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ABSOLUTELY FLORIDA
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Basking in the
beautiful Florida sun or shimmering in the uncomparable, the silhouettes
of architecture call to mind the West Indies, New Orleans, St. Augustine,
and Charleston. And while each piece in the mosaic of vacation cottages
and carriage houses is architecturally unique and is custom designed
and built to reflect their owner’s tastes, needs, and lifestyles,
each fits into a very specific pattern. Planned by Andres Duany and
Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, of the Miami-based Duany Plater-Zyberk &
Co. (DPZ),who also designed the infamous Seaside just up the road,
Rosemary Beach is a town much different, where planners chose beautiful
muted, subtle earth tones to compliment and blend in with the native
scrub and vegetation, which has been painstakingly preserved. “No two
houses in Rosemary Beach are the same,” said Alex Dunser, project
director and executive vice president. “In fact they’re
all different.” So don’t look to find yourself standing
in the middle of another pastel playground, this town brings all the
elements of fine residential style and architecture together and tightly
wraps them around an impressive town center, which will make even
the most distant of travelers feel at home. With about 60 rentals
available at this time, and more to come in the next couple years,
guests may choose from cozy studio or one-bedroom carriage houses
to luxury cottages, featuring two to six bedrooms.
LAP OF LUXURY Sleeping is a
pleasure at Rosemary Beach where guests enjoy lying in the lap of
luxury on an assortment of twin, full, queen ane king beds, sleeper
sofas and bunks for the children, in most of the cottages, which offer
more than a comfortable nights rest. You’ll be pamper even more
when it comes to the special appointments attended to for bathing.
With fluffy towels, Aveda soaps and lotions and specially-made rosemary
soap, you can wash away that work week stress. A few cottages even
offer Jacuzzi tubs and soaking tubs for a truly relaxing bathing experience
after a long day of tennis, biking, sea kayaking, shopping or just
lounging on the beach. Other luxuries featured in most cottages are
garage; wrap-around porches and balconies with chairs and gas grills;
television; VCR and stereo system; and washer/dryer.
Though a few cottages do offer private pools, you’ll want to experience the glass-like surface of the negative edge Coquina pool, located beach-side and named for the beautiful tile which surrounds it. The pool is one depth and has no edges, meaning that the overflow water falls into small drains flush with the ground around the pool. The Cabana Pool, located park-side, is a family friendly pool area with a Mediterranean design, featuring cabana-style dressing rooms and a separate children’s pool. Both pools are open for residents and guests from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. In all, five pools are planned for the development, with the third under construction as of late 2001. If you prefer your swimming water to be edged with sand, follow one of the many wooden boardwalks which traverse this pedestrian-friendly neighborhood and chances are you’ll end up at the beach, where comfortable Adirondack chairs and beach umbrellas are awaiting. Or meander down the dune walkovers built to provide residents and guests access to and from the beach, while protecting the fragile dune system that keeps the beach rooted and prevents erosion and washout during storms. Walkovers also contain showers and restrooms and two walkovers are wheelchair accessible. Besides swimming,
Rosemary Beach provides a mountain of recreational activity for adults
and children including tennis on the fast-dry clay courts, two of
which are lighted for those nighttime games. The Rosemary
Beach Racquet Club
provides lessons, group clinics and “match” making service
for those in need of a tennis partner. The new Tennis
Pro Shop
features state-of-the-art equipment and the latest in men, women and
children’s tennis wear. The shop employs northwest Florida’s
only qualified Master Racquet Technician, available for re-gripping
and racquet re-stringing needs.
Bike rentals, available
at the Tennis Pro Shop, are another popular option as the layout of
the neighborhood is so well-equipped for bike riders who won’t
have to worry about traffic. Bikes for adults and children are available,
as are baby joggers and baby seats. A great deal of sightseeing can
be accomplished by traversing the Scenic 30-A by bicycle at your own
pace. If it’s something a bit more adventurous you’re in
DINING Should you decide
to venture down the road for dining or shopping, you won’t want
to miss dinner at
Café Thirty-A,
which provides a one-of-a-kind dining experience, as well as martini
bar and quite an extensive (and impressive) wine list. For starters,
try their specialty appetizer of grilled Georgia quail with creamy
grits and sage fritters. These aren’t your mama’s grits,
so prepare your taste buds for a whole new sensation. Next, enjoy
a unique salad, or go straight to your choice of main courses, including
a pan-seared sesame crusted rare yellowfin tuna or the delicious (you
have my word) cracked pepper crusted filet mignons, with truffle whipped
potatoes, mushroom and caramelized onion strudel and asparagus. Don’t
eat too much, though, you’ll want to save room for the delicious
desserts include a vanilla creme brulee with fresh fruit compote,
which is out of this world, or the banana beignets with caramel sauce
and macadamia nut brittle Haagen Dazs. Yum.
Or if you’re
looking for something a little more casual, but ev
AROUND TOWN
Once you’ve
set yourself up with a delicious meal, burn off some of those calories
by browsing at any of the local shops such as those at Seaside or Grayton
Beach. Offering a wide array of specialty s
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the
same old song every spring and summer. Load the car with suitcases,
bathing suits, sand buckets and shovels and those
