The beaches of northwest Florida have nicknames. Some call these sparkling, jewel-toned waters the Emerald Coast. A recent marketing campaign has dubbed the area NoFlo, while others call the region simply the Panhandle. Still, its best-known sobriquet is also its most unflattering: to most it’s the Redneck Riviera.
But these days, a sleeker, more aspirational moniker is being tossed around: “The Hamptons of the South.”
It refers to 30A, a two-lane coastal highway linking 16 beach communities. Things started getting highfalutin’ on the shores of the Deep South back in the 1980s with the development of Seaside (you know it as the backdrop of “The Truman Show”).
The upscaling of the region has only accelerated since.
The newest spot on the block is the 30-acre Kaiya Beach Resort, on 30A’s eastern stretch.
Here, well-heeled guests can bunk in $1,000-per-night townhomes or villas and enjoy dazzling Gulf views from the palm-lined infinity pool at the ritzy beach club.
Should they want to grow their art collections, they can head to Omaire, 30A’s first international fine arts gallery, now just a year old. For the ultimate flex, the resort’s 110-foot superyacht, Ukara, based in the Bahamas, is available for bookings.
And that’s not all: This summer, Kaiya will break ground on the 40-suite Oyom Hotel & Spa, whose lavish amenities include a rooftop pool and a 5,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art spa. “We’re pulling out all the stops on the design,” said Kaiya developer Jason Romair, founder and CEO of the Romair Group. “The smallest room — they’re all suites — is 700 square feet.”
Kaiya’s next-door neighbor is also known for its high-end digs.
It’s the 158-acre Alys Beach vacation rental and real estate community, whose striking whitewashed façades and Bermuda-meets-the-Med architectural ethos have attracted the upper echelon since it was founded in 2004. Home prices there swell well into the seven digits.
Rather than renting them out, most owners at Alys Beach can afford to keep their magnificent homes vacant, lending a surreal, movie-set vibe to the often-secluded streets. A stroll through the community is real estate porn at its finest, with ample opportunity for ogling sophisticated architectural elements like courtyard fountains, massive stone urns and shaded benches.
Alys Beach also hosts several of 30A’s most popular shindigs: the 30A Wine Festival in February; May’s Digital Graffiti, which transforms those stark façades into canvases for digital art; and Alys Beach Crafted, an autumn extravaganza showcasing handcrafted wares.
Art is a year-round draw, and last July, Ria Leigh Gallery in Grayton Beach opened, further elevating the scene. With about 20 artists, it sells works priced from about $75 all the way up to $50,000, an intentionally wide range.
“It helps us build relationships with everybody, not just somebody who’s a millionaire,” said Alexandra Hartsfield, who co-owns the space with Rebecca Elliott.
The local culinary scene is also sizzling, with a yet-to-be-named, farm-to-table concept coming to Kaiya. That restaurant is backed by a partnership that includes One Off Hospitality, a prominent Chicago-based firm co-founded by Donnie Madia — whose stint at a sandwich shop inspired the FX hit series “The Bear.”
Other openings of note include O-Ku Alys Beach, a chic modern Japanese restaurant, and Gallion’s Restaurant at Rosemary Beach, which offers seafood-heavy small plates and a kid-free evening setting (it’s 18-and-up after 2:30 p.m.).
For a dose of serious sophistication, there’s no better spot than Ambrosia Prime Seafood & Steaks. Tucked into an unassuming plaza near 30A’s eastern terminus, the restaurant excels at perfectly executed steakhouse classics — think lobster bisque, wagyu filet and elevated family-style sides — in a sexy, speakeasy-esque atmosphere (there’s nary a window). On weeknights, the see-and-be-seen Caymus Happy Hour, featuring pours from the famous Napa vineyard, draws a stylish crowd.
Word of Ambrosia’s nectar-of-the-gods indulgences has already traveled far beyond the South.
“We had a couple come in once who were referred to us by friends back home in London,” said co-owner Lauren Graham. “It’s a compliment to us on the highest level.”
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