Downtown San Diego Real Estate offers a great mix of property types and styles ranging from mid rise condo & loft buildings to high rise luxury apartment and condo complexes.
This is part 2 of 3 covering the top 12 luxury high rise condo buildings in downtown San Diego. In this section we provide a snapshot of buildings #4 to #6 (The Grande, Sapphire Tower, The Pinnacle and Electra) and why we think they are the best of their class.
View Downtown San Diego best high rise condo buildings rankings #1 to #4
View Downtown San Diego best high rise condo buildings rankings #9 to #12
View our guide to San Diego Luxury Condos.
#5 The Grande Towers – Columbia District
The Grande San Diego Condos (a BOSA high rise complex) are located on the Columbia (Waterfront) District just steps to the bay and blocks to Little Italy’s best restaurants and coffee shops.
Location is superb, about 3 blocks to Little Italy District for dining and entertainment options and about 16 blocks to the Gaslamp District for even more entertainment options. The Bay is just a block away.
Condos at The Grande San Diego are modern, nicely finished and well equipped. The Grande has a nice 1 bedroom 1.5 baths floor plan that has about 900 sq ft, which is pretty spacious for your typical downtown San Diego 1 bedroom apartment. There is also a great two bedroom plus den floor plan with 1,800+ sq ft that is amazing and one of the best floor plans among all San Diego luxury condos. If you can find one of those for sale above the 15th floor it would be a very rare find, they usually sell super fast. Being on the bay front you can find a great variety of condos and penthouses at The Grande with spectacular views of both the bay and the city lights.
Amenities at The Grande are some of the best and typical for a BOSA building. These include concierge, security, gym, pool (lap size), dry sauna and steam room. There is also an outdoor BBQ area, a community room for events with billiards and a fully equipped kitchen. The Grande also has a guest room that residents can rent for the night if they have out of town visitors. Last time I checked with the HOA the rate was $125 per night.
View The Grande San Diego Condo Guide
#6 Sapphire Tower – Columbia District
Sapphire Tower Luxury Condos enjoys a great location in the Columbia District right at the edge with Little Italy. Just two blocks to the San Diego bay and about 2 blocks to Little Italy India Street for many amazing dining and entertainment options.
Sapphire Tower San Diego Condos have been tastefully done with nice finishes and floor plans the make good use of the space. Also, with just 97 condos and penthouses in Sapphire Tower makes this condo building quieter and with less foot traffic than your traditional San Diego luxury condo high rise. The amenities have been fully remodeled in 2021 bring this building to today’s luxury living standards and making it jump on our list of best buildings to the top 10 list in 2021.
Amenities at Sapphire Tower San Diego are just typical of what you would expect in a luxury high rise condominium complex: Concierge, security, gym, pool, sauna and a lounge room.
View Sapphire Tower Condo Guide
#7 – The Pinnacle Museum Tower – Marina District
The Pinnacle use to be #1 in our list of best buildings but with the development of newer buildings plus a series of HOA related issues at Pinnacle (HOA assessments, floods and elevator issues in the past), made us take the building a few spots down on the list.
The Pinnacle San Diego Condos offer an amazing location right in the Marina District. Just across the street is a grocery store, two blocks away Horton Plaza new development and right out your door you’ll find hundreds of shops and restaurants within the Marina and Gaslamp District just two blocks away.
Condos at The Pinnacle are very well equipped and finished and have a unique feature in the higher than average ceilings (over 10 feet). Many units at The Pinnacle capture magnificent views of Coronado, the bay and the city. There is a variety of units with two separate balconies which is a very convenient feature.
The Pinnacle luxury condos offer great amenities and arguably the best among downtown San Diego condos. Amenities include gym, pool (actually a very nice lap pool), sauna & steam, community room with kitchen, outdoor grilling area, movie theater and even a guest suite that residents can rent for the night for out of town visitors. The lobby is not as extravagant as in other luxury buildings but the simplicity of The Pinnacle’s lobby and reception area is magnificent. Of course security and concierge services.
A feature that stands out in this complex is the great pool deck with Jacuzzi and BBQ area. One of the best pool deck in downtown San Diego in my opinion. It has a very good size swimming pool where you an actually swim laps for a good workout.
#8 – Electra – Columbia District
Electra San Diego by BOSA is on the southern edge of the Columbia District. Electra’s location is quite close to the best restaurant and entertainment options in downtown San Diego (Gaslamp, Marina and Little Italy).
Little Italy will be about 8 blocks away heading north and the nicer part of Gaslamp about another 14 blocks in the other direction. Electra has amazing condo features and finishes (similar in quality to Bayside and The Grande), unique floor plans and excellent amenities.
Electra San Diego Condos capture bay, city and Coronado island views. In my opinion some of the best views in San Diego are seen from select condos and penthouses at Electra as well as from select units at Harbor Club and The Pinnacle luxury condo towers.
Electra’s amenities include security and concierge service, gym, pool, sauna & steam, community room with full kitchen and piano. You’ll also find an outdoor grilling area with an outdoor fireplace and seating area. There is no movie theater or guest suite at Electra.