The Best Hotels in Miami, Florida

Set within the signature Faena District of Mid-Beach, Faena Hotel Miami Beach is unlike any other resort in the city. The whimsical yet decadent design offers high-flying vignettes with bold colors and flashy finishes. Outside, a woolly mammoth skeleton dipped in 24-karat gold overlooks the beach. Suites are furnished with turquoise velvet drapes and luscious red velvet sofas with animal-print and brushed-gold accents. Inspired by Europe’s grand opera houses, the Faena Theater stages cabaret shows and music acts regularly. Relax in the pool or book an appointment at the Tierra Santa Healing House, a five-star spa. A true foodie destination, the hotel’s Los Fuegos restaurant is headed by Argentinian asado grill master Francis Mallmann.

Famed for its neon-blue lights and bold geometric design, this art deco masterpiece is the most photographed building on Ocean Drive. It’s the most consistently filmed too: the Colony made its debut on the big screen in Scarface (1983) and then later appeared in the hit TV series Dexter. Inside, lime-green walls, dark-brown leather sofas and shiny tile flooring suggest that little has changed here since the hotel opened in 1935, but that’s the charm of it. The best part? Despite its international fame and proximity to the beach, room rates are very reasonable (by Miami standards).

The Fontainebleau is the epitome of mid-century glamour, set in an isolated part of South Beach called Millionaire’s Row. From the moment you step inside, the lobby exudes style – from its iconic marble bow-tie floor to three sparkling chandeliers by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. Spread over four towers, the guest rooms are hyper-modern and bright with a turquoise, tan and white color palette, appealing primarily to a young and late-night-friendly crowd. With several dining venues, including four signature restaurants, The Fontainebleau will spoil you for options. You also won’t have to go far for a good time; the neon-pulsing Bleau Bar and LIV, a world-renowned nightclub, are both on site.

Designed by art deco genius Lawrence Murray Dixon in 1939, the Marlin is another early member of South Beach’s architectural renaissance. But what makes this pastel-hued hotel so famous today isn’t so much its iconic design, but rather a single room that was added in the early ’90s. Since the opening of this state-of-the-art in-house recording studio, hip-hop and pop giants like Jay-Z, Kanye West, Mariah Carey and Gwen Stefani have stayed, played and recorded chart-topping hits here. Rooms are suitably high-tech, with most amenities – including a surround-sound system that plays the Marlin’s own music archives – controlled by your in-room iPad.

Opened in December last year, Life House is one of Little Havana’s newest boutique additions. And yet, being the newbie hasn’t phased this 1950s-Cuba-inspired hotel. Backed by Silicon Valley, Life House is pioneering a social media network dedicated to connecting like-minded guests before, during and after their stay. When you check in, you’ll be encouraged to download the hotel app, where you’ll be able to opt into a social media network that allows you to contact other guests, as well as meet up with verified locals and attend local events. The hotel itself – beautifully decorated with vintage furniture, bottle-green plants and Afro-Cuban art – is also centered around getting social: shared dorms, a communal dining room and regular music events make Life House an easy place to make new friends.

From reclaimed wood and organic linens to a gigantic 328ft (100m) living wall, 1 Hotel South Beach is at the forefront of eco-luxury. Ideally located on the border between South Beach and Mid-Beach, this chic beachfront resort is close to all that Miami has to offer. The hotel’s 425 bright and airy guest rooms and suites are sprawling in size with grey-toned oak beds, marble soaking tubs and rainfall showers. In addition to multiple swimming pools, there is a full-service salon and spa, plus a fitness and wellness center. Dining options range from a poolside vegan eatery and a grab-and-go café in the lobby to the rooftop restaurant, Watr, specializing in creative Japanese-Peruvian cuisine.

As InterContinental Group’s latest venture, EVEN Miami is the first hotel in South Florida dedicated exclusively to fitness. Each of its 140 rooms features mounted fitness walls and in-room exercise zones, as well as all the equipment you need for a good workout on the road: resistance bands, yoga mats, exercise balls, weights and a selection of fitness videos created especially for EVEN guests. Outside your room, you can enjoy a 24-hour athletic studio, an oceanfront swimming pool and a jam-packed schedule of spinning, HIIT and yoga classes led by some of Miami’s top fitness instructors. They’ve thought of the little details too, with same-day laundry service for your sweaty gym clothes, gluten-free and vegan meal options, purified water stations and in-room spa showers.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and the Copper Door B&B appreciates this. Opened in the summer of 2018 by food and hospitality power couple Akino West (of Noma, Copenhagen) and Jamila Ross, this 1940s-inspired boutique hotel offers a morning menu that redefines the complimentary hotel breakfast. Forget stale croissants and a cold ham and cheese buffet. Instead, think warm lemon-thyme muffins topped with fresh lemon curd, vanilla waffles sprinkled with spiced apricots and toasted pistachios, and a porchetta and egg sandwich so good you’ll set your alarm extra early. The food is really the only reason you need to come here, but the decor is something to talk about too: black-and-white patterned bathroom tiles, bold flower-print wallpaper and bedside tables adorned with vintage radios and crystal whiskey bottles tick all the vintage-chic boxes.

Surrounded by some of the most glamorous destinations in Miami, the W South Beach has been a success since it first opened. Sophisticated and fun on a grand scale, the lobby contains Mongolian fur-covered chairs, giant purple leather poufs and pop art from such legendary names as Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol. The resort’s all-suite rooms radiate a relaxed sense of luxury with white and gray interiors, chandeliers and mirrored surfaces. After a day of swimming and sunbathing, treat yourself to a meal at the Restaurant at W South Beach (RWSB), the on-site gourmet eatery. A wildly popular bar, the lobby’s Living Room Bar serves craft cocktails to a fashionable crowd.

A South Beach original, the Delano has set the tone for boutique party stays since the early ’90s. Inspired by Alice in Wonderland, the hotel lobby features sofas in dramatic proportions and a Leda chair by surrealist Salvador Dalí. The ornate Rose Bar is a perennially crowd-drawing scene, outfitted with Venetian glass chandeliers. In the guest rooms, all-white furnishings and bright green plants create an atmosphere that is serene and luxurious. Leynia, an Argentinian grill, features indoor and outdoor patio seating. However, with its long infinity pool, copious cabanas and a buzzing bar, the oceanfront backyard is the hotel’s main attraction.

Just off the southern tip of South Beach, Fisher Island Club and Resort lies on a members-only residential island accessible by ferry. An exclusive boutique hotel set around a 1920s mansion built by William Vanderbilt, it offers tranquility, privacy and unrivaled luxury. With only 15 accommodations, the grounds are never crowded, and service caters to your every whim. The guest house suites feature polished limestone floors and tasteful traditional furniture. The estate’s six dining venues include the Garwood Lounge steakhouse and the elegant Porto Cervo, serving Mediterranean-inspired Italian cuisine. Tee off at the nine-hole golf course, or match up at one of 18 tennis courts. When you get too tired to walk, each suite comes with a complimentary golf cart.

Among the tallest buildings in South Beach, this glistening beachfront giant is difficult to miss. The Setai, from its elegant art deco facade to its tasteful oriental design motif, is a bastion of tranquility and privacy. Dark teak and brick flooring create an atmosphere of discreet luxury, and the hotel’s ocean suites, which have between one and four bedrooms, feature sweeping ocean views. Inspired by Asian cuisine from Thailand, India and Japan, the restaurant offers everything from pork bao buns to an Indian thali platter with a sophisticated mixology menu to match. Other services include an Asian-inspired spa with lavish treatment options and a steam room.

At the north edge of Miami Beach’s hotel strip, Eden Roc sets itself apart from its neighbors with vintage charm dating back to the 1950s. The lobby is anchored by a central sunken circular bar, four original columns and terrazzo flooring with fleur-de-lis accents. Located in the newly built glass tower, the guest rooms have a modern beach house aesthetic and inspiring ocean views. The world-famous Nobu restaurant sits within the hotel as a modern-chic temple of simplicity, serving the freshest (and most expensive) sushi in Miami. With facilities such as plunge pools, steam rooms and hydro-experience showers, the on-site spa will keep you relaxed and revitalized.

Inside a former mansion once owned by late Italian designer Gianni Versace, the Villa Casa Casuarina delivers a delicate mix of sophistication and flamboyance. Appropriately located in the center of South Beach’s famous Art Deco Historic District, the hotel is lavishly embellished – from its marble flooring to a 54ft (16m) mosaic pool lined in 24-karat gold tiles. Each of the 10 guest suites is set around an interior courtyard and have elaborate touches like carved wood doors, intricate tiling and gold fixtures. The villa’s 30-seat restaurant, aptly named Gianni’s, serves old-world Italian in a regal setting with river pebble mosaics and flickering candles casting romantic shadows.