Why we wish you were here
Mark Gauert
Pier Sixty-Six bedroom with balcony views of Fort Lauderdale.
Because this is not your father’s — or your grandparents’ or possibly great-grandparents’ — Pier Sixty-Six.
Yes, the resort that started in 1957 as a hotel, marina and fuel dock by the Phillips 66 Petroleum Co. (hence the Pier “66”) still spreads across 32-acres along the 17th Street Causeway and the Intracoastal Waterway. Yes, the Pier Top lounge still revolves a complete turn every 66 minutes 17 floors atop the landmark tower, the way it did when it opened 60 years ago. The Windows on 66 lobby bar is still a great place to ride a barstool and watch the space Burt Reynolds and Liza Minnelli and Shirley MacLaine and a registry of stars walked to get to their rooms here long ago.
It’s all a new and gleaming space again, fresh from a respectful, billion-dollar renovation, just in time for the 66th annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, Oct. 29-Nov. 2. The rooms, the restaurants, the pools, the Spa, the staff, the celebrities. All ready to make memories they’ll still be talking about 60 years from now.
What’s cooking
Calusso and Sotogrande
Mark Gauert
Oysters Caprese and other pre-dinner “snacks” at Calusso restaurant at the Pier Sixty-Six in Fort Lauderdale.
Some of the best food in Fort Lauderdale is coming out of the kitchens at these two stand-out restaurants on the marina side of Pier Sixty-Six.
Starting with Executive Chef Jonathan Kaiser’s “snacks’’ at French-Italian inspired Calusso — Brandade Deviled Egg, with smoked trout, hen egg and caper; Sofrito Crisp, with saffron, aquafaba and chives; and an Oysters Caprese that former South Florida Sun Sentinel Dining Critic Mike Mayo declared (in the September Food, Dining & Spirit Issue) a “showstopper.” (It is, but I somehow managed to keep eating anyway).
There’s a madly romantic Bistecca For Two, with grilled lemon, maitre d’butter and bordelaise, for all the people looking for something to eat after swirling around the Pier Top cocktail lounge embraced in a love seat. There’s Heritage Chicken, with roasted maitake, charred onion and truffle jus gras, for those who believe Julia Child was right when she said a restaurant should be judged on how well it does chicken. (Exceptionally well here). It’s all good and filling, but pace yourself and stick around for the Honey Semifreddo, with honeycomb and comté cheese, which Mike Mayo also declared a “showstopper.’’ (He’s right again, but I managed to eat the home-made mignardise sweets they brought with the check anyway).
Mark Gauert
Mezze with pita bread and an Ouzo Bliss cocktail at Sotogrande, a Mediterranean-themed restaurant overlooking the marina at Pier Sixty-Six.
Somehow, 24-48 hours later, I got hungry again at Sotogrande, Chef Michael Toker’s Spanish-Mediterranean dining destination a floor below Calusso, with a comparable view of the marina. The standouts here are the mixed Mezze Plate — tzatziki, hummus, babaganoush, olive tapenade — served with a basket of hot puffy pita bread. If Julia Child had included how a restaurant grills fish she would have been a happy cuisinière here, too. If you’re looking for a dish to stop your show here, try the Dubai Tart Chocolate, with pistachio kadaif and crème anglaise. You’ll stop happy, and probably won’t be hungry again for at least another 24-48 hours.
Mark Gauert
Tears of a Mermaid cocktail at revolving Pier Top lounge.
What’s drinking
Cocktails at the Pier Top
If “Destination Dining” is a thing, can “Destination Cocktails’’ be one, too? (Please?)
Standouts worth the (pricey) valet parking at the Pier Sixty-Six include old-school martinis that haven’t changed since the days gin was the only ingredient spirit in a martini (the way it was intended) to shining-edge concoctions that playfully reference the lounge’s history and location, 17 floors up. The High Roller — Elyx Vodka, Dolin Blanc, Vermouth, Dry Curaçao, Velvet Falernum, Maraschino Liqueur, Absinthe Grapefruit Spray — the Tango on Top — Amaro Nonino, Strega, Prosecco, Pineapple Juice, Matcha, Coconut Tea — and the Sixty-Six — Empress Gin, Dry Curacao, Prosecco, Lime Yuzu Soda, Lemon, Grapefruit, Blood Orange — pop to the top of the Pier Top list.
If you’re looking for a cocktail to Instagram on high from one of the most Instagrammable places in South Florida, try the Tears of a Mermaid — Lalo Tequila Blanco, Italicus Maraschino Liqueur, Grapefruit Sherbert and Tiki Bitters. A delicious, understated drink that wouldn’t dare compete with the revolving 360-degree views. Cheers.
Mark Gauert
Pier Top lounge, revolving every 66 minutes 17 floors above the Pier Sixty-Six in For Lauderdale.
Overheard
“Don’t worry, we’ll still have a floor when we come back!’’
Guest at the Pier Top to another guest concerned the landmark lounge’s rotating floor worked like an elevator and they would not be able to return to their cocktails after stepping away for a moment to enjoy the view from the outdoor deck.
Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel
Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel
Windows looking out from the crown of the Pier Top, 17 floors above.
Don’t miss
Top of the Pier
Mark Gauert
The podium at the end of the velvet-rope line to get up to the Pier Top at the Pier Sixty-Six in Fort Lauderdale.
“There’s a wait here,’’ the VIP Guest Recognition Specialist states the obvious, walking past the velvet ropes by the elevators up to Broward’s landmark lounge. “It’s quite a hot property.”
It is. A man in a sharp black suit stands at a podium at the end of the velvet rope line to confirm that you have a reservation and to confirm, oh-so nicely, that you’re dressed up enough to be borne aloft.
“Stylish pants, dresses, skirts or tailored shorts with appropriate footwear’’ for ladies, “long pants and closed-toe shoes, jackets encouraged,’’ for gentlemen are the rules he delivers with velvety charm.
“I love the way you’re coordinated!’’ the man at the podium Project Runways a woman in line, sizing up her outfit. It’s a dress code that encourages compliance by compliments.
Passing muster, we whisk up the elevator in exactly 66 seconds to the 17th floor, where everybody’s smiling like they’re about to go on a Universal Studios ride. The one here moves much slower than any of those — ranging in speed between imperceptible and glacial — as the 1965-era clockwork mechanics of the Pier Top lounge floor revolves a full 360 degrees over 66 minutes.
Couples drop into plush club chairs and love seats with foot rests for some quality time. Time enough for a glass of champagne, caviar and a cocktail (or 66). Time you won’t regret getting dressed up for.
Mark Gauert
Views from The Sanctuary at Zenova Spa & Wellness at the Pier Sixty-Six in Fort Lauderdale.
Don’t miss part II
Zenova Spa & Wellness
Mark Gauert
The door to the Snowroom at Zenova Spa at Pier Sixty-Six.
The 100-minute “Authentic Florida’’ treatment here predates the current authentic Florida experience. No overcrowded roads, no spiraling insurance rates, no insects the size of mailboxes … we could go on with the ways the spa’s “Authentic Florida’’ contrasts with the current reality.
“We pay homage to a time when nature’s lush tropical gifts were used for healing and restoration,” the spa notes, “using aromatic, medicinal ingredients discovered by Florida Natives.”
The fantasy begins with a full-body brushing, followed by a Florida orange sugar polish and warm honey-coconut hydration. Next comes a warming blanket and a vigorous scalp massage. (Nice!) Then comes a citrus-infused shower, to slough off any remaining sugar, followed by a full body massage with hydrating coconut oil. Or something like that. I lost track, technically, after about minute six, but the whole experience will leave you feeling cleansed, relaxed and thinking, Florida … best state or best state ever?!
Stick around and sip herbal teas to help you “Breathe,’’ “Feel Better” and leave you “Bright Eyed” in The Sanctuary. Don’t miss the warm Sensory Shower course, part of the co-ed Via Aquae section of the 13,000-square-foot spa; followed by a stop in the “Snowroom,” where “a gentle snow massage on arms and legs helps to cool down.’’
Or not. Avoiding snow also is authentically Floridian.
Mark Gauert
Balcony views of Fort Lauderdale beach from the Pier Sixty-Six.
Could miss
Consistency
So many of the “experiences’’ at Pier Sixty-Six are perfect. Cocktails in the revolving Pier Top lounge. The freshly baked pita bread at Sotogrande. The Zenova Spa, the before-dinner “snacks’’ at Calusso, the views of downtown Fort Lauderdale and the Intracoastal Waterway that seem to wraparound the world. The beds in the tastefully decorated rooms are comfortable, the snacks in the mini-fridge are the best (Iberico bites from Spain! Perrier-Jouet from France! Torn Ranch Chocolate Chip Cookies from California!) and the sleek Kohler fixtures in the primary bathrooms are so smart you begin to wonder if they may begin to address you.
Mark Gauert
Well-stocked mini-bar in a room at Pier Sixty-Six.
You can get used to perfection at the Pier Sixty-Six. Until someone on staff sends you to the wrong floor for the spa. And you have to chase someone down for the check at Saltbreeze pool-side cafe. And the breakfast pastries in the basket are cold and hard at Garni on the ground floor. And guests are allowed to bring and talk on their cellphones in “The Sanctuary” at the spa. And a failing A/C unit in the bedroom wakes you up at 3:43 a.m. and 4:43 a.m. And the broccolini comes out of the kitchen cold at Calusso, a restaurant with otherwise legitimate aspirations for Michelin recognition.
Profuse apologies and, in most cases, prompt remedies, followed each shortcoming — and a big thank you for helping make the property better next time. Most of the experiences at Pier Sixty-Six are perfect. Some just have a way to go.
Mark Gauert
Sunset marina views from Calusso at the Pier Sixty-Six in Fort Lauderdale.
IF YOU GO
Pier Sixty-Six
2301 SE 17th St., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316, 954-525-6666, 800-722-7220; piersixtysix.com
Featuring 325 guest rooms and suites, fine dining at French-Italian inspired Calusso and Spanish-Mediterranean fare at Sotogrande, breakfast/brunch at Garni, grab-and-go items at Elate Market Cafe, Saltbreeze poolside cafe, Windows on 66 lobby bar, revolving landmark Pier Top lounge, among other culinary and beverage options; superyacht marina, 13,000-sq.-foot Zenova Spa & Wellness, three outdoor pools, waterslides, 40,000-sq.-feet of indoor and outdoor meeting and event space, Pier Explorers Kids’ Club, for ages 4-12. Starting rates from $449.