Art Basal is an annual, ultra high-end gala on Miami Beach. Everything from outrageous yachts to exotic cars and unbelieveable jewels are on display. The Cartier Dome is always a favorite event filled with one of a kind, luxurious jewelry. Guys, if you're anxious to propose to your sweetheart or need a serious make up gift then check out Cartier. The gorgeous rings shown above both have price tags well over a million bucks but remember, diamonds are a girls best friend and that is priceless!
Bella Rose is all the rage right now on Miami Beach. The new Smokey SoBe haunt is bringing retro chic back. Alfred Spellman (co-producer of Cocaine Cowboys) and Keith Paciello (younger brother of Chris Paciello) are the masterminds who just brought the "little lounge with big club spirit" back.Big clubs with tiny tables, pushy lines and power-trippy door guys are so not hot right now. In an effort to get away from all that nonsense, these guys gave us a revolutionary new dig in Bella.
Before the public media attention and noteriety, Bella Rose began gaining momentum by word of mouth in various party circles. Yes, they make flyers for every party but it isn't for promotional purposes like the other clubs. Their flyers are for aestetic purposes and fun period! There is a level of comraderie in there that you just can't find anywhere else on the Beach. Bella Rose is basically a modern day "Cheers" where everyone knows your name except bigger and better.
Fierce tunes play five nights a week. DJs Mark Leventhal, Tony G and Joe Dert spin everything from punk, Britney, Billy Idol, Jet to Jacko and the Kings of Leon. DJ Tom Laroc, practices the innovating art of video-mixing every Thursday and Friday. Rapper N'credible just did a private solo performance and MTV reality star Kristen Cavallari was in Bella sipping cocktails a few weekends ago.
A disco ball hangs from the ceiling, a steam machine fogs out the room and neon light creations flash on the walls. Some people have said that the decor is downright heinous but we like the early 90's grunge feel and layed back entertainment of it all. Pieces of chalk are left out to graffiti the black bathroom walls with and we will be the first to say that there is something incredibly invigorating about autographing your name on public property.
The joint's signature throw-back is its "Black Sunday" night party hosted by whiz kid, Alexis Mincolla. He is a refreshing face on the party scene because he goes against the typical, money grubbing, girl pimping, promoters on Miami Beach. Mincolla is a good host with a loyal following, and he helps create a haute mood of swanky degenerates and playful debauchery for the sake of a grand party. If you have money you know you can buy a lot of things but a montage of memories and good times isn't one. That's why Bella Rose puts a premium on being a place for people who know that cool can't be bought - at any price.
Set Night Club
Address:320 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach FL
Upon opening Set nightclub was basically a vibrant scene on Miami Beach, regardless of the fact that it was just another generic project put forth by the Opium Group (a group of investors) . Now it’s dying and we hope, soon to be replaced.
When Set first opened its doors, we thought the space setup was clever, the ambiance trendy and the concept pretty innovative for the lackluster minds at Opium Group. As time quickly passed, the bottle girls got uppity and fat; the door guys got pretentious and mean; the bar had no room to move, let alone order drinks at; and no one could move near the bathrooms. The elite found much trendier new hautes and everyone just kind of felt that the club had run out its welcome just as the previous other Opium Group clubs had. Now we will say, that from the get-go no one really had high hopes for a sister club whose sisters are ugly, trashy and unexciting but, it should have been a no-brainer this time around. After all, Opium group has had more chances then anyone else in the biz, not to mention, a monopoly on prime real estate.
Apparently, the opium group chose not to take their vast amounts of hard learned knowledge in Set because it isn't more then a year into the club’s life and the crowds are no longer crowded outside. The Lincoln road sidewalk where the club is located, was empty this past Saturday night. It is pretty unbelievable, considering Lincoln Road is one of the most famous streets in the country.
The lesson to be learned here is that just because you have lots of money or wealthy financial backers, does not make you an authority in the nightclub business. Trying to turn a profit will not create the high- quality vibe necessary to bring the club-goers in and maintain them. Thus, you may have the hottest new night club at the moment but it will not retain longevity, inevitably causing a trainwreck. It just goes to show that people aren’t looking for a big generic, run-of–the-mill club anymore. For god sakes its 2008, step outside the box and give us something new that we can’t get anywhere else. Right now on Miami Beach, the exclusive hush-hush clubs are the most beloved . If you can’t be a place that keeps us wanting more, coming back weekend after weekend, and you don't want to pay attention to what we want then just go away already. Opium Group, please put Set out of its misery and give up the precious club space. How many more times do you need to go big and fail before you get the hint and realize that party people want something fresh, and dangerously risqué. Its called “sellout†for a reason and you guys sold out a long time ago (Prive Miami, Opium Lounge, Mansion, Prive Vegas).
After all our years partying around your clubs, we are yet to hear anything good about any one of them or hear anyone say they are dying to go back. So listen when we say, “take your big money, corporation mentality and shove it, we are sticking it to the Man.†Oh and one more thing, Opium Group, try not to botch up the new club space you just took over in the Gansevoort South Hotel because they are having enough problems on their own.
Last night we fell in love with Heathrow -the new kid on the Miami Beach block, so to speak. Heathrow night club is located on Washington Avenue & 6th Street and is our favorite new addition to the Miami party scene. Our love wasn't the kind that you grow into slowly, oh no, it was love at first site because we walked right into a great vibe. We like to call it the "first 5 minute test", you either are up and ready to party or down and ready to peace out.
After 5 minutes we wanted to stay for the music. Everything from Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl†to a remixed version of the Beatles, “I want to hold your Hand†played. Heathrow, stick to playing UK artists as opposed to mixing in Miami Beach standbys like Flo-RIda and David Guetta. It is so refreshing to have a London underground sound come through Miami Beach. We thought we would have to go back to Marbella, Ibiza or St. Tropez again this summer to feed our musical cravings. A fresh, hip flow of music will set you apart from the other soulless clubs on South Beach.
The crowd was pretty decent too, which is saying a lot for a Miami Beach summer. By summer time, the club crowds transform into a totally trashy, uncool scene because all the wealthy, halfway sane people ditch the heat and humidity. Most people run away to the Hamptons, LA, or another continent. The good news is that Heathrow still managed to be cool, as a matter of fact, all the summer faces we love were at Heathrow last night. We reveled in the party, everyone was young, rich and fabulous. The girls were ultra classy beauties and the boys, tall, dark, and handsome.
The club was so big that we didn’t even make it upstairs. That should be great news for you big kids suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder, instead of club hopping all night, you can just walk into another room at Heathrow if you get anxious. We promise it will make for a much more enjoyable night because you can chill out in one place and run around rooms like a maniac, rather than clubs. Guess what else? The club wasn’t packed out in a pushy, feel-like-the crowd-is-giving-birth to you as squeeze through, kind of way. The chandeliers and gigantic flat screens were stunning and more than made up for the grotesque bathroom situation.
We are rooting for Heathrow to make it big without selling out to D list promoters, you know who you are; super young high school kids, who think they are way too cool with fake i.d's; and run of the mill Miami Beach DJs, playing the same monotonous crap. Even though you have an awful marketing team right now, if the music stays consistent you might just establish a loyal following of posh party people. You have potential, so just commit to your UK sound and rock the beach! We will be heading back to Heathrow next weekend to check it out.