In the late 1950s, real estate pioneer Doris and Alfred Kaskel purchased 2,400 acres of swampland between NW 36 Street and NW 74 Street and from NW 79 Avenue to NW 117 Avenue for about $49,000 with the intention of building a golf course and hotel. In 1962, the Kaskel's dream came true when they opened a hotel and country club that featured the Blue, Red and Par 3 golf courses. They named it Doral - a combination of Doris and Alfred.
According to a story in The Miami Herald, Alfred was born in Poland and migrated to New York when he was 21 years old and became a real estate developer. His first project was building 15,000 apartments in New York. After marrying Doris, the Kaskels moved south and built the Doral Beach Hotel and the Carillon Hotel on Miami Beach. Once the Country Club was built, guests were transported from the Beach to the Country Club for a day on the golf course.
Today, the Doral Golf Resort & Spa, located at NW 87 Avenue and NW 36 Street, is internationally famous for its golf courses, especially the Blue Monster, and still hosts the PGA Tour Tournament every year. The Spa, originally called the Saturnia International Spa, was added to the Resort in 1987 and is ranked as one of the top spa destinations in the US and the largest in the state of Florida.
The City of Doral has come a very long way in a very short time and is attracting positive attention from Fortune 100 corporations, mom-and-pop businesses, young families and retirees. More and more people are choosing Doral every day - For all the right reasons!