What You're Actually Buying When You Buy Into Kaiya Beach Resort

Kaiya Beach Resort has residences available alongside resort amenities at different stages of development.

For buyers comparing Kaiya with Alys Beach or Rosemary Beach as a second-home purchase, it is useful to distinguish between amenities currently operating and those still in development when evaluating the property.

Amenities and Current Status

Kaiya's official materials describe a mixed-use coastal resort anchored by the Oyom Hotel & Spa, the private Kaiya Beach House, Omaire Gallery, Thisday Café, and Kaiya Club. The amenities are at different stages: some are operating, while others remain part of the resort's build-out.

That last row matters most. Kaiya's own site describes Oyom as a 30-suite sanctuary with the spa, fitness center, and restaurant folded in, and lists the opening date as to be announced. A March 2026 report by Hotel Online described this year's expansion in more ambitious terms, a 40-suite hotel with a 4,000-square-foot spa and fitness center. The published plans give different suite totals, and the opening date remains unannounced. The hotel and its associated amenities are part of Kaiya's ongoing build-out. Buyers comparing Kaiya's price with that of an established town can account for the difference between amenities operating today and those still planned.

Kaiya's Development Timeline

Kaiya's development history provides context for the current build-out. Jason Romair, the New Orleans developer behind Kaiya, bought the property about a decade ago. Construction began roughly five years later, and the resort opened its first residences in 2024. The 32-acre site was once a peach farm, a detail that shows up in wire coverage of the project but almost nowhere else, and it's a useful reminder of how much has changed on that ground in a short window.

Even after that 2024 opening, the plan kept moving. The March 2026 expansion announcement, adding the larger version of Oyom Hotel & Spa and a fine-dining restaurant, came roughly two years after residents were already living there. Phased build-out is common in resort development, and a decade-long runway from purchase to full amenity delivery is not unusual for a project of this ambition. Buyers considering future amenities can review the current site plan and published timing.

Three Collections, Different Ownership Options

Kaiya doesn't sell one type of home. Ownership is split across three residential collections, Strand, Preserve, and Solaire, plus a row of Mews townhouses and the condo-style Kaiya Club Residences. Each offers a different ownership and use profile.

Strand villas sit closest to the water, built around panoramic gulf views, and command the top of the current price range. Mews rowhouses trade square footage for a lower-maintenance, walkable footprint inside the community. Kaiya Club Residences are the most condo-like option, with a shared grand lobby, private elevator access, dedicated parking, and a rooftop pool, structured for owners who want hotel-style convenience layered onto ownership.

As of the latest published inventory, available opportunities included Strand Villas 3, 4, 7, and 10, a Mews unit numbered 16, and Kaiya Club Residence 308, priced from $3.18 million to $11.5 million. That's a wide enough spread that the number alone tells you little. It reflects differences in waterfront exposure and privacy at the top end, and condo-style convenience and amenity access at the lower end, alongside resort amenities that remain under construction.

Several villas and Mews homes are already marked sold, and closed villa sales have been recorded in the local MLS going back to 2021, so this isn't purely a pre-construction pitch. Real resale activity exists. Some major resort amenities remain under construction, so buyers can distinguish current offerings from those planned for a later phase.

What This Means Next to Alys and Rosemary

Comparing Kaiya with Alys Beach and Rosemary Beach helps place its current amenity mix in context. Alys Beach, its closest neighbor along the corridor, is a mature, town-scale community with an owner-exclusive Beach Club, roughly 1,500 feet of private shoreline, and established gathering spots that have operated for years. Rosemary Beach, a short walk away, is structured as private property with its own governing documents covering commercial spaces and common areas, built around a classic town square that's been active for two decades.

Kaiya sits between those two models: its amenity and club structure differs from Rosemary's public town square, and its development is at an earlier stage than Alys's. Jason Romair built his career in New Orleans before turning to real estate, opening a Creole-Italian restaurant there before he ever broke ground on 30A, and Kaiya's residences carry the same attention to craft that shaped Alys and Rosemary. For buyers, the practical distinction is which amenities are available now and which remain in development.

Before You Sign

Because Kaiya is a phased resort rather than a finished neighborhood, the paperwork matters more than the floor plan. Before you commit to a unit, confirm:

• The title structure for your specific collection, whether you're buying fee-simple, condo, or club-integrated ownership
• The current HOA or condo documents governing your building, not marketing copy
• Kaiya Club membership terms. The club currently asks prospective members to complete a digital application, which suggests access isn't automatically deeded with every unit, so confirm in writing whether your specific collection includes membership or requires a separate approval step
• The rental program's actual terms if you plan to offset ownership costs with vacation rentals
• How future construction phases, including the still-unbuilt hotel and spa, could affect your view corridor, noise exposure, or access during your ownership

A residence that looks identical to another on paper can feel very different once you know where it sits relative to the next phase of construction.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Kaiya open for guest stays right now? Yes. The resort runs an active booking engine and select villas and condominiums are available for paid stays, but the property is still completing its hospitality build-out, so guests should expect an evolving amenity set rather than a fully finished resort experience.

Does buying at Kaiya include a rental program? Kaiya operates an in-house rental and management platform, and owners can typically opt into it, but participation terms and revenue splits should be confirmed in your specific purchase documents rather than assumed from general marketing.

Does purchasing a unit automatically include Kaiya Club membership? Not necessarily. The club's own enrollment process asks prospective members to submit a digital application, which suggests membership can be separate from ownership depending on the collection, so this is worth confirming before you assume beach house and pool access come with the deed.

How does Kaiya's price range compare across unit types? Current listed inventory spans roughly $3.18 million to $11.5 million, with Strand villas at the water commanding the highest prices and Mews or Club Residence units offering lower entry points with a more condo-style ownership structure.

If you're weighing Kaiya against Alys Beach, Rosemary Beach, or another 30A community and want help reading the fine print, The Lauderdale Group can walk through the current disclosure package, the club terms, and how the timeline for the remaining amenities lines up with your own plans for the property. Request a personalized 30A consultation before you sign anything.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.