About Bay Harbor Islands
Bay Harbor Islands is one of the smallest towns in Miami-Dade County: two man-made islands in Biscayne Bay, joined to Bal Harbour and the beach by the 96th Street causeway. The east island is lined with low-rise residential buildings on the water; the west island is quiet streets of houses. The whole town is only a few blocks wide, which is exactly its appeal.
It is not a resort strip. There is no hotel row and very little happening late at night. What it has instead is water on every side, some of the best shopping in Florida within a short walk, the beach just across the causeway, and the rest of Miami close enough to enjoy and far enough to leave behind. For many travelers, that makes Bay Harbor Islands vacation rentals the most comfortable way to experience the city.
Waterfront living
Staying in Bay Harbor Islands means living on the water rather than visiting it. Mornings start with the bay flat and bright; boats slide along Indian Creek in the afternoon; evenings bring the Miami skyline glowing across the water. Our residences sit directly on the waterfront at 9821 E Bay Harbor Drive, with building pools, jacuzzis, a fitness center, a sauna and a steam room: the amenities of a resort, in a residential setting.
That is the difference between a waterfront rental and a room with a view: space to cook, to spread out, and to settle in for a week or a month as if you lived here.
The beaches
Bal Harbour beach is the closest, about fifteen minutes on foot across the causeway. It is quiet, well kept and backed by residential towers rather than bars. A paved oceanfront path runs alongside it for miles, ideal for an early walk or a run.
Surfside Beach, entered at 96th Street, is about five minutes by car. The sand is wider, lifeguards are on duty, and the restaurants of 96th Street are a two-minute walk from your towel.
Haulover Beach Park, about seven minutes north, is where to go for space: a long stretch of Atlantic, picnic areas, paid parking, and a clearly signed clothing-optional section at the northern end that is easy to avoid.
South Beach is about twenty minutes south. It is worth a day for the Art Deco district and Lincoln Road, and a good reason to come home to somewhere calmer.
Restaurants and cafés
Kane Concourse, the main street of Bay Harbor Islands, is where everyday dining happens: cafés, bakeries and relaxed dinners within a few minutes’ walk.
96th Street in Surfside is the best walk-out dinner strip nearby, with Mediterranean, Italian and seafood kitchens in small, well-run rooms. It is about thirteen minutes on foot.
Bal Harbour Shops is home to the area’s more formal restaurants, several of which are worth booking ahead in the winter season.
The area is also well served by kosher restaurants, bakeries and markets, more so than most of Miami Beach.
Shopping
Bal Harbour Shops, about twelve minutes on foot, is one of the most celebrated open-air luxury shopping centers in the country: flagship fashion and jewelry houses set around shaded courtyards and koi ponds. Even for guests who are not shopping, it is a beautiful place for a long lunch. A Whole Foods Market next door makes stocking the kitchen easy.
Aventura Mall, about twelve minutes north by car, is one of the largest shopping centers in the United States and the obvious choice on a rainy afternoon.
The Miami Design District, around twenty-two minutes away, combines luxury boutiques with galleries, public art and some of the city’s most interesting restaurants.
Bal Harbour
Bal Harbour is the village directly across the causeway: the oceanfront, the famous shops, and some of Miami’s most exclusive residential towers. From Bay Harbor Islands you enjoy all of it on foot and return to a quieter island at the end of the day.
Surfside
Surfside, just south of Bal Harbour, is a small beach town with a local feel: a friendly main street, family-oriented beaches and a relaxed pace. It is the easiest beach day from Bay Harbor Islands when you want lifeguards and lunch within a few steps of the sand.
Miami Beach
Miami Beach begins just south of Surfside. Twenty minutes brings you to South Beach’s Art Deco architecture, Lincoln Road, the Miami Beach Convention Center (home of Art Basel Miami Beach each December) and the city’s best-known nightlife. Staying north in Bay Harbor Islands gives you Miami Beach without living inside the crowd.
Nearby attractions
- Oleta River State Park: Florida’s largest urban park, with kayaking, paddleboarding, mangrove trails and mountain-bike paths, about twelve minutes away.
- Haulover Park and Marina: beach, kite-flying, fishing charters and boat tours.
- Wynwood Walls: Miami’s open-air street-art district, about twenty-five minutes away.
- The Miami Design District: galleries, architecture and design.
- Hard Rock Stadium: home of the Miami Open and the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix, about twenty minutes by car.
- Pérez Art Museum Miami and the Frost Museum of Science: side by side on Biscayne Bay downtown, about half an hour away.
Things to do
- Walk to Bal Harbour Shops for coffee, a long lunch and an afternoon in the courtyards.
- Take an early swim at Bal Harbour beach, then breakfast on the balcony.
- Rent a kayak or paddleboard at Oleta River State Park and explore the mangroves.
- Spend a full beach day at Surfside with lunch on 96th Street.
- Book a sunset boat tour from Haulover Marina.
- Drive to Wynwood for the murals and the Design District for dinner.
- Watch the Miami skyline light up from the water’s edge.
- Plan a trip around a Miami event: Art Week in December, the Miami Open in spring, the Grand Prix in May.
Why book a Bay Harbor Islands vacation rental direct
Our residences are also listed on Airbnb and Vrbo, but our best available rate is here. Booking on this website there is no platform in between: you see live availability, the nightly rate, the cleaning fee and taxes before you pay, and your questions go straight to our team. Search your dates above to compare our waterfront residences and book the one that fits your stay.
