florida

BMW Deal Makes Ritz Naples Even Better

I don't know about you, but I never need an extra reason to visit the Ritz-Carlton Naples Resorts. I'm not a golfer, so I can't speak with authority about the courses. But, they looked incredible. The spa, on the other hand, I experienced directly, and it continues to be among my favorites. Well, through April 29, 2010, there's another perk. Guests of both the beach and golf resorts will have access to eight BMWs and one MINI convertible. The cars will be available for complimentary use through the BMW/Ritz-Carlton Driving Tour.

Guests will have access to the cars from half an hour to up to three hours, based on availability, from 9 AM to 6 M every day. If you have restaurant plans that take you off-property, you can arrange to pick up the keys to one of the BMWs by 5:30 PM and return the car by 11 PM. To make a reservation, stop by or call the BMW/Ritz-Carlton Driving Tour desk at either the golf or beach resort. Making a reservation a week in advance is a smart move.

Tags: beach, beaches, bmw, florida, golf, golfer, golfers, golfing, hotel, hotel deals, hotels, resort, resorts, ritz, ritz carlton, ritz-carlton

Condos Go On The Block In St. Petersburg

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

More condos are hitting the auction block in Florida. Accelerated Marketing Partners has announced an auction for 35 bayfront condominium residences at Signature Place in St. Petersburg, Florida. The auction will be held on March 7 at The Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront hotel. Minimum bids for the residences range from $135,000 to $430,000 and represent a 65 percent price reduction below the last asking prices.

The 36-story, 244-unit Signature Place has a street-level plaza featuring the world's largest water wall spanning 64 feet of black granite. A sixth-floor sky garden has bay views, residents' lounge area, private cabanas, sleek vanishing-edge lap pool, putting green, state-of-the-art fitness center, lawn, and Tai Chi/Sculpture garden. Other amenities include 24-hour concierge and security; high-speed gearless elevators; media and social rooms that give residents additional living space with catering kitchen, bar area and flat screen televisions. The residences have floor-to-ceiling windows, many of which possess panoramic water views. The kitchens have built-in under-cabinet halogen lighting, quartz slab countertops and stainless steel appliance packages.

An article in the St. Petersburg Times has an interview with developer Joel Cantor. His lender Fifth Third Bank is behind the auction, a move that he thinks was premature. The president of Accelerated Marketing Partners believes the auction will actually help sell the other remaining condos by re-calibrating real estate prices and establishing value for the units. Some people who already own units in the building worry that the new lower prices may impact the value of their units, others are just happy that the condo units will be full because then there will be owners to pay into the building's homeowners association fees.

Tags: condo auction, CondoAuction, condominiums, florida, signature place, SignaturePlace, St Petersburg, StPetersburg

Bal Harbour, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Today's home in Bal Harbour, Florida has a tropical feel that seems almost more Hawaiian in style. The seven-bedroom home is on over an acre wither bay and ocean views. The home's many features include a billiard room with an exotic fish aquarium, garden room with access to the pool, a chef's kitchen with two pantries an a master suite with his and hers bathrooms and walk-in closets. The outdoor space boasts an infinity pool that overlooks the bay. A Tiki hut has a built-in barbecue, under-counter refrigerator and built-in seating. The property also has a half court basketball court and a two-bedroom, two-car garage guest home, a fully equipped home gym, and a massage room. There is also boat dockage. This home is listed at $17 million.

Gallery: Bal Harbour

Tags: bal harbour, BalHarbour, estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, florida, florida real estate, FloridaRealEstate

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Vacation Like a Vanderbilt at Revamped Fisher Island Resort

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Wealth

Exclusive Fisher Island off the coast of Miami, where the likes of André Agassi, Ricky Martin, Julia Roberts and Oprah Winfrey have houses, is frequently named as the country's most expensive zip code. Now even if you can't afford a chunk of the island's prime real estate you can still vacation like a mogul at the newly revamped Fisher Island Club. The historic Vanderbilt Mansion there (above), centerpiece of the Fisher Island Hotel & Resort, has just been restored to its original glory as part of a $60 million island-wide restoration project. The Mediterranean-style mansion, built by William K. Vanderbilt II in 1925, crowns the 216-acre property housing a luxuriously-appointed 45-room boutique hotel. Other luxe amenities include a brand new private beach club and revamped 9-hole professional golf course, tennis center and marina.

[via JustLuxe]

Tags: Fisher Island, FisherIsland, Florida, Miami, resort, Vanderbilt

Magnum Marine 100 Carbon Fiber Cruiser

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing

Florida-based Magnum Marine, owned by aristocratic Italian boatbuilder Marchese Filippo Theodoli, has begun production on its largest and lost luxurious yacht to date, the Magnum 100. Designed by Italy's Alberto Mancini, the sleek 100-ft. craft is made of carbon fiber and advanced composites for a high power-to-weight ratio. In addition to its twin 2,600 HP MTU diesel engines, the 100-footer has been equipped with numerous ecologically-minded devices such as an electric "harbor" drive wing engine for slow speed operation, which runs virtually silent and exhaust free. A number of indoor and outdoor seating, dining and viewing areas are incorporated into the design with an expandable top providing various movable shaded spaces when out on the water. Four double staterooms belowdecks provide luxe accommodations.

[via JamesList]

Tags: Florida, Italy, Magnum Marine, MagnumMarine, powerboat, yacht

Learn To Fly Fish In Florida

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Sports

Fly fishing and warmth await attendees of WaterColor Inn & Resort's Orvis Fly Fishing School in northwest Florida. A two-day course offers instruction in everything from learning to set up fly rods to perfecting new casting techniques. The course is offered year-round on select Tuesdays/Wednesdays and Saturdays/Sundays.

The two-day course kicks off with an overview of the program and classroom presentation on lines, rods and reels. Students receive tutorials on the basic casting stroke, shooting line, false casting and roll cast and test what they have learned with some outdoor practice. Day one concludes with a knot tying seminar and discussion on fly fishing equipment and accessories.

The next morning begins with a lesson on fly selection, as well as tips on how to handle, photograph and release fish properly. Students then embark on an afternoon fishing excursion to local lakes or the Gulf (depending on the time of year and weather conditions), where they will hook fresh and saltwater fish.

The WaterColor Resort Fly Fishing School is offered year-round on select dates in 2010 for $470 per person. The price includes professional instruction, use of Orvis fly rods and reels, leaders, flies, waders, vests and fishing licenses, as well as lunch both afternoons. Lodging at the resort is additional.

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Tags: florida, fly fishing, fly fishing school, FlyFishing, FlyFishingSchool, orvis, school, watercolor resort, WatercolorResort

Circle S Farm, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Today's home isn't as much a treat for humans as it is for horses. The Circle S Farm, a Southern Florida Thoroughbred Training/Breeding Farm is located within 14 miles to Calder Race Course and 26 miles to Gulfstream Park Race Track. The ranch is in the town of Southwest Ranches on nearly 50 acres (zoned one home per acre). The property currently includes two relatively modest single family homes with a total of nine bedrooms and a seven-car garage. The horses have plenty of room to roam. There are three barns with 98 stalls, a furlong training track with a four-stall starting gate, an equestrian pool, equine surgery area with recovery stalls, a two-bedroom duplex with apartments for housing staff and an open-air pavilion for social events. This property is listed at $32 million.

Gallery: Circle S Farm

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Tags: circle s farms, CircleSFarms, equestrian property, EquestrianProperty, estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, florida, south west ranches, southwest ranches, SouthwestRanches

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Robovault Protects Your Valuables from Thieves, Hurricanes, Apocalypse

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

South Florida's concentration of wealth and climate-on-steroids weather patterns makes it good practice for both Revelations and Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. Ft. Lauderdale's RoboVault, opened earlier this year, casts itself as protection for the locals' valuable baubles both from sticky fingers and Mother Nature's bad days.

RoboVault is a wholly enclosed robotic retrieval and storage system much like you'd find at most shipping ports, without the bilge pumps and catcalls. Drive inside the concrete-and-steel-reinforced building that can withstand Category 5 hurricanes and 200-mph winds, and place your car on the pallet. Once the system has identified you with retinal scanning, heartbeat detection, and biometric recognition an automated arm will remove your vehicle to your assigned container.

RoboVault also houses a climate-controlled wine cellar for 4,000 bottles, and safe deposit boxes. Another touch: a business center and wine-tasting lounge if you've parked your car before heading to the airport and have time to spare, and a valet service that will retrieve your car if you call ahead.

When the region is tested by the inevitable hurricane, a large scale power outage will be neutralized by RoboVault's back-up generator. It maintains 100% of the building's electrical operations for two weeks, including the motion detectors and infrared alarms, so there'll be no Die Hard antics here. Tucked in its steel mesh unit, your Ferrari will be prepared for the Second Coming, and that might make the Rapture all the more rapturous.

[Source: MotoBullet]

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Tags: florida, robovault, wheels

James Patterson In Palm Beach, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

If you'd like to be an author with a nice house, write thrillers. The best author houses I've seen belong to the thriller writers. Today's home in Palm Beach Florida belongs to James B. Patterson. According to the Wall Street Journal's Private Properties column Patterson calls his beautiful home with frontage on the intracoastal waterway the house that Alex Cross built, referring to his popular psychologist main character. Patterson used a wood-paneled office with a water view (outfitted with plenty of Patterson books in the listing pictures) as his writing studio. The turquoise and white kitchen currently decorated with a collection of gleaming copper pots has the type of farmhouse style appeal one doesn't usually see in lavish Palm Beach homes. Outside there is a terrace surrounding a heated pool with spa ,built-in barbecue and a dock with boat lift. This home is listed at $14.95 million.

Patterson is moving his family to an even bigger home, a two-acre Palm Beach estate, with a 20,505-square-foot main house which he picked up for $17.45 million over the summer.

Gallery: James Patterson in Palm Beach

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Tags: celebrity real estate, CelebrityRealEstate, estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, florida, james patterson, JamesPatterson, luxury, luxury real estate, LuxuryRealEstate, palm beach, PalmBeach

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Stone Crab Season is Here

by Deb West (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

For those of you who have never tasted a stone crab it is well worth the splurge now that they are in season. A specialty food item, they are possibly pound for pound the most expensive shellfish sold in the United States.

Stone crabs are found in and around the water off the coast of Florida. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission about about 40 percent of the states average 3.1 million pounds comes from the waters surrounding the Florida Keys. Harvesting stone crabs is a unique process. The claws are removed from a live animal and then the crab is returned to the ocean where it can re-grow its taken limb. There are strict rules placed on the harvesting of the crab claws which must be at least 2 3/4 inches in length, not to be removed from a female crab with eggs, and taken only between the dates of October 15 - May 15th each year. In theory, if both claws are regulation size it is legal to remove them but the crab will remain healthier and be able to regenerate its lost claw faster if only one is removed.

Another reason for the expense of this delicious crustacean is that they should be cooked before they are cooled or frozen. If not prepared in this method the claws will taste watery, mealy, be difficult to remove from the shell and in general not worth the hefty price tag. This is why you will only see pre-cooked stone crabs at your favorite gourmet grocer. Traditionally crab claws are served on a bed of ice with a mustard sauce.

If you aren't planning a trip to Florida any time soon but love shellfish you can have them delivered to your home from one of the areas most famous restaurants appropriately titled Joe's Stone Crab. They come in three sizes and can be purchased according to the number of diners you plan to serve. For a group of four people the crabs will cost you between $166.95 and $245.95, depending on their size, and and will be shipped overnight to your door any where in the continental United States.

Tags: crab, Florida, gourmet food, GourmetFood, Joes Stone Crab, JoesStoneCrab, mustard sauce, MustardSauce, shellfish, specialty food, SpecialtyFood, Stone Crab, Stone crab claws, StoneCrab, StoneCrabClaws

Resort At Singer Island Sold, Rebranded

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Real Estate Developments

Way back in 2006 I wrote about the plans for The Resort at Singer Island, a Starwood Hotels project. Now the Florida resort will no longer be a Starwood property. The Resort at Singer Island was sold to Urgo Hotels recently for $7.1 million. A presss release states that condos in this oceanfront tower were sold 78 percent under opening day prices in a bulk sale. The operator of the 239-suite hotel was changed from Starwood to Marriott. The new name is now officially the Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Beach Resort and Spa. The hotel is on six acres of beachfront with 300-foot frontage on the Atlantic Ocean in Palm Beach County.

WCI Communities, the owner of the property and a luxury homebuilder based in Bonita Springs, filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection over a year ago. It announced on September 3, 2009 that it emerged from Chapter 11 as a newly reorganized, private company, eliminating more than $2 billion in debt and liabilities. It spent $210 million to build the oceanfront Resort at Singer Island, a project that comprises 66 condo residences, 239 hotel/condos, a restaurant and a spa. Urgo Hotels paid $4 million for four three-bedroom residence condos, $2.1 million for 14 hotel/condos and $1 million for the hotel operating agreement, the spa, the restaurant and the common areas.

Tags: florida, florida real estate development, FloridaRealEstateDevelopment, resort at singer island, ResortAtSingerIsland, urgo hotels, UrgoHotels

Remaining Madoff Homes Already Discounted

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

Bernie Madoff's last home may have sold strong, but it looks like the momentum is fading. His home in the Hamptons beat the listing price and ultimately moved for more than $9.4 million. Unfortunately for his victims, interest in his Manhattan penthouse and Palm Beach estate isn't as strong. The prices for both have been cut, as the Ponzi schemer moves from news to history. Both homes have been on the market for only two months.

The Manhattan home, on the Upper East Side, offers 4,000 square feet which the broker, Sotheby's International Realty, says is "perched atop a distinguished white-glove prewar cooperative." Originally offered at $9.9 million, the asking price has been slashed by $1 million. So, if you're looking for some new digs in the city, this should be perched atop your list. A 10 percent price drop after only two months in the game means that you could probably work the price down a little bit further. If you were a Madoff investor, think of it as recouping some of what was so wrongly taken from you.

The situation in Palm Beach, Florida isn't much better. The discount is only 7 percent, with the price plunging from $8.49 million to $7.9 million according to the Corcoran Group, which is handling the sale. This home is billed as "a return to classic Florida island living ... when Palm Beach was a less manicured tropical paradise." What does that mean? Does classical Florida island living have anything to do with defrauding the neighbors?

Madoff, now a resident of Butner, North Carolina, believed that the Manhattan apartment was worth only $7 million. He pegged the Palm Beach residence at $11 million.

When both properties move, the proceeds will go to Madoff's victims. Of the $65 million, roughly, that he took, $1.4 billion is said to have been recovered. Even when compared to the investor losses identified, $21.2 billion, it's but a drop in the bucket. The auction scheduled for Saturday may help a little bit, with Bernie's Mets jacket and Ruth's golf clubs going under the gavel.

Gallery: Bernie Madoff In New York City

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Tags: bernard madoff, BernardMadoff, bernie madoff, BernieMadoff, butner, florida, hamptons, hamptons real estate, HamptonsRealEstate, madoff, madoffponzischeme, madoffscandal, manhattan, manhattan real estate, ManhattanRealEstate, new york, new york new york, NewYork, NewYorkNewYork, north carolina, NorthCarolina, palm beach, PalmBeach, ponzi scheme, PonziScheme, real estate, RealEstate, sothebys international realty, SothebysInternationalRealty, upper east side, upper east side apartment, UpperEastSide, UpperEastSideApartment

Audemars Piguet Adds "Watch Maker" Charm To Their Bal Harbor Boutique

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Those people familiar with the shops at Bal Harbour knows how each luxury brand situated there feels the need to one up each other. This makes sense given the locations ability to attract the wealthiest Floridian buyers, as well as those who travel to the shopping center from around the world. Over the last few year Audemars Piguet has been playing with a new type of marketing campaign dedicated to enhancing the artisan-like feel of the brand. This essentially means that they want you thinking that watch makers time traveled from 1875 to the present day, and are hand-making Audemars Piguet watches in candle light somewhere in the heart of Switzerland. Most of this is true - save for the candle light.

Selling ultra luxury watches is as much about selling the final product as it is about selling how they were made. For this purpose, the Audemars Piguet Bal Harbour boutique has been temporarily transformed to include watch movement sketches, work tables, tools, and other items of traditional watch making construction. The good news is, that if you visit an actual Swiss watch making factory, all of these same tools are pretty much used - though maybe modernized a bit. Audemars Piguet does take much pride in the fact that they practice "traditional watch making" techniques. The display is a good idea , because it attempts to show a manufacture made mechanical watch in its natural element. If you are in the area, check it out. The window display will be up through the end of the year at the Audemars Piguet store at the Bal Harbour stores in Miami, Florida.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Gallery: Audemars Piguet Bal Harbour display Nov 2009

Tags: audemars piguet, AudemarsPiguet, bal harbour, BalHarbour, boutique, florida

South Florida's Latest Ponzi Schemer May Be The Most Brazen Yet

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Crimes and Misdemeanors

NBC Miami tells the story of another alleged Ponzi schemer. Sean Healy is no Bernie Madoff but he may have walked off with $20 million from his clients most of which seems to have been spent on living an exceedingly lavish lifestyle. Healy and his wife, a former Hooters girl, lived in an extravagant $2.4 million mansion in Weston, Florida. A Ferrari, stretch limousine and several Lamborghinis (a pink-trimmed one for the wife) were parked in the garage and the pair also spent millions on jewelry and tricking out the home (once owned by former NFL quarterback Bernie Kosar, a man with his own financial woes) with a $500,000 home theater. According to a video shot by NBC Miami (embedded after the jump), Healy invested none of his clients money and spent it all on his belongings, inventing big returns out of pure thin air. He is currently under house arrest in New York.

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Tags: florida, investment fraud, InvestmentFraud, ponzi schemer, PonziSchemer, sean healy, SeanHealy, weston

Madoff's Long Island Beach Home Fetches $9.41 million

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Crimes and Misdemeanors

The world's most accomplished Ponzi schemer -- right up until he got caught, that is -- finally lost his beach home. Bernie Madoff's Montauk house moved for $9.41 million, according to the U.S. Marshals Service, more than the $8.75 million for which it was listed. It sold on Friday, and the buyer is not being named. It only took a month to make the transaction happen.

Joseph Guccione, U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of New York, calls this "another step forward for the government," and though he didn't mention anything about the victims, one assumes that it's progress for them, too. After all, it would be nice if they got even a taste of this cash.

Several bidders tried to get their hands on Madoff's former home, which measures 3,000 square feet and has four bedrooms and three bathrooms. The losers can have another shot at Madoff glory, though, as properties in New York and Palm Beach, Florida, are listed. The former is on the market for $9.9 million, and the latter is listed for $8.49 million.

Madoff was unable to take a last walk through the halls of the Long Island residence, of course, because he's otherwise ~~detained~~ committed in Butner, North Carolina. But, he's adapting, having already thrown down on the block and earned himself some props.

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Tags: bernardmadoff, bernie madoff, BernieMadoff, butner, florida, madoff, madoffponzischeme, madoffscandal, montauk, new york, new york city, new york new york, NewYork, NewYorkCity, NewYorkNewYork, north carolina, NorthCarolina, palm bay florida, palm beach, PalmBayFlorida, PalmBeach, ponzi, ponzi scheme, PonziScheme