Acqualina is delighted to announce the new Acqua Experiences, a collection of highly curated experiences utilizing industry experts in art, cuisine, culture, wellness, and more. The Acqua Experiences will take guests on immersive tours, unique to Miami and customized for guests of Acqualina.
Read on below for highlights on the new Culinary and Art Tours and stay tuned, as more tours are to come.
CULINARY TOUR
Miami is a mash-up of many cultures, and one of the places that shines the brightest is in its culinary scene. The crème de la crème of celebrity chefs flock to the city because of its reputation for adventurous eaters who visit from around the globe in search of haute cuisine. As such, Acqualina takes guests on an eclectic tasting tour of Miami’s dynamic food scene.
Guests can select from three exclusive, culinary excursions through some of Miami’s most interesting neighborhoods, in tours specially crafted by Jennifer Agress, a Miami based journalist and editor who covers dining and luxury travel for publications such as DiningOut Miami, Indulge, Haute Living Miami, Thrillist, Time Out Miami, and more.
The Top Chefs Tour visits four of the city’s highest-rated restaurants, including food and beverage tastings that whirl through the artsy Wynwood district to chef Brad Kilgore’s Alter in Wynwood, and just two blocks away, Asian-inspired KYU by Michael Lewis. The tour then heads to South Beach’s south of Fifth Street (locals call it SoFi) where Justin Smillie has a sister location of his popular Upland in Manhattan. The final stop is just a few miles away at The Forge, an over-50-year-old Miami Beach steakhouse helmed by James Beard Award-winning Executive Chef Christopher Lee. Prior to coming to The Forge, Lee served as Executive Chef of Gilt and Aureole, in NYC, where he earned both restaurants Michelin stars during his tenure.
The Latino influence abounds in pockets all over the city, and it is here where the Miami Street Food Tour gets its spice. Foods that are sold on streets from sidewalk and cart vendors, which are so popular in Latin American cities, find their way indoors at authentic restaurants. The tour samples Cuban sandwiches in Little Havana, Venezuelan arepas in North Miami, and Mexican tacos in South Beach.
At the heart of Miami’s culture is its strong Cuban influence—and nowhere can you see that influence more than in Miami’s thriving Cuban food scene. From a Little Havana “ventanita” and authentic Cuban restaurants, to high-end cuisine from famed Miami couple, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, this Cuban Food Tour will offer a taste of Miami’s Cuban culture like only the locals know it.
ART TOUR
Art and architecture play off one another at Acqualina Resort & Spa on the Beach, where guests enter a world where they are surrounded by fine art. Inside the hotel, Baroque-styled fountains, and Venetian stucco, get their influence from the classics, while neighboring residential properties, the Mansions at Acqualina, and The Estates at Acqualina sales gallery, are contemporary to the core.
Resort guests are invited to tour the Mansions and The Estates sales gallery to see original works. The Mansions at Acqualina, not open to public, houses minimalist sculptures of Nathan Mabry, mixed-media of Nancy Lorenz, unique “hyperphotos” of Jean Francoise Rauzier, abstract metalworks of Roger Phillips, and the imposing bronzes by Guy Dill, were specifically chosen for the residences to contrast the classically inspired great halls and salons of the hotel.
These Acqua Experiences are available for hotel guests and residents. For more information or to book a tour, please contact the concierge at 305.918.6860.