Doral Golf Resort & Spa

Overview

In 1987, when the Doral Saturnia International Spa opened, it was part of a small group of properties in South Florida all called the Doral. The owners, looking to create a destination spa, traveled around the world and picked out the best features of each spa they experienced. In the end, they designed a Euro-American facility with just 48 suites and 148,000 square feet of spa. At the time, the Saturnia cost about $1 million a room to create, which is still so exorbitant (in today's dollars) that it could probably not be recreated in tthe current economic environment. Eventually, the Saturnia and its sister property, the golf resort, were acquired by KSL Recreation Corp., and were combined into the Doral Golf Resort & Spa. KSL, a private company, owned by the founders of famed Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., has since bought a number of other spas around the country and has put together a small spa-resort operating company. On the golf side, the resort is home to the famed Doral-Ryder Open, but on the self-contained spa site, it is still one of the premier destination spas in they country.

Vacationers who visit Doral Golf Resort and Spa in Miami for its championship golf and award-winning spa add a new component to their stay with the opening of The Blue Lagoon, an exciting water recreation area. The resort debuts this family-friendly playground with a selection of value-added packages for fall. This aquatic attraction features a marina with watercraft and four pools, including an 85,000-gallon, zero-entry pool with cascading waterfalls, a 125,000-gallon serpentine pool with a rock facade, a plunge pool and a tad pool for children ages three to five. For the adventuresome, there is the challenge of the 125-foot Blue Monster waterslide.

Twenty-two poolside cabanas furnished with a wide range of amenities, a Jacuzzi with waterfall, Bungalou’s Bar & Grill serving unique Caribbean and South Florida cuisine, along with boardwalk and bandstand areas create an ideal atmosphere for both the family and individual guest. The entire facility is fueled by the Great White Falls, a 36-foot waterfall that pumps over one million gallons of water per day into the Blue Lagoon.

The Blue Lagoon adds a new dimension to Doral. Not only do we address the needs of the golfer and the spa enthusiast but now we can accommodate the family market as well,” said Joel Paige, president of Doral Golf Resort and Spa. "By complementing our five championship golf courses and our award-winning spa with The Blue Lagoon, we will better serve our existing clientele and position ourselves as a family-friendly destination.

The Blue Lagoon also houses Camp Doral, interactive, age-appropriate year-round programming for children ages five to 12, featuring a wide range of athletic and cultural activities.

Services

There is really not much the Doral doesn't offer. Nine types of massage, 10 different body treatments from fango to wraps to body scrubs, facial skin care, aromatherapy, hydro-treatments, anti-cellulite treatments, fitness programs, water sports programs and even such things as lifestyle consultations, stress reduction sessions, astrology and tarot cards, tap and choreographed dancing, nutrition classes, and hypnotherapy.

Organization

The Doral Golf Resort and Spa are almost two separate facilities on 650 acres of tropically landscaped grounds. The Spa has its own entrance, its own "healthy food" restaurants and its own set of rooms. As both the bellman and car hop told me as I checked in, the rooms are better at the Spa. I certainly had no complaint staying at the Spa side since my room was bigger than most New York City apartments. What's important to note about the Doral Spa was it was built to be a spa, not an addition to an existing hotel or resort. So, the hotel rooms, pools, even check-in are all part of one complex. The Spa itself is a lush three story building with extra rooms on the basement but also an immense cupola over an ornate, circular stairwell. A restaurant is at the base of the stairwell directly underneath the skylight cupola. The pools, breakfast rooms, fitness room, information desk, boutique are all on the ground floor. Treatment rooms can be found on all levels of the spa. For runners, a circular track sits on the top floor, and the main facilities -- men's and women's locker rooms, saunas, steam, whirlpools, dressing rooms are all on the second floor.

Massage

My masseuse was one of the most cheerful and chatty young ladies I ever encountered in this business. She was also very experienced and very connected to the stresses and strains of her clients. The Doral masseuse did a number of things that I've come to appreciate. Before she began, she asked if there were any sore muscles that would need particular attention and she also asked if I wanted a partial facial which would be much focused on the sinus areas -- a Godsend in humid Florida where my sinus cavities usually end up feeling like helium balloons. And, thirdly, being an experienced masseuse she recognized from my muscle formation that I was a regular biker and took it upon herself to work these muscles, in particular she took the time to work the lower back which tends to stress from leaning forward over handlebars. A well done job, without any extraneous and annoying fru-fru.

Oddities

The Spa is built around a central atrium, defined by a circular stairwell and capped by a part skylight, part frescoed cupola. The round definition of the atrium allowed the Doral to build a running track around the perimeter of the atrium on it's third floor. While, the flooring is regulation track material, the circumfrance of the run is not very big. Something like 22 laps make a mile, but the odds are you will get bored or dizzy way before that. On a more appealing note, the spa's restaurant, The Atrium at the Spa, offers a "clean cuisine" dining concept, a term applied to Chef Christopher St. John's innovative menu incorporating low-fat foods and full-bodied flavor.

Pickup

Potential Although corporate types and those with leisure time and money visit this spa, most would rather play golf.

Pickup Scale

Nudity

As with most American spas, there are separate facilities for females and males. However, once in the respective locker rooms, saunas, steamrooms, etc. are taken in the nude. There is also a roof-top area for nude sun-bathing -- one for men and one for women.

Nudity Scale

Celebrity

Almost too numerous to mention. Not only sports figures such as golfers, but models, talk show hosts, actors and actresses and even European royalty. A sampling of the guest list would include Greg Norman, Cindy Crawford, Gene Hackman, Michael Bolton, Dr. Ruth, John Travolta, Beverly D'Angelo, Joan Lunden and Princess Caroline of Monaco.

Celebrity Scale

External Affairs

Affairs as the manager of the Doral noted, guests usually come to the Doral with a list of things they may want to do while in the area, but with golf, tennis, swimming, bicycle rentals, competitive sports, game rooms, movie rentals at the resort, they tend to stay on property more than expected. For those however, who have the tourism bug, two main suggestions: Everglades National Park to the interior and South Beach on the coast. The Everglades, a vast sea of grass, is one of the most unique national parks in the country as it celebrates not mountains and vistas but what is essentially a vast marsh or swamplike ecosystem. Truly worth the visit. South Beach, in Miami proper, is an ecosystem of a different sort. This one based on scantily clad beautiful people, exquisite art deco architecture, fine restaurants and bars, and a samba-attitude that makes this old Miami neighborhood world famous and world class.

Spa Reviewer Extrodanier

Shecky McGoober