31 Oct Aventura and Bal Harbour: A Luxury Shopping Weekend

Aventura and Bal Harbour: A Luxury Shopping Weekend

For a luxury shopping weekend in Miami, Bal Harbour Shops and Aventura Mall are the two stops: Bal Harbour is the open-air center of top fashion houses, now in the middle of a 250,000-square-foot expansion, and Aventura Mall, which its developer puts at more than 2.8 million square feet, has more than 300 stores and more than 25 permanent artworks. This guide covers both centers, where to stay and eat nearby, parking, personal shopping and sales tax, as of October 31, 2026.

Facts come from the shopping centers, the hotels, Forbes Travel Guide, the MICHELIN Guide, the Florida Department of Revenue, the Village of Bal Harbour and established press, as dated below. Hours, stores and prices change; confirm before you go.

At a Glance

Bal Harbour Shops

Bal Harbour Shops opened in 1965 and is owned by Whitman Family Development, according to the company. Its anchors are Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, and its boutiques include Chanel, Prada and Fendi, according to the Village of Bal Harbour’s tourism site. Toteme opened its first Miami store there on July 1, 2026, Fashion Network reported.

The expansion

The 511,000-square-foot center is adding 250,000 square feet, financed with a $740 million package from Blackstone, Commercial Observer reported in February 2025. The first West Shops storefronts on Level 1 opened on September 23, 2026, Miami & Beaches reported, and the center says more boutiques are coming. We found no announcement that the expansion is finished. The center’s owner is also in a long-running land-use lawsuit with the Village of Bal Harbour over a separate mixed-use project beside the Shops, Bisnow reported in April 2026.

Where to eat inside

The center lists Avenue 31 Café, Café en 3, Carpaccio, Carrie’s at Neiman’s, China Grill, Makoto and Slim’s. Slim’s, a steakhouse from Starr Restaurants, opened on March 17, 2026 in Makoto’s former space, Time Out reported. That space is on the ground floor next to Saks, and Makoto moved to the third floor, Commercial Observer reported in October 2025. Carpaccio signed to move to a larger third-floor space due in fall 2027, Commercial Observer reported in February 2025.

Parking and personal shopping

Self-parking is in the ticketless 96th Street Garage, where cameras read your license plate and you pay by QR code and credit card, with no cash, according to the center. The 9700 Collins Ave vehicle entrance has been closed for construction since February 27, 2026, and valet is on the garage’s Green Level, at the Neiman Marcus entrance at 9800 Collins Ave, and at the South Collins Gate by Saks for drop-off only, according to the Village of Bal Harbour. The center’s Personal Shopping & Styling service is offered to Elite-level Access members, or by private appointment subject to availability, and is booked by email; no prices are published.

Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus at Bal Harbour stayed on their parent company’s list of stores remaining open after it filed for Chapter 11 in January 2026; the company emerged from bankruptcy in June 2026 under the name Exemplar Luxury Group.

Aventura Mall

Aventura Mall is owned by a partnership of Turnberry and Simon Property Group and managed by Turnberry, according to Commercial Observer and Turnberry, which describes “over 2.8 million square feet,” more than 300 stores and 50 dining options. Its anchors include Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s, and its luxury boutiques include Dior, Celine, Bulgari, Prada, Hermès and Louis Vuitton, according to the mall. Prada and IWC opened in May 2025 and Dior in October 2025, the mall reported. USA TODAY 10Best readers named it the best mall in the U.S. in 2025 and 2026, according to the mall.

• Art: more than 25 permanent works, including Carsten Höller’s Slide Tower, Louise Bourgeois’s Eye Benches and Ugo Rondinone’s Moonrise sculptures, with a free QR-code audio tour in English, Spanish and Portuguese, according to the mall. Check whether the slide is running before you go.
• Dining: Eataly opened its first Florida location there in June 2025, alongside the Treats Food Hall, the mall reported.
• Services: the mall offers a personal styling program called The Stylist and a concierge desk on the lower level.

Where to Stay

• Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club, 9011 Collins Ave, Surfside: a Forbes Five-Star hotel and spa for 2026, with 77 rooms including five Ocean Bungalows, according to Forbes Travel Guide. The hotel says its house car runs to Bal Harbour Shops, about five minutes away.
• The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort, 9703 Collins Ave, across from the Shops: a Forbes Five-Star hotel and Five-Star spa for 2026, according to Forbes Travel Guide.
• JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Spa, Aventura: 685 rooms, two 18-hole golf courses and a 25,000-square-foot spa, according to Forbes Travel Guide, which lists it as “Soon To Be Rated.”
• The Ritz-Carlton Bal Harbour is closed for renovation; the hotel says it reopens in February 2027.

Where to Dine Nearby

The Surf Club Restaurant, Thomas Keller’s restaurant at the Four Seasons in Surfside, holds One MICHELIN Star in the 2026 Florida guide, and is the only starred restaurant in Surfside, Bal Harbour or Aventura, according to the MICHELIN Guide. It serves dinner Tuesday through Sunday. Lido Restaurant at The Surf Club is a Forbes Four-Star restaurant for 2026. At the St. Regis, the restaurants include Atlantikós and BH Prime, according to Forbes Travel Guide.

Sales Tax

Shopping here is not tax-free. Florida’s state sales tax is 6%, and Miami-Dade County adds a 1% surtax, for 7% in total, according to the Florida Department of Revenue. The county surtax applies only to the first $5,000 of certain taxable sales, and the department lists no general exemption for visitors.

Questions to Ask Before You Go

1. Are the boutiques you want open, and are any moving during the Bal Harbour expansion?
2. Can the store hold sizes or pieces for you if you call ahead?
3. Where should you park or drop off while the 9700 Collins entrance is closed?
4. Do you qualify for Bal Harbour’s Personal Shopping & Styling, or can you book an appointment?
5. Does your hotel offer a car to the Shops?
6. How far ahead do The Surf Club Restaurant’s tables open?
7. Is the item shipped out of state, and how is sales tax handled if so?
8. What are the holiday hours during your visit?

The Bottom Line

Spend one day at Bal Harbour Shops for the fashion houses and one at Aventura Mall for its range and its art, stay at the Four Seasons or the St. Regis, and book The Surf Club Restaurant ahead. Check what has moved during the Bal Harbour expansion before you plan around a boutique.

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• South Florida’s best new restaurants

Last updated October 31, 2026. Facts come from the sources listed above, checked on that date, and may change. Not legal, financial, tax or investment advice. Full disclaimer