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A 216-acre oasis off the coast of Miami, Fisher Island is one of the richest zip codes in the United States.
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I toured the island and was blown away by its elite beach clubs and multi-million dollar condos.
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See photos of one of the exclusive enclaves that only residents and guests can enter.
Fisher Island is less than two miles off the coast of Miami, but the exclusive community could be on another planet, or another utopian universe where only billionaires can enter.
About 800 families from 40 countries live on the 216-acre island. In 2018, Bloomberg ranked him as the richest zip code in America, with an average annual salary of $2.2 million.
sauce: bloomberg
Miami Beach developer Karl Fisher purchased the island from Dana A. Dorsey, Miami’s first black billionaire. In the 1920s, Fisher gave land to William K. Vanderbilt II in exchange for a 250-foot yacht.
sauce: Fisher Island Club
The Vanderbilt family built a winter residence on the island named “Aruba Base” to suit his new yacht “Aruba”. After William’s death, the island changed hands several times before development began in the 1980s.
sauce: Fisher Island Club
Completely cut off from mainland Florida, Fisher Island is accessible only by registered boat or ferry. But the most fashionable mode of transportation is, of course, megayachts.
For visitors like me who don’t have a yacht, private ferries shuttle local residents and pre-approved guests across Biscayne Bay and back every 10 minutes.
The ferry operates 24 hours a day and takes 7 minutes.
Most of the passengers were traveling in cars, so I had the newly refurbished interior to myself.
When we arrived on the island, one of the island’s 400 employees put me and a few others in a golf cart.
My tour guide for the evening was Elena Brunzer, a Fisher Island resident who is also one of the island’s top realtors. She represented a local record buyer for her $21 million apartment this year.
sauce: mansion global
We met Branzer at the ultra-luxury Fisher Island Club. To participate, the property owner must pay his one-time contribution of $250,000 and his $22,256 annual dues.
sauce: insider
Advertised as “South Florida’s Most Exclusive Golf and Private Club,” its crown jewel is a secluded mile of beach with sand imported from the Bahamas.
sauce: Fisher Island Club
Residents had dinner at the outdoor bar and grabbed a drink. I quickly realized that my money was useless here. The only way to purchase anything on the island is through the Club Members tab.
“Even with a black Amex card, you can’t buy a drink here,” the bartender told me with a laugh.
The whole neighborhood felt like a 5 star luxury resort. Only her 30% of Fisher Island residents live on the island year-round.
But what impressed me most during the tour was the club’s seemingly endless facilities.
Members have access to a professional-quality racquet court and a 9-hole golf course.
…as well as the pool at the Vanderbilt mansion…
…and a wellness center with spa, pool, gym and salon.
The Spa used to be Vanderbilt’s private aircraft hangar.
The original Vanderbilt mansion was renovated as part of the island’s $60 million restoration project, which began in 2007.
It is now home to the island’s only resort, a 45-room boutique hotel of Mediterranean-style villas and cottages.
There are 7 dining options ranging from high-end restaurants to casual lounges.
The Snooker Club is located on the upper floors of the Vanderbilt Mansion and is open only to members and their guests.
Private dining rooms are also available.
The wood-panelled guest room was originally a two-bedroom suite in the Vanderbilt Mansion.
The snooker club’s pool room features historic photographs of the Vanderbilt family, who were known to host high-society gatherings at the estate.
The club was arguably the center of all social activities on the island, but there was plenty to explore as we drove along the perfectly manicured golf cart trails.
Most of the buildings on the island are luxury condominiums, each designed to mimic the Mediterranean-style architecture of the original Vanderbilt estate.
Older buildings were smaller and more traditional, but there were also modern skyscrapers overlooking the Miami skyline…
… apartments starting at $6.5 million, like the 10-story luxury condominium Palazzo della Luna.
sauce: Pazzo della Luna
But the new building won’t last long. The final development lot on Fisher Island was purchased by an affiliated group in September.
They plan to build a 10-story, 50-unit property, and the apartments are expected to sell for an average of $24 million each.
The penthouse is priced at $90 million, making it the most expensive apartment ever sold in all of Miami.
By the end of the tour, it became clear why a small, secluded island could attract the richest people in the world. Does it make sense to own one?
Read the original article at business insider