Which Edgewater or Coconut Grove condo suits three generations?

For three generations, Villa Miami's full floors are the strongest plan on our file: four or five bedrooms, a junior primary suite for the grandparents and about 5,900 square feet, From $5,750,000. Anantara Residences Miami goes to six bedrooms in its condominium homes, with hotel staff in the building, From $1,800,000. Four Seasons Coconut Grove is smaller and quieter, 70 homes with a private elevator foyer each. Choose on the second suite first.

The same five questions, put to each building from the developers' published material:

Anantara Residences Miami. Price point: From $1,800,000. Delivery: no date in the material on our file. Unit mix: about 100 condominium residences of 3 to 6 bedrooms, in quarter, half and full floors, plus about 120 resort residences of one and two bedrooms and about 50 hotel suites. Position: Edgewater, on the bay, on a two-acre site. Operator: Anantara Hotels, Resorts and Spas, part of Minor Hotels.

Villa Miami. Price point: From $5,750,000. Delivery: no date on file. Unit mix: about 70 homes, half floors of 3 to 4 bedrooms (about 2,940 square feet) and full floors of 4 to 5 bedrooms (about 5,900 square feet), plus duplexes. Position: 700 NE 29th Street, East Edgewater, bay on two sides. Operator: Major Food Group, under licence, with an on-site estate manager.

Four Seasons Private Residences Coconut Grove. Price point: on request. Delivery: no date on the fact sheet. Unit mix: 70 residences over 20 storeys, typically about 2,025 to 3,975 square feet. Position: Coconut Grove, a water view from every residence. Operator: the Four Seasons name under licence, with a Director of Residence and 24-hour on-call repair.

This is the question that decides the building. Grandparents who stay for months want a suite of their own, with a bathroom and some distance from the children's rooms. A family plan with three equal bedrooms rarely gives that.

Villa Miami's four- and five-bedroom full floors are drawn with a junior primary suite, a second principal bedroom, on the developer's plans. That is the layout this family is looking for. Anantara's condominium homes run from three to six bedrooms, and its full-floor homes are the ones to ask about; request the plans by line and look for two suites at opposite ends. Four Seasons Coconut Grove publishes sizes, not bedroom counts, on the sheet we hold, so ask which lines carry a second suite.

Our page on buying a condo in Miami for a family explains how to read a family plan, and single floor or duplex covers why stairs matter when the oldest and youngest live together.

For older relatives, arrival matters too every day: the car at the door, the lobby, the elevator, the door of the home. Four Seasons Coconut Grove publishes dedicated elevator access to private foyers, plus 24/7 valet and a doorman and bellman. That is the shortest path from the car to the sofa of the three.

Villa Miami has a porte-cochère arrival under its bronze frame and one or two homes per floor, so the landing is shared with one neighbour at most. Anantara is a mixed building, with hotel suites, resort residences and condominium homes. Ask which lobby and which elevators the condominium owners use, and whether hotel guests share them.

This family will lock the door for months. Someone has to check the air conditioning, the leaks and the post. Four Seasons Coconut Grove names a Director of Residence and 24-hour on-call emergency repair, and lists housekeeping, grocery provisioning and a butler à la carte, billed when used. Villa Miami names an on-site estate manager. Anantara brings a hotel operator into the building; ask which of its staff serve the condominium owners and what is extra.

Every one of those people is paid through the association budget or by the hour. Read the line items before you compare monthly costs. Our page on Miami HOA fees explains how, and what it costs to own a condo in Miami each year adds insurance and tax.

Anantara has the largest program: about 130,000 square feet of amenity, about 25,000 square feet of it private to residents, about 30,000 square feet of gardens and a full floor for wellness. Villa Miami has three club levels, a floating pool on the bay, a thermal spa and a restaurant with private dining for residents. Four Seasons Coconut Grove lists a kids area, a party room, a serviced pool deck and a restaurant on the ground floor with in-residence dining.

Villa Miami's restaurant, dock and helipad sit in commercial parts of the building sold separately, so their operation is not guaranteed. Price the home, not the restaurant.

Villa Miami suits the family that needs real space and a second suite, and wants the building staffed by people who think about food and hosting. You give up a published date and pay the highest entry. The Villa Miami dossier holds the plans.

Anantara Residences Miami suits the large family that wants six bedrooms and a hotel operator on site. You give up some quiet: the building mixes hotel guests and residents. The Anantara dossier and its floor plans and unit mix hold the detail.

Four Seasons Coconut Grove suits the family that values a small building, a private elevator foyer and named staff. You give up size at the top end and a published price. Read whether it is worth it.

Our Edgewater zone page and Coconut Grove zone page map the neighbourhoods, and Edgewater or Coconut Grove on walkability and service compares daily life. For the move itself, read relocating to Miami with a family. For a couple whose children have left, read Brickell or Coconut Grove, a city tower or a quieter enclave. The desk lays the family lines of all three side by side, marks the second suite in each and asks each developer what the staff do while you are away.