It is curious that the same island connects the crowds of South Beach, with its watery mojitos and reggaeton playing on the beach, to the chic quiet of Bal Harbour, taken by convertible Porsches and white sand, where a bungalow can be rented for US$ 800 a day. day.
Were it not for the ubiquitous Spaniard to be heard in the streets and the sun at over 30ºC, we would not have known that we are in Miami, the capital of extravagance in America, which made both Gianni Versace and Romero Britto feel at home.
It is true that the city in Florida has already been undergoing a retreading in the last 20 years, boosted by the arrival of the American arm of the Art Basel fair, which gave a more cult touch to a place that was previously better known here as the mecca of sacoleiros, especially in times of exchange rate bonanza.
And Bal Harbour, its luxury enclave, has been another essential key in that process — it’s a bubble for those who want the buzz of Miami without having to succumb to its blatantly baggy side.
Covid deepened the profile change. As the country closed its doors at the height of the pandemic, Florida, more permissive, attracted wealthy people from California and metropolises like New York and Chicago, fleeing travel restrictions.
Even then São Paulo governor João Doria, who has an apartment in Bal Harbour, went there to enjoy Christmas 2020 — but returned to São Paulo quickly after receiving several criticisms.
Brazilians, by the way, top the list of foreign tourists in this peninsular village, just over 1.5 kilometer long, sandwiched between the Atlantic and Biscayne Bay, and bordered by two super-luxury hotels.
At one end is St. Regis, with its hall of mirrors that emulate the diamonds of the aristocratic Astor family, founder of the brand, and, on the other, the Ritz-Carlton, which houses works of art valued at more than US$ 3.5 million.
The beach there is not private, but the geography of the place makes it exclusive to guests and residents. The only parking for outsiders will become a park, which will make the place even more private.
The jewel in the crown is the Bal Harbor Shops, an open-air shopping center and one of the highest-earning malls in the world. It was opened in 1965 in a swampy area that served as a prison camp during the Second World War and today is lined with boutiques from Chanel, Saint Laurent, Armani, Gucci, Prada, Balanciaga.
The British Burberry, which is revamping its visual identity, has just opened a new store there, and the Brazilian jeweler Ara Vartanian awaits the expansion, promised to finish in the next few years, to establish his space in those corridors full of plants and cut by a pond of koi and turtles.
Any similarity between its architectural design and that of Cidade Jardim is not a mere coincidence, since the mall in São Paulo is a shameless copy of it.
So much so that when Makoto, with Japanese fusion cuisine, opened its first Brazilian branch, it soon chose the shopping center on Marginal Pinheiros, in the style of the one where it is located in Miami.
But it’s not the best of the Bal Harbor Shops starred restaurants. Le Zoo is a French brasserie that offers a generous seafood platter for $300 and burnt foie gras for $26.
The Hillstone serves contemporary American fare, like the wood-grilled prime rib for $47, and drinks at the wooden bar.
Still, if you’re talking about alcohol, the best option is the bar at the St. Regis, on the other side of the avenue, the only place with live music in the village. Imperial Paradise is a grapefruit blossom gin and tonic that costs $23.
At nightfall, the place hosts the traditional champagne “sabrage” ceremony — the act of opening the bottle with a curved saber and toasting the end of the day, just as the Astor family did at the exquisite cocktails at the New York branch of the hotel chain at the beginning of the last century.
The St. Regis Bal Harbor has all 216 rooms with unobstructed views of the Caribbean blue sea, which can be fully enjoyed from its spacious terraces. In the basement, the spa offers a menu of relaxing massages ($349) and facials (the Blue Diamond, which promises skin rejuvenation, costs $469).
On the ground floor, next to one of the hotel’s two swimming pools, the Atlantikós restaurant offers a Greek-inspired buffet.
At the aforementioned Ritz Carlton, at the other end of the beach, private elevators take guests to their rooms with such discretion that it has become a darling of influencers and celebrities. No wonder — their beach-view bathtubs are more than Instagrammable.
On the ground floor, a space with three ballrooms usually hosts sumptuous weddings — the last, by an Indian couple, lasted days and became a local affair.
Not everything has to be opulence. Those who stay in Bal Harbor get a lifetime card that gives them free access to more than ten arts institutions a bridge away on the mainland, such as the Museum of Contemporary Art in Miami and the Frost Museum, a hit with kids thanks to its aquarium and its planetarium.
Within the package is also the La Cruz Collection, with a vast collection of contemporary plastic production.
The place holds a considerable sample of the work of Félix González-Torres, a Cuban artist whose work was crossed by the weight of mourning and the specter of AIDS. One of his installations is a pile of jellybeans that, together, weigh the equivalent of what his father, who died years before, weighed — proof that life isn’t always as sugary as it is on the island across the bay.
The journalist traveled at the invitation of the Bal Harbor City Hall and the Bal Harbor Shops
Where to stay
St. Regis Bal harbor 
Its 216 rooms face the beach. It also houses a spa, bar and restaurant. Daily rates start at $1,329. It also rents out its beachfront villas for $800 a day, except between October and April, when they are private to guests. Instagram @stregisbalharbour.
Ritz-Carlton Bal harbor 
Surrounded by works of art and located on the edge of the beach, it has private elevators and is very popular for hosting weddings. Rates from $999. Instagram @ritzcarltonbalharbour.
Sea View Hotel
A less salty stay option is the local pioneer, built in the 1940s, with its art deco-style pool that looks like the setting for Esther Williams’ watery mischief. Their rates start at $300. Instagram @seaviewbalharbour.
Beach Haus
It looks more like an apart hotel, ideal for those who want to stay longer and escape the resort atmosphere. A new apartment building will soon open. Rates start at $400. Instagram @beachhaus.rentals.
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