Located on the Sarasota Bay and next to a prestigious country club, Esplanade on the Bay in Bradenton is one of the most sumptuous collection of luxury homes in Southwest Florida. This ultra-exclusive gated community was first envisioned in the 1990s as an ideal neighborhood for the families of student athletes enrolled in the nearby IMG Academy; since then, Esplanade on the Bay has become one of the crown jewels of luxury real estate in Bradenton.

Esplanade on the Bay lies to the south of the IMG Academy Athletic fields and to the east of the Bayshore Gardens subdivision. The neighborhood is platted for just 37 home sites, and only a handful have not yet been developed. The rest of the homes are waterfront estates and spacious properties nestled within forest preserves.

The residential architecture in this special community is eclectic; house hunters will find Key West homes next to Mediterranean mansions and Modernist houses. The properties of Esplanade on the Bay are not cookie-cutter by any means; they are custom-built by renowned regional developers, and nearly all of them are large estates with four bedrooms and at least 2,900 square feet under air conditioning. Pricing typically starts at $1 million for the waterfront estates, which happen to be the most requested by house hunters.

To get an idea of the real estate at Esplanade on the Bay, consider a four-bedroom and three-bathroom property listed for $1,69 million in late 2015: this magnificent home features granite walls, Italian and German fixtures all around, home automation, HD audio in every room, closed-circuit television, heated swimming pool with spa, gourmet kitchen with separate pantry, panoramic balconies, sundeck, and more.

Some of the waterfront estates have their own private dock. Boating enthusiasts who live at Esplanade on the Bay often sail across to Longboat Key or north to Anna Maria Island. In terms of golf, membership at El Conquistador next door is the best option, but a few others are close by. Bradenton Beach is less 15 than minutes away, and the same goes for Downtown Bradenton.