RESORT REVIEWS
Elegance, class
and classic golf at
The Biltmore Hotel
By Cynthia Boal Janssens,
Staff Writer
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (April 3, 2003) - Just minutes away from downtown Miami, and a few miles farther from toney South Beach is an elegant, stately community called Coral Gables.
And the undisputed queen of Coral Gables is The Biltmore Hotel.
Driving up to The Biltmore is just like approaching an elegant estate. You motor through neighborhoods of upscale homes with the leaves of tall live oaks overhanging the streets. These are dripping with Spanish moss, contributing even further to the "Old Florida" feeling. When you arrive at the arched entrance, you are greeted by footmen in the proper finery. Your car is whisked off and you are shown to your luxurious room by a concierge. You feel very, very fine. And that's as it should be in one of the most historic and elegant hotels in the Florida.
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Little wonder it is a national historic landmark. Just the look of the place is so special: The outer walls are a soft buff color that glows every evening at sunset. By contrast, the roof is covered in bright orange clay barrel tiles. The awnings are a cheery red. And centering it all is a tower, patterned after the towers of Italy, that rises above the area like a beacon. And it all overlooks a charming golf course built by Donald Ross way back in 1925. This hotel has a lively history: In 1924, George Merrick, then a young developer, had a vision for Coral Gables: It was to be an elegant, stately suburb featuring the best in Mediterranean architecture.
The centerpiece of his creation was to be The Biltmore.
“We’re doing that on purpose,” Director of Golf Maintenance Tom Alex says of the resort’s approach to the architecture. “One of these days you can imagine when Nicklaus is dead and gone and you’ve got 45 holes of Jack Nicklaus golf.”
“But that’s 20, 30, 40 years from now,” he adds quickly.
The original course at Grand Cypress, now the North/South course, was built in 1984. Over the years the North/South has hosted The Shark Shootout, a PGA Skills Challenge, and various LPGA Tour events. In 1986 Nicklaus and crew added the East nine and the Academy of Golf practice facility.
Later that year it was announced that the $10 million project would include a 400-room hotel, a country club, golf courses, polo fields, tennis courts and an enormous 150x225-feet swimming pool. The first component of the project to open was the 18-hole golf course. Even then, Ross was a premier course architect. And to this day, little has changed in the course's design. In January of 26, The Biltmore opened with a magnificent inaugural that brought people down from northern cities on trains marked "Miami Biltmore Specials."
The
Biltmore made
it through the
Depression years
by hosting aquatic
galas in the
23,000-foot
swimming pool.
As many as 3,000
people would
come on a Sunday
afternoon to
watch the synchronized
swimmers, bathing
beauties, alligator
wrestlers and
young Jackie
Ott, the so-called
"boy wonder"
who would dive
from an 80-foot
platform. A
celebrity anecdote:
Prior to his
movie career
as Tarzan, young
Johnny Weismuller
broke the world
record at The
Biltmore pool
where he was
a swimming instructor.
The onset of
World War II
changed the
fortunes of
the hotel.
The war department converted it into a hospital. Later it became the home of the University of Miami's School of Medicine. It was a V.A. hospital until 1968. In 1973, the City of Coral Gables took over The Biltmore but, tragically, it remained unoccupied. Many of the windows had been sealed with cement and the marble floors covered over. Finally, the city initiated a restoration and it reopened in 1987 as a first class hotel and resort. But three years later it was forced to close again due to a downturn in the economy. In 1992, a multinational consortium became the owners and operators of The Biltmore and embarked on another major renovation.
In
10 years, they
have brought
the hotel from
near extinction
to the elegant
resort it is
today. Featuring
hand-painted
ceilings, Italian
marble floors
and large stone
columns, it
is truly one
of the most
special hotels
in Florida.
The fate of
the wonderful,
historic golf
course is somewhat
different. It
continues to
be owned by
the City of
Coral Gables
which has, over
the years, spent
a considerable
amount to restore
the course.
However, it remains a public course although The Biltmore pro shop does handle tee times and instruction and players use its newly renovated locker rooms. I wish I could say that the course is in pristine condition, but unfortunately it is not. It is tired. A bit like a glamour girl who is now 78 years old. The City is responsible for course maintenance, not the Biltmore, and so there is little the hotel operators can do to control the condition of the course and its facilities. It is amazing what just some fresh paint would accomplish on the bridges, in the restrooms and on the tee blocks. That said, The Biltmore Course is still well worth a few hours to play.
In fact, it is just wonderful to be on.
There are views
of the remarkable
tower from almost
every hole.
The course winds
through a series
of canals that
once carried
guests on gondolas.
Huge banyan
trees frame
elevated greens.
Although carts
are available,
this is one
course that
is well worth
the walk. The
par-71 course
plays 6,624
yards from the
tips, but is
also a challenge
from the red
tees where it
plays par-73
at 5,600 yards.
But the aura
of The Biltmore
is so special
that the stats
hardly matter.
Or the course
conditions.
This is a wonderful,
historic, well-designed
course that
deserves to
be played. It's
as simple as
that.
In addition to playing golf, there are a few other things that you must do during your visit to The Biltmore: You must dine at the 00 Restaurant & Courtyard and have the corn and Serrano ham risotto as a side dish and the sinful chocolate fondant for dessert. This is a warm Belgium chocolate cake with liquid center, served with vanilla ice cream; You must go for a leisurely swim in what is today the largest swimming pool in the continental United States. You should have dinner in Coral Gables at the Caffe Abbracci and order the hand-made Tortellini Tatiana (stuffed with Asiago cheese and pears). You must visit the spa for a sublime facial. And you must feel grand about being alive. This is certainly the place to do it.
Just the facts :
The Biltmore
Hotel 1200
Anastasia Ave.
Coral Gables,
FL 3134
(305) 445-1926
Reservations:
(800) 727-1926
FAX: (305) ?3-3159
www.biltmorehotel.com
The hotel features two restaurants: La Palme d'Or (French fine dining) and the 1200 Restaurant and Courtyard (Mediterranean brasserie).
Greens
fees:
Through April
30: $82.38 w/cart;
$60 walk (lower
fees for area
residents)
After 2 p.m. every day or before 8 a.m., Monday-Thursday:
Out of county: $52 w/cart; $30 walk
The rates will decrease approximately 50 per cent beginning May 1, 2003.
Golf Packages:
Hole-in-One Package: Includes one 18-hole round of golf for two, accommodations, unlimited use of driving range, daily breakfast in 1200 Restaurant, a discount in hotel's restaurants and bars, access to private Wine Club bar and valet parking (a P-minute Swedish massage may be substituted for one round of golf) Minimum 2-night stay, double occupancy, from $119 per person.
The John Pallot Golf Academy Package: One-day golf tune-up (two-student minimum) includes accommodations, three hours instruction, nine holes of golf with instructor, unlimited use of private practice range, digital swing analysis, golf hat, bag tag, lunch at 19th Hole grill. Minimum 2-night stay, double occupancy, from $169 per person, per day.
The Biltmore
Course Yardage:
Championship:
6,624 (71.5/119)
White: 6,213
(69.7/116)
Red: 5,600
(72.9/120)
Junior:
5,292 (71.2/116)
Head pro:
Jason Epstein
Director of
Instruction:
John Pallot
Pro shop:
(305) 460-5364
Tee time service:
(305) 669-9500
Dining out: Caffe Abbracci 318 Aragon Ave. Coral Gables, FL 33134 (305) 441-0700
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