Hibiscus Island is a neighborhood on a man-made island located in Biscayne Bay, in the city of Miami Beach. Hibiscus Island lies just north of Palm Island. It is a residential area, the site of exclusive neighborhoods and very expensive homes. The island is accessible via the MacArthur Causeway.
Today's Palm and Hibiscus Islands still bear historical evidence of a grand and illustrious history, visible immediately beyond the guard gates at the entrance to Palm Island. As one proceeds onto
the island, the first thing you pass is a children playground full of swing sets, slides and see-saws. But half a century ago this location was an altogether different sort of playground, it was the site of the Famous Latin Quarter Nightclub.
Owned by Lou Walters, father of The View’s Barbara Walters, the Latin Quarter was a mid-century mecca for big-named entertainers who performed for winter crowds of tourists and celebrities arriving in Miami Beach each December. Entertainers like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis, Jack Benny and Tony Bennett all intermingled with waves of high-kicking chorus girls to perform three shows a night at the Latin Quarter.
Beginning with the financial crash in the early 1930's, Palm Island became the winter home of such notables as Al Capone and celebrities, who took to Miami Beach's incredible beauty. They built various incredible waterfront estates on Palm and Hibiscus Island. Many of these estates were restored to their full glory during the real estate boom of the last decade.
