Miami Beach

The Art Collection At The Soho Beach House

Soho Beach House, the third North American property from the Soho House brand, opened in Miami this fall with over 150 original works of art hanging in the lobby and the halls. With Art Basel Miami Beach happening every December, Miami has become a hot spot for contemporary art. The artists gave original work to the club in exchange for membership and credit, the same approach used to curate the work in Soho House Berlin, Dean Street Townhouse in London and Soho House West Hollywood. The result is a collection of artworks given by artists who invest in the creative nature of the club itself.

A number of the artists in Soho Beach House are based in or originally from Miami, including Hernan Bas, Jose Parla, Aaron Young and Jim Drain. The collection also includes respected American artists such as Elizabeth Peyton, Glenn Ligon, Jack Pierson, John Baldessari and Shepherd Fairey as well as British artists including Douglas Gordon, Noble and Webster, Jake and Dinos Chapman, Liam Gillick, and Jonathan Monk. New generation American artists include Rashid Johnson, Slater Bradley, Ryan McGinley, KAWS, Aurel Schmidt and Rosson Crow).Francesca Gavin, the curator of the Soho House Group, works with Jonathan Yeo who art directs the Soho House collection.

The Soho Beach House is both a hotel to the public and members-only club. It is the ninth Soho House and the third in North America. The Soho Beach House is located on the site of the historic art deco Sovereign Hotel, which has been redesigned and expanded to include a 16-story oceanfront tower. The property now includes the club bar, 49 bedrooms, a penthouse, two pools, a full service beach, garden with Tiki bar, a roof deck,Cowshed Spa and Cecconi's restaurant.

Gallery: Soho Beach House Art Collection

Tags: art, miami, miami beach, soho beach house, soho house

Joe's Stone Crab: Serving Stone Crabs for Nearly a Century

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

In 1913, Hungarian-born waiter Joe Weiss left New York for Miami Beach after his doctors suggested the climate would be better for his asthma. He and his wife, Jennie, opened a small lunch counter at a local bathing casino when Miami Beach was a sleepy backwater town. During its earliest years, people were not yet eating stone crabs--the local crustacean wasn't yet considered edible. Joe's Stone Crab changed that.

Anyone who's anyone visiting Miami Beach eats at Joe's Stone Crab. Indeed, the restaurant's clientelle includes some of the most famous names in America throughout the 20th century, from the Duke and Duchess of Windsor to Al Capone, Gloria Swanson, J. Edgar Hoover, and Amelia Earhart. The restaurant is now run by the third and fourth generations of the Weiss family.

Gallery: Joe's Stone Crab in Miami Beach, Florida

Tags: awards-main, best seafood, Best Seafood restaurant, Joes Stone Crab, luxist-awards, Miami Beach, stone crab claws, stores-and-shopping

Continue reading “Joe's Stone Crab: Serving Stone Crabs for Nearly a Century”

Nobu Miami Beach: Seafood with an Innovative Japanese Twist

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Nobu in Miami is nominated for a Luxist Award for Best Seafood Restaurant

Where do the wealthiest and most famous people dine while visiting Miami Beach? Look no further than the Miami Beach outpost of legendary Nobu restaurant. Known for its innovative, new style Japanese cuisine, much of which is seafood-based, Nobu Miami Beach is nominated for a Luxist Award for Best Seafood Restaurant.

Signature dishes include yellowtail with jalapeno, black cod with miso, Big Eye tuna tataki, Kumamoto oysters with toro salsa, roro tartar with caviar, and fresh yellowtail sashimi.

Gallery: Nobu in Miami

Tags: awards-main, best seafood, Best Seafood restaurant, luxist-awards, Miami Beach, Nobu, Nobu Miami Beach, Nobum Matsuhisa

Continue reading “Nobu Miami Beach: Seafood with an Innovative Japanese Twist”

Chicago Beach Polo Kicks Off in September

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Events, Sports

Back in May we reported that the organizers of the annual Miami Beach Polo World Cup were planning to bring the sandy sport to Chicago for the first time ever. Now it's becoming a reality, with the first Chicago Beach Polo World Cup set to take place Sept. 10 – 12th at North Ave. Beach in a new custom-built outdoor arena. Given the time of year it may not be bikini weather so don't look for the Chicago version to pack Miami's sex appeal, but there are still plenty of opportunities for conspicuous consumption and ostentatious fun. Polo itself is not new to Chicago; the first Chicago Polo Club was formed in 1895, though interest had waned in recent decades. "When speaking with friends and fellow players, I knew Chicago was going to be a great place to bring polo," the event's co-founder Marcos Lopez says. "It's really been here for a while, just hibernating. The City of Chicago and the surrounding suburbs used to have a lot of competitive players, games, and fans. We just want to bring that back."

Tags: beach, beach polo, Chicago, Chicago Beach Polo, equestrian, horses, illinois, Miami Beach, Midwest, polo

Will Miami Beach Polo Finally Make Money?

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Events, Sports, Wealth, Video

With the Miami Beach Polo World Cup having recently wrapped up, organizers are finally hoping to turn a profit from the sport of kings in the glitzy locale, the Miami Herald reports. A seven goal performance by Argentinean Matias Magrini lead the way for the Hublot team as it scored an exciting 11-9 victory over the previously undefeated AMG side in the finals of this year's exciting championship. After taking a loss on their first few seasons – despite the seemingly perfect convergence of sexy polo matches and the money-worshipping enclaves of South Beach – the event's producers say they'll finally be in the black when the accounting is done this time around.

The only locale in the U.S. where polo is played on sand, spectators can watch for free from the sidelines while those wanting champagne, open bar and a catered lunch pay $150 for VIP tickets in the beachside tents. Helping things along this year was Mercedes-Benz – AMG, which signed on as a sponsor and set up a track by the arena for test drives of the new SLS AMG in addition to fielding a team. With a fashion show in the VIP tent and after-parties at the Delano and Shore Club hotels, the event is designed to appeal even to those who aren't that into the sport itself. If all goes well, organizers hope to bring a polo tournament to Chicago this fall. Check out the video footage and gallery for beautiful babes, thoroughbreds, and cocktails galore.

Gallery: Miami Beach Polo

Source

Tags: AMG, beach, beach polo, equestrian, Hublot, Mercedes-Benz, Miami, Miami Beach, polo, South Beach

Mother's Day at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

This May treat your mom to something special at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach as they celebrate Mother's Day by pampering her in every way. Start by checking in to a plush one-bedroom suite at a specially discounted rate, enjoy a day-long "Mother's Day Off" retreat at the Lapis Spa, brunch at Gotham Steak (Chef Alfred Portale's modern American steakhouse) complete with Mother's Day menu and unlimited mimosas, an array of goodies and gifts from Fontainebleau's chi chi patisserie and high-end fashion boutique, and finally a poolside Mother's Day menu for dinner at La Côte.

All the elements are separate so you can mix and match to create the perfect Mother's Day getaway for your mom, or why not join her and make it a mother/daughter weekend?

Source

Tags: fontainebleau, hotel deals, miami, miami beach, mothers day

Rockstar Energy Drink CEO Buys Scott Storch's Foreclosed Home

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Over the past couple years we touched on the rise and fall of music producer Scott Storch. His Miami home was eventually foreclosed on as part of his financial meltdown. Now Russ Weiner, the CEO of Rockstar Energy drink has announced that he is the new owner of Villa Ferrari, Storch's former 20,000 square foot home on Palm Island. The mansion has a 100 foot boat dock, 11 bedrooms, 15 bathrooms, 3 guest houses and two pools. Last summer we learned that after Storch declared bankruptcy, SunTrust bank, which held two mortgages worth a combined $7.75 million against the property, bought the property back at auction on for $5.5 million. Storch had bought the home for $10.5 million but it had been listed for $13.9 million. Alex Shay found that SunTrust sold the property to Weiner Russell Trust for $6.75 million. According to Shay the house was, like many homes that have gone through a prolonged foreclosure, not in great shape and that renovation is needed. Still, the price is a bit of a steal for the size and location.

Tags: celebrity real estate, CelebrityRealEstate, miami beach, MiamiBeach, palm island, PalmIsland, rockstar energy, rockstar energy drink, RockstarEnergy, RockstarEnergyDrink, russ weiner, RussWeiner, scott storch, ScottStorch, villa ferrari, VillaFerrari

Gansevoort South Hotel Facing Foreclosure Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Miami's beautiful Gansevoort South hotel is the latest hotel in trouble. The Miami Herald is reporting that Credit Suisse has announced a January 28 auction for the ownership stake that was once used to obtain $89 million mezzanine loan on the hotel. Developers William and Michael Achenbaum got their financing at the top of South Florida's real estate bubble, hoping to make a fortune on condo units. But sales were sluggish for the condos in the residential tower and the Achenbaums decided not to convert some of the hotel rooms into condo-hotel units. Because of the real estate downturn the developers were forced to rely on hotel revenue to pay back their debt at a time when tourism has been experiencing some of its worst numbers ever.

The 334-room oceanfront hotel hasn't been empty. The enviable location and sharp design have attracted a lot of attention. It has been used as a backdrop in the Bravo reality show Miami Social and was reportedly a hot spot during the recent Art Basel Miami Beach show. The hotel remains open and busy as the winter season begins.

The Miami Herald article says that the Achenbaums hope to find a way to buy back the loan at the auction and retain ownership. The $89 million loan was backed by the Achenbaum ownership stake not the Gansevoort property itself so the auction is not a traditional foreclosure proceeding. The hotel also has a separate $314 million mortgage. Any winner in the auction would also have to take on that mortgage.

Before it was the Gansevoort South, the building was the Roney Palace and the adjoining Roney condo complex. That project went through bankruptcy in 2004 and Chicago developer Joseph Chetrit paid about $150 million for the property months after the Chapter 11 filing, eventually selling his company's interest to the Achenbaums after a failed joint venture between the two groups.

Gallery: Gansevoort South

Source

Tags: ganseevort hotel, ganseevort south, GanseevortHotel, GanseevortSouth, hotel, hotel foreclosure, HotelForeclosure, hotels in trouble, HotelsInTrouble, miami beach, MiamiBeach

Art Basel Is Fun Again

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Events, Art

Art Basel was fun again this year. After a recession-stained climate last year led to toned down partying, collectors and dealers (and everyone else) was back in style this time around. According to the Wall Street Journal, it seemed like everyone was throwing a party this year, with the likes of Larry Gagosian and Lance Armstrong getting in on the action. And, the parties didn't suck. Hosts went all out -- with live music and other attractions -- to separate themselves from the competition. Some even tried something new, with the words "Everybody has a Damien Hirst" uttered.

Of course, there were enough celebrities in supply to ensure that every host had one to boast about. Scott Stapp, lead singer of Creed, and Russell Simmons, for example, were present at the Mondrian South Beach Hotel. Simmons is a committed collector of works by Jean-Michel Basquiat and Barbara Krueger and was in town to raise money for his charity, Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation.

An after-party hosted by Julian Schnabel's art dealer son, Vito, attracted some big names, as well. Peter Brant, an art collector who recently tried to move "Brother Sausage" by Basquiat at auction, was there, along with Abby Rosen.

Yet, there were more intimate dinners and cocktail parties than in past years, according to Art Basel regulars. A few corporate sponsors still made the plunge, including UBS, NetJets and Cartier.

Source

Tags: art, art collecting, art collection, art collector, art dealer, art exhibit, art exhibits, art fair, art show, ArtCollecting, ArtCollection, ArtCollector, ArtDealer, ArtExhibit, ArtExhibits, ArtFair, ArtShow, basquiat, cartier, damien hirst, DamienHirst, jean-michel basquiat, Jean-michelBasquiat, julian schnabel, JulianSchnabel, Lance Armstrong, LanceArmstrong, Larry Gagosian, LarryGagosian, miami, miami beach, MiamiBeach, NetJets, Parties, peter brant, PeterBrant, russell simmons, RussellSimmons, Scott Stapp, ScottStapp, south beach, SouthBeach, ubs, UbsAg

San Marino Island, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

Today's estate is as much fun to look at for the art itself as for the home. This home on San Marino island in Miami Beach was built in 1930 but has been glammed up and reinvented. I don't see the word eclectic used in a listing too often but it suits this six-bedroom home. The home is on 13,000 square feet with 80 feet of water frontage and has views of the Miami skyline over its infinity pool, jacuzzi and dock. In addition to having a taste for contemporary art the current owner must have a taste for Bali. The master suite is entirely outfitted in teak from there, giving the room a very exotic feel. This home is listed at $5.495 million.

Gallery: San Marino Island

Source

Tags: estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, luxury real estate, LuxuryRealEstate, miami beach, MiamiBeach, san marino island, SanMarinoIsland

Continue reading “San Marino Island, Estate of the Day ”

W Hotel Opens In South Beach

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

W Hotels has opened their 31st property, the W South Beach and The Residences at W South Beach in the arts and entertainment district of Miami Beach. The development includes 408 W-branded residences with Ocean Suites, Beach Bungalows, and the Extreme WOW suite (W's version of the Presidential suite). Among the food and drink destinations at the property are Wall, a bar and lounge, Spanish restaurant Solea and the celebrity favorite Mr. Chow. The hotel also bring the popular Bliss spa to Miami.

The $500 million hotel was designed by architect Costas Kondylis. The W's Living Room (aka the lobby) was designed by Anna Busta with artwork from collector Aby Rosen's private collection. The art is showcased in an environment with tufted leather ottomans, velvet curtains in eggplant purple, modern white and gray sofas, armchairs covered in white pony or slate velvet and white pony rugs splashed with gold paint. A 20-foot-high beaded curtain set off by glass walls marks the way into the W Living Room Bar with views of the pool deck and garden. If you book by July 20 the hotel is offering rates from $269 per night for stays July 16 – October 12. The Miami Herald reported earlier this month that the South Beach location has sold out for weekends in July even though the prices are higher than many other hotels in the area.

Source

Tags: florida, miami, miami beach, MiamiBeach, new hotels, NewHotels, south beach, SouthBeach, w hotel, WHotel

Lenny Kravitz Lists His Rock Star Lair in Miami

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Estates

So-hip-it-hurts rock star Lenny Kravitz has just listed his waterfront Miami Beach mansion with an asking price of $2.85 million. The 5,717-sq.-ft. three-bed, three-bath built in 1954 was transformed into a rock star haven decorated in Kravitz's signature retro-futuristic style which has been termed "Bordello Modern". The louche pad (above), which features its own recording studio, was done up as a "sleek, throbbing James Bond-esque den of seduction" according to W magazine, complete with four-inch-thick red shag carpeting, black patent-leather walls, a metal-grill catwalk lit from below, a mirrored white-fur tunnel, red glass doors, red lacquered floors, and a white handstitched padded patent-leather bar. We hear that Kravitz may have revamped some of the more extreme features prior to listing the property for sale.

Kravitz's interior designer Michael Czysz originally spent over $1 million on the décor, and even picked out a silver Ferrari to match the house and designed a special chrome Flying V guitar for the recording studio. Located on guard gated Biscayne Point, the 12,000-sq.-ft. lot features unparalleled open bay vistas. A custom wall of glass opens the massive living area to incredible water views, while the "resort-like" backyard features a pool, spa and boat dock. Kravitz paid $725,000 for the house back in 1996. While Czysz's décor is undeniably over-the-top, hopefully it hasn't been completely dismembered. Meanwhile his lavish NYC apartment, which has been listed as high as $19.5 million, is still on the market, reduced to $14.995 million.

Tags: celebrity, Lenny Kravitz, LennyKravitz, Miami, Miami Beach, MiamiBeach, Michael Czysz, MichaelCzysz, music, rock star, RockStar

Canyon Ranch Luxury Hotel and Spa in Miami Beach

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spas, Events

Canyon Ranch Miami Beach is a luxury hotel and spa which offers guests a "total wellness experience." We caught up with them recently when they came to New York to encourage us all to come down there and relax.

The New York event included hand massages, organic french toast, and even an impromptu fitness class! We learned about their fabulous skincare line, their "Art of Eating" events where you meet with a chef, a nutritionist, and a behavioral therapist to eat and talk about eating, and more.

Click through our gallery to see what Canyon Ranch Miami Beach brought to the Big Apple, and click here to visit their website. Their introductory rates start at just $350!

Gallery: Canyon Ranch Miami Beach Comes to NYC

Tags: canyon ranch, CanyonRanch, event, miami beach, nyc

Will Gambling Come To Miami Beach?

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

The Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel is currently finishing up a $500 million renovation but could there be plans for a casino in the venerable Florida hotel? The Miami Herald reports on a recent push to have the Florida constitution amended to allow gambling at the proposed Miami Worldcenter and any hotel in Miami Beach with more than 800 rooms, a restriction that includes only the Fontainebleau. It's a natural leap considering that a Fontainebleau casino in Las Vegas is already under construction.

The new Fontainebleau in Miami Beach is set to open next month and follows the inclusive hotel paradigm of Las Vegas Strip hotels with 11 restaurants and bars, ample meeting space, 1,500 guest rooms, and a 40,000-square-foot spa. The developers have said that their plains for the Miami Beach hotel did not include casinos. The push for gambling in Miami comes from Miami developer who wants to put a casino in a commercial complex planned for the downtown area. But many feel that the Fontainebleau is the natural place for a casino in Miami Beach, it has the size and prestige to embrace gambling in a way that would add to the resort. And it could also bring a much needed infusion of cash to the South Florida resort economy.

Source

Tags: casino, fontainebleau, gambling, miami beach, MiamiBeach

Apogee Penthouse, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Florida real estate may be precarious but that hasn't stopped the rise of luxury condo penthouses. Today's home is the palatial penthouse A at the top of the Apogee building in Miami Beach. The penthouse is 6,853 square feet of interior square feet spread out over three levels with six bedrooms and 7.5 bathrooms. The interior is mostly raw space with double-height windows and 22-foot celings but the exterior space is what really dazzles. It has more than 11,000 square feet of terrace space with a 360-degree rooftop palazzo, private pool, and summer kitchen. The views are outstanding from just about every angle. The penthouse comes with an elevator, 2.5-car private air-conditioned garage, staff quarters, and other luxury amenities. It is listed at $22 million.

Experience more lush living in luxury homes and mansions or see the stars living large with celebrity homes galleries at AOL Real Estate.

[Thanks, Don!]

Gallery: Apogee Penthouse