giller and reopened as the Lido Spa in the early 1960s. The current Standard programs an adults-only hydrotherapy circuit -- Turkish hammam, aroma steam room, hemlock sauna, arctic plunge, Roman waterfall hot tub, and an infinity bayfront pool -- along with the Lido restaurant and marina. A Barry Sternlicht-led ownership group announced a Bjarke Ingels-designed expansion plan in 2024 that would add six luxury condos to the property; that rezoning request was pulled from the September 2025 Miami Beach Commission agenda after neighborhood pushback, and the expansion remained on hold as of late 2025.

Belle Isle Park. Runs along Island Avenue at the center of the island. Two separate dog runs (small dogs and large dogs), a shaded playground, a tennis center, picnic tables, and a perimeter walking path. Open sunrise to sunset.

Sunset Harbour walkability. Cross the small bridge east from Belle Isle and you're in Sunset Harbour in three to five minutes on foot. That gets you Publix on West Avenue, Whole Foods a short walk further, Pubbelly Sushi, Lucali, Sweet Liberty, the Sunset Harbour Yacht Club, and the fitness clusters that anchor the neighborhood. Lincoln Road is a 10- to 15-minute walk.

Maurice Gibb Memorial Park. At the foot of the bridge on the Sunset Harbour side. Named for the Bee Gees member and reopened in April 2025 after a $12.1 million renovation that added a music-themed playground with an oversize guitar, keyboard, and disco ball. Fishing pier, dog park, bayfront walking paths.

The Venetian Causeway. The 2.5-mile causeway is a National Register of Historic Places listing, built in 1926 as Miami's first fixed-span connection between the mainland and Miami Beach, replacing John Collins's 1913 wooden bridge. Twelve bridges total -- ten fixed spans, two bascule drawbridges. Dedicated bike and pedestrian lanes run the length of the causeway, making it one of the most-used running and cycling routes in Greater Miami.

Toll structure. The Venetian Causeway toll plaza is on Biscayne Island at the mainland end. Passenger cars pay $3.25 per crossing on SunPass, with a Toll-By-Plate rate slightly higher and a $2.50 monthly administrative fee for plate customers, based on the rate structure that took effect October 1, 2025. Two annual plans matter for buyers: the Venetian Causeway Property Owner Plan is free for causeway property owners and their children under 23, and the Commuter Plan at approximately $120 per year is available to Venetian Islands residents, causeway employees, and Sunset Harbour residents. Both plans run October to September and are administered by Miami-Dade's DTPW.

Boating and marina access. Nine Island Avenue and Costa Brava run private marinas with rentable slips for residents. Belle Towers has a small private dock. The Sunset Harbour Yacht Club, across the bridge, holds approximately 125 slips.

Which Building Suits Which Buyer

Buyer 1: Newest construction, walk-to-Sunset-Harbour lifestyle. Grand Venetian. It's the only building on the chain built in the 2000s -- impact glass, modern building systems, covered garage. Buyers cross-shopping newer Sunset Harbour condos who want a bayfront address without leaving South Beach's orbit come here.

Buyer 2: Full-service amenity stack, willing to accept 1981 construction. Nine Island Avenue. The deepest amenity floor on the Venetian Islands: marina, tennis, basketball, three jacuzzis, on-site restaurant. The 2024-2026 common-area renovation adds fresh reserves and finishes. Best for buyers who want a resort-style building without the price of the modern trophy stock.

Buyer 3: Architectural pedigree. Island Terrace or Terrace Towers. Two of the very few Morris Lapidus residential buildings anywhere. Island Terrace is the condo (easier to finance and resell); Terrace Towers is the co-op (lower entry, tighter board process). Buyers who care that their address is Lapidus-designed pick between the two based on ownership structure.

Buyer 4: Marina access and a wide floor plan mix. Costa Brava. The only building on the chain that combines studios, 1BR, 2BR, and 3BR at scale with rentable dock slips at fixed monthly rates. Best for boat owners who want variety in unit size at a legacy price point.

Buyer 5: Boutique building, oldest bones, thin resale. Belle Towers. 46 units, open-air koi lobby, small private dock. This is the buyer who wants the mid-century original at low density and is prepared for the fact that units come up for sale rarely.

Buyer 6: Entry-level Belle Isle, deepest amenity floor for the price. Belle Plaza. 226 units at 20 Island Avenue, pool + tennis + boat dock + fitness at a legacy-era price band, and the address next door to the Standard Spa. Best for buyers who want to trade a 1962 building for the deepest studio-through-3BR inventory on Belle Isle at the lowest per-foot entry.

Buyer 7: The Biscayne Island alternative to Belle Isle. 1000 Venetian Way. Same Venetian Causeway address, but the western end of the chain -- five minutes closer to downtown Miami and the Arsht Center, five minutes further from Sunset Harbour. Also the only building on the causeway with tower units and four-story bayfront townhomes under a single association.

FAQ

How many condo buildings are on the Venetian Islands? Eight meaningful condominium buildings make up the tradable inventory: Grand Venetian, 1000 Venetian Way, Nine Island Avenue, Costa Brava, Island Terrace, Terrace Towers, Belle Plaza, and Belle Towers. Seven sit on Belle Isle; 1000 Venetian Way is on Biscayne Island. A handful of smaller low-rise buildings exist on Belle Isle beyond this list, but the eight above hold the vast majority of the unit count.

Which Venetian Island has the most condos? Belle Isle -- the easternmost island in the chain, closest to South Beach. It holds seven of the eight condominium buildings covered here. The other five Venetian Islands (Biscayne, San Marco, San Marino, Di Lido, Rivo Alto) are almost entirely single-family home zoning, with 1000 Venetian Way on Biscayne Island as the notable exception.

What is the newest condo on the Venetian Islands? Grand Venetian at 10 Venetian Way, delivered in 2002. It remains the only condominium built on the chain in the 21st century.

What is the oldest condo on the Venetian Islands? Belle Towers at 16 Island Avenue, delivered in 1958. Terrace Towers and Belle Plaza both followed in 1962, and Island Terrace opened in 1967. Nine Island Avenue at 1981 is the newest of the legacy stock; Grand Venetian at 2002 is the only post-2000 build on the chain.

Do you have to pay the Venetian Causeway toll if you live on Belle Isle? No. Property owners on the Venetian Causeway (including all six islands and adjacent parcels) qualify for the free Property Owner Plan, which provides unlimited toll passage for the owner and their children under 23. Non-owning residents and employees on the islands are eligible for the $120-per-year Commuter Plan. Everyone else pays the standard $3.25 SunPass toll per crossing (rates effective October 1, 2025).

Is Terrace Towers a condo or a co-op? Terrace Towers at 3 Island Avenue is a cooperative -- the only cooperative building on the Venetian Islands. Belle Towers, which is often confused with Terrace Towers due to naming, is a condominium.

How walkable is Belle Isle? Very walkable to Sunset Harbour (three to five minutes on foot across the small bridge), Publix at 1920 West Avenue, Maurice Gibb Memorial Park, and Sunset Harbour Yacht Club. Lincoln Road Mall is a 10- to 15-minute walk. The Venetian Causeway itself has a dedicated bike-and-pedestrian lane that runs the full 2.5 miles from Belle Isle across all six islands to Edgewater and downtown Miami.

Are cars needed on the Venetian Islands? Not for daily errands from Belle Isle -- most residents walk or cycle to Sunset Harbour and Lincoln Road. A car matters for reaching Wynwood, the Design District, the mainland cultural corridor (Arsht Center, Perez Art Museum, Frost Science), and the airport. The Venetian Causeway is a car-optional address by Greater Miami standards.

How To Use This Guide

If you're early in a Venetian Islands search, start with the era question -- do you want the newest construction (Grand Venetian, 2002), the amenity-heavy 1981 tower (Nine Island Avenue), a Morris Lapidus residence (Island Terrace or Terrace Towers), the marina-focused 1972 tower (Costa Brava), the entry-level 1962 mid-rise with a boat dock (Belle Plaza), the boutique 1958 building (Belle Towers), or the Biscayne Island townhome-plus-tower alternative (1000 Venetian Way). Then narrow by floor plan, exposure, and renovation status within the era.

We track resale activity, HOA changes, and recent comps across all eight Venetian Islands buildings continuously. If you want a custom comp set for a specific building or floor plan, reach out.

Related Reading

• Sunset Harbour Miami Beach Guide
• Fisher Island Buildings Compared
• Continuum North vs South Comparison

This guide is for informational purposes and does not constitute a solicitation or offer to buy or sell real estate. Unit counts, year-built figures, and toll rates are compiled from public records, condominium association filings, Miami-Dade public reporting, and building material and may change over time. Prospective buyers should verify current specifications, HOA dues, and toll structure directly with the building association and Miami-Dade DTPW before making purchase decisions.