St. Regis Bahia Mar Residences: The Most Important Waterfront Development Fort Lauderdale Has Ever Seen
Fort Lauderdale has seen significant waterfront development over the past decade. Pier 66 has been reimagined. The New River corridor is building out. The Las Olas Isles continue to attract serious capital. But what is coming to Fort Lauderdale Beach at Bahia Mar is in a different category entirely — and making that case is not hyperbole.
I'm Joe Vairo — a 2x eXp ICON Agent, ranked the #3 real estate agent in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine, and founder of the Vairo Group, ranked the #3 real estate team in Fort Lauderdale. I specialize in waterfront properties and luxury relocation across South Florida, and the St. Regis Bahia Mar Residences is the project that redefines what is possible at the top of the Fort Lauderdale market. Here is the complete breakdown.
The Site: 40-Plus Acres, 1,800 Linear Feet of Beachfront
Start with the land, because the land is the story.
The St. Regis Bahia Mar Residences occupies more than 40 acres on Fort Lauderdale Beach — a contiguous waterfront site with 1,800 linear feet of beachfront on the Atlantic Ocean. To put that number in context: 1,800 linear feet is over a third of a mile of private beachfront in one of the most land-constrained coastal markets in the United States. Sites of this scale do not come available in Fort Lauderdale. They do not come available anywhere in South Florida with any regularity. This is a generational development opportunity on a site that cannot be replicated.
The development is completely surrounded by water — ocean to the east, Intracoastal to the west — which means the flow-through view experience is not a marketing description. It is the physical reality of what the site delivers.
The Marina: 250 Slips, Yachts Up to 350 Feet
Bahia Mar has been one of the most recognized marina addresses in South Florida for decades. The St. Regis development builds on that legacy with a 250-slip marina capable of accommodating vessels up to 350 feet.
Three hundred and fifty feet. That is superyacht territory — a specification that places this marina among a very short list of facilities in all of Florida capable of handling vessels of that scale. For the serious boating buyer evaluating Fort Lauderdale, the marina at St. Regis Bahia Mar is not just a slip for your current boat. It is infrastructure that grows with your boating ambitions without requiring you to move.
Fort Lauderdale is already home to the largest in-water boat show in the world. Bahia Mar has historically been central to that event. The St. Regis development cements that relationship and elevates the marina to a standard that matches the residential product being built around it.
The Residential Towers: 23 Stories, 80 Residences, Four Per Floor
The two private residential towers at St. Regis Bahia Mar are each 23 stories with just 80 residences per tower — four residences per floor. That ratio defines the ownership experience before a single amenity is considered.
Four residences per floor means genuine privacy, minimal corridor traffic, and a building culture defined by a small, invested ownership community rather than the anonymity of a large tower. Every residence is a flow-through floor plan with private elevator entry, formal foyers, and views spanning from the Atlantic Ocean to the Intracoastal. These are not ocean-view units or Intracoastal-view units. They are both, simultaneously, from the same home.
Residences range from three-bedroom to four-bedroom-with-den floor plans. The amenity package across both towers spans over 37,000 square feet and includes 24/7 concierge service, a full spa, fitness center, pickleball, and exclusive private beach club access.
The Resort Residences: A Different Product for a Different Buyer
Beginning on the 14th floor of the third building, the resort residences offer 79 fully furnished units ranging from two to four bedrooms — with a flexibility of use that the private residential towers do not offer.
Resort residence owners can live full-time, rent short-term, rent long-term, or place their unit into the St. Regis rental program. That optionality makes the resort residences a fundamentally different investment thesis from the private towers — one that accommodates the buyer who wants St. Regis quality and location with income-producing flexibility built in from day one.
For the buyer evaluating Fort Lauderdale as part of a broader real estate portfolio rather than strictly as a primary residence, the resort residence structure is worth serious attention alongside the private tower product.
The St. Regis Experience: What Living Here Actually Means
The location is exceptional. The finishes will be immaculate. The marina is world-class. But the feature that genuinely separates the St. Regis Bahia Mar Residences from every other luxury development in Fort Lauderdale — and arguably in all of South Florida — is what it means to live under the St. Regis flag.
The St. Regis brand is built on a service culture that has been refined over more than a century. At Bahia Mar, that culture is not adapted for a residential context — it is delivered in full. Twenty-four-hour butler service, available around the clock without exception. Evening champagne sabering at sunset, a ritual that is as much about creating a daily moment as it is about the champagne itself. A spirits room. A tea room. And the iconic Bloody Mary ritual, customized specifically for this property — a nod to the St. Regis tradition that dates back to the brand's New York origins.
Then there is the midnight supper — a St. Regis signature that transforms a late evening into an occasion. These are not amenities in the conventional sense. They are moments, rituals, and a service culture that residents do not just access occasionally. They become part of the texture of daily life.
For the buyer relocating from New York, Boston, or another major market where St. Regis properties are known quantities — this context is immediately legible. You understand what the flag means. For the buyer who is encountering the brand for the first time through this project, it represents a standard of residential service that Fort Lauderdale has genuinely never seen before.
What This Development Means for Fort Lauderdale
The St. Regis Bahia Mar Residences is not just the most significant waterfront development Fort Lauderdale has ever produced. It is a statement about where this city is in its trajectory.
A 40-acre beachfront development anchored by the St. Regis brand, with a 350-foot-capable marina, two boutique private residential towers, and a service culture built around 24/7 butler service and century-old hospitality rituals — this is the product of a market that has arrived. Not emerging. Not becoming. Arrived.
For the serious buyer evaluating Fort Lauderdale as a relocation destination or a primary residence market, the St. Regis Bahia Mar Residences is the clearest single signal that the gap between Fort Lauderdale and the world's premier coastal residential markets is closing — and closing quickly.
Want to Learn More About St. Regis Bahia Mar?
I'm Joe Vairo with the Vairo Group. If you want a serious, detailed conversation about the St. Regis Bahia Mar Residences — including current availability across both the private towers and resort residences, pricing, and how this project fits within the broader Fort Lauderdale luxury market — reach out directly.
📲 Text or call me at 954-830-1126 📩 Email me at [email protected] anytime — I respond personally
Joe Vairo is a 2x eXp ICON Agent, South Florida real estate agent, and Fort Lauderdale Magazine's #3 ranked agent in Fort Lauderdale. The Vairo Group, ranked the #3 real estate team in Fort Lauderdale, specializes in waterfront properties and luxury relocation in the $1M+ market.
