Recommend June 2017 - 36

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"
Golf at Hammock Beach is
essential as it fully completes
the entire experience at
our resort. Having two
championship golf venues,
along with our world-class
amenities, produces the
luxury experience that has
been our mission from day one.

"

The Ocean Course.

-- Brad Hauer, Director of Golf,
Hammock Beach Resort

Hammock Beach Resort
Melissa Bryant

For Hammock Beach Resort-a Salamander
Resorts property and member of Preferred
Hotels & Resorts hugging the Atlantic
shoreline in Palm Coast, Florida-damage
caused by Hurricane Matthew last October
presented the opportunity for the team to
"redefine the Hammock Beach experience,"
says Jason Kern, the resort's director of sales
and marketing.
The newly done lobby, for example, now
features new flooring, contemporary furniture
and lighting, and a brand-new sushi bar. And
a portion of the 75 Premium One Bedroom
Suites-those affected by the hurricane-
now sport new carpeting and furniture,
updated artwork, new flat-panel TVs, and
reconstructed kitchenettes.

Intimate Setting
In the coming months, Hammock Beach
Resort's 20-room hotel-within-a-hotel
concept, The Lodge at Hammock Beach, and
its accompanying dock-to-table Atlantic
Grille seafood restaurant and Tapas Room
are expected to open, bringing, what Kern
says, will be "an intimate setting, complete
with oceanfront dining and pampering
services" to the property, which already offers
"destination resort amenities with 36 holes
of golf, a full-service spa complete with a
fitness studio, a 200-slip marina with water
adventures and our fantasy pool complex."
You'll want to keep an eye out for this
opening as it is sure to become the favored
option for couples and honeymooners who
will go gaga over the sweeping ocean views
36 june 2017

seen from each and every guestroom. Rates
start at $299 per night.

The Grass is Actually Greener...
From the second floor balcony of The
Lodge, we got a bird's-eye-view of some of
the renovations happening at the adjacent
Ocean Course. Come October, the prized
Jack Nicklaus Signature Design course
overlooking the Atlantic Ocean will be back
in action following a re-grassing of all the
fairways, greens and rough with the salttolerant Platinum Paspalum.
"This new grass will quickly prove to be
the most superior playing surface of any golf
course you can play-it will simply be head
and shoulders above any golf experience,"
says Brad Hauer, Hammock Beach Resort's
director of golf. "In addition to converting
the entire course to Paspalum, all of the
Ocean Course bunkers will be reshaped and
refilled with G-angle sand, the best sand
surface in the industry. The final finishing
touches to the renovation will be the new
ocean views that players will enjoy on the six
holes that directly border the ocean."
For now, guests can tee up at the onsite
miniature golf course, or at Hammock
Beach's other championship layout, the Tom
Watson Signature Design Conservatory Course.
Here, I found myself under the tutelage of
Hauer, for a putting lesson, which he says is
the most important aspect of the game. After
sinking a few holes, we left the green for
lunch inside the main building where we met
with Hammock Beach Resort's new director

of food & beverage, Jason Neff, who was
eager to tell us about the dramatic changes
happening to the resort's dining venues.

Palate Pleasers
"We needed to enhance the dining
experiences at Hammock Beach to appeal
to many different tastes and keep people
interested throughout their stay," says Neff.
"The easiest way to please a guest is to satisfy
their appetite in a way that makes sense
for them."
During an en-suite welcome dinner, I
tasted a small sample of what executive chef
Kevin Luque and his team are capable of:
small plates pairing lobster with caviar, bacon
with chocolate, sushi so good you consider
skipping the main course, and a crowdpleasing dessert mousse made from local corn.
So when Neff told me how well received
the new elevated Southern cuisine was last
month at the Terrace Restaurant at The
Conservatory, I believed him. Last month
also saw the introduction of Latin-inspired
dishes to the Ocean Bar's menu. By July, the
resort will be offering a revised sushi menu,
and in August, the Loggerheads Lounge is
transforming into a gastropub serving craft
beer and small batch bourbons. Rounding
out the resort's new culinary experiences
are cooking demonstrations launching this
month, ensuring your clients will leave well
fed and very rounded. Rates in a Premium
One Bedroom Suite start at $159 per night. ■
Contact Information
Hammock Beach Resort: hammockbeach.com
recommend.com
http://www.hammockbeach.com http://www.recommend.com
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