by Margaret Swaine | Aug 27, 2005
The Southernmost House Grand Hotel and Museum
By Margaret Swaine
South of Miami driving through a 125-mile island chain called the Florida Keys, over 43 bridges – one seven miles long – I finally reached the southernmost tip of the United States. At the end of Duval Street in Key West, on a tiny two-by-four mile island, was a profusion of signs all claiming “southernmost”. There was an inn, hotel, motel, and beach front property some of which looked depressingly modern for an old town. Which was my Southernmost House? With a sigh of relief, I sighted the Southernmost House Grand Hotel and Museum and she was all she had billed herself to be and more.
Built in 1896 by Judge Vining Harris, she had colourful grandeur, something quite to be expected of “The Grand Lady of Key West” where presidents Truman, Kennedy, Nixon and Carter have stayed. The museum part of her name also bore truth. Documents in the hallways go back to pleas from Queen Isabella of Spain dated 1486, six years before Columbus discovered the “New World” and original letters and signatures from every US president. There is also a large collection of Hemmingway artifacts, including the only known letter changing his address to Key West, Florida.
The Ramos family bought the house from Judge Harris in 1939 and have owned it ever since. Recently the property completed a five-year restoration to return her to original splendor. Each of the 13 guest rooms is unique. My room #201 was extra large with a tasteful modern marble bathroom, antique furniture and a big private balcony with an awesome view of the ocean and hotel pool. All the rooms in the main house have their own charm, some with ocean views, some with turrets and Jacuzzi tubs, others with balconies and large sitting areas. The more recently built cabana suites, separate from the main house, are comfortably well appointed with either garden, pool or ocean views. The Waterfront Suite 101 is like having your own cottage at the edge of the ocean. Cuba is just 90 miles across the water.
With so few rooms and a location literally at the end of the road, the place quickly felt like my own private domain. There was just one couple at the pool and no one on the waterfront deck or in the garden seating area. Then I found action. Both locals and guests were whooping it up at the Carson City Saloon Bar circa 1839 which been transported to the hotel’s garden to act as the open-air pool bar. The owners had bought it at an auction for big bucks (it had spent part of its life on the set of Bonanza) and now it was weathering the hurricanes and humidity of Key West. That quirkiness is very Key West. When I was headed here a Miami resident cautioned me “Once you’re past Marathon, things get weird”. (The Keys are divided into five regions; Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon, Big Pine Key and Key West. Marathon is in the middle.)
Other eccentricities at the hotel include their 24 bunny rabbits hopping around the backyard and pool. A neighbor had given the hotel two rabbits which subsequently did what rabbits do. The now numerous pets are fed but not caged. Tourists also wander in off the streets on a regular basis both to view the museum artifacts and photograph the property. It’s that pretty.
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The history of Key West itself comes alive in the hotel. It’s located at the base of the town’s Historic District, a brief stroll from the Southernmost Point of the country, Fort Zachary Taylor and many other old town museums and attractions. But first as I walked up Duval Street I came upon a “rub” club for men, then saw La te da, offering a drag show on one floor and a piano bar on the ground level. Next I spied Senses at Play, a shop with erotic pictures on the walls which offered couples a chance to be photographed in nude sensual poses. Apparently very appealing to conservative mid-west folks.
The Keys were first sited by adventurer Ponce de Leon in 1513. Later pirates found refuge here and settlers farmed in the early 1800’s. Wreckers made fortunes salvaging goods from ships that went down on the reefs and in the mid-19th century sponge harvesting was a lucrative industry. Now more than three million tourists arrive each year, an equally good money maker. More interesting though, the varied history and laid back subtropical atmosphere gives rise to very colorful residents. Life is different here.
Residents born in the island chain are known as conchs, after the mollusk that used to be abundantly fished in the Keys. The moniker Conch Republic is the affection term for the area. Stone crabs are still harvested and so are pink shrimp as well as many types of scale fish. As a seafood lover, I found nirvana at Mangoes Restaurant about five minutes walk from the hotel. Even closer, just around the corner, was Conch and The Cuban a delightful little outdoor joint with the best fresh grouper on toasted Cuban bread as well as eggs, omelets, sandwiches and more. (Worth noting as the one disappointment with the hotel was the pedestrian continental breakfast.) Dessert lovers should be happy with the Key Lime pie on offer at many spots in town. It’s another area specialty though key limes are no longer grown commercially in the Keys.
The Grand Lady of Key West anchors the Keys with aplomb, grace and just enough twisted sister to captivate even the most seasoned traveler.
IF YOU GO: Where: 1400 Duval Street, Key West, Florida 33040. Cost: May 16 to December 22 from $175 US for a poolside cabana room to $325 US for one of the large main house rooms. High season (Jan. 15 to May 15) starts at $225 US up to $495 US for the King Turret Suite #301 on a weekend. Contacts: Phone 305-296-3141 Email southernmost@bellsouth.net Web www.southernmosthouse.com The Keys: www.fla-keys.com
by Margaret Swaine | Jun 18, 2005
Taboo Resort, Golf and Spa, Gravenhurst: Manhattan Style among the Pines at Taboo Resort
by Margaret Swaine
Taboo Resort, Golf and Spa has had more face lifts than a Hollywood star in its pursuit of glam in cottage country. With the most recent renovation it’s achieved “the look”. The striking lobby imparts hip urban luxury, its restaurants are city-slick and the bedrooms modernist boutique hotel style. The reason to be there, the great outdoors, is brought into play with plenty of floor to ceiling windows that showcase the glittering beauty of Lake Muskoka. The new multi-million-dollar make-over just completed was designed by cutting edge Toronto firm munge//leung renown for doing cool places in Ontario’s capital such as the Ultra Supper Club and Koolhaus.
Located by the lake on 1,000 acres of parkland, the resort was built in 1926 during a time when Muskoka was the favoured playground retreat of business tycoons and celebrities (a position which the area still enjoys to some extent today). Then called The Muskoka Beach Inn, travellers reached it by horse and buggy or sleigh from the railway station in Gravenhurst. When fire destroyed the main lodge in 1959 it was soon rebuilt closer to the water and renamed the Muskoka Sands Inn. It was transformed again when The Great Golf Group of Companies purchased it in 1984 and began a series of renovations and additions. Cottage chalets, three new outdoor pools, a remodeled indoor swimming pool, dining facilities and a new wing of suites were just some of the improvements.
However the biggest change was serendipitous. In June 2002 the resort opened a CPGA-standard course named Taboo, designed by golf course architect Ron Garl. Mike Weir, Canada’s top PGA ranked golfer was signed up to make Taboo his Home Course. The deal with Weir brought more fortune and attention than the resort had ever imagined when Weir went on to become the 2003 Masters Champion. The Taboo course which rolls through granite outcroppings, wetlands, and forests, won multiple accolades from the golf press and instant popularity among recreational golfers. Such was the impact, the resort itself was renamed Taboo in 2003 and further upgrades took place to bring the resort up to par with the golf experience. The boat house was restored, the conference centre expanded and a spa facility opened. Then this winter most of the public areas and many of the rooms were redone completing the transformation from wilderness hotel to premier northern retreat.
“We have such credibility on the golf course,” said Nigel Hollidge, Director of Operations, Golf/Marketing and acting general manager “and now people will have the same world class experience in the resort.” To me that statement downplays what the resort already had been offering. Two years ago I was delightfully impressed by the food at Wildfire, the resort’s fine dining restaurant. Wildfire has evolved this year into Elements of Taboo – three different dining experiences – namely the restaurant, the lounge and the Culinary Theatre. At the helm of the Culinary Theatre, located in the core of the dining area, are the past Wildfire chefs Michael Pataran and Jay Scaife. Their job is to create pizzazz while they deliver tasty little dishes based on the ingredients selected by the diner. Patrons sit at the counter squared around their open kitchen and watch as the meal is created. Several plasma screen televisions capture the action as well. On the night I ate there, Scaife created a Spring bank farms bison salad with Asian spicing and Pataran a steamed cod with sea urchin butter sauce as part of the parade of tasting dishes. It’s not comfort food and not all the dishes work but it is engaging fun and for the most part quite yummy. You pay from $45 to $105 depending upon the number of courses. If requested, for a set price, sommelier Michael Sullivan matches the dishes with beverages such as special sakes, handcrafted beers and out-of-the-ordinary wines.
Patient doesn’t need to burn his pocket because this medicine can be afforded at low price generic viagra mastercard rate. Yet viagra tablet there she is right back in another abusive relationship. Impotence problem (or erectile dysfunction) free cialis samples in men are getting increasing with continuous increase in population. The professional cialis handlers are drug lords that will not care the place that the drugs fall neither can they care who gets addicted. Elements restaurant (formerly Winewood) is decorated in soothing earth tones accented by modern art and sculptures and the ever present Lake Muskoka through the windows. Chef Tawfik Shehata presides here with a focus on seasonal continental cuisine. He’s a talented chef whose food I’ve previously enjoyed at Eau Restaurant in Toronto (now closed). His rack of lamb with braised lamb shank ravioli is a winner as is the Nova Scotia lobster. Service needs to be snappier but that may come with time.
Small appetites can hang out at the bar and piano lounge where the selection includes hanger steak, clams with Muskoka cream ale or heirloom tomato salad. In case the scenery bores, there’s four flat screen plasma TV’s above the bar.
The rooms vary considerably in size and style. The largest are the 22 platinum suites of which four are two storeys and nine redesigned this year by Dragana. The one I’ve stayed in was spacious with a separate sitting area, fireplace, a balcony and Jacuzzi tub to accompany the picture perfect view of the lake. This year I opted for one of the Signature Design Suites just redesigned by munge//leung. It had the great lake view, Egyptian cotton linens and a plasma television. However the custom walnut desk along one wall seemed rather more boardroom than bedroom. I had high speed internet, a designer style office chair and Italian bathroom fixtures but no place to really relax. The Muskoka chairs on my cedar balcony solved the issue. While some of the North Shore rooms haven’t yet been renovated, they’re larger with fireplaces and Jacuzzi tubs. Families should take the platinum suites or the two, three or four bedroom chalets.
Taboo is a few hiccups short of the five star, five diamond property they aim to be. They are however the best resort in Ontario in my estimation and I’ve traveled plenty throughout the province. You can’t beat the package of fine dining, waterfront, golf, swimming pools, tennis courts, volleyball courts (on sand and in water), parkland for hiking, marina, games and fitness room, nascent spa and ultra chic décor. It’s not old Muskoka, it’s a new world.
IF YOU GO: Where: Muskoka Beach Road, RR. 1 Gravenhurst, Ontario P1P 1R1. Cost: in high season (June to September) $295 per room for a resort view to $385 for a luxury lakeview. Suites and condos start at $455 and go up to $1085 for a four bedroom deluxe. Contacts: 1-800-461-0236 or www.tabooresort.com Driving distance from Ottawa is about five and a half hours.
