Imagine a less-hectic Miami Beach with fewer clubs, more parks, less attitude, and far fewer people. This is Key Biscayne – a scenic island just to the south of Miami Beach. Key Biscayne is a place that seems specifically designed for leisure and relaxation. There are parks everywhere, providing opportunities for swimming, sunbathing, tennis, golf, and picnicking. Long, scenic roads wind around the key, making it perfect for bicycling or rollerblading. Crandon Beach in particular is nice, with calm waters and great beaches making it perfect for kids. The town of Key Biscayne is, if anything, even more laid-back than the beaches and parks. There you will find a wide variety of shops, restaurants, and lodging opportunities, all in a lazy setting that makes it the perfect getaway from Miami Beach. Keeping with the relaxation theme, one of the most appreciated amenities on Key Biscayne is no doubt the spa at Ritz-Carlton.

The spa at Ritz-Carton is an impressive facility. At 20,000 sq. ft. with 21 treatment rooms, this is not your every day, hole-in-the-wall type joint. The interior of the spa is decorated in a West-Indies-plantation style, with a lot of cane and mahogany woods and floor-to-ceiling windows. The treatment rooms include a hydro-therapy suite, couples’ rooms, and a deluxe “Aquarian Suite” that includes an Aquarian Tub and Vichy shower (perfect for the heads of puppet governments).

The number and variety of treatments offered by the spa is a little overwhelming, especially for those (like me) who are spa novices. I didn’t really trust the notion of a Key Lime Fizz or Coconut Milk Bath (I’m sure they are both wonderful), so opted for a deep tissue massage. It was as advertised, and by the end I felt that all of my tissues were quite liquefied. There are plenty of more adventurous treatment options available to those who want to smell like fruit/candy afterwards, and I got the feeling that I didn’t take full advantage of my time there.

Such a luxurious destination as the spa at Ritz-Carlton on Key Biscayne deserves an equally luxurious mode of transportation. Mirage Limo offers you any number of vehicles up to the task. I must say, the a trip to the spa in a limo from Mirage would be a perfect gift for a significant other, particularly if that significant other is a member of the womanly persuasion. Just mull it over.