February 9, 2010

US & CANADA | US | FLORIDA | MIAMI

A Miami Star is Reborn

By Randi Rosenblum

Watch out South Beach — the scene is moving north. At least if One Bal Harbour has its way.

view map

Until recently, if you were heading to Bal Harbour, that meant you were aiming to do one thing: some serious shopping. Home to the Bal Harbour Shops, one of the ritziest outdoor malls in the country, this northern Miami Beach neighborhood now hopes to transform itself into more than a day-trip destination.

Helping the cause is St. Regis, which is busy building a resort to open next year, as well as the recent debut of One Bal Harbour, set on five oceanfront acres. Formerly the Regent Bal Harbour, the 18-story glass-sheathed hotel offers 124 water-view guest rooms. And by water view, we mean 10-foot-tall floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Atlantic, plus panoramic terraces. With only two rooms per floor, the hotel is big on privacy, too.

The spa at One Bal Harbour is tricked out with hydrotherapy and Vichy showers, saunas and steam rooms. But the hotel’s most spa-like indulgence may be right in your own bedroom: climb into your almond-shaped ocean-view tub (pictured) and watch the lulling waves while you soak.

Or, you could venture below and become one with the waves (sorry, we couldn’t help it). Bal Harbour beaches have the luxury of exclusivity: there are few areas for public parking, and private stretches are patrolled by security. Bal Harbour also has a $3-million beachfront jogging path — the only one of its kind in southern Florida.

In June, One plans to introduce a members-only beach club (charter members, they say, already include Serena Williams and Helio Castroneves). Until then, you can escape with your entourage to a private cabana with its own hot tub, tucked away in the hotel’s garden area (pictured).

Bal Harbour is a 15-minute drive from the hullabaloo of South Beach — it’s hard to remember this is still Collins Avenue. Of course, if you crave a little of the see-and-be-seen culture that Miami is known for, you can still skip across the street to the Bal Harbour Shops — it’s not called Miami’s Rodeo Drive for nothing.

Already blessed with superstar names like Gucci and Chanel, the retail collection just keeps on growing: In December it welcomed the first US outpost of Lanvin, one of the oldest houses of Parisian couture (which counts Michelle Obama among its fans). Next up: Bal Harbour regular Michael Kors.