A new chapter begins
Have you been to Bal Harbour lately? If so, you will surely have noticed the renaissance that is quietly, yet dramatically, transforming this exclusive beach town at the northern tip of Miami Beach. Bal Harbour has bucked Florida’s flagging real estate trend by adding new luxury hotel ONE Bal Harbour Resort & Spa in 2009 and chic boutique hotel Bal Harbour Quarzo in 2010. New boutiques and restaurants have joined the Bal Harbour Shops and, for the first time in its history, the town is now offering an innovative Kids Camp run by the Miami Children's Museum. In addition, a full schedule of complimentary cultural events and a town-wide wellness program are attracting visitors and residents alike. In 2012, the town will make the headlines yet again when it opens another new hotel, the 183-room St. Regis, and Bal Harbour’s transformation into a world-class destination will be complete.
For over 60 years, this small (one-square-mile) incorporated village has been known as a quiet and sophisticated residential community to the side of the South Florida mainstream. Until ONE Bal Harbour opened, its only accommodation was the historic Sea View Hotel, an independent European-style 220-room property built in 1948. The main attraction for visitors was the
Bal Harbour Shops, Florida’s most exclusive shopping destination for over 40 years with over 100 boutiques representing the crème de la crème of international brands from Bulgari, Cartier and Chanel to Dolce and Gabbana, Gucci, Valentino and Lanvin. In early 2011, the Shops welcomed
Makoto restaurant by celebrity restaurateur Steven Starr, elevating the destination even further.
The village’s transformation began with the opening of
ONE Bal Harbour Resort & Spa, its first new luxury hotel in four decades. An 18-story tower of gleaming glass and steel, this chic and sophisticated property added 124 ocean-view rooms to the town’s bed base, all with semi-private elevators (only two suites per floor) and spectacular views over the Atlantic and the Intracoastal Waterway. Described by Delta Sky magazine as “a sweet sanctuary,” ONE has spectacular amenities including a $4 million art collection, an ocean-view bar, a poolside garden café, a swimming pool with private cabanas, a fitness center, and a wonderful 10,000-square-foot waterfront spa.
One reason for the resort’s instant success is Bal Harbour’s ideal position, 18 miles from two international airports (Miami and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood), in the heart of South Florida’s famous cultural events, art fairs, food and wine festivals, activities and nightlife. Bal Harbour is now taking creative steps to fully capitalize on its central location, starting with a free shuttle service that takes hotel guests and residents from South Beach to local cultural attractions five days a week, from 11 AM to 8 PM.
Bal Harbour has invited some of South Florida’s main attractions to take an active role in its next chapter. Seeking something far beyond the traditional, the town has partnered with the highly respected Miami Children’s Museum to create a
Bal Harbour Beach Camp guaranteed to engage even the most sensory-overloaded young mind. Programs are lead by a museum curator and include themed workshops ranging from Green Team (to teach kids about recycling, conservation and going "green") to Creature Feature (where kids use their imagination to create their own wild and wonderful creatures).
Some of the region’s leading cultural institutions — like Miami's Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), The National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts and ArtNexus — are now staging performances and exhibitions in venues around Bal Harbour. Local and nationally renowned musicians are performing in the village’s rich and varied
cultural program of complimentary events. Outstanding and varied, these events include performances by groundbreaking local artists, interactive art exhibits, author-readings, and under-the-stars movie screenings.
Rounding out its qualifications as a world-class destination, Bal Harbour launched its
Beach Fitness program offering free workouts with experienced trainers to both hotel guests and residents. Pilates and Beach Yoga classes now take place on the village’s beautiful white-sand and for joggers, the town has a $3 million track, the only beachfront path of its type in South Florida.
And the renaissance is far from over. The next big news on the horizon is the 2012 opening of the
St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort, a five-star hotel and condominium project that brings all of its brand’s famous white-glove service and facilities to the destination. The development comes at a time when new hotels in South Florida are as scarce as snowballs, and says much about Bal Harbour’s changing stature. When complete, three all-glass towers will rise 27-stories above the beach surrounded by nince acres of lushly landscaped grounds. Bal Harbour’s second world-class spa, the 12,000 square-foot RemèdeSM Spa, will raise the bar of indulgence to the highest level.
For more information visit Bal Harbour’s newly launched website at www.balharbourflorida.com.
Media Contact:
Meredith Phares/ Chandra Dillon
Laura Davidson Public Relations
(212) 696-0660
E-mail:
meredith@ldpr.com /
chandra@ldpr.com
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