Avila vs. Cheval: How Tampa's Two Guard-Gated Golf Communities Compare

Should you buy in Avila or Cheval?

Avila is North Tampa's estate-caliber guard-gated enclave — acre-plus custom lots behind a walled perimeter with a 24-hour staffed gatehouse, anchored by the private, invitation-based Avila Golf & Country Club, with recent median sale figures reported in the mid-$2 million range. Cheval, in Lutz, is a larger multi-village gated community built around two courses — the private Club at Cheval and TPC Tampa Bay, which offers public tee times — with HOA dues that vary by village, a CDD assessment in Cheval West, and pricing that runs from the $400Ks for villa product to $2 million-plus for estate homes. Avila fits buyers who want estate scale and maximum privacy; Cheval fits buyers who want gated golf living with more price flexibility and direct Suncoast Parkway access.

Buyers comparing north Hillsborough County's gated golf communities almost always land on the same shortlist: Avila and Cheval. They sit only a few miles apart, they're both guard-gated, and they're both organized around golf. On paper they look like siblings. Walk both with me in the same afternoon, and you'll see they're built for two different buyers.

I show clients both communities regularly, and the decision rarely comes down to the homes alone. It comes down to how the clubs are structured, what the monthly cost stack actually looks like, and which commute pattern fits your life. Here's how the two compare on the points that matter at the contract stage — the same framework I use when a buyer asks me to compare Tampa Bay's golf neighborhoods side by side.

The gates and the clubs work differently

Avila is a single, unified enclave. The community sits behind a walled perimeter with a staffed gatehouse controlling access around the clock, and visitor entry is managed rather than waved through. There's one identity, one standard, and one club at the center.

That club — Avila Golf & Country Club — is private and invitation-based. Two things surprise buyers here. First, buying a home in Avila does not include club membership. The club and the homeowners association are separate organizations, and membership runs on its own admission process. Second, membership isn't limited to residents — the club draws members from outside the gates as well. Third-party estimates of initiation and annual dues vary widely, and the club doesn't publish a rate card, so verify current numbers directly with the membership office before you budget around any figure you've seen online.

Cheval takes the opposite approach: one gated community, two distinct golf experiences. The Club at Cheval — long known as the Cheval Golf & Athletic Club — is the private option, with an 18-hole Steve Smyers-designed course, Har-Tru tennis courts, pickleball, a fitness center, a pool, and a clubhouse restaurant. TPC Tampa Bay — part of the PGA Tour's Tournament Players Club network — offers publicly bookable tee times inside the same gates, which means you can play it without holding a membership anywhere.

That dual structure is Cheval's quiet advantage. Nothing about owning in Cheval obligates you to join a club, and nothing stops you from joining later. For a buyer who wants golf nearby but isn't ready to commit to initiation fees, that flexibility matters. Access is controlled by staffed gates around the clock, supplemented by community patrol.

If club culture itself is a deciding factor for you, my guide to Tampa Bay's private country clubs covers how admission and membership structures differ across the region.

Lots, housing stock, and the monthly cost stack

The physical product is where the two communities diverge most sharply.

Avila is estate land. Lots commonly run an acre or more — some considerably more — under mature oak canopy, and the housing stock is almost entirely custom: a deep bench of Mediterranean and Spanish-eclectic estates, joined in recent years by contemporary new builds and major renovations. Inventory is thin in any given month because turnover is low. Recent 12-month median sale figures for the community have been reported in the mid-$2 million range, with active listings frequently stretching well past $5 million. Avila also appears consistently in conversations about Tampa's wealthiest neighborhoods, which tells you what the competitive buyer pool looks like.

Cheval is a portfolio of villages. Across the community you'll find maintenance-included villas and patio homes, mid-size single-family homes, and estate sections fronting the golf courses and conservation areas. Recent listings have spanned from roughly the low $400Ks for villa and patio-home product — attached and condo units can list lower — to the high $2 millions for estate product. Lot sizes scale accordingly — most are conventional suburban lots, with the larger estate parcels concentrated in a handful of sections.

The cost stack differs in kind, not just amount:

• Avila: One HOA covers the staffed gate, private roads, perimeter wall, and common-area landscaping. Dues are substantial and reflect that infrastructure. There's no separate club obligation — golf is opt-in through the private club.
• Cheval: HOA dues vary by village — roughly $150 to $450 a month depending on where you buy and what the village maintains. Buyers in Cheval West also pay a Community Development District (CDD) assessment, collected annually on the property tax bill, while other sections carry HOA dues only. Membership at The Club at Cheval is a separate, optional line.

That CDD distinction trips up out-of-state buyers constantly. A CDD assessment isn't an HOA fee — it's an additional item on your November tax bill, and it affects your true monthly carrying cost. When I run numbers for a buyer weighing two Cheval villages, the CDD line sometimes changes which home actually costs less to own. Ask for the CDD status and current assessment on any specific address before you write an offer.

Commutes and daily logistics

Neither community is a downtown-adjacent address. The question is which direction your life points.

Avila connects to the Dale Mabry Highway and Bearss Avenue corridors in North Tampa, near Carrollwood. Off-peak, downtown Tampa runs roughly 25 to 30 minutes; peak-hour trips take meaningfully longer. Daily errands are close — the Carrollwood retail corridor along Dale Mabry is minutes from the gate.

Cheval fronts Lutz Lake Fern Road with quick access to the Suncoast Parkway, which feeds directly into the Veterans Expressway. That's the difference-maker: Tampa International Airport and the Westshore business district are typically 20 to 30 minutes off-peak on a limited-access toll road, which is a more predictable run than surface arterials. Downtown Tampa at rush hour can stretch to 45 minutes or more, so Cheval favors buyers oriented toward the airport, Westshore, or the northern suburbs over the downtown core.

Frequent flyers tend to feel the Cheval advantage within the first month. Buyers whose weeks revolve around South Tampa or downtown tend to tolerate Avila's arterial commute in exchange for the estate setting — or they end up shopping South Tampa instead, which is a different conversation.

Which one fits your move

Strip it down and the decision usually resolves along three lines:

1. Scale and privacy: If you want an acre-plus custom estate behind a single unified gate — and you're comfortable with a seven-figure entry point and an invitation-based club process — Avila is the stronger fit.
2. Flexibility and range: If you want gated golf living with multiple price points, no mandatory club commitment, and the option to play a TPC course inside your own community, Cheval wins.
3. Geography: Airport and Westshore commuters lean Cheval for the parkway access. Buyers anchored to central Tampa should weigh Avila's shorter surface-road distance — and test-drive both commutes at the hours they'd actually make them.

The variables that don't show up in listing photos — club admission timelines, village-by-village HOA scopes, CDD assessments, gate procedures for household staff and vendors — are exactly where a deal in either community gets better or worse. That's the layer I walk buyers through before we ever schedule showings, because the right answer depends on your price point, your commute, and how you actually plan to use a club.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does buying a home in Avila include membership in Avila Golf & Country Club?

No. The club is a separate, private, invitation-based organization, and homeownership inside the gates doesn't confer membership. Budget for initiation and dues separately, and confirm current figures and the admission process directly with the club's membership office.

Do Avila or Cheval have CDD fees?

Cheval West carries a Community Development District assessment collected on the annual property tax bill, in addition to HOA dues; other Cheval sections are HOA-only. Verify the CDD status and current assessment for any specific address through the Hillsborough County tax collector's bill before writing an offer. Avila's community costs run through its homeowners association.

Can you play TPC Tampa Bay without being a member?

Yes. TPC Tampa Bay offers publicly bookable tee times even though the course sits inside Cheval's gates. The Club at Cheval, the community's other 18-hole course, is the private option.

Which community is more convenient to Tampa International Airport?

Cheval, in most cases. Its access to the Suncoast Parkway and Veterans Expressway makes the airport and Westshore business district a typically 20-to-30-minute off-peak drive on a limited-access road. Avila relies on the Dale Mabry and Bearss corridors, which are shorter in distance to central Tampa but slower and less predictable at peak hours.

How do home prices compare between Avila and Cheval?

They overlap only at the top of Cheval's range. Cheval's recent listings have run from roughly the $400Ks for villas to the high $2 millions for estate homes, while Avila's recent median sale figures have been reported in the mid-$2 million range with listings well beyond that. Pricing moves, so have current comps pulled for both communities before you anchor on a number.

If you're weighing Avila against Cheval — or trying to decide whether a gated golf community fits your Tampa Bay move at all — a direct conversation usually clears more up than another search.

About Shane Vanderson