Fisher Island, Florida, United States

5bigjohnv 5:00 PM Nov 7, 2017

Getting to Fisher Island is not just by ferry.
There is a private heliport there, I've used it several times when my family and I visited the hotel. Granted it is expensive for the average person but well worth using to get there without having the hassle going through security at the ferry terminal. We were met by hotel staff at the heliport and shuffled off to our hotel room and a much needed vacation.

4lakecomodude 5:00 PM Sep 4, 2006

An oasis just off Miami Beach
It's hard to imagine a more spectacular setting than Fisher Island. The perfectly manicured lawns, exotic birds walking about, white sand beach and stunning harbor. Every one drives a golf cart on the island so you almost never see a car. It is a total feeling of tranquility and security. The main house is the former Vanderbilt mansion and it is simply lovely. We stayed in a small villa n. 303. The furnishings were beautiful, with lovely and original art, a nice kitchen, laundry facilities, two bathrooms and two bedrooms. Ours had a private jacuzzi in a walled garden. The tennis center is the best I have experienced any where. The golf course is very nice but only 9 holes (the island is small). The transportation via boat to and from the island is very convenient and nice. THe guests have a beautiful wood pannelled, air conditioned room in the boat. The staff was uniformly friendly and excellent. The only negative in our place were the bathrooms. For such a luxurious resort, it is surprising that the bathrooms were so terribly dated and small. It was like staying in a four seasons room with a Motel Six bathroom (I'm not exaggerating). The island restaurants are average to bad and extremely expensive. We decided after our first meal to hit a new miami restaurant each night and we had some truly marvellous meals. I highly recommend Quinn's, Prime 112, Smith and Wollensky (incredible view), Tuscan Steak House, Rancho Grande (best margarita ever!) and a Fish Called Avalon. We hated the highly rated Barton G--a gimmicky restaurant with bad food and sky high prices. We did,however, love our breakfasts on the beach each morning. Our waiter gave us salmon to drop in the nearby harbor to watch the sand sharks emerge from the bottom to share our breakfast. We will return to Fisher Island for the beauty of the island, its proximity to the nice parts of Miami and great recreation facilities (spa, workout, tennis and golf). A little marble; new showers, tubs and basins; a bit of crystal glass in the bathrooms and this is an incredible place.