Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club
9101 Collins Avenue, Surfside, FL 33154
The Story
The Mediterranean-revival style Surf Club opened in Miami Beach on New Year's Eve 1930, in the final years of Prohibition. It was the brainchild of tire tycoon Harvey Firestone, who hatched the idea on his yacht with a group of industrialist friends who wanted somewhere to hide. They hired Russell Pancoast, a pioneering Miami architect, to design it, and appointed Alfred Barton, a former set designer for Cecil B. DeMille, to run the place.
Barton's Hollywood eye for spectacle defined the club for the next four decades. The galas he staged were legendary: Broadway and Hollywood set designers were brought in to create themed evenings that involved, at various points, a Ferris wheel on the sand, kayaking in the pool at night, a parade of elephants up the club's grand entranceway, 300 tables carved entirely from ice, and a full recreation of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation complete with Beefeaters. The Surf Club did not believe in doing things by halves.
" The Surf Club did not believe in doing things by halves.
Prohibition, painters and a private town
During Prohibition, liquor-laden boats from Bimini and Cuba would pull up on the beach and unload cases directly to members' cabanas, many of which were decorated as lavishly as their owners' homes. Winston Churchill painted seascapes in his. Gary Cooper, Noel Coward, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, the Rat Pack, Cassius Clay, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, and Douglas MacArthur were all regulars.
The club's reputation for discretion and "proper impropriety" was so prized that in 1935, thirty-five of its members literally founded the town of Surfside to prevent Miami Beach from annexing the land around it. When your pool club incorporates an entire town to protect its privacy, you know the membership takes its leisure seriously.
The Four Seasons era
The Four Seasons took over in 2017, adding three glass-fronted towers designed by Richard Meier to the original clubhouse. There are now two pools — one adults-only, one for families — plus 40 modern cabanas with air conditioning and private showers, and 900 feet of private white-sand beach.
History buffs will love the treasure trove of archival photos on Peacock Alley's walls, featuring original black-and-white images uncovered in the hotel basement during construction, displayed as part of an installation by artist Michele Oka Doner. The dining is exceptional: Thomas Keller chose the Surf Club for his Florida debut, and Le Sirenuse — the only place stateside where you can taste the Sersale family's Southern Italian cooking from their legendary Positano restaurant — occupies the former ballroom.
" Liquor-laden boats from Bimini and Cuba once unloaded cases directly to members' cabanas.
Signature Experiences
The pools and private beach
There are now two pools — one adults-only, one for families — plus 40 modern cabanas with air conditioning and private showers, and 900 feet of private white-sand beach. The pools are exclusive to hotel guests, with no day passes, in keeping with the Surf Club's original members-only spirit.
Peacock Alley
A treasure trove of archival photos lines Peacock Alley's walls — original black-and-white images uncovered in the hotel basement during construction, displayed as part of an installation by artist Michele Oka Doner.
The Surf Club Restaurant by Thomas Keller
Thomas Keller chose the Surf Club for his Florida debut. A dinner reservation here will at least get you through the door and past Peacock Alley if you can't stretch to a room.
Le Sirenuse
The only place stateside where you can taste the Sersale family's Southern Italian cooking from their legendary Positano restaurant, occupying the former ballroom.
Famous Connections
Who Came Here
Plan Your Visit
Good to Know
- How to Book: Book direct at fourseasons.com/surfside or by phone. The pools are exclusive to hotel guests — no day passes — but a dinner reservation at Le Sirenuse or the Surf Club Restaurant by Thomas Keller will get you through the door and past Peacock Alley.
- Best Time: The quieter summer months offer the lowest rates; the winter high season is busiest and most expensive.
- Accessibility: Contact the hotel directly to confirm access requirements.
- Tip: If you can't stretch to a room, a dinner reservation at Le Sirenuse or the Surf Club Restaurant by Thomas Keller will at least get you through the door and past Peacock Alley's wall of archival photographs.
Nearby
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