For those of us who grew up in Miami with parents who were “thrifty,” maybe you remember sneaking into the once-famous Fountainebleau for a dip in their pool. The name alone was enough to excite any hollywood nerd.
This legendary hotel got a makeover recently, to the cost of $1 billion. Maintaining the original vision of architect Morris Lapidus, the expansion upped the luxury factor and revamped the space where Frank Sinatra and Elvis once belted out tunes, now known as LIV.
Upon entering, thoughts that might run through your head are, “is this a huge mall?” or “am I in Vegas?” The Fountainebleau is a compound unto itself, one ready to impress.
LIV, the hotel's resident nightclub, is huge, with 18,000 square feet of party space, a high ceiling and an amazing lighting set up. Though there are three bars, the VIP rooms are the way to go for the men, because the room is bound to be swarming with hot ladies.
The music on a regular night is a hodgepodge of dance favorites, but special nights bring in newer DJ faves. The Wednesday night party -- Dirty Hairy -- is thrown by the people who do Poplife, and this week the popular MSTRKRFT, whose founder was formerly of Death From Above 1979, is spinning. Other DJs who’ll be featured on upcoming Wednesday nights are ATRAK, brother of Chromeo’s David Macklovitch, and Steve Aoki, the child of Benihana mogul Rocky Aoki.
If you’re around only for the weekend, you can get into a dance-induced trance with Erick Morillo: Each Sunday the hotel hosts a pool party, Just Add Water. Bathing suits and dancing are on the agenda.
For more of Liz Tracy's Miami missives, visit her blog, Miami, bro.
