Delta Connection (tel. 800/221-1212; www.delta.com) has expanded its non-stop service on routes to Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and Tampa. Jet Blue (tel. 800/JETBLUE; www.jetblue.com) now has non-stop flights from Newark to Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Orlando, Tampa and West Palm Beach. The Midfield Terminal Complex of the Southwest International Airport (tel. 239/768-1000; www.swfla.com) is open and features new security equipment and procedures built into the design.
Miami
The Miami hotel boom may have given way to a condo boom, but a new brand of luxury is in town in the form of a few hyper-haute hotels. As always, the city has been hungry for new restaurants. On any given day, it seems, a new eatery opens, assuring everyone that while they may have blown their food budget on a swank boutique hotel, they don't necessarily have to starve in the city. And, to compete with the restaurant as nightlife trend, several bars and lounges have opened, offering more than just peanuts and chips as snacks.
The Setai (2001 Collins Ave.; tel. 888/625-7500; www.setai.com) is, hands down, the most luxurious hotel ever to hit South Florida. Part of the high-style Asian chain of GHM Hotels, the Setai is a condo/hotel with rates that begin at $1,000 a night, $72 entrees in the signature restaurant, a recording studio owned by Lenny Kravitz, a bar made completely of mother of pearl, a stellar spa, and, well, you get the picture.
The Setai actually bought South Beach's beloved Abbey Hotel and has turned it into housing for all the staff they've imported from Asia and all over the world. Acqualina, A Rosewood Resort (17875 Collinsl Ave.; tel. 305/936-9088; www.acqualina.com), is slated to open in February 2006. Also a condo/hotel, it features New York's famed Il Mulino restaurant as well as 97 ultra-luxe suites, baroque fountains, old-world architecture, and a decidedly La Dolce Vita vibe.
Nearby is Miami's very first Le Meridien (17070 Collins Ave; tel. 305/503-6000; www.lemeridien.com), a swanky 210-oceanfront hotel featuring 126 one-bedroom suites and 80 two-bedroom suites as well as a signature spa and the always-booked Bice restaurant. André Balazs, owner of L.A.'s Chateau Marmont and Standard hotels (among others), not only owns the legendary Raleigh Hotel (1775 Collins Ave.; tel. 800/848-1775; www.raleighhotel.com), which he is still in the process of renovating and restoring to its original Art Deco glory, fusing it with his distinct brand of boutique hotel hip, but also the Standard Miami Beach (40 Island Ave.; tel. 305-673-1717; www.standardhotel.com), a shabby-chic retro-fab spa hotel for hipsters located in the legendary Miami Beach Lido Spa space.
Also, Miami Beach's first-ever hotel, Brown's (112 Ocean Dr.; (tel. 305/674-7977; www.thebrownshotel.com), opened in 1915, has been restored to its old Florida fabulousness, featuring original beams of Dade County pine floorboards and exterior clapboard. The hotel, is a boutique hotel with a requisite see-and-be-seen steakhouse, Prime 112 (tel. 305/532-8112). The Fontainbleau (4441 Collins Ave.; tel. 305/538-2000) is no longer part of the Hilton chain and has plans to restore itself to the standard of other Miami Beach boutique and luxury hotels with a $400-million renovation. Same goes for the Eden Roc (4525 Collins Ave.; tel. 800/327-8337; www.edenrocresort.com), which has been bought by the owners of the South Beach Marriott, who plan to add a 20-story oceanfront tower and make a $20-million renovation.
The Roney Hotel (2301 Collins Ave.; tel. 305/531-2151) has been closed but will reopen as an outpost of NYC's Meatpacking District hot spot, Hotel Gansevoort in early 2007. In development, The Regent South Beach, a $76-million, 80-suite five-story luxe hotel featuring an outpost of celebrity chef Govind Armstrong's L.A. hot spot, Table 8 South Beach.
Still on the verge of becoming a major food city, Miami recently introduced a handful of dining options, most on the more upscale side. The tony nuevo latino Ola (455 Ocean Dr.; tel. 305/695-9125) brings the return of star chef Douglas Rodriguez to his former stomping grounds, not to mention the city's best mojitos and tipicos (traditional Latin-American dishes). The restaurant abandoned its Biscayne Boulevard location in favor of the greener shores of South Beach.
Yet another star chef, David Bouley, has taken over the restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton South Beach (1 Lincoln Rd.; tel. 786/276-4000), opening what is to be his first signature restaurant out of Manhattan.
The Mandarin Oriental's Azul (500 Brickell Key Dr.; tel. 305/913-8254) is still Miami's only AAA Five Diamond Award winner, with Chef Clay Conley at the helm. At Wish (801 Collins Ave.; tel. 305/531-2222), chef Michael Bloise has created a new Asian-inspired menu.
Grazie Restaurant (701 Washington Ave.; tel. 305/673-1312) brings a new Italian sophistication to seedy Washington Ave. Same goes for Sugo at the Sanctuary Hotel (1745 James Ave.; tel. 305/673-8804), where (almost) white glove service mixes with white-hot hipsters in an Italian feast of the senses.
The Miami Seaquarium (4400 Rickenbacker Cswy.; tel. 305/361-5705; www.miamiseaquarium.com) has completed a $250,000 renovation of its Florida Manatee Exhibit in which visitors can learn about endangered species by viewing them through large underwater windows.
Four submerged shipwrecks in Biscayne National Park (tel. 305/230-1100; www.nps.gov/bisc) have been mapped to provide the first links in an Underwater Marine Heritage Trail for divers and snorkelers.
Rumor has it that the Jackie Gleason Theatre of the Performing Arts (1700 Washington Ave.; tel. 305/673-7300; www.gleasontheater.com) may become the permanent home to Miami Beach's very own branch of Cirque du Soleil once the long-anticipated Miami Performing Arts Center (www.pacfmiami.org) opens in early 2007.
At press time, the hottest nightspots were still located on the still-sizzling South Beach. However, over the causeway, a burgeoning nocturnal buzz is emanating from the once desolate area of downtown Miami off of Biscayne Boulevard, thanks to cheaper rents and 24-hour liquor licenses. Among them, The Pawn Shop Lounge (1222 NE 2nd Ave.; tel. 305/373-3511), a former pawn shop featuring a full-sized yellow school bus, an Airstream trailer, and airplane fuselage as hubs of the VIP and celeb crowds.
Nearby, two behemoth dance palaces, Nocturnal (164 NW 20th St.; tel. 305/576-6996) and Metropolis Downtown (950 NE 2nd Ave.; no tel at press time), at 55,000-plus square feet, five clubs within one space opened 24/7 on weekends. Karu and Y, (71 NW 14th St.; no tel. yet) is a massive entertainment complex of restaurants, lounges, bars and production facilities with a chef hailing from Fat Duck and El Bulli.
Back on South Beach, Lucky Strike Lanes (1691 Michigan Ave.; tel. 305/532-0307) opened the very first, very fabulous bowling alley, bar, restaurant, and celeb hangout on the beach.
The Gold Coast
While the Gold Coast's beaches remain less congested than those in Miami, the area isn't impervious to development -- especially when it comes to resorts, restaurants, and nightlife. Whereas the Gold Coast used to be a sleepy beachfront, today it's slowly enroute to rivaling the liveliness of a big city like Miami.
The Atlantic (601 N. Ft. Lauderdale Beach Blvd.; tel. 954/567-8020; www.starwood.com), a Starwood Luxury Collection hotel, features 123 suites and condominiums with gourmet dining at Trina's Restaurant, oceanfront pool, and European spa is attracting the who's who of A-listers. Best Western's Pelican Beach Resort (2000 N. Atlantic Blvd.; tel. 954/568-9431; www.bestwestern.com) sits on 500 feet of prime Atlantic Ocean beachfront and features a waterfront casual dining restaurant, poolside cocktail lounge, an old-fashioned ice cream parlor and the only lazy water ride in Fort Lauderdale. Of the 180 rooms, 117 are oceanfront suites with private balconies.
The St. Regis Resort and Spa (201 SE 8th Ave.; tel. 954/522-3339; www.starwoodhotels.com/stregis) is Florida's first St. Regis and a $135-million masterpiece with 169 luxe suites.
And opening in late 2006 is Florida's very first W Fort Lauderdale Hotel and Residences (no info at press time), featuring the signature swank hotel bar by Rande Gerber and 346 rooms and 171 luxury residences located on a 4-1/2-acre site offering dramatic views of the Atlantic Ocean and Intracoastal Waterway. The 23-story, two-tower hotel and residences will offer a restaurant and a luxurious 10,000-sq.-ft. spa.
And, finally, never one to be out of the game, Donald Trump is opening his signature Trump International Hotel and Tower Fort Lauderdale, a 24-story Michael Graves-designed building slated for a 2007 opening. The Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach (2800 S. Ocean Blvd.; tel. 561/582-2800; www.fourseasons.com) offers wireless Internet access in all public spaces and on the beach.
The Galleria at Fort Lauderdale (2414 E. Sunrise Blvd.; tel. 954/564-1015), with Neiman Marcus, Macy's, and Saks 5th Avenue, now has a dining and nightlife scene with The Capital Grille steakhouse, Season 52 fresh grill, and Blue Martini upscale nightclub. The Galleria is now home to Elizabeth's Arden's Red Door Spa.
Seminole Paradise (5731 S. State Road 7; tel. 954/327-7625), located adjacent to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, boasts plenty of shopping, dining, and nightlife options, including an Improv Comedy Club and weekly fireworks display.
And coming soon to Sawgrass Mills (12801 W. Sunrise Blvd; tel. 954/846-2300), the world's largest designer outlet mall, is The Colonnade Outlets at Sawgrass, a $28-million high-end luxury fashion district with Barneys, Donna Karan, Gucci, Calvin Klein and more. Shabby-chic types are saying hallelujah over the fact that Swedish home furnishing giant Ikea has chosen Davie as the site for Florida's first ever outpost. No phone or address just yet.
The Flagler Museum (1 Whitehall Way; tel. 561/655-2833; www.flagler.org) has unveiled the new Flagler Kenan Pavillion, an 8,100-square-foot area housing Henry Flagler's private railcar.
Florida Keys
Delta Connection has begun non-stop, round-trip Tampa-to-Key West jet service, Chautauqua Airlines, providing service via twice daily. Key Largo's fabulous Kona Kai Resort (97802 Overseas Hwy.; tel. 305/852-7200; www.konakairesort.com) has a freshwater pool, heated in the winter and cooled in the summer.
The Marriott Key Largo Bay Beach Resort, (MM 103.8; tel. 305/453-0000; www.marriott.com), is undergoing renovations and offering a Dive the Florida Keys package through its on-site dive shop, It's A Dive. Included is a 2-night stay plus three water-sports vouchers per person. The vouchers can be used for a scuba diving trip (two-tank dive including tanks and weights), snorkel trip, half-hour waverunner rental or parasail.
Robbie's Marina (MM 77.5; tel. 877/664-8498; www.robbies.com) in Islamorada now offers 2-hour guided jet-ski tours of the backcountry that include snorkeling on pristine, shallow reefs. Visitors seeking an environmentally friendly way to tour the waters around Key West can now rent an electric-powered Duffy, 21-foot motor launches that comfortably carry up to 10 passengers at Key West Electric Boat Rentals (tel. 305/292-0092; www.kellyskeywest.com).
Exactly 20 years after Mel Fisher and his crew discovered the $400-million shipwreck of the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha in the waters off Key West, a new exhibit commemorating the historic find has been unveiled at the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum (200 Greene St.; tel. 305/294-2633; www.melfisher.org).
Southwest Florida
In Sanibel & Captiva Islands, an archaeological tour to Josslyn Island, home to the Calusa for 800 years, allows participants to explore shell mounds and unusual plants as part of a history lesson about this ancient culture. The tour is sponsored by the Randell Research Center. To make reservations, call GAEA Guides at tel. 239/694-5513 or go to www.gaeaguides.com.
The swank Registry Resort (475 Seagate Dr., Naples; tel. 239/597-3232; www.registryresort.com) has opened The Sanctuary, a new spa facility with 13 Asian-style treatment rooms.
Organized by Royal Palm Tours in Fort Myers, the Cracker Culinary Tour (tel. 800/296-0249; www.royalpalmtours.com) will first and foremost explain what a Florida Cracker is (a pioneer or cattle hunter). Then it will take you from Palmdale, Florida, to Gatorama (www.gatorama.com), a famous roadside attraction off Highway 27; La Belle, a honey and bee shop; Flora and Ella's Restaurant, known for its homemade chocolate, coconut, and peanut butter cream pies; and on to a citrus refinery, an old school grocery, a food and agricultural science research station and a farmers' market. The cost for the tour is $200 per person, including lunch and an overnight stay at Admiral Leigh High Golf Resort (225 Joel Blvd; tel. 239/369-2121; www.golfresortatadmirallehigh.com).
The Tampa Bay Area
Busch Gardens (tel. 888/800-5447 or 813/987-5283; www.buschgardens.com) unveiled its latest scream-worthy rollercoaster, SheiKra, carrying riders up 200 feet at 45 degrees and then hurtling them down at 70 miles per hour on a 90-degree angle. Yikes.
Tampa's Historic Streetcar electric trolley system is running and will be bringing nostalgic charm to Tampa. The replicas of the electric streetcars that whisked passengers around the city 110 years ago will be air-conditioned and travel on a 2.3-mile track beginning at the convention center, linking the downtown waterfront and port to Ybor City.
Radisson Riverwalk (200 N. Ashley Dr.; tel. 813/223-2222) completed a $7.5-million facelift, and the Hyatt Regency Tampa (211 N. Tampa St.; tel. 813/225-1234; www.hyatt.com) completed an $11-million renovation of its 521 rooms and public areas.
Saddlebrook Resort (5700 Saddlebrook Way; tel. 813/973-1111; www.saddlebrook.com) finished the addition of an 18,000-square-foot exhibit pavilion, just part of an $8-million renovation and expansion project that also includes room improvements.
Walt Disney World & Orlando
The Regent Orlando in Winter Park Hotel, Spa and Residences is under construction and will open in 2008. The hotel includes 197 boutique luxury suites as well as a 20,000-square-foot spa, rooftop pool, and state-of-the-art fitness center.
Loews Hotels (www.loewshotels.com) launched a Healthy Kids program at its Universal Orlando resorts: Portofino Bay Hotel (5601 Universal Blvd.; tel. 407/503-1000), Hard Rock Hotel (5800 Universal Blvd; tel. 407/503-7625); and Royal Pacific Resort (6300 Hollywood Way; tel. 407/503-3000). The program offers activities designed to get kids moving, as well as a menu of nutritious, yet tasty food and drink options. The program was launched in response to America's growing childhood obesity rate.
Nickelodeon Family Suites by Holiday Inn (14500 Continental Gateway; tel. 866/462-6425), the first-ever Nickelodeon hotel, has completed its transformation from Holiday Inn Family Suites. The resort has launched its new website, www.nickhotel.com, where families can book their accommodations directly online. The new site features interactive areas for kids, including downloads and their favorite Nickelodeon characters, along with search capabilities that allow visitors to search for suite availability and experience a virtual tour of the property.
The world's largest Marriott hotel, the 2,000-room Orlando World Center Marriott Resort & Convention Center (8701 World Center Dr.; tel. 407/239-4200; www.marriottworldcenter.com) has announced a $200-million expansion and renovation that will bring the resort's existing 214,000 square feet of meeting, convention, and exhibit space to more than 350,000 square feet, almost entirely on one level and under one roof. Upon completion in 2007, the convention resort will boast a total of 400,000 square feet of flexible space, with highlights including 73 breakout rooms and the new 105,000-square-foot Cypress Ballroom, which will become the largest pillar-free resort ballroom in the nation.
Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando Resort, a Loews Hotel (www.loewshotels.com), unveiled its new Wantilan Luau Pavilion. The $600,000 venue ensures that the luau can take place rain or shine. The luau is held every Saturday night year-round with additional Friday evening shows from May through early September.
The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin (1200 Epcot Resort Blvd.; tel. 407/934-1609; www.swandolphin.com) hotels will add a $2.5-million Mandara Spa to the 2,200-room complex. The 12,000-square-foot facility will open in the space formerly occupied by the hotel's CopaBanana nightclub.
SeaWorld Orlando (tel. 407/363-2280; www.seaworld.com) has a new show, Blue Horizons, featuring dolphins, false killer whales, and exotic birds as well as nearly 20 human performers in Broadway-style costumes.
Boogie down at Wet 'n Wild Orlando's (6200 International Drive; tel. 800/992-9453; www.wetnwild.com) new 70-foot water attraction, Disco H20. Riders will hear hits from the '70s while spinning in circles through an enclosed aqua disco. Walt Disney World unveiled its new 5-acre "water coaster," Crush n' Gusher, at Typhoon Lagoon (tel. 407/824-4301). It is the first of its kind in North America and features three 420-foot shoots with water jets that propel riders both uphill and down
Northeast Florida
Believe it or not, there is something scarier in Daytona than half-naked, mullet-sporting teenagers in bikinis. The Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort (2637 S. Atlantic Ave.; tel. 386/767-7350; www.hilton.com) reopened as the much swankier Shores Resort and Spa featuring 214 luxe suites, a Baleen restaurant, Spa Terre, and a celebrity sighting: John Travolta's been here already.
Northwest Florida: The Panhandle
American Eagle (www.aa.com) has daily service from the Pensacola Regional Airport to Dallas.
Plans remain in place to move forward with a post-Hurricane Dennis beach-re-nourishment project. More than 2.3 million cubic yards of sand washed away during Hurricane Ivan in September 2004 will be replaced. The sand will be pumped from a borrow site 3.5 miles south of Pensacola Beach.
Northeast Florida
The PGA Tour Spa Laterra at the World Golf Village (955 Registry Blvd.; tel. 904/940-9912) has opened, featuring golf enhancement services and treatments.
Jax Charters (tel. 904/591-5531) offers cruises throughout Northeast Florida on a 44-foot Hatteras yacht accommodating up to 12 people.
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