The Sofi Group - the extraordinary in real estate

About South of Fifth

Once a barren stretch of land, full of graffiti and panhandlers, SoFi has blossomed into Miami's most expensive and high brow area, bustling with luxury condos, a major restaurant scene, swanky private clubs and lounges, fabulous boutique hotels, such as the Prime Hotel, that are more intimate than the SoBe megahotels, and - the icing on the cake - the best beach in town!

A decade in the making, SoFi is very much the vision of developer extraordinaire Jorge Perez of The Related Group of Florida, who started the boom when he opened Portofino Tower in the mid 90s. Next came Yacht Club, Murano at Portofino where La Piaggia, a private waterside beach club provides stylish meals and chic beach life, Murano Grande, and ICON South Beach, a fantastic blend of beach/chic designed by Philippe Starck.

The most exclusive building in South of Fifth is Apogee, the 67-unit building where homes only come in two sizes - large and very large! With prices ranging from $4.2 million for a 5th floor 3 bedrooms to $16 million for a 3 level Penthouse, Apogee has set new standards on luxury condo living. The Continuum North Tower, the brainchild of New York developer Ian Bruce Eichner, which finished construction in 2008 is further upping the SoFi real estate market, having quickly become the most sought-after building by international buyers, especially Brazilians.

Today's SoFi is nonstop action. In addition to the legendary Miami staple restaurant, Joe's Stone Crab, which just expanded its take-out area for the 2010-2011 season, other haute spots include five places owned by the self-proclaimed mayor of food, restaurateur Myles Chefetz: Prime 112, Miami's more elegant answer to Peter Luger's; Prime Italian, which serves some of the Prime 112 favorites in addition to delicious Italian fare; Nemo, the always-packed hangout with outdoor cafe tables and one of the best brunches in town; Shoji Sushi, a Zen-like place known for its Spanish blue fin tuna, and Big Pink, a comfort-food palace that serves up large plates of spinach dip and hulking burgers in a retro pink and silver diner space (look out for the pink VW bug delivery service). Then there's Smith & Wollensky, one of the best places for drinks at sunset, DeVito, with its oversized chairs and oversized Italian meatballs, RED the Steakhouse, and 2 Brazilian churrascarias - Fogo de Chao and Texas do Brasil. Among the just-opened restaurants in the area, Kone - the Brazilian take on Japanese food on 5th street, and De Rodriguez at the Bentley Beach Hotel are our favorites. All of these within walking distance of your home in South of Fifth!