Miami: Hotel Guides

Wellness is the centrepiece of the Carillon Miami Beach, and the hotel’s spa remains the area’s largest. The Spa at Carillon – 70,000-sq-ft indoor-outdoor facilities – features nine uniquely connected thermal experiences. Spa guests can submerge themselves in the open-air, rooftop HydroSpa or heat up in the Herbal Laconium. Miami’s only igloo is here too, complete with three cold, aromatic mists and twinkling lighting. The Spa’s signature treatments are gloriously executed, with a standout being the Deep Tissue Steam Therapy: the 100-minute experience includes a soothing steam bed immersion that softens muscles before a masseuse works out bodily kinks. Guests can also customise their visit, selecting a treatment’s duration, focus and application type, using products from spa partner Clarins.

6801 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach

For a romantic rendezvous dressed up in sleek, sexy garb, look no further than the W South Beach – the luxe Miami Beach babe favoured by honeymooners and loved up couples. Here, every slick room has an ocean view, prime for lazy morning lie ins, big balconies or terraces, and vast marble showers stocked with Bliss products (book a massage in their gorgeous spa – or order up to your room). Of course, the more you spend, the more snazzy the digs get – think private outdoor rain showers and plunge pools at the top end. Back on ground level, Andrew Carmellini’s The Dutch matches culinary mastery with a mood-setting indoor-outdoor space, while the pool’s striped loungers and cabanas beckon carefree afternoons. And of course the W brand’s amenities are all in play: their WHATEVER/WHENEVER service promises to make your every wish their command, while the Wants + Needs service delivers on-demand cheese platters, dipped strawberries, and bubbly straight to your door.

2201 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach

Variety and volume: two things the Fontainebleau excels at – making it an excellent choice for travellers looking for on-site meals, with upscale haunts leading the way. James Beard award-winner Scott Conant crafts decadent Italian plates inside an elegant dining room at Scarpetta, while Michael Mina’s Stripsteak is a buzzing subterranean space widely regarded as the best steakhouse in Miami, and Hakkasan continues its popular Cantonese techniques inside its trendy Miami Beach location. While the Fontainebleau embraces food flare, it also keeps things casual for those seeking quick bites or poolside nibbles. Michael Mina’s second on-site outpost, Michael Mina 74, is an easy-going bistro serving fuss-free burgers and seafood. Outside, La Côte goes for a south of France feel with a Mediterranean menu overlooking the pool and beach. And, if you’re somehow still not satisfied, a second American eatery and sushi restaurant round out the sit-down options. For eats to go, guests can order confections and coffee at Chez Bon Bon, or cool down with a gelato from Fresh.

4441 Collins Ave, Miami Beach

The Biltmore Hotel is an ideal family getaway, tucked away from the Magic City’s glitz and glam. Activities abound at this historic Coral Gables property, where the Biltmore Buddies program for kids aged four to 12 puts on sporting events, nature hikes, arts and crafts activities, scavenger hunts, lifeguard games and movie screenings. Budding chefs can get their hands dirty at the Biltmore Culinary Academy or burn off extra energy with golf and tennis lessons too. And if the expansive Biltmore pool doesn’t meet waterside needs, the natural spring water and coral Venetian Pool is just minutes away. Grown ups can savour excellent French cuisine at Palme D’or or indulge in the lavish Sunday Champagne Brunch, while The Biltmore Spa pairs with a Benessere Wellness Program to offer healing, alternative treatments coupled with premier cosmetic products. Even little ones get spa love here via the Princess Parties Spa package, complete with manis, pedis and facials.

1200 Anastasia Avenue, Coral Gables

The Four Seasons Hotel Miami’s 70-story, glass and granite edifice is Florida’s tallest building and is located in Brickell, Miami’s bustling financial district and urban hub. And the picturesque, seaside backdrop doesn’t detract from its proficiency: Four Seasons’ signature business services are all readily available, with a 24-hour business centre complete with workstations, printers, fax machines, and a copier. Those attending meetings can take advantage of the complimentary car service, as well as free WiFi, curb-side check-in, overnight shoeshine and newspapers. Nine diverse event spaces provide venue flexibility, including a Sky Bridge with floor-to-ceiling windows unveiling Biscayne Bay. When it’s time to loosen the tie or kick off the heels, business travellers can order up an in-room massage or around the clock in-room dining, although the property’s signature eatery, Edge, Steak & Bar, boasts an eclectically delectable menu and one of the best happy hours in town.

1435 Brickell Avenue

A stylish transformation of the 1950s Seville Hotel, The Miami Beach EDITION wows from the second you step into the marble-floored lobby with its giant gold columns, abundance of potted plants and dozens of candle lanterns casting palm frond shadows on the ceiling. In keeping with the hotel’s prime oceanfront setting, there’s a cool beach vibe to the bedrooms: they’re bright, light and serene, with floaty white gauze drapes at the floor-to-ceiling windows and furnishings in soft neutral shades – here a cream chaise longue, there a champagne coloured rug. Things are just as thoughtfully designed in the public areas, from the retro glamour of Matador restaurant (with a menu devised by celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten) to the classic navy-and-white stripes of the beach umbrellas, while down in Basement, the entertainment hub, dramatic light effects liven up the nightclub, bowling alley and ice rink. Yes, ice rink.

2901 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach

Eco-consciousness and luxury marry beautifully inside the 1 Hotel South Beach. Meyer Davis Studio was called in to design the hotel’s lower eight floors, resulting in an airy indoor retreat of white-washed reclaimed woods and matching linens under a two-story panelled ceiling. Miami’s Plant the Future created over 800 terrariums for the hotel’s opening (including one for each room), placing a floor-to-ceiling moss mural in the grand entrance. Green initiatives are, in fact, present at every turn: the building was reconstructed to reduce its annual carbon footprint by 621 metric tons while living green walls purify the main ballroom and also decorate the exterior facade. The spacious guest rooms feature drinking filters (no water bottles here!) as well as hemp mattresses and organic bed linens (rest assured: just as comfy as they are eco-friendly).

2341 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach

Most hotels would be happy to have one rooftop pool but at Kimpton Epic Miami you get two to choose from, both on the 16th-floor terrace, and both with great views that you can soak up from the comfort of a private cabana. The outlook is just as impressive from the bedrooms, too – all rooms and suites are on floors 18 to 30 of this shiny new skyscraper, so no one misses out on a great vista over city skyline, Miami River or Biscayne Bay. You can watch the comings and goings of cruise ships in PortMiami, see the surrounding tower blocks light up at night and, if you get really lucky, spot manatees making their way along the river below. Wherever you stay you’re guaranteed a prime spot, because every room has a private balcony and comfy outdoor chairs, but for the ultimate indulgence, upgrade to EPIC.29, the luxury concierge-level rooms on the top two floors.

270 Biscayne Blvd Way, Miami