New
golfing resort opens in Doral
by
Arvin Steinberg
Golfers
go to Florida for some of the best golfing in the
nation. Well, golfing just became even more enjoyable for me and my family
because The Blue---a new resort that recently opened in Doral just 15
minutes from the Miami Airport. Host of the PGA Tour event for
the past four decades, the city of
Doral
boasts eight courses of championship golf including the famed Blue Monster.
 The Blue resort overlooks
the Blue Monster Golf Course in Doral. I recently stayed at this luxurious
addition to the Doral golfing scene with my family and was thrilled with the
amenities, service, and ambience of the resort. Built in 2008, The Blue is
an all-suite property, located on 15-acres near the Doral Resort and Country
Club. It is surrounded by palm-speckled greens, oaks, and lakes and is the
newest property to be built in the Doral area in many years. The resort has
a lavish swimming pool with fountains overlooking the Blue Monster Golf
Course with comfy chaise lounges, some with sheltered area protecting guests
from the sun.
The
resort’s 240 suites include one-bedroom golf view suites,
one-bedroom/two-bathroom deluxe golf view suites and three-bedroom golf view
villas, each with abundant space and all of the comforts of home, but in a
refined resort setting. Each of the suites offer spectacular views of
stunning fairways and are tastefully furnished.
The wood
varieties used throughout the interiors are dark oak veneer with accents in
zebrawood. The color palette of the accommodations includes warm tones of
taupe, cappuccino and hues of blue. Italian kitchens with granite
countertops and built in closets complete the interior amenities of each
suite. The veranda furniture is made from teak and stainless steel.
Resort
suites range in size from 705 to 2,000 square-feet. Each boast
fully-equipped kitchens, oversized private verandas and marble-tiled
bathrooms with rain shower and stand-alone Jacuzzi bathtub accompanied with
a flat screen television. The room amenities include plush terry robes, flat
panel high-definition LCD televisions, in-room coffee/tea makers, wireless
internet access, sound systems with DVD players and iPOD docking stations.
There were even televisions in the bathrooms.
If you want to get some
professional golf instruction, the Jim McLean
Golf School
presents guests of The Blue with preferred packages and rates of
professional golf instruction.
The
marble lobby at The Blue has a reception area and a staff person to handle
bags and escort guests in a golf cart to the units which are located in two
and three story adjacent buildings to the check in area. The property is
also being sold as a condo-hotel with owners allowing the units to be rented
when they are not in residence.
 5300 Chop House is The
Blue’s on-site restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Farmed fresh
meats and organically grown produce are specialties of the house. Timothy
Hughes, executive chef at 5300 Chop House serves up fabulous steaks and
seafood.
 The cuisine is top notch
and so is the presentation and service. Hughes formerly was a chef in
South Beach and one of his signature dishes,
Braised Short Ribs with a Pineapple Mint Salsa with Marinated Onions were
devoured with pleasure by my son, Scott, along with sides of sautéed
Broccoli with garlic and crushed red pepper and herb-butter mushrooms in
truffle oil.
Other
outstanding menu items we enjoyed were the Grilled Atlantic Salmon and the
tender NY Strip steak off the chopping block.
Try the molten Lava Cake or the Flan
de Queso with strawberries for dessert.
 The Spa Azul at The Blue is
not to be missed. My wife enjoyed
the Chrono-Reverser Collagen facial, an anti-aging treatment provided to the
skin through an active treatment that uses a combination of alpha-hydroxy
acid, vitamin C and pure collagen. Her skin positively glowed when she
walked out of the spa.
The big
attraction in the area is golf on the Doral’s Blue Monster Course, but eight
courses of championship golf are also nearby. The Blue’s front desk clerk
helps to arrange tee times for golf. Golf courses located in the city of
Doral
are: The Gold Course, Greg Norman’s Great White, The Red Course, The Silver
Course and Costa Greens Golf Club.
For
more information:
Greater Miami Convention & Visitors
Bureau,
701 Brickell Avenue, Suite 2700,
Miami, Florida 33131,
305-539-3084; Fax:
305-539-2911
The
Blue, 5300 SW 87th Avenue, Miami, 305-597-8600
www.theblue,com
Photos
by Phyllis and Arvin Steinberg
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