The first evening we went to Lido, the Italian restaurant of the Four Seasons. The bar in front was packed. You also notice that the Four Seasons is a popular meeting place, quite a few guests come from outside.

The Lido is located in a large hall, it is already a bit fancier, but less formal than the Surf Club restaurant.


Bread and mocktail.


The food was of good quality as expected, especially the risotto was very good.





Of course, when the bill comes at the end, you need some humor. With "real" main courses it is then a bit more expensive. But what do you expect when you stay at the most expensive hotel in the Miami area? Of course, you pay a "small" surcharge.

Breakfast is served in the morning on the Lido terrace. The view of the sea is somewhat limited, as awnings block it. I liked the decoration with bananas.


The food itself was generally quite OK. Nevertheless, the baked goods, for example, were not particularly good, my bakery at home around the corner offers better quality. I also found it unconvincing to serve pancakes and waffles practically bare, the fruit cost extra. The frensh toast, on the other hand, was good.









The bill is of course no pleasure, so it's good when breakfast is included.

Stange how the Mocktail ended up as "liquor" and not NA beverage.

And in excess of $28++ for a naked waffle is beyond the pale, Four Seasons or not. $3 for fruit (but neither cream nor ice cream I guess) is a bargain in comparison.

You are right, the waffle as well as the pancake were crazy priced. "Of course" no cream or ice cream. Also the "liquor" is a strange thing.

Of course, some sightseeing was still on the agenda. We started with Vizcaya.



First we went to the villa. It is a typical house of a rich American from the beginning of the 20th century. It reminds one very much of the mansions in the Newport area.





































All beautiful to look at. They tried to copy a French castle and partly bought original furnishings from France. Here one was not always squeamish, so sometimes a historical picture was cut into 2 parts. Of course, it is not a comparison with the originals.

Behind the house there is the reception area where you used to arrive by boat.




Next to it there is the actual garden. All beautiful, definitely worth a visit.

One of the most famous art museums in Miami is the Loewe Art Museum on the University of Miami campus. The exhibition is nice, but compared to the big museums on the East Coast or even top European museums, it is quite manageable. Nevertheless, without question worth seeing.

After 16 nights it was time for the first star dinner. It went to the Surf Club Restaurant in the hotel.
Even the booking is unusual, you have to deposit $100. So once again you play bank for a restaurant, but you like to finance. In view of the equally safe alternative of credit card security, I always get the impression that you are short of cash.
In the evening, we went towards the restaurant and had to fight our way through several groups of people taking pictures in their outfits in front of the entrance. I love that kind of thing, I had decided to wear a polo shirt.
You could choose different seating areas, we sat in the club room. It is a very dark room with paintings on the walls. Not really my cup of tea, but historic.



One adorns oneself with the name Thomas Keller. I am not a particular fan of these franchise concepts, in many cases it has nothing to do with the original.
There were effectively served butter and vegetable strips as amuse bouche. Well, would that work in Paris?


As an appetizer we chose once oysters Rockefeller.

Quite good, but it was not famous. 1 Michelin star? Not quite comprehensible for me.
Crab Cake

The crab cake was also quite good, but again, nothing I'm totally enamored with.
At this point I must say that I did not like the whole atmosphere in the restaurant. The waiters stiff, but without polished finish. I just did not feel comfortable.
Let's move on to the main courses.
Maine Lobster Thermidor

Although it looks rather not in the photo, the dish was good. I think it�s the least you can expect if you pay $ 90 for the mini lobster with lots of sauce.
Other main course: Grilled Ora King Salmon with Artichoke and Saffron-Tomato Emulsion.

Also a solid dish and quite tasty. But again, not a real flavor explosion.
After that we were already at the dessert It was once a Key Lime Tart.

It was just a decent Key Lime Tart, an exciting dessert it was not. But you don't really expect that.
I took the special of the day with 3 different parfaits.

"How cute" one would like to say. It was again quite good, but the patisserie prize is rather not won with it.
With the bill you can almost be happy, a good $ 300 without tip went almost still for Miami conditions. At least we were not charged for water.
Honestly, I did not like the restaurant, somehow an unpleasant atmosphere and the food was for me not at Michelin star level. For example, what is the crap with the vegetable plate? I have nothing against raw vegetables, but that's inappropriate and embarrassing. It doesn't help if the waiter presses the butter through a metal construction at the table. In Paris or Milan, the place would have gone bankrupt within a short time in my opinion.

I forgot to post the picture of the bill.

From the beginning I was drawn to Palm Beach, I wanted to see Whitehall, the Flaggler Museum. After a good hour drive we were in front of the house.



From the inside, it's another typical American billionaire's home. However, one must acknowledge that it is one of the most beautiful. The rooms are beautiful and despite being used as a hotel in the meantime, the interior has been restored to its former glory.

An exhibition dealt with the beginnings of the railroad and the historical context.





In the garden pavilion they had set up a cafe.


Also on display was Flaggler's personal railroad car in which he traveled. Truly not bad for the time.

The living room.


Flaggler�s bedroom and bathroom.

Shower

Bathroom for his guests.

Living- and bedroom for his guests.
Kitchen


Views of the garden.


Tree outside the estate.

Our guidebook had spoken highly of Bonnet House in Fort Lauderdale. It is said to be an example of old Florida. So I built in a stop on the way back.
The admission price was $25 per person, on par with the Flagler Museum ($26). Already not a cheap pleasure.
The main house is a larger complex with a lushly planted courtyard.


The individual rooms are quite different and nice to look at. All this is not a sensation.










The garden is beautiful, no question about it.







​​​​​​​If I'm honest, I wouldn't visit Bonnet House again. Sure, if you live in Lauderdale and have time, it's certainly not wrong. But I wouldn't go there especially.

You have "taken one for the team" a few times on this trip! I appreciate your reviews, especially the ones which convince me to go elsewhere.

Sometimes I have the feeling I'm over critical.

For the prices you are paying, expectations should be high.