Iconic Miami: The Biltmore Hotel

Time Out Market Miami will host an exclusive 8 course tasting menu at the iconic Lur accompanied by a complimentary wine pairing. At Lur—which is the Basque word for earth—Michelin-vet, Aitor Garate Berasaluze, will create a jaw-dropping tapas experience that will allow diners to taste their way around Spain’s Basque country, sampling the region’s hallmark dishes. This event, hosted by Time Out Market Miami, is exclusive to Mastercard cardholders and will take place twice monthly through mid-2023! Chef Aitor will present a unique tasting menu each week composed of seasonal dishes. With only six seats available each night, this will truly be an exclusive event that Mastercard cardholders will not want to miss!  

When it opened in 1926, the Biltmore’s $10 million price tag made it one of the most expensive hotel properties anywhere. It was also Florida’s tallest building. Thousands flocked from up and down the east coast to arrive at the opening. Just months after opening, however, a massive hurricane marked the end of Florida’s great land boom. The Army took the place over during World War II and turned it into a hospital, which later became home to the VA and the University of Miami medical school. Abandoned in 1968, it became a playground for neighborhood kids to explore, leaving with ghost stories that are still told today (mostly about seeing gangster Thomas "Fatty" Walsh, who was shot and killed during a party on the 13th floor). Coral Gables spent $55 million restoring the grand 150-acre property, and it reopened in 1987. It has since chalked up tons of accolades, like ending up on Travel + Leisure's list of best Florida golf resorts and Conde Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards.

The Biltmore's spa is as luxurious as you'd expect from a historic hotel perched over all of Miami. It has all of the standard services—fitness center, massages, facials, nails—and also hangover-beating IV treatment for couples. Go on Tuesdays and the $139 Signature Guava Massage or Custom Cleansing Facial comes with a glass of bubbly and complimentary eye treatment.

The Biltmore's afternoon tea is quite likely one of Miami's most European-style indulgences. Set up in the hotel's grand lobby, the menu includes a range of savory items like malt bread veal with tuna crema, and sweets like mini fruit tarts and blackberry mascarpone profiterole. A harpist sets the tone and tablescapes are full of flowers collected from the nearby garden.

Celebrated golf course architect Donald Ross designed the Biltmore's 18-hole course in 1925, and it reopened in 2019 after receiving a full refresh to bring it up to modern standards. It once served as home to The Miami-Biltmore Open—among the richest purses in pro golf—and it still serves as the site for the Junior Orange Bowl International Golf Championship. Playing a course with views of the Biltmore isn’t the only benefit—golfers say it’s a challenging course with tricky water hazards and more than 80 bunkers.

The Time Out Market Miami mixologists will be creating cocktails to celebrate some of Magic City’s most prestigious landmarks as part of our homage to iconic Miami. First up: The Biltmore Martini, a distinctive take that marries two classics—martinis and the quintessentially glamorous Biltmore Hotel. Mastercard cardholders—exclusively—can enjoy this drink at the Time Out Market Miami! Read more about this select offer, here.