Thursday, September 5, 2013

South Beach Art Deco District is a Must See Destination

The South Florida tourist destination is many things to many people.

For some, South Beach Miami is a place to work, to others it’s a place to live, and for others, it’s a major entertainment destination with hundreds of restaurants, nightclubs, boutique shops and South Beach hotels.

Like to visit? If you do your homework and research well, you should be able to come up with a few great Miami Beach hotels deals.

Don't worry about running thin on vacation activities because day or night there’s always something happening.

Miami Beach can be described as a peninsula of land lying between the Atlantic and Biscayne Bay connected to mainland Florida by a series of causeways. Considerably more than a fashionable tourist destination and tropical paradise, Miami Beach does have some of the most amazing and unique architecture in the world.

The Art Deco Historic district is rich with history, as well as ethnicity, and is among the most prevalent and recognizable style of architecture in Miami. The Deco style all started in Paris, France in the 1920s and basically flourished globally throughout the 1930s.

Many don't know this fact but Art Deco was actually brought mainly into play attributable to the major hurricane of 1926 which came so close, it nearly annihilated the city.

One of the more popular places in Miami is well know South Beach - where the majority of the Art Deco district is found located along Ocean Drive. Here is a great video about Miami!




The Miami Art Deco Section boasts the biggest collection of Art Deco structures situated around the globe at present and comprises of in excess of eight hundred properties which had been constructed between 1923 and 1943.

The district overlooks the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Lenox Court to the West, and is bounded by sixth Street found towards the south, and Dade Blvd. along side the Collins Canal to the north.

The district's multicultural vibe along with full tapestry of historical architectural structures makes the region definitely one of South Florida's most popular and celebrated travel destination. Due to the fact that the real estate landscape is ever-changing in Miami, the Art Deco section was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

The district is made primarily of seaside hotels and condominiums, the majority of which were constructed between 1923 and 1943.

The area during this time was a getaway for the rich and famous. Miami Beach was a premier place for the trendy, along with being a star-studded playground for major celebrities. Nonetheless just like any things trendy, these features soon changed.

Ultimately the region became less-popular with travelers that resulted in the area enduring a time of neglect. Fortunately more recently the location has been reinvigorated together with a steady injection of key players in the hotel business, and the SoBe neighborhood is once again back at the top of the travel industry.

Luminescent accent and pastel shades of color, brings to mind a sense of entertainment that has sustained in South Beach through the years.

Considered one of the first 20th century architectural designs to break traditional forms to embrace influences from many different styles including Modernism and Futurism, Neoclassical, Constructivism, and Cubism. A few of the common characteristics with this style, that might be witnessed presently, include a "modernization" of past art along with rounded edges and portholes. These nautical themes fit perfectly in a community filled with beachfront hotels and structures like South Beach.

The art deco style is typically clean and angular, with stepped backside facades, strong vertical accenting, along with symmetrical or asymmetrical massing. Creative designers and architects used a special kind of local imagery to create what we now call "Tropical Deco". The form used nautical themes and in addition tropical floral and fauna elements. Palm trees, ocean liners, and flamingos brightened the exteriors in addition to interiors of the new local architecture.

Often the pastel-coloured structures along the strip convey a little bit of retro for the modern city. Probably the most visually attractive portion of the region is the block of Ocean Drive in between 5th Street and fifteenth Street.

It is really amazing that one man actually receives a big part of the credit for the one-of-a-kind styling of South Beach, Architect Morris Lapidus. Amounting to the largest single-handed restoration project connected with a complete district, Lapidus developed the Miami Beach Sans Souci Hotel, followed closely by the Nautilus, the Di Lido, the Biltmore Terrace, and also the Algiers, all along Collins Avenue.

Followed by in 1952 he landed the project of putting together the biggest luxury hotel in Miami Beach, the Fontainebleau Hotel, one of the most historically and architecturally important hotels on the Beach.

If you have never visited the art deco district consider joining a walking tour which takes you past the white- and pastel-colored stucco buildings beautifully restored to their former splendor thanks to the Miami Design Preservation League. 

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Cocos Hotel Antigua a Little Piece of Paradise


If your craving for that unpretentious all inclusive Caribbean resort with great, NO...Not great, Spectacular views of the turquoise Caribbean Sea. This is the place for you. Good food good drinks good location but above all "great staff."

Coco's Hotel in Antigua has got to be the coolest Caribbean setting. Secluded, small romantic and unique Caribbean cottages with panoramic views and private secluded beaches.

Authentic Antiguan Cottages nestled into the bluff overlooking a secluded Caribbean setting, each designed in true Caribbean style. Choose between standard cottage, Premium Cottage and Premium Plus Cottage.

This romantic tropical boutique resort on a hillside features 26 individual wooden Caribbean style cottages, each with private balcony with spectacular views situated between two, secluded powdery white beaches. Hillside rooms provide panoramic views of this true paradise with views beauty and nature in all directions.

Coco's small restaurant has a strong local Caribbean influence with contemporary mix - Featuring ocean
views and private dining can be arrange on the beach for special occasions.

Customer Reviews

“Perfect honeymoon destination”

I spent over a year reading reviews of hotels and once I found Cocos as a potential honeymoon spot I read almost every review available to me. I am 100% happy that I stuck with Cocos as the location for my husband and I to have our honeymoon. We had the best 7 days and came back feeling refreshed and relaxed.

Honestly there's nothing I can say that hasn't already been echoed countless times by other reviewers. All I would say is that I agree with all the positive comments and descriptions of this little piece of paradise.

I recommend the zipline/kayak/snorkel excursion, it was a great day. If you are pressed for time, I wouldn't say that making the morning trip to St. Johns is a priority. The shopping wasn't amazing and it was really hot. My husband and I did a private beach dinner one night, that was fun, I think it was $100 extra? Don's miss the steel pan music night! They are unbelievable! Definitely rent a jet-ski! It's the most fun ever.

We stayed in Cottage #22. We had a/c. The outdoor shower was amazing!!! Leave your heels at home for sure. I wore nothing but flip flops the whole week. What a treat for my feet! The security was fantastic. I never felt scared.

As a side note, I don't eat any types of seafood and I had plenty of options available to me throughout the week so if anyone is nervous about that, don't be!

The staff were friendly without getting too nosy. If you wanted to have conversations they were there, and if you wanted some peace & quiet, they completely respected that which, in my opinion, is the best kind of customer service you could ask for.

I would without hesitation recommend this hotel to anyone. Please feel free to direct message me with questions etc.
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“Unique, Scenic Hotel Above the Beach”

Positives:
-Incredibly fun, friendly staff--best we've ever had at a hotel
-Excellent location
-Beach area is private, well kept, right below the property and stunning
-Views are amazing of the beach from the dining area/bar and most of the property
-Unique, individual huts with a very rustic, island feel
-Outdoor shower, balcony was great to relax
-Food was good, not great, but they were very flexible accommodating to whatever we wanted
-The bartenders make excellent, strong drinks

Negatives:
-No A/C in some rooms (we had no A/C and was not a problem for us, but could be for some)
-A lot of bugs in/around room, but they provide you with burning candles that work well and nets
-Rooms aren't fancy if that is what you are looking for--more islandy feel which we personally loved, but some may not

Overall, we loved Coco's. We split our week half and half between here and the Sugar Ridge property, which was more upscale. We really enjoyed both and would recommend doing the same if you are spending a week in Antigua as it gave as two different experiences on the same island.