Poolside Pampering for Your Palate
For those who want the best of everything, two destinations come to mind: Las Vegas and South Florida, where decadence is served in spades. Although the best hotels serve food and drink poolside nationwide, the best hotels in Vegas and South Florida do so with a unique five-star flair, serving incredible food prepared by celebrity chefs within the most spectacular settings. TravelsinTaste.com has searched for — and found — the best poolside dining both cities have to offer, where you can sit in cabanas, enjoy massages and sample meals cooked by celebrity chefs that are delivered with a perfectly chilled glass of champagne without you having to lift even a finger. Here’s where to reserve your cabana and your next first-class meal.
Vegas:
Azure
Newly opened Azure at the Palazzo offers the ultimate in luxury pools. Reminiscent of the French Riviera, yet situated on the Vegas Strip, Azure offers an abundance of luxury accoutrements, including complimentary fresh fruit, beverages, ice towels, Evian mistings and fine cuisine samplings. Entertainment includes music, models and fashion shows — all poolside. For a fee, one can indulge in champagne and a massage. In your lounge, daybed or cabana you can treat yourself to some of Wolfgang Puck’s tantalizing creations, such as smoked salmon pizza with black caviar, Maine lobster salad, or tuna and salmon “crudo,” all served with specialty cocktails, wine, bottles of premium liquors like Absolut and Jack Daniels, or magnums of premium champagne. For those watching their waistline, Canyon Ranch’s delectable yet healthy offerings are available.
Palms Place
With dramatic views of Red Rock Canyon in the background and the pool at your feet, you can savor “Rock ‘n’ Roll Chef” Kerry Simon’s inspired creations at Palms Place. Since beginning his career at the CIA in Hyde Park, Chef Simon’s graced some of Manhattan’s most legendary kitchens, including La Cote Basque, Lutece and Jean George Vongerichten’s Mercer Kitchen. At Palms Place you can dine on his savory courses either in your cabana or poolside, either after your spa treatments or before your dip in the pool. For a taste of luxury beach cuisine, try the grilled steak sliders from the winner of The Food Network’s “Iron Chef America” (assisted by Kim Canteenwalla, executive chef of Society Cafe Encore, Chef Simon out-cooked Cat Cora in “Battle Hamburger”!).
Wynn / Encore
Wynn’s impressive resorts include such indulgent cabana amenities as massages, bottle service, morning yoga, lily pad and Euro bed rentals in addition to scrumptious fine cuisine, such as ahi tuna tartar and other delicacies, prepared by culinary luminaries Mark LoRusso (Encore), formerly of Tableau and Aqua, and David Speros (Wynn), formerly of the Ritz Carlton Naples.
South Florida:
Palm Beach’s Omphoy Ocean Resort
Opening Aug. 15, the Omphoy Ocean Resort — South Florida’s only beachfront boutique hotel north of South Beach — will showcase the clean Mediterranean flavors of James Beard Award-winning and Five Diamond Chef Michelle Bernstein, who’s trained under Jean Louis Palladin and Eric Ripert. If you’re longing for a meal on the beach or at the pool, your own personal waiter will attend to your desires breakfast, lunch or dinner. Chef Bernstein’s signature cuisine focusing on Mediterranean flavors will be delivered from MB Terrace to your lips while you take in breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean. If you’re lucky, those flavors might even include sweet onions, as Chef Bernstein won “Battle Sweet Onion” against Bobby Flay on Food Network’s “Iron Chef America.”
Ritz Carlton South Beach
Since joining DiLido Beach Club, Season Five Top Chef Contender Jeff McInnis has been traveling, studying the food, techniques and cultures of North Africa and Europe. The Johnson and Wales University graduate creates cuisine that’s influenced by these regions and served right on the beach. Alternately, a cabana or daybed by the pool includes complimentary champagne, water and fruit, as well as the option to order from DiLido’s menu, which includes such delicious dishes as seared haloumi cheese and whole grilled lobster.