Samuel W.
Yelp
If there is one saying that perfectly describes this building, it is "all that glitters is not gold." Yes, the building is beautiful and has about everything that you would want in a Brickell apartment. However, there is more beneath the surface that makes the experience of living in this building less than enjoyable.
First, I'll start with the pros:
* Facilities: The building was finished in 2007 and was designed by a renowned architecture firm, Arquitectonica. It has a striking exterior design that is both contemporary and expressive. Inside, the lobby is beautifully finished with high ceilings, marble floors, dark wooden walls, and colorful lighting. The apartments are also well designed, with stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, and contemporary lighting. The 12th floor features an infinity pool and a two-story gym.
* Location: The building is right in the heart of Brickell. It is footsteps away from some of Miami's best bars, restaurants, shopping, and the metro. It is also right next to the river, which has some great areas to take a walk.
* Views: My apartment was on a higher floor and had views of the skyscrapers and the surrounding suburban areas. I could even see all the way out to the water. I loved waking up to the city view every day!
* Management and Staff: Although Miami apartments are notorious for poor management companies that are often inefficient and have rude staff, I found the management at this building to be really easy to deal with. The security staff were also very friendly and always smiled when I was in the lobby.
At first glance, this sounds like the perfect apartment building in Brickell. However, not everything about this building is good news. Now on to the cons:
* Elevators: The building has four elevators. However, one of them is a designated service elevator and is reserved whenever someone is moving in or out of their unit. On top of this, the elevators broke down ALL THE TIME! There was almost always at least one elevator broken, and combined with the service elevator being used for move-ins, this would bring the available elevators down to two. As a result, I would be crammed in the elevator with everyone and their dogs and would have to then wait as we stopped at several floors before I arrived at my own.
* Construction Quality: Although the building looks beautiful, it is actually built very cheaply like many other Miami apartments. My shower faucet fell off just from routine use, which I had to fix on my own. In addition, there were tiles along the wall base that came loose. For a building that charges so much for rent, you'd think they would put in a little more care into the construction quality. But it's clear the developer was willing to cut costs in order to make as much money from each unit as possible.
* Valet Service: My particular unit did not come with a parking spot. Instead, I had to use the valet service every time I wanted to get my car. When they were busy, it could take up to five minutes for them to bring my car down. Although other staff in the building were quite friendly, the valet staff were not, and always seemed like they were in a bad mood.
* Barking Dogs: What really put the nail in the coffin for me and made me decide not to renew my lease was the high number of dogs in this building. It seems like every other person who lives in this building has a dog. Although most buildings in Brickell are pet friendly, this is one of the only places that allows large dogs, so it is one of the only options for some people. Due to this, I was constantly disturbed by barking in the hallway as the dogs were taken in and out of their apartments for walks. It would happen at all hours of the day, from early in the morning when I was trying to sleep in on the weekend, to later in the evening when I wanted a quiet night to myself. My unit was a studio apartment located right next to the elevators, so there was no sound barrier between the hallway and where I slept. As a result of this, I had to rely on earplugs and white noise to sleep. It is clear that this building cares more about catering to every Miami dog owner who wants to live in an apartment than it does to giving everyone the right to the quiet enjoyment of their own apartment. Even a simple policy of every other floor being dog-friendly would solve this problem. It would be the perfect balance to cater to people who have dogs while also giving people the option for a quieter floor.
Overall, while this building may be the luxury high-rise experience that many people think of when they think of living in Miami, it comes with compromises that I was unwilling to make. Do yourself a favor and think twice about whether it is worth it before you decide to rent here. The only thing this building made me realize is that living in a glitzy high rise in Miami is not all that it is cracked up to be. It is expensive for what you get, and you can get a much better value elsewhere.