The Castaways resort complex was in the Sunny Isles part of North Miami Beach, just a short distance from another hotel/restaurant/bar complex, Hawaiian Isle. It was advertised as being at "the ocean at 163rd," in reality it was on the inland side of a thin land strip, and was just south of 163rd, occupying a small jetty of land. It opened in 1958, and closed in 1981.
The Castaways had just over 300 guest rooms in a series of buildings with Asian-Polynesian peaked roof details. The main attraction was a dramatic structure designed by Charles Foster McKirahan—a square glass building with a pointed, A-frame roof at each corner. The building was up on stilts, and each of the four corners held a different establishment: the Wreck Bar, the Tahitian Cocktail Lounge (featuring mixologist "Stanley the Entertainer"), the Shinto Temple Room, and possibly a coffee shop or indoor swimming pool. The Beatles reportedly stayed at The Castaways, and an ad in the 1969 AAA travel guide promoted nude sunbathing on site.
The jetty of land that used to hold The Castaways is now the site of two tall condominium towers. History of the Castaways courtesy of
Critiki. Check out the site for more pictures and ephemera.
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| Aerial View |
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| Night View |
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| Fairyland Island Pool |
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| Shinto Temple Dining Room |
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| The Wreck Bar |
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| A Tambourine |
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| A Lobby |
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| At Dusk |
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| Street View |
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| View From Motel Row |
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| Full Aerial View |
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| Waterfront View |
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1 comments:
My uncle, Neil, would like to meet people who are interested in Miami Beach Motel/Hotel postcards from the 1950s and 1960s. Please email him at neillesser@yahoo.com
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