Real estate values in South Florida may have tumbled, but there's still prime pickings on the Miami hotel market.
Downtown Miami
EPIC Hotel
270 Biscayne Boulevard Way.
This high-rise in the newly rejuvenated downtown is an oasis in the city; a beach resort without the beach. With attentive service, a top-notch restaurant specialising in seafood – Area 31 – and techie touches (including PCs in every room, hotel-wide Wi-Fi, and a 24-hour business centre), this is perfect for the business traveller. Two infinity pools, a spa and gym, and some of the biggest suites you’ll find in Miami sweeten the deal.
Viceroy Hotel
485 Brickell Avenue.
The sophistication of the Viceroy brand comes to Miami as part of the sleek residential Icon Brickell towers. For the Viceroy hotel you can forget minimalism: think Asian influences and lush sea greens with yellow and fuchsia accents that pop. Designed by Kelly Wearstler, the rooms feel like pieces of art themselves. Amenities include iPod docking stations and a kitchenette. The “living room” pool terrace and out-of-this-world spa (shared with Icon Brickell) make up for the somewhat isolated location.
South Beach
Mondrian South Beach
1100 West Avenue.
The Morgan Hotel Group has already given Miami one landmark in the Delano; now the quieter bay side of South Beach gets its own sexy playhouse. With a mostly white, modernist palette as a backdrop, Dutch designer Marcel Wanders has created an Alice in Wonderland feel, with oversized chess piece pillars and an intricate black staircase in the lobby. The pool scene is just as beautiful, guests included.
The Betsy Hotel
1440 Ocean Drive.
Staying right on Ocean Drive usually means forgoing sleep, but on the northern end of Ocean is the newly renovated Betsy (formerly the Betsy Ross), a Colonial-plantation style retreat across from the beach. Cool, white rooms with pastel details are small, but the new rooftop solarium is a great place to watch the sun set over the palm trees. BLT Steak, in the lobby, has some of the best steaks and burgers in town.
W South Beach
2201 Collins Avenue.
In a city awash in accommodation options, this was one of the most hotly anticipated hotel openings in years. A small hike from the main South Beach strip, the W is designed to give guests whatever they need without leaving the property – and if they do, there’s a free driver service for the local area. Typical W attention to detail design rules, from the rooms and terraces to the outpost of restaurant Mr. Chow.
Gansevoort South
2377 Collins Avenue.
South Beach hotels are known for being tiny, but everything here is big: the fish tank in the lobby, the rooms, and the main pool, which resembles those on cruise ships. There’s a bar, Plunge, and another pool on the rooftop, where people watching is the main attraction. Boutiques, a sexy Moroccan-themed gym and spa, and hip restaurants – Phillippe Chow and STK – complete the fashion-centric vibe.
Mid-Beach/North Beach
Fontainebleau
4441 Collins Ave.
Even further north than the W and Gansevoort you'll find this revamped Rat Pack-era classic. With a huge nightclub (LIV) anchoring a menu of bars and restaurants, this is where to come if you like your hotels Vegas-style. In lieu of a casino there are hectares of beach.
Canyon Ranch
6801 Collins Ave.
Need to detox from too much South Beach indulgence? Just head north on Collins Avenue and re-align your Chakras with healthy meals and plenty of steaming at this spa-centric wellness retreat.