Putting on the Ritz
The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne (Key Biscayne)
GETAWAYS • Key Biscayne
After a temporary closure and $100 million revamp, The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne welcomed guests back last December.
The new look — awash in a color palette of creams, pale pink and green with sculptural overhead lighting and a marble-clad reception area — does justice to the resort’s lofty, regal bones. The grand flow-through lobby, with a double-height wall of windows opening up to the ocean, always made a strong first impression, but now the space feels appropriately modern and airy.
Updated rooms and suites are designed in a beach house aesthetic in neutral tones with blond wood bed frames, rattan. upholstered finishes, and plush sand-colored carpeting. They’re spacious and comfortable (if a little bland), but each has a table, seating area, and minibar. Every room is outfitted with a balcony, and vantages range from ocean to island, spanning Crandon Park’s leafy canopy with distant views of Biscayne Bay and the mainland beyond. Spacious marble bathrooms, with a separate tub, shower, and toilet, Diptyque products, and plenty of counter space all help put a fine point on the luxury factor.
As with most Ritz-Carltons, even when the aesthetics aren’t astoundingly original, the brand is so well-practiced at designing rooms (and an overall resort experience) that naturally promote comfort and ease, succumbing to the pleasures here becomes nearly impossible. They also include two enormous oceanfront pools (one adults-only) lined with cabanas, and the addition of a new splash park for kids. There’s also beach service, hammocks swaying lazily in the breeze, and a tennis center, including padel and pickleball courts, with clinics and lessons available.
The impressive 30,000-square-foot spa also underwent a revamp. Awash in a palette of soft creams, pinks and marble, it features a sauna, steam rooms, hot tub, cold plunge and spa garden. In addition to the massive oceanfront fitness center, the addition of a Tremble studio and Pura Vida outpost makes the resort a destination for Key Biscayne locals, adding to its vibrancy.
The restaurants have also been overhauled. They include Luma, a modern Italian restaurant set inside a lovely indoor-outdoor dining room, and Paralía, a Mediterranean restaurant beneath an oceanfront al fresco thatched hut. There’s also an updated Dune Beach Bar servicing the pool and beach, alongside its own toes-in-the-sand beachfront seating.
The Rum Bar has always been my favorite part of the hotel, and it’s still a gem with its updated, airy redesign hearkening back to a stylish Old Havana social club. It’s a place where hotel guests and locals alike congregate over excellent cocktails, small bites and an impressive rum list. Shooting the breeze with the barman, the idea that you’re in paradise is merely an afterthought. –Shayne Benowitz
→ The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne (Key Biscayne) • 455 Grand Bay Dr • Summer rates from $465/night.