On the market near Palm Beach: Newer beachfront condo lists at $4.995M at 3550 South Ocean

In 2019, Dr. Michael Apa came to the Palm Beach area from New York City because his then-wife, Lisa, is an equestrian.

“Lisa rides in Wellington, but I didn’t want to live there,” Michael explains. “I wanted something on the ocean.”

The couple decided to look for an oceanfront residence and ended up buying unit No. 6B at the 3550 South Ocean condominium development in South Palm Beach, about a third of a mile from the Palm Beach town limits.

“I was already familiar with Palm Beach — I used to teach cosmetic dentistry there — and many of our friends have places in Palm Beach,” says Apa, a cosmetic dentist whose main residence and practice, Apa Aesthetic, is in Manhattan, with satellite offices in Dubai and Los Angeles.

With his plans including a new dental office in Miami, Apa — now divorced — plans to move south and the three-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath condo on South Ocean Boulevard is on the market.

The sixth-floor apartment is listed with Sotheby’s International Realty agents Patricia Towle and Kourtney Joyce Pulitzer. With 3,219 square feet of living space, inside and on the balconies, it’s priced at $4.995 million, and the designer-selected furnishings are available in separate negotiations.

When they were apartment-hunting, the doctor says, they were looking for something with a modern style, “and the 3550 South Ocean building was the only one (with a sleek, contemporary look) except for The Bristol, which is on the Intracoastal (Waterway in West Palm Beach), and I wanted to be on the ocean.”

With expansive walls of glass, the building has seven stories arranged in a stepped-back design to take advantage of the views. Completed in 2019, it was first new condominium to rise in the area in years. “This condo has floor-to-ceiling windows — it’s modern, new and clean, and it fit what we were looking for architecturally,” Apa says.

“We made a couple of trips down preconstruction and met with the sales team and saw the renderings and fell in love with the place," he said. At that point, they were able to change the interiors a bit, he adds.

“We did custom closets and built-out couches in the room with the piano,” Apa says. “We did blue Venetian plaster on all the main walls for a South Florida feel. The guest bedrooms are now en suite. Initially, they shared a bathroom.”

Private elevators serve the different “stacks” of the building, “which makes it feel much smaller than its actual size,” Apa says. A private elevator foyer opens to the condo’s own foyer and gallery. Foot traffic then flows out past the kitchen to the great room, where a wall of sliding doors opens to the oceanview balcony.

The main bedroom suite, which is accessed from the great room, also opens to a balcony with a sea view. The suite includes a large custom-fitted dressing room and a travertine-finished bathroom, which is fitted with a walk-in shower, spa tub and double vanities. West of the gallery are the two bedroom suites, the den/music room, laundry area and a powder room.

Floors throughout are covered in white oak, and the kitchen features custom cabinets, Miele appliances, and a marble backsplash and counters. The powder room is finished in limestone, and the guest bathrooms have marble appointments.

The condo will be sold with parking for two cars and a private storage area. The building’s amenities include a fitness studio, a pet park, private beach access, and a beachfront swimming pool and sun terrace. Services include a concierge and valet parking. Cars can be washed and custom-detailed on site.

Among the other perks, the condo’s address carries the coveted 33480 ZIP code, the same as that of Palm Beach. The building is about a third of a mile north of Manalapan’s Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa and the East Ocean Avenue bridge to the mainland.

Even though he wishes to live closer to his new Miami office, Apa says leaving this condo will be bittersweet.

“I’ll miss everything. This is a great unit overlooking the ocean. It’s so convenient to all the great restaurants, and it’s easy getting in and out of Palm Beach,” he says. He also likes the atmosphere of the 3550 South Ocean building, which was developed with 30 apartments.

“It’s not a busy building, since most people (here) are not (full-time) residents, but only come for vacations. There were not more than 10 to 15 families at any given time," he says.

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To see more photos of unit No. 6B at the 3550 South Ocean building, click on the photo gallery at the top of this page.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Florida real estate: See a sleek condo near Palm Beach priced at $5M