Weekend Getaway: The Grand Bay Hotel [New Miami magazine]
by Hope Katz Gibbs
New Miami magazine
Feature: Weekend Getaways
SOMETIMES THE BEST WAY TO get away for a weekend is to forego the hassles of traveling. That’s a secret Miami’s elite have known for years, and one of their escapes is the five-star elegance of the 181-room Grand Bay Hotel in Coconut Grove.
From the white-gloved bellman that whisks luggage and ladies through the gilded front door to a complimentary glass of champagne offered at check-in, most everything about the Grand Bay is presented with silver-platter courtesy and discretion.
Guests even get to choose the room décor they’d like for their suite: safari, Marrakech and Mandarin are most popular, the concierge confides.
No stay at the Grand Bay is complete without an evening at the Grand Cafe. This understated, tastefully appointed restaurant is a regular on lists of the best restaurants in South Florida and beyond. Here, the famous and infamous can be found looming in the shadows of the dimly fit room.
(Omar, the captain of the dining room, once mistook a celebrity for a bartender. “I need two cognac,” he told the man standing at the bar. George Benson looked up and said it was his night off.)
Dance fever brings guests to the hotel’s nightclub, Regine’s. You might have to shout over the music, but the views of the city are breathtaking. Dinner is served in a dining room adjacent to the club.
By day, guests can lounge by the pool, work out in the gym, spiff up in the salon or relax at with a steamy cup of chamomile in the tearoom. In the heart of swanky Coconut Grove, just a couple blocks away, guests can shop, dine or catch a movie.
The average cost of staying at the Grand Bay is about $150 per night, but can reach $200 during peak season.
For more: www.grandbaymiami.com.
Next: Safe Young Drivers
Back: The Importance of Learning Chinese [The Parent Diaries]