Nikki Coconut Grove Kicks Off with a White Bash

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home > nightlife&clubs > Nikki Coconut Grove Kicks Off with a White Bash

February 6, 2008 2:52 PM
by Marcos Colón [email]

A snazzy staple from the Beach makes a surprising move to Coconut Grove, an area known for bars and chug-down fun.

On a night in Coconut Grove where sloshed college students roam the small streets like zombies searching for sustenance, a.k.a. booze, a new posh attraction opened its doors, also taking a different step from the typical Grove hide-out.

Last Thursday, Jan. 31, Nikki Coconut Grove opened its doors and laid out its white carpet as hundreds of guests flooded the door of their fourth Florida venue decked out in all white for Nikki's signature White Party.

The event featured special acts, performers and gorgeous greeters on the White Carpet for guests to get some snaps taken of them to feel the importance of the occasion and new location. Bottles popped, and the champagne flowed as the White-themed partygoers gave off a cool, relaxed and exclusive vibe. Their famous parties always tend to be their opening parties, and this one unquestionably contributed to it.

The new 3,000 sq. ft. indoor and outdoor space isn't located in the heart of the Grove's party scene where students call the shots, or should I say, order the shots. Located on 2889 McFarlane Rd., Nikki Coconut Grove has separated itself from the chaos, a move that's symbolic in the alternative atmosphere that they offer.

"It's a great area," says Marie-Claire Holthuizen, PR and Marketing manager of Nikki Coconut Grove. "The people, residence and possibilities are great. Everybody's embracing us with open arms."

Only one characteristic is missing from Nikki Coconut Grove that's signature at Nikki Beach, the beach! The people at Nikki used what they call their urban concept for this venue, meaning everything's the same, except sans the beach. The same decoration is used, featuring Nikki Beach's custom-made furniture in natural Vietnamese woods, free-flowing white curtains and plush champagne beds.

Although their aim is at an older crowd, Thursdays will have to take a different approach to cater to the majority. The only similar characteristic that Nikki shares with other venues at the Grove is the happy hour that they offer Monday through Friday between 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m., a definite plus that everyone can take pleasure in.

"We'll plan to do Thursdays a little younger but we plan to focus on the higher clientele," says Holthuizen.

The new venue will be a hit for Gables residents who look to have a piece of the Beach closer to home. It'll be interesting to see the events that will be taking place starting this month.

By UNHAPPY CUSTOMER on April 8, 2008 3:31 PM

This past Friday night (4-4-2008) I went with 6 girl friends to the newly opened Nikki Beach in Coconut Grove, located in the Sonesta Hotel. We arrived at 8:30P.M. and were seated 5 minutes later. Our first waiter (yes we had more than one) came to the table about 15 minutes later to offer us a complimentary glass of champagne, white or red wine – supposedly standard for ladies who dine there Friday nights. Oh, and the specials were as followed, “Curry chicken over rice or pasta with some oil.” That was the exact description he gave us. Another 20 minutes went by and finally the drinks arrived. At this point all menus were closed and we were ready to order, but where was our waiter?? Considering he was attending near by tables, he never once acknowledged our presence. There were several “excuse me sirs” and plenty of hand waving, but still nothing. Just a quick note: Out of about 20 tables, maybe 6-8 were in use. So it definitely was not a busy night. At this point we had to ask a waitress who as attending to a near by table to let our waiter know we were ready to order. Our waiter made a hand gesture passing us off very nonchalantly to our second waiter (waitress). With this gesture, we were left with the impression that he did not want to take care of us. In the midst of all of this, we had to beg a bus boy for water and bread. What are we prisoners!! You would think after this we would have left, being that it was already past 9P.M. and still nothing, but as troopers we brushed it off and were optimistic about the rest of our “girls night out.” Our new and final waitress finally came to the rescue to take our appetizer and entrée order (some ordered sushi & some ordered chicken). At this point we had already been seated for over an hour. Considering the wait, I decided it was time to speak to a Manager. I approached the hostess podium and asked her to please call the person in charge. I was soon approached by a woman who was notably inappropriately dressed for someone in a managerial position, but hey this is the night club industry. I explained the situation cool, calm, and collected and she said “no problem” and would take care of everything. About ten minutes later the appetizers appeared. The Manager came by to see how everything was and offered us a complimentary round of drinks. Things seemed to be looking up… Soon it became 10:40P.M. and still no food . After waiting two hours for our food, we asked the waitress to cancel our order. How long could it possibly take to prepare a raw fish and chicken meal? A sharp knife and eight to ten minutes at 375°F. At this point we were justifiably upset and spoke to the Manager yet again. This time it was not so diplomatic. The Manager seemed annoyed that once again we were complaining about the service or the lack there of. After a couple of minutes of finger pointing (at us!), she stomped away. No more than five minutes later a security guard came to our table. Oh yes, we were asked to leave and would be escorted out. The Manager herself created a show by screaming to security to “get these girls out of here!!!” Can you imagine six girls in stilettos and each one holding a clutch purposely causing trouble in Miami’s latest hot spot? I think not. I hope you enjoyed my story and will share it with your loyal readers. Cheers to yet another fun “girl’s night out!” Sincerely, Left craving sushi