The Good Life

By Juliette Reynolds
Published: November 17, 2007
Last Updated On: September 30, 2011

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Shopping

Spas

Resorts

Fort Lauderdale

Naples

Miami

Miami Beach

Coral Gables

Spas, resorts and shopping - what more do you need to live the Florida good life?

I have a dream. To find solitude, bliss - a space where the clang and clatter of thoughts and work and the very idea of deeds have been muffled, quieted even.

A room of my own, a place by the sea. Long, luxurious days of languor. Pampered perfection. To be enchanted and excited by the possibility of doing... nothing.

And in style. Champagne wishes and caviar dreams style. With my younger (she'll say "much" younger), sister Vicky. The requirements are simple - spa, shopping, superior service - and serenity. Join us as we, one a harried kindergarten teacher and mother of two toddlers and the other a married-with-no-kids editor, concoct dreamy weekends in Miami, Naples and Fort Lauderdale and find delight - and a few surprises - around every corner. Eat your heart out, Robin Leach!


ORIENT (AL) EXPRESS

Miami has the kind of heat and Latin flavor that attracts the most discerning sun and fun seekers - wide, soft sand beaches, up-tempo nightlife, a cadre of celebrity chefs and designer shopping (to keep you in Manolos, dahling).

And it's no wonder stars and presidents (and a teacher and editor, mere mortals we) choose the Mandarin Oriental Miami, set apart from the world on elite Brickell Key, when seeking respite from their high-profile lives. Vicky and I feel like superstars ourselves as we step into the lofty-ceilinged, Zen-by-way-of-Latin-spice lobby. An instant calm envelops us as we're greeted by twin waterfalls and a phalanx of orchids, and the visual feast goes on when we enter our spacious suite, complete with a bougainvillea-walled balcony sporting two chaises and an awe-inspiring view, complete with millionaire-captained mega-yachts. Ah, this is the life, we think, until we're wafted to the hotel's piece de resistance - the only Florida spa to win the Forbes Five Star Award in 2010.

Tucked away off the infinity-edged pool is the hallowed entry to bliss. As the shoji screen to my spa suite is pulled aside, "Wow" pops out of my mouth before I can stop it. Before me is Biscayne Bay and the city skyline. But I'm here for the Ayurvedic Holistic Body Treatment, a four-part tour-de-spa that begins with a delightful foot ritual, where my toes share a basalt-colored bowl with warm water and china-red rose petals. I choose natural fragrances to enrich my creative spirit, then proceed to the table for an exfoliating scrub, followed by a light, meridian-point massage and an intense scalp massage. After fully two hours, I step into the world with a clear mind and renewed vigor.

With nearly six percent of the ExxonMobil Five Star and AAA Five Diamond Award winners in Florida, opulence and supreme comfort is never far away in the Sunshine State.

When I see my sister, she's been so transformed by the holistic hand and foot nail treatments, that I almost don't recognize her. As we linger on the Balinese-inspired beds on the resort's beach, she says, her words laced with not a bit of irony, "The Mandarin Oriental's not a place. It's a state of being."

With our minds and bodies in tip-top shape, Vicky and I venture out for some retail therapy. First stop: C. Madeleine's a 10,000-square-foot vintage fashion emporium in North Miami Beach. We meet Madeleine herself, a delightfully eccentric fashion doyenne. The shop is as colorful as its owner and packed to the gills with vintage fashions any "Sex and the City" girl would covet.

Next, we lunch at Bal Harbour Shops. With nearly six percent of the ExxonMobil Five Star and AAA Five Diamond Award winners in Florida, opulence and supreme comfort is never far away in the Sunshine State. Add to that dozens of accommodations that qualify as luxury four-star or four-diamond resorts, and you've a panoply of choices.

Across town in Coral Gables, we investigate the new and charmingly tropical, outdoor Village of Merrick Park, featuring shops such as CH Carolina Herrera, Gucci, Hugo Boss and Jimmy Choo (you need some shoes to go with that new vintage top!).


RITZ-Y NAPLES

Naples has a well-deserved reputation as a playground for the rich and famous, with great golf, shops geared to the well-heeled (and well-dressed) and fabulous restaurants in a gorgeous Gulf of Mexico setting steeped in the traditions of old money. Vicky and I test how the other half lives at one of two Ritz resorts. Beachside, of course.

Service. Service. Service. Did I say service? The Ritz-Carlton, Naples resort has service in spades, not to mention a family-friendly, beachfront location with just about everything you can think of for an unpretentious, first-class good time. Ensconced on the 10th floor overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, Vicky and I groove on the view of the mangrove forest edging its way towards a silky swath of yellow sand and glittering water.

After settling in, we dive into Naples shopping with vigor. Celebrated Fifth Avenue South struts its retail stuff with boutiques, art galleries and jewelers. Third Street South offers boutiques and art galleries for the ladies-who-lunch set. On the way back to the Ritz, we stop off at The Waterside Shops, an elegant, upscale, outdoor shopping destination with a pond and fountain. Luxury retailers such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Cartier and Saks Fifth Avenue abound.

Flanked by rose gardens, the impressive entrance to the Ritz-Carlton Spa, Naples only hints at the sybaritic pleasures that lie beyond its doors. I choose a combination massage/facial that leaves my body relaxed and my face refreshed. Vicky and I "float" into the hot tub, complete with its own waterfall, then glide past a bride-to-be and her entourage into a small, plush room where, after a spot of tea, we recline on two pink chairs, put our feet on two pink ottomans and drift into an uninterrupted state of pink bliss.


THE ATLANTIC - OCEANS OF FUN

Fort Lauderdale shines like the newest polished jewel in the crown on Florida's southeastern coast. Gone are the days immortalized in that '60s spring break film classic, Where the Boys Are, and in its place is a cosmopolitan, accessible beach and boating destination cresting on the success of a multi-million-dollar rejuvenation.

But back to our ninth-story king room at The Atlantic Hotel, which was actually more like a studio apartment: efficient kitchenette, huge, elegant bisque-colored bathroom with a double door entry, and enough room for two girls to disco in (well, why not?).

To shop, or not to shop: Is there ever a question? The Galleria Mall is just around the corner from The Atlantic, but we eschew its numerous charms for bargain shopping on a luxury scale: Sawgrass Mills, at Fort Lauderdale's western edge. There, we wander for hours, investigating the latest designer wear at Neiman Marcus Last Call and Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5th and pick up trendy jeans at Levi's & Dockers Outlet by Most.

Later, we venture to Las Olas Boulevard, a revitalized section of Fort Lauderdale's downtown bordered by a delightful arts and culture district and flanked by the city's yacht-laden canals. 

Alas, parting with shopping is such sweet sorrow, but it's time to relax. Deep chocolate brown and Wedgwood blue interspersed with fresh-linen white is the color story of the subtle spa at The Atlantic. Nestled next to the pool deck five stories up, the spa takes its inspiration from the sea, and Vicky and I seek treatments to restore balance - Vicky selects a therapeutic bath featuring lavender and chamomile, followed by light massage, and I have the marine-protein Atlantic Repair Facial, after which my skin is so incredibly hydrated, smooth and rejuvenated that I look 10 years younger. It's the best facial I've ever had.

"When can we do this again?" asks Vicky, her smile as wide and her eyes as serenely blue as the ocean at our feet.