News
Miromar Lakes Competes Successfully With Oceanfront Living
19 June 2009
MIROMAR LAKES, FLA. - When Mike McNamara relates the story of how he and his wife Julie discovered Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club, you could almost credit the couple for creating the resort community's perennial tagline, "We are where you want to be®." Almost, but not quite because it was a Miromar Lakes brochure - with that very slogan already in use - sent to the McNamaras by a friend, that first caught their attention. Says Mike: "As serious boaters with a home on Lake Michigan for 32 years, Miromar Lakes seemed too good to be true. It was hard to believe that you could live on that much water in Florida without being on the ocean."
It has been a common reaction with others who discover Miromar Lakes and its over 700 acres of contiguous aquamarine freshwater lakes, three miles of private, white sandy beach and "signature" championship golf, all within one luxurious setting. Visitors are often surprised to see such expansive opportunities for in-lake swimming, boating, sailing, water-skiing and fishing.
Chris Dike, a Realtor® with REMAX Realty Select in Naples, includes Miromar Lakes on tours for her clients who are seeking a waterfront location. "Miromar Lakes gives the feeling of being on open water, and short of living on the Gulf, that's hard to find in Naples," says Dike. She recently took a young couple to Miromar Lakes who really wanted to live on the beach but could not find anything suitable on the Gulf. "They were really impressed to see people of similar age as we walked around the Beach Club and they loved all the activities they could take part in."
McNamara, who ran a successful home building company in Michigan and who also happens to be a Florida Realtor® with RE/MAX Estates in Estero, brings yet another perspective to his choice of waterfront living. "We owned other Florida property and could have lived anywhere," he says, "but it's crowded at the beach (Gulf), it's hard to park and then there is the inevitable red tide to deal with. We're lake people, so Miromar Lakes was a natural fit for us."
Another Naples-based Realtor®, Kathie Soller with Coldwell Banker on Fifth Avenue, also brings her clients to Miromar Lakes because, as she puts it: "When I go to Miromar Lakes I feel like I have escaped to an island and I only have to drive fifteen minutes to get there instead of fly several hours. There is no other place like it."
Complementing the recreational lakes is the award-winning Miromar Lakes Beach Club which is comprised of three buildings. Located directly on the water's edge, the Beach Clubhouse offers indoor and outdoor dining, including a beachside terrace and a brick-paved courtyard with a fountain. A private beachside dining room provides intimate seating around a fireplace and an indoor/outdoor bar lounge with wine rooms offers another dining and socializing venue. A library, billiard room, card room, 50-seat theater and business center are also encompassed by the Beach Clubhouse.
The Blue Water Beach Grill features contemporary fare in an open-air setting with panoramic lake and beach views and boat docks. The European-style Spa encompasses a full-service beauty salon and a state-of-the-art Fitness Center with a Pilates Studio and Aerobics Room. Other Beach Club amenities include a 10,000 square foot, zero-edge infinity pool, world-class Concierge Services and Marine Services. The Beach Club also has an array of activities including tennis, volleyball and basketball courts, and a children's playground.
Although the McNamaras have a dock in their back yard and like to spend time water-skiing and enjoying aquatic picnics as they tie together a string of their friend's boats on the lake, they also take full advantage of the Miromar Lakes Beach Club. They frequent the Blue Water Beach Grill for business and pleasure, and Julie enjoys the convenience of getting her hair done at the Spa's salon. Says Mike, "Our clients pick up on how much we love it here, not just at Miromar Lakes but the area around it. We have extended family and friends who love to visit us here and the airport is just a short drive."
In addition to the Beach Club, the Miromar Lakes Golf Club boasts the only Arthur Hills "Signature" championship golf course in Southwest Florida and an award-winning Tuscan-inspired Golf Clubhouse. Future plans include a Robert Trent Jones II "Signature" championship golf course, his only "Signature" course in the world.
Within the last six months, two new waterfront neighborhoods have been launched at Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club, according to Executive Vice President and General Manager of Miromar Development Corp., Jerry Schmoyer. Costa Amalfi introduces a new beachfront cottage home style that includes sweeping views across 250-acre Lake Como, connecting to 450-acre Lake Maggiore, says Schmoyer. Positano, the second new neighborhood, is a gated beachfront enclave of five-story buildings over parking that features a "lazy river" lagoon pool with an island sundeck overlooking the beach. Schmoyer attributes interest and sales to the original vision for the community, stating: "Margaret Antonier, President and CEO of Miromar Development Corp., wanted to create a waterfront resort lifestyle with the world-class amenities inspired by her travels, particularly to the French and Italian Riviera. I think she has succeeded and what makes it all the more appealing is the unique setting. Our residents tell us all the time that they feel like they are living in a five-star resort."
For the McNamaras, an estate style home on the waterfront suited their lifestyle. Other residential choices at Miromar Lakes include Beachfront Residences, Waterfront Residences, Grand Estate Homes, Luxury Villas, Full Floor Residences and Coach Homes, ranging from the mid $300,000s to over $6 million.
Miromar Lakes continues to earn the coveted awards of "Community of the Year" and "Best Clubhouse." These honors represent Sand Dollar Awards from the Collier Builder Industry Association and Pinnacle Awards from the Lee County Building Industry Association won in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. "We are where you want to be®" is already taken, but Mike McNamara sums up his feelings about Miromar Lakes best with the slogan he has coined for his own real estate clientele: "It's like living on vacation."
Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club is located in Miromar Lakes, Florida, just north of Naples. Take exit 123 off I-75, turn right onto Corkscrew Road and drive a half mile east past the International Design Center and Miromar Outlets to Ben Hill Griffin Parkway. Turn left and continue 2.8 miles north to Miromar Lakes. The Sales Center is located outside of the gated entrance. For more information, please contact the Sales Center at Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club at (239) 425-2340 or (877) 809-9444, or visit http://www.miromarlakes.com/.