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Glamour Back in Fashion at Miami Swimsuit Shows

Filed under: Apparel


At Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Miami designers just showed the latest looks in swimwear for Spring 2010. "Old glamour is back in a big way" declared the Miami Herald of the numerous collections on display at the chic Raleigh Hotel in South Beach. Check out the video above for some highlights - you'll enjoy it even if you can't wear any of the suits yourself. Other trends of note to emerge from the round of eye-popping events, according to the Herald: hot pink is in, ditto transparent material; as for shape it was "all about the bandeau and the monokini (attached bikini) or cutout one-pieces," while high-waisted and ruffled looks made a splash as well. Many of the suits were "sexy in a feminine way - not overtly flashing a lot of skin." Oh well.

W Hotel Opens In South Beach

Filed under: Journeys

w hotel south beachW 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.

Caviar and Couture At A New South Beach Boutique

Filed under: Apparel, Dining


Let luxe reign, Miami Beach has a new chic boutique. The old Webster hotel has been revamped as a 20,000-square-foot temple of chic that includes men's and women's fashion, jewelry, art, a lounge and the first U.S. location of the Parisian restaurant Caviar Kaspia. The Webster features brands like Balenciaga, Dolce & Gabbana, Azzedine Alaia, Marc Jacobs, Miu Miu, Neil Barrett, Martin Margiela and Stella McCartney.

The Miami Herald interviews Frederic Dechnik and Laure Heriard Dubreuil on their store and the philosophy of slow shopping. The store is designed for dawdlers who will stay a while, enjoy the space and spend a lot of money. The store has a European style designed to appeal to an international clientele. It opened yesterday, not an auspicious time for a palace of shopping but we'll wish them well just the same.

Mondrian Offers Bentleys By Vending Machine


Luxury hotels pride themselves on catering to the whims of their guests but at the Mondrian South Beach you don't need to call down to the front desk, you can visit the lobby vending machine. The machine, which is called a Semi-Automatic offers everything from gift shop staples like a T-shirt or a toothbrush to really outlandish stuff like a Bentley Arnage. The collection of more than 60 items is priced between $10 and $1.2 million and includes clothing, cars, handcuffs, events and even property.

Customers can view images, swipe a credit card and then get the item from the machine. If the item is too big for the machine the buyer is given a card that can be exchanged at the front desk. For the big ticket items like cars and condos the buyer has to put down a $1,500 deposit which they lose if they opt not to complete the purchase. The Associated Press reports that one of the top sellers is a T-shirt that has the word "recession" spelled as "Recess Is On" on one side.

Aloe-Spa Now Available in Florida

Filed under: Spas

spaImagine reaping the benefits of pure aloe while enjoying the therapeutic qualities of a massage or facial. Once available only in Spain and Argentina, Aloe-Spa Salute Per Aloe has recently expanded their business to mobile services available to hotels, condos and luxury residences from Ft. Lauderdale down to South Beach Miami. A few of their services and starting price points include:
  • Massages - 40 minutes for $120
  • Facials - 50 min $130
  • Body treatments - 30 min for $150
Aloe is touted as one of the most healing and soothing plants aptly suited for both health and beauty regimens. Other natural ingredients used in Aloe-Spa's unique services include: organic brown sugar, marine salt, green coffee, honey, green tea extract, mate extract, açai extract, Andean volcanic clay, and pure caviar. Sounds deliciously restful.

Bal Harbour Beach Club Up For Sale

Filed under: Real Estate Developments


With the current state of Florida real estate you wouldn't think it would be the ideal time to sell a parcel but if you believe in the eventual resurgence of the Florida condominium market this could be a keen investment. It's a prime piece waterfront property in Miami said to be the last developable oceanfront site in Bal Harbor, just northwest of the world famous South Beach Miami. It has private Atlantic Ocean beach access and could be used as a hotel, luxury condos, private club, restaurant, etc. It is zoned for 304 residential units or 553 hotel rooms or any combination and there is direct green way access to private Bal Harbour Yacht Basin on Biscayne Bay and Intracoastal with slips to accommodate yachts of 140' plus with direct ocean access. It can be yours for $225 million.

Setai Penthouse Yours for $30,000 a Night

Filed under: Journeys

There was at least one glaring omission in the Wealth Bulletin's list of the world's top 10 most expensive hotel suites, which we reported on last month: the penthouse at The Setai in South Beach, Miami. With 6,500 square feet of interior space and 3,000 square feet of terraces and balconies, the pad's $30,000-per-night pricetag makes it the 3rd most expensive hotel room in the world when inserted in its proper place on the list.

The Setai penthouse is designed with an haute-Asian aesthetic employing exotic woods and other luxe finishes, and features a double living room that extends across the entire eastern end of the 40 story glass tower. The living room boasts unlimited views of the northern, southern, eastern and western horizons. There are two master suites with soaking tubs, private balconies and beach views.

State of the art LCD touch panel screens, installed throughout the penthouse, offer total control over the lighting, audio-visual and building systems. A sunken infinity edge stainless steel pool (above) complete with waterfall and raised coral stone-encased hot tub highlight the massive terrace. The Setai also recently opened a recording studio designed by Lenny Kravitz. See the gallery for more.

Is Nicky Hilton Still Planning To Open A Hotel?

Filed under: Journeys, Celebrity Shopping

The site of what was planned to be Nicky Hilton's hotel debut is ready to hit the auction block. Paris Hilton's sister and sometimes fashion designer Nicky announced her plans for the Nicky O hotels last year to great fanfare. TMZ reports that after a failed conversion to condos, a federal judge has ordered the oceanfront Breakwater and Edison properties in South Beach, Florida to be sold to the highest bidder. There is an outstanding mortgage and penalty debt of $60 million. Hotel Chatter covered the bankruptcy of Nicky's developer earlier this year and one of their commenters pointed out an interesting fact, when you type www.nickyosouthbeach.com into a browser you are redirected to the Royal Palm Resort in South Beach. Does Nicky's dream of hotel domination live on?

Danny DeVito Opens A Restaurant

Danny DeVito has really been branching out lately. First it was his own brand of Limoncello liqueur, now he has opened a new restaurant, DeVito South Beach. The restaurant is in the former spot of Ocean Drive's Joia in South Beach, Florida. DeVito has partnered with restaurateur David Manero and Michael Brauser and the restaurant is an Italian chophouse. The signature dish is the Global Steak Flight, combining cuts from three regions of the world: Japanese Kobe Beef, Australian Wagyu Rollatini and American Kobe Flat Iron. They have done a similar thing with mushrooms creating a Porcini Trio with Porcini Gnocci, Porcini Bolognese and Porcini Fritti. The interior design has fireplaces, brick walls and Venetian chandeliers and there is also an outdoor area. The restaurant opens to the public on Monday.

Pimp My Fridge Deluxe Minibar Packages

Filed under: Journeys

I've seen a bunch of hotels offer specialized minibars but never one with quite as many options as the Catalina Hotel and Beach Club in South Beach. They offer a "Pimp Your Fridge" package which offers themed minibars starting at $50 each. The Rock Star mini-bar, features vodka, Red Bull and Krispy Cremes as well as Visine, Alka Seltzer, a chilled eye mask, and Gatorade. The Sweet Tooth minibar has chocolate treats, the Munchie Mania bar includes Cheetos and cheesecake and the Nostalgia option will get you spray cheese and candy cigarettes. Those in a naughty frame of mind will want the Get It On package with edible body paint, champagne, whipped cream, maraschino cherries, strawberries, scented candles and oil and a Barry White CD. The hotel features all white rooms with hints of red, marble bathrooms and 27" flat screen televisions and prices start at $130.

[via AP]

Besty Ross Hotel in South Beach Gets A Makeover

Filed under: Journeys

When one thinks Betsy Ross, one doesn't think sexy South Beach but the Betsy Ross Hotel on Ocean Drive may make you rethink that. The Betsy Ross is a boutique hotel in Miami Beach, Florida which has recently completed its first phase of renovations moving toward being a more upscale hotel. The 61-room boutique hotel has started with Aveda amenities, Frette linens, LCD televisions and other paint-and-polish fixers to make the hotel seem prettier and more luxurious. Rates start around $220. It's a decent rate for the area and the Trip Advisor reviews seem to indicate that it is a pretty decent value.

Regent South Beach, The Next Place To Mancation

Filed under: Estates, Journeys

Looking for a spot for your latest mancation? The Associated Press reports on the soon-to-open Regent South Beach as part of a general piece on the new favorite media trend, heterosexual men who vacation with each other. Gene Grabarnick plans to stock the hotel with everything a man could want when in the company of other men. To Grabarnick that means a glass-bottom pool, Mercedes-Benz 500S house cars and 24-hour concierge service to supply the cigars, impromptu poker parties and tickets to sporting events. The 80-suite condo-hotel will have with nine penthouse suites with rooftop gardens and Roman hot tubs. The Regent is set to open in October.

Nicky O Hotels

Filed under: Journeys

We already knew that Nicky Hilton was planning to launch her own hotel chain, but now the hotel heiress officially has an opening scheduled for the first in a chain of boutique hotels. Nicky O (her middle name is Olivia) will open its doors this November in South Beach, Florida. Hilton is a self-described fashionista and her intent is to have her hotels focus on design and designers. In keeping with this, she has had several famous designers decorate the suites. Roberto Cavalli will be doing the 5,000-sq. foot penthouse in the SoBe hotel in a gold theme that mimics his retail stores.

A second location is tentatively scheduled to open in Chicago in December, with 3 or 4 more locations to follow.

[via WWD]

The Penthouse at the ICON Miami Beach, Estate of the Day

Filed under: Estates


A while ago we passed on the rumor that Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony were buying at the ICON in Miami Beach. It turns out that was false but the penthouse they were to have purchased is on the market. The massive three-level penthouse has over 17,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space. Details include a  360-degree rooftop palazzo, a private pool and a private elevator. The master bedroom suite has a secret "escape door" that leads to an emergency corridor and there is a private and enclosed seven-car garage. The penthouse is on the 41st floor towering 400 feet above South Beach. This amazing place can be yours for $14.5 million. Check out the bare space after the jump. You can also catch the virtual tour here (thanks, Donna).

Tides' Million Dollar Buyout Promotion

Filed under: Journeys

The Tides South Beach has just launched a promotion that amounts to the ultimate hotel stay: for $1.2 million, their Million Dollar Buyout package allows someone to rent out the entire luxury boutique hotel for an amazing three days and two nights. The 45-room hotel will become a virtual playground, complete with luxury suites and expansive views. The package includes an opening ceremony, a $1,000 amenity in each guest room, a dinner for 90 at the Versace Mansion, a golf outing for men and a shopping day for women. All of the hotels regular services will be available, as well as a private butler for each guest room, unlimited room service and 5 limousines on call 24-hours a day. Should boredom be a problem, the hotel also arranges a private pool party with professional salsa dancers and a pajama brunch party. For an additional $450,000, the hotel will also arrange first class flights for all guests into Miami International.



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