Surfside? Good place and how is the commute? (Miami, Miami Beach: condos, hotel)

[nflores]

I am relocating to Miami with my husband, and I have spent tons of time researching neighbrohoods. I am in love with Coral Gables, but want to consider other options as back up because the location of Coral may not be ideal. We do not like high rises and we do not like gated communities. We are city people and really would like a town where there ae amenities (I use the term walkable loosely since I realize it is Florida) safe, and have single family homes (but not pure suburbia), and not too far west since commuting to downtown Miami. This forum has made note of Aventura, Sunny Isles, Surfside. I found there are only high rises in the Aventura and Sunny Isles, but saw there are houses in Surfside. Can people tell me their opinion on Surfisde? And most important question what is the commute like to Downtown Miami for work? Is Bay Harbor or Bal Harbour any good? I do plan on driving to these places but just need a starting point. Seems to me that commute takes priority when looking at where to live. If anyone has any other towns please chime in! P.S. I have heard Miami Shores is another option.

[hurricaneMan1992]

Surfside would not be a very easy commute to downtown, though it would still be better than coming from Kendall or Doral. If you have any reservations about the commute, Coral Gables would be about the furthest you'd want to be, IMO.

Have you looked in to Coral Way east of Miracle Mile, and The Roads? Even easier commute. Also they have the free trolleys with GPS tracking and easy access to Viscaya Metrorail station, in case you don't want to drive in to Brickell or Downtown every time.

The Shores would also be an easy commute along Miami Ave. or NE 2nd Ave., but it is a bit lacking in city amenities, and you will definitely not get a city vibe there.

Parts of Miami Beach might fit the bill too, especially Normandy Island and Normandy Shores, the commute is somewhat easier than Surfside but unfortunately can still be a pain.

[nflores]

Thanks I should note that I can not go further south than Coral Gables because I may have to travel to West palm Beach.

[FlyMIA]

The commute won't be bad. There won't be too much traffic. The only down side is the traffic lights on going up and down Miami Beach. But once you get onto Alton Road the commute is not bad. No more than 30mins IMO.

Surfside is nice. So is Bal Harbor and Bay Harbor. There are large condos on the beach but nothing like Sunny Isles or Aventura. Surfside also has a small downtown/shopping district where you could walk to buy groceries pharmacy, and even get some lunch or dinner. It is nothing spectacular but anything you really need is right there. I would defiantly give it a look. There are some area of Miami Beach which could be considered walkable also. But that all depends on your price point. Also have you checked out Coconut Grove? A very easy commute downtown and if you are close enough to the Cocowalk area it is walkable to plenty of stuff.

Bal Harbor, Sufside and Bay Harbor are all there next to each other so looking at them will be done easily in a short period of time. Miami Shores is a fantastic location but it is not walkable for anything pretty much. No gated communities there but you would need your car to go out to eat or go to the pharmacy while Surfside you would not.

If you give us a price range we could give you specific neighborhoods in Miami and Miami Beach which the commute would not be bad at all. I will say Surfside is one of the few places that is fairly dense and walkable which is not surrounding by huge condos. There are condos but nothing absolutely massive. Besides for the St. Regis Hotel right on the border of the town on the beach.

[MadManofBethesda]

You haven't indicated a price range, so let me throw the Nautilus section of Miami Beach into the mix. A beautiful neighborhood of single family homes with a substantial commercial district within walking distance. Also a fairly easy commute to downtown because you have easy access to the Julia Tuttle Causeway. Additionally, easy access to I-95N and/or the Turnpike for when you need to go to WPB. Much easier access to I-95 than from Surfside, Sunny Isles or other areas mentioned because you don't have to battle any surface street traffic in order to get to I-95.

[hurricaneMan1992]

Originally Posted by FlyMIA

I will say Surfside is one of the few places that is fairly dense and walkable which is not surrounding by huge condos. There are condos but nothing absolutely massive.

Very true. Surfside may well be the best example of successful "new urbanism" type development in South Florida, and it became like that pretty much on its own, e.g., without some mega developer tossing around the term as a marketing gimmick, and even without mixed-use developments! Plenty of places are more dense and have larger condos, but are actually less walkable (Sunny Isles comes to mind with it's Trump condos next to 6 lanes traffic with additional turn lanes next to strip malls with large parking lots, and the typical sidewalks with road signs in the middle of them...).

[nflores]

Originally Posted by FlyMIA

The commute won't be bad. There won't be too much traffic. The only down side is the traffic lights on going up and down Miami Beach. But once you get onto Alton Road the commute is not bad. No more than 30mins IMO.

Surfside is nice. So is Bal Harbor and Bay Harbor. There are large condos on the beach but nothing like Sunny Isles or Aventura. Surfside also has a small downtown/shopping district where you could walk to buy groceries pharmacy, and even get some lunch or dinner. It is nothing spectacular but anything you really need is right there. I would defiantly give it a look. There are some area of Miami Beach which could be considered walkable also. But that all depends on your price point. Also have you checked out Coconut Grove? A very easy commute downtown and if you are close enough to the Cocowalk area it is walkable to plenty of stuff.

Bal Harbor, Sufside and Bay Harbor are all there next to each other so looking at them will be done easily in a short period of time. Miami Shores is a fantastic location but it is not walkable for anything pretty much. No gated communities there but you would need your car to go out to eat or go to the pharmacy while Surfside you would not.

If you give us a price range we could give you specific neighborhoods in Miami and Miami Beach which the commute would not be bad at all. I will say Surfside is one of the few places that is fairly dense and walkable which is not surrounding by huge condos. There are condos but nothing absolutely massive. Besides for the St. Regis Hotel right on the border of the town on the beach.

3500 or less would be ideal for a 3 bedroom, 2 bath. As far as price goes.