Bay Harbor Island is one of the many curious communities in South Florida with an interesting history. Until 1945, Bay Harbor Island was just a sandbar in the middle of Biscayne Bay, providing no other service than being a headache for boaters. It was then that the well-known tycoon Shepard Broad stepped in and bought the islands for development. Stores, houses, and hotels sprang up within a few years, and the population has been growing ever since. The island’s proximity to Miami Beach and downtown Miami have made it a popular residential spot for newcomers to Miami. It’s not just about residences though, there are also some nice little shops and a big hotel that is tea place to stay when you find yourself in Bay Harbor.
Bay Harbor Inn is, perhaps surprisingly, the only beachfront inn in the Miami area. It has two buildings: one, on the town side, is a restored hotel filled with antiques and a classic feel, while on the creek side, the hotel has a more contemporary decor and feel. In either building, the potted plants and bare floors definitely give the building a tropical feel, a feeling further accentuated by the pool surrounded by dense foliage. The inn offers two different restaurants: The Miami Palm Restaurant (the inn’s great food) and a very nice Chinese restaurant that offers gourmet alfresco dining. The Miami Palm seems to specialize in select aged beef and Maine lobster at prices a bit below South Beach, while the Chinese restaurant seems to offer a good mix of Szechwan, Cantonese and Peking style dishes. There’s also a bar (naturally), filled with interesting antiques from the Vanderbilt mansion in London.
As for the rooms, the suites are quite spacious (and include a fantastic balcony), while the single rooms seem to be pretty standard. There is an amazing range of leisure activities located close to the hotel, including golf, fishing, art galleries and gambling (as long as you like ponies). Overall, the Bay Harbor Inn is worth investigating if you are staying in the Miami area. And it would pair perfectly with a Millenium limousine for any special occasion you can dream of.