(Photo: Lara Shriftman and Lucas Bacardi Shriftman)

My favorite pint-sized athlete, Lucas Bacardi Shriftman, chose to celebrate his 9th birthday at the Spartan Gym at 1 Hotel & Homes South Beach. He previously hosted an event at the Seedlings Kids Club at the 1 Hotel for Best Buddies and loved it.

The Seedlings Program offers families and children ways to connect with the local flora and fauna as well as the best in eco-minded, organic amenities. The activities and adventures created are focused on bringing children closer to nature while educating them on the world they live in and the importance of taking care of it now, while also having fun. Best Buddies is an amazing international nonprofit organization that creates opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This year’s party was a wellness party as opposed to last year’s Cupcake Wars-themed party.

All of the kids met at the newly opened Spartan Gym. It’s the first ever Spartan Gym, in partnership with the Spartan Race. Guests can train in a studio complete with ropes, obstacles, and direct access to local certified Spartan trainers dedicated to helping those of all fitness levels. The kids' class started off outside on the turf. They later moved inside for obstacles fun. They did an incredible obstacle course of ropes, climbing wall, monkey bars and sleds six times.

There was also a Spartan class for the adults. The class was led by Lawrence and our choices were outside yoga or yoga in a private classroom, a Spartan class in a private classroom or a bottle half or rogue Pilates mat class. The latter is mostly lower body conditioning with HIIT. We decided to go with the Spartan class in a private classroom, since the kids would be using the obstacles area. These fitness classes are part of 1 Hotel South Beach’s Mind + Movement programming and noting the importance of holistic wellness, the hotel encourages guests to strengthen their minds, bodies and souls with its group fitness programming.

For the adults who didn’t want to train like a Spartan, the hotel offered mini spa treatments at the Lady Carole Bamord’s Bamford Haybarn Spa. The Bamford Haybarn Spa at 1 Hotel South Beach is the first-ever Haybarn Spa in the U.S. The spa welcomes visitors into a serene, 4,500 square-foot space with natural accents and an organic take on relaxation.

After the kids’ Spartan class, Lucas planned for all the kids to have smoothies. For lunch, Lucas chose to eat from the newly opened Plnthouse by Matthew Kenney, James Beard Award Nominated Chef. The restaurant had opened just a few days before his party. The culinary team at Plnthouse has crafted a menu of whole, healthful, and delicious plant-based items. A few of the items we chose from the menu were the Avocado Toast, Yuzu Guacamole, Sprouted Garbanzo Hummus, Spicy Citrus Kale Salad, and the Zucchini Noodle Bowl.

As a tradition, a Publix cake designed by Anna, our favorite cake designer at Publix, was revealed. After eating, we moved outside to a poolside cabana - 1 Hotel has the most amazing cabanas. They’re air conditioned with day beds, glass doors overlooking an infinity pool and beach. There were lounge chairs, a dining table, and a lounge area outside. It had a bathroom and shower. It was great for a party with adults and kids. Everyone had place to relax and change. The kids especially loved that they could press a button on side of their chair to order food and drinks. No one left until 7pm.

Lucas’ birthday this year was a great way for families to enjoy Sunday together. We hope 1 Hotel South Beach will launch a Beach Club soon so that we can do this all the time. The 1 Hotel is a great place for a kids’ party of any age. It’s extremely kid friendly and there’s something to do for all ages. For more information on 1 Hotel in South Beach, visit http://www.1hotels.com