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By DAVID COOK, Tribune correspondent

Published: September 16, 2007

KEY WEST - As you relax under a palm tree with soft tropical trade winds stirring against the towering fronds, it's easy to let your mind wander back to a day of top hats and flapper skirts.

During the aristocracy of the 'Great Gatsby' era, the Casa Marina was the hot spot for the rich and famous at the end of Henry Flagler's Overseas Railroad. Eight decades later, the resort is undergoing a $48 million dollar renovation to return it to its original grandeur and to provide guests with the latest technologies and amenities.

On a springtime visit to the Casa Marina Resort & Beach Club, I was amazed at the transformation.

It wasn't quite like this the first time I saw the old resort hotel. As a kid growing up in Key West during the 1960s, I was always fascinated by this beachside mansion on the island's south side.

Left abandoned by the U.S. government in 1966 after housing the Army during the Cuban Missile Crisis and later the Peace Corps, the property was a magnet for a curious youngster. I remember the boarded-up windows, peeling paint and overgrown landscape protruding through a chain-link fence surrounding the property.

Exploring the shoreline of Higgs Beach adjacent to the Casa Marina, I would find myself wandering with no idea of the Casa Marina's history as a playground for the wealthy.

'Our mission is to restore the vision of Henry Flagler's original design,' says Kevin Speidel, general manager of the Casa Marina, on the Atlantic side of Key West at the foot of Flagler Avenue.

By looking at old photographs, architect Jose Gonzalez drew up plans to re-create Flagler's concept of opening up the main building's lobby to more natural lighting. That concept was lost during a renovation a quarter-century ago.

When the resort reopens in November, one of the most dramatic improvements to the main building will be an unobstructed view of the ocean when guests drive up to the property. Through windows and clear doors in the main lobby, guests will see a walkway in the courtyard leading to the ocean - a hallmark feature of the original Casa Marina resort.

'We have the most beachfront property of any resort in Key West, and this is a way to showcase one of our best assets as Mr. Flagler designed 80 years ago,' Speidel says.

I remember the grand reopening of the Casa Marina during the spring of 1979. The Casbah lounge became the hot spot in Key West for happy hour and late-night dancing in the disco under the stars.

It was also a popular place for weddings, as top hats and tails returned to the Casa Marina as the scene for the most formal events on the island.

That has not changed. The resort hosts 100 to 125 weddings each year, even with its limited banquet facilities.

After the renovations, that capacity will double.

J.P. Reinhard and Elise Bullarad, medical students at Drexel University in Philadelphia, are considering the resort for their wedding in May because of its beachfront location and impeccable reputation.

'They have a proven track record of success,' Bullarad says. 'We're looking for quality service and reasonable prices.'
Speidel says first impressions are among the most important things he and other hotel managers stress to employees: Make guests feel welcome with sincere handshakes, smiles and exchanges.

That's what keeps guests such as Jon Delano coming back. He and his family have stayed at the Casa Marina a dozen times during the past 20 years - through the Marriott, Wyndham and now Blackstone ownership groups. He has become accustomed to the Casa Marina's high standard of customer service and says there is no place to match its beauty.

'There is no question this grand lady needed some work, but I hope it doesn't lose its charm,' he says. 'We've gotten used to what the Casa Marina is all about.'

Returning to the Casa Marina in March for the first time in nearly three decades, my family and I agree.

Our two teenage boys found endless watersports and beach activities that were either free or available for nominal charges. And while the Casa Marina provides opportunities for the most daring thrill-seeker with watercrafts, parasailing and scuba diving, the hallmark of the resort is relaxing in secluded beachfront coves, by getting massages, sitting under the palms or reading a book in a hammock overlooking the Atlantic.

Hourly pool treats distributed to guests from pool concierge Ulysses Ricardo Martinez are another part of the charm.

'I read about this on the Internet, and it's a really neat feature,' says guest Kim Carney of Birmingham, Ala.

On the hour, like clockwork, Martinez brings around frozen Popsicles, cool towels, tropical fruit sticks or drink samplers.

During our stay, the newly renovated east wing featured rooms with a brilliant blend of sleek European design, 21st century technology and the most comfortable pillow-topped beds I've ever slept on.

The view from our room overlooked a secluded beach cove not far from where I explored as a boy. Speidel promises that all rooms will have similar treatments as the Casa Marina appears to have come full circle to Flagler's vision.

And like the grand opening of Casa Marina on New Year's Eve in 1920, the renovations will herald a new era for one of the grandest, most historical beachside resorts in Florida.

KEY DESTINATION

IF YOU GO: Casa Marina Resort is at 1500 Reynolds St., Key West., at the western terminus of Flagler Avenue.

RATES: In September, the resort is offering weekday rates starting at $149 a night. That rate almost doubles during the weekend.

DINING: During the renovations, the resort will have limited food service; however, less than a five-minute walk away is Louie's Back Yard, a Key West institution next to Dog Beach in a two-story conch house next to where Jimmy Buffett once lived.

ACTIVITIES: A 10-minute walk from the Casa Marina will land you at the south end of Duval Street. Also, watersports and tours at the resort are priced competitively with other locations in Key West.

INFORMATION: www

.casamarinaresort.com; 1-866-397-6342 or (305) 296-3535

Dave Cook was born and raised in Key West, moving to Tampa in 1981 and graduating from the University of South Florida. He worked at WFLA, Channel 8, for 21 years before becoming station manager for Pinellas County schools' television station WPDS, Channe

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