Well Intentioned: A Winter Wellness Guide to Miami

You’ll feel your shoulders drop at least three inches after a stay at this swish spa hotel along the Venetian Causeway. Start your day with an açaí bowl at the wellness-focused cafe, or hit the gym first thing: gear includes Peloton bikes and pilates reformers. Outside, you’ll find a zero-entry pool overlooking Biscayne Bay and a zen garden dotted with hammocks, quirky sculptures and fire pits lined with cocoon chairs – the perfect place to chill after a deep-tissue massage.

This organic vegan restaurant ticks every health-food buzzword, but it’s far from lip service. Manna’s self-proclaimed mission is to help everyone eat “más plantas” (more greens) – and there’s not a limp lettuce leaf or imitation meat in sight. Try the superfood arepas, stuffed with gut-friendly avocado, spirulina chimichurri and hemp hearts, or chow down on a sushi-burrito hybrid norito packed with roasted veggies and turmeric brown rice for a vitamin boost.

Sunset Harbour is Miami’s one-stop shop for wellness, crammed with fitness centers, cold-pressed juice bars and yoga studios. Of the latter, Green Monkey is one of the best, with a generous selection of classes – held indoors and on the rooftop – to suit all levels. Yes, you may find yourself surrounded by lycra-clad yoga bunnies, but the monkey logo is a reminder not to take things too seriously – yoga isn’t about perfection, after all.

Red velvet. Tassels. Bold murals and animal print. Everything at this anti-minimalist resort is designed to surprise and delight, from the gold-leafed woolly mammoth skeleton by the pool (by Damien Hirst) to the Moulin Rouge-esque theater (masterminded, like much of the hotel’s design, by Baz Luhrmann and his wife Catherine Martin). But it’s not all in-your-face – the spa is a tranquil wonderland of shaman-inspired sound-bowl sessions, tai-chi workshops and 80-minute coconut-oil massages.

Just a 30-minute drive from Downtown Miami, this is one of the best places in Miami to spot manatees. Bring a picnic (and your patience) and keep your eyes on the water – locals will usually let you know if they’ve seen any around. For a scenic walk, wander the southern section of the Black Creek trail until you hit the slither of land that juts out into Biscayne Bay – a fine (and rare) spot to watch the sunset.

Fairchild is one of the largest tropical botanical gardens in the US and is a riot of color year-round. Wander through a misty miniature rainforest, enter the realm of a thousand exotic butterflies or scan the greenery for a glimpse of the alien-like Darth Vader flower. Simply spending time here is enough to soothe the soul. There’s a regular schedule of guided walks as well as mindful activities such as sketching, gardening and outdoor yoga.

Scientists have proven that engaging with art can boost your feel-good hormones, reduce stress and improve your sense of wellbeing. Cue trendy art fair Art Basel, which runs in Miami Beach every December, bringing with it a whole host of fringe events and free exhibitions that showcase the best of the local art scene. Trendy Wynwood Walls gets a fresh lick of paint, too – so winter’s a brilliant time to come and see its vibrant murals and brand-new installations.