So, you want to experience how the South Beach royalty live, but can't afford a $1,000-a-night room at the Delano (who can??)? Just visit the
Delano after hours and find yourself in a world of the rich and famous. We came here in a group of girls, and stunning though it was, we did not stay long.
The Delano is a place for lovers, and the minute you walk through the big, open doors, you are swept into a scene of romance and passion.
I'll take you on a quick tour with my $15 martini in hand... Getting in the place was a cinch for us. No cover, no hassles, but we were girls. One group of blokes were not allowed in, as their group was to big (we were 9, they were 4!?).
As you walk through the immense hallway of wooden floors, to each side of you are hidden nooks and crannies with sheer curtains billowing to show glimpses of VIPs on oversized couches and velvet chairs. First stop is the small Rose bar to purchase the mentioned expensive martini.
Now I’m fully accessorized for walking the rest of the way through the hall and out the huge double doors at the far end.
What a sight: large stone steps lead down to a Tiki torch-lit lawn. I had to put my martini in a plastic glass at this point so I didn’t feel quite so cool!! Tucked away in the trees, is that an antique bed? The light is so dim, but yes, that’s a bed, all right, and next to it is an oversized chessboard spread out upon the grass, with couples lounging against the pawn piece.
I feel like I’m Alice in Wonderland, and for the first (and only) time on this trip, I wished I were with my husband instead of eight other girls.
Down the steps we went, in awe, walking past what must be the $1,000-a-night bungalow rooms, also shrouded in gauze sheer curtains. It's 2am at this time, and people are all over, still lounging in any available space. Many men seem to be carrying drunken girls back to their rooms (perhaps the weight of their implants impeding their walking ability-or am I just hating?).
We settled ourselves along the pool wall, which is also floodlit with soft, ambient music coming from someplace under the water.
Then I see a table--a wrought-iron table in the center of the water, where it's shallow, like a sunbathing area, and a couple are seated, enjoying cocktails whilst candles light up their faces.
Did I take something I shouldn't have in the club earlier? Surely I’m hallucinating... but NO, this is the Delano. Ultra-chic, ultra-trendy, and ultra-expensive.
Experience it from the outside, like we did, and pretend for that hour that you belong.