City Sands

Urbanites, meet the beach. Beach-lovers, meet the city. Where the ocean mingles with downtown sights and sounds, you’ll find sands with a cosmopolitan edge.
BALEENMiami Restaurant, Grove IsleMy husband and I were having dinner in Miami – lobster bisque, Szechuan seared tuna, mojitos – in the soft light of tiki torches. The wind off the water – close enough we could taste the salt – filtered through a tangle of mangroves before reaching us, lifting the white tablecloth, skirting my bare ankles. We were tucking into white chocolate pear crème brûlée when the first rollerblader shot past. Then another, both of them gliding along the waterfront path near us. They were followed by a roaring white speedboat – lights pulsing, music amplified by the water – as if all three were tethered by some imperceptible fishing line. Overhead, the droning of a jet; behind us, clinking glasses. A young woman drifted down the restaurant’s sandy steps past our private dining platform, stilettos slung over her shoulder, martini in hand. This isn’t South Beach, I thought, or even, really, Miami. This is some place altogether different. It may walk like South Beach (witness the hip twentysomethings and young families); it may talk like South Beach (that carefree, eclectic banter); it may even look a bit like South Beach. But it isn’t on the Art Deco Atlantic. It’s in the middle of Biscayne Bay on an island called Grove Isle. Specifically, it’s The Grove Isle Hotel & Spa, a 49-room boutique hotel set on the cusp of a 20-acre island. The spa here is an impressive 6,000-square-foot Thai- and Indonesian-influenced facility, featuring the kind of

amenities and signatures – Watsu (water Shiatsu massage), couple’s steam rooms, a full service salon – to put it on par with the world’s best. Indeed Spa Terre is one more fine feather in Grove Isle’s cap, but it is not to be outdone by the hotel’s BALEENMiami restaurant – with its staggered outdoor dining platforms and tiki torches – which, on the night we were there, hosted the president of El Salvador. The BALEENMiami’s innovative, Asian-inspired menu of king crab cioppino and Vietnamese pork sticks is guided by executive chef Jordan Mackey, whose sense of adventure translates to exceptional as well as conceptual food. With awards from Bon Appetit, Zagat and Gourmet magazines, BALEENMiami’s indoor dining area (a series of elegant drawing rooms lit by chandeliers, hung with gauzy, separating curtains and twirling with belly dancers) is lively and fresh – a scene which Paul, our waiter, promptly stole by keeping us laughing. There are beachy bars and a private marina, outdoor showers and yoga decks overlooking Biscayne Bay, a happy, prevailing monkey theme and terraces with views right over the tops of the palm trees and across the gentle bay (or first-floor bedroom decks steps away from the water). And there’s sand. It’s white and planted with chaises and loungers and sandcastles. It’s a beach, all right, but with a
Miami Art Decotwist. Florida’s metropolitan sands benefit from the creative energy of their mainland complements. Their resorts and hotels are close to museums and theaters, opera, golf, shopping and cinema. They buzz with visitors from various countries and cultures, house their own galleries, offer cooking classes with premiere in-house chefs. Their spas are state-of-the art, and so is their service. At Grove Isle, we were greeted warmly at the entry gate, again at the valet and then escorted to our room by the gracious concierge. She checked us in on her tablet PC while we walked and chatted. Boutique hotels on the beach (or on an island) such as this one cater to guests, customizing beach getaways that consider each individual’s desired experience. For most, choosing to stay on city sand is the wish to feel both connected to and removed from the city. It’s there, within reach, but so are the vast, compelling ocean and unspoiled beach. Grove Isle takes advantage of its unique position; from our terrace, I could see the high rises of downtown Miami, the gorgeous homes of Coconut Grove and the bridge to Key Biscayne. Just beyond that bridge was South Beach, a short drive from one paradise to another.In our suite, we prepared for a night out. The Italian marble bathroom and our bed – raised up on a platform, the headboard a large window from which we watched the sunrise the next morning – spoke of luxury, as did the plasma screen television, and voluptuous breezes coming in from the terrace. Earlier, we had enjoyed a couple’s massage, rolling first out of the eucalyptus steam shower and into fluffy robes. We had a private outdoor yoga session and lunch on BALEENMiami’s breezy deck.Now, we enthused, we would hit South Beach’s Ocean Drive for the jolt that people-watching, carousing in the clubs and casual shopping inevitably bring. The Grove Isle Hotel & Spa had fed and relaxed us. Now our car would be brought around and in some-odd minutes we’d be ambling down that famous strip. The best part? Our island haven would be waiting for us when we got back – especially our bed, swaddled in sheer netting.