The Mediterranean Revival Biltmore Hotel has hosted royalty, celebrities and presidents since opening in the Roaring 20s. With its l5 story tower modeled on the Giralda Tower in Seville, Spain, the Biltmore rises majestically above Coral Gables, Fla., welcoming travelers with its red tiled roof, Moorish arches, hand painted ceilings, Italian marble floors and open air courtyard with flowing fountains. For guests wanting to drink up the place's history, the Dade County Heritage Trust offers free tours of the hotel and grounds. On Thursday evenings around a roaring fire in the lobby, guests and visitors swap ghost stories. When not enjoying the history and getting the bejabbers scared out of them, guests can take dips in the hotel's 23,000 square foot outdoor pool flanked by cabanas in a lush courtyard of canary palms, bougainvillea and hibiscus. They can pamper themselves in a day spa, play golf at the challenging 18 hole course next to the hotel or bash tennis balls on 10 lighted courts.
Hungry patrons can enjoy French style cuisine in the Palme d'Or, create their own menus from 20 "tasting dishes" and relax in an atmosphere of ceiling frescoes, mirrored walls and crystal chandeliers. Grilled meats, seafood, Mediterranean inspired appetizers and pastas will satisfy tastebuds at the 1200 Restaurant and Courtyard. For business travelers, the hotel's 76,000 square feet of meeting space includes 40,000 square feet in the adjacent Conference Center of the Americas.

Guestrooms, festooned with Mediterranean Revival décor, provide Italian Frette linens, Egyptian cotton duvet covers, European feather beds, signature robes and slippers. The rooms include high speed Internet access, cordless phones, sitting areas, minibars, video games, bathrooms with marble vanities, and fancy Gilchrist and Soames toiletries.

The hotel on 25 acres was declared a national historic landmark in l996. Guests come for the hotel's historic status and Old World glamour.