The 43-Story Atlantic Frontage at 16699 Collins
La Perla is a 43-story, 326-residence luxury condominium directly on the Atlantic at 16699 Collins Avenue, completed in 2007. The architecture — by Carlos Ott, the Uruguayan architect known internationally for the Opéra Bastille in Paris — is more sculptural than the boxy glass-and-steel approach taken by most of Sunny Isles' beachfront towers. The result reads as a curved, sail-inspired silhouette on a section of Collins where the buildings have grown taller every year. La Perla holds its tier through layout and finish quality, not square footage racing.
| Year Built | 2007 |
|---|---|
| Floors | 43 |
| Residences | 326 |
| Architect | Carlos Ott |
| Position | Direct oceanfront, Atlantic side of Collins Avenue |
| Address | 16699 Collins Ave, Sunny Isles Beach, FL 33160 |
What La Perla Actually Offers
The unit mix is two- and three-bedroom only — no studios, no one-bedrooms. Floor plates run roughly 1,250 to 2,400 square feet, with corner units capturing both ocean and intracoastal views from the same residence. Floor-to-ceiling windows are standard, terraces are deep enough to actually use rather than just stand on, and finish quality across original-developer units holds up against newer neighbors. Renovated units have pushed the building's per-foot pricing meaningfully higher than baseline.
Live MLS counts and pricing show on the statistics widget on this page. The qualitative position: La Perla sits in the upper-mid tier of Sunny Isles oceanfront condos. It's not Acqualina or the Estates — those operate in a different price universe — but it isn't competing with the older 1990s towers further south either. Buyers who choose La Perla are typically deciding between it and Jade Ocean (just north at 17121 Collins) or Pinnacle (17555 Collins) — same tier, different temperament.
The Building's Position on Collins
- Direct beachfront — pool deck, cabanas, and amenity terrace open onto the sand; private beach service runs through the season
- Mid-Sunny-Isles location — close enough to Aventura Mall to walk to a car, far enough from the Bal Harbour border for relative quiet
- Adjacent to Newport Pier — the historic fishing pier is a few blocks south, walkable in 5–10 minutes along the beach
- K–8 + high school catchment — Norman S. Edelcup Sunny Isles Beach K–8 (top-rated) and Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High serve the building
- Carlos Ott design — the curved, sculptural form is one of the more visually distinctive towers in the strip, which matters for resale
Where La Perla Sits in the Sunny Isles Hierarchy
The Sunny Isles oceanfront strip has expanded into roughly four pricing tiers. Understanding which tier La Perla occupies clarifies the comparable set:
| Tier | Examples | La Perla's Position |
|---|---|---|
| Ultra-luxury | Acqualina Residences, Estates at Acqualina, Porsche Design Tower, St. Regis | Below this tier |
| Premium oceanfront | Jade Ocean, Turnberry Ocean Club, La Perla | This tier — La Perla is here |
| Mid-tier oceanfront | Pinnacle, Aurora, Chateau Beach, Sayan | Above this tier |
| Value tier | Porto Bellagio (bayside), 400 Sunny Isles (bayside) | Above this tier |
Who Buys at La Perla
The buyer base skews international — Latin American, Russian / CIS, and increasingly Israeli and European households who use the residence as a winter base or one of multiple homes. The 2- and 3-bedroom unit mix attracts families and couples; you don't see many investor-only buyers here because the unit count and pricing don't support the kind of churn that drives investor strategy in larger, smaller-unit buildings. End-users are the dominant ownership class. That tends to keep the building quieter and the maintenance discipline higher.
For broader context on Sunny Isles itself — its school catchment, beach, and trajectory — see our Sunny Isles Beach neighborhood page.
Due Diligence Notes
The Property Information section below details Residences Services and Amenities; the FAQ accordion covers HOA structure, rental rules, and pet policies. Run monthly affordability against the live PMMS rate using the embedded calculator at the bottom of this page or open the full mortgage calculator. For Florida tax estimates use the property tax calculator — the tax bill on a 2-bedroom La Perla is meaningful and worth modeling before bidding.
