Miami – Contributed by Jens Hoffmann
A weekend in South Beach is truly fun.
Do you long for the South Beach of frozen margaritas and electric neon? The South Beach of stylish new hotels like Gale, Lord Balfour, SLS South Beach and special restaurants like Yardbird, Southern Table & Bar, Khong River House, Tongue & Cheek? I like the the South Beach of yesterday with Art Deco buildings, museums and monuments?
Perhaps you simply crave …the beach. Miami can be whatever you want it to be — laid back, decked out, gay, straight, a family retreat.
In this dreamland at the southern tip of Miami Beach, you can choose your own adventure.
Miami is more than Miami Vice. This fantastic hotel is located in the famous Coral Gables, Miami. Reflecting the passion and vitality of one of America’s most exciting cities, Miami, Florida, the legendary Biltmore Hotel has been a favorite of world leaders, celebrities, and sports stars since its opening in the 1920s.
Graced with natural elegance and sophistication, the Biltmore Hotel offers a stunning location in the exclusive Coral Gables area, minutes from South Beach, downtown Miami, Coconut Grove and the Coral Gables business district. Surround yourself by old world charm and beauty as you ease into indulgence and serenity. Welcome to the Biltmore Hotel.
As the creator of Coral Gables, land developer George E. Merrick also founded the University of Miami, and developed the suburbs with strict building codes to ensure the beautiful surroundings. Coral Gables is a largely residential, affluent area graced with broad, planted boulevards, banyan trees, and tropical foliage line its quiet streets. The thriving business district is also home to over 150 multinational companies and multinational headquarters.
Whats the story? In 1925, young Merrick joined forces with Biltmore hotel magnate John McEntee Bowman at the height of the Florida land boom to build a great hotel which would not only serve as a hostelry to the crowds which were thronging to Coral Gables but also would serve as a center of sports and fashion.” In January 1926, ten months and $10 million dollars later, The Biltmore debuted with a magnificent inaugural that brought people down from northern cities on trains marked “Miami Biltmore Specials.” The Giralda Tower was lit for the first time and the champagne corks popped as the guests fox-trotted to the sounds of jazz, all in celebration of the birth of The Biltmore.
So the legendary Biltmore played host to royalty, both Europe’s and Hollywood’s. The hotel counted the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Ginger Rogers, Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, Al Capone and assorted Roosevelts and Vanderbilts as frequent guests.
Fashion shows, gala balls, aquatic shows by the grand pool and weddings were de rigueur as were world class golf tournaments. A product of the Jazz Age, big bands entertained wealthy, well-traveled visitors to this American Riviera resort.
The Biltmore made it through the nation’s economic lulls in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s by hosting aquatic galas that kept the hotel in the spotlight and drew the crowds. As many as three thousand would come out on a Sunday afternoon to watch the synchronized swimmers, bathing beauties, alligator wrestling and the young Jackie Ott, the boy wonder who would dive from an eighty-five foot platform. Biggest record ever Johnny Weissmuller, the famous Tarzan actor, prior to his tree-swinging days in Hollywood, broke the world record at the Biltmore pool and was a swimming instructor.
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