Coral Gables.
Mediterranean Revival architecture, the Biltmore, Miracle Mile. The Gables is where Miami slows down without losing its edge.
George Merrick imagined a city built in the Mediterranean style: limestone arches, terracotta roofs, fountains in roundabouts. A century later, his sketch still holds.
The Gables is the rare South Florida neighborhood where you can walk for an hour and forget you're in Miami. The streets curve. The trees are old. The Biltmore Hotel still hosts weddings in its 1926 ballroom, and the Venetian Pool (a quarry turned swimming hole) has been open since the year Hemingway moved to Paris.
What's changed is the restaurants. The Gables now eats better than the Grove. The Miracle Mile has been quietly reinvented over the past five years. Bachour for pastries. Maty's for Peruvian. Threefold for the Sunday brunch line that wraps the block.
And the Shops at Merrick Park, which used to feel suburban, has become the easiest afternoon in the city: Tiffany, Nordstrom, a good bookstore, three places to sit and have a drink under the banyan trees.
It's the neighborhood we send people to when they want Miami without the noise.
The Avenue. Modern luxury in the heart of Coral Gables
Modern luxury in the heart of Coral Gables. Walking distance to Shops at Merrick Park and three of the city's best restaurants.
Where the locals go.
An honest list: short, opinionated, kept current by people who actually live and eat here. No paid placements.
Eat
- 01Maty'sPeruvian. Book Wednesday for the most personal service.
- 02ThreefoldAustralian-style breakfast. Get there before 10am Saturday.
- 03BachourPastry case is the city's best. Take the pistachio croissant.
- 04Caffe AbbracciOld-school Italian. Order the carpaccio and tell them Andy sent you.
- 05Doce ProvisionsWine bar with a Spanish kitchen, perfect for a quiet night.
Do
- 01Venetian PoolOpen since 1924. Bring sunscreen and a book.
- 02Books & BooksThe kind of bookstore you forget to leave.
- 03Fairchild BotanicalA 15-min drive south. Their butterfly garden is worth the trip.
- 04Miracle MileStroll at dusk. The lighting is better than midday.
- 05The Biltmore TourFree Sunday tours at 1:30, 2:30, 3:30. Show up early.
See
- 01The Coral Gables MuseumQuiet, small, surprisingly good.
- 02The Lowe Art MuseumOn the UM campus. Free Wednesdays.
- 03George Merrick HouseThe founder's 1906 home, open Sundays.
- 04The Granada EntranceOne of the original village gateways. Drive through slowly.
- 05Coral Way at duskBanyan-tree tunnel from Le Jeune to 22nd. Drive it.
Or wander somewhere else.
Coral Gables, in person.
We can hold a stay for 24 hours while you sleep on it. Just call.