As one of the world’s most popular holiday destinations, South Florida provides guest accommodations that range from the spartan to the sublime, including a handful of 5-star hotels in Miami whose level of service redefines luxury.
Miami Beach travelers may experience the Setai, the Ritz-Carlton South Beach, The Villa by Barton G and the brand new W South Beach Hotel. Other visitors prefer their five-star hotels on the quieter side and choose Acqualina in Sunny Isles Beach or the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Miami. These top tier locations feature plush amenities such as pampering spas, gourmet dining and attentive service to facilitate a dream vacation for every guest.
2001 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL
One of the most serene and truly breathtaking hotels in Miami Beach, The Setai is an Asian-accented oceanfront oasis of calm in the very center of the scene. A unique combination of tranquility and luxury just steps away from the city’s top restaurants and nightclubs makes this one of the most desired destinations for the discerning traveler.
Interior Designer Jaya Pratomo Ibrahim crafted this breathtaking resort in dark woods with tropical gardens, sparkling reflecting pools and relaxing sundecks overlooking a stretch of white sand beach.
A Pacific Rim-inspired spa offers private suites overlooking the surf where guests enjoy pampering treatments targeting the restoration and realignment of the body.
Choose a casual meal at the hotel grill, an alfresco cocktail with lunch poolside or a more formal dinner service at The Restaurant where a battalion of international chefs crafts a unique menu at the demonstration kitchen in view of the dining room. The hotel offers three temperature-regulated pools and direct beach access with food and drink service, magazines and iPods; making it easy to relax and enjoy the sun.
1 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, FL
The Ritz-Carlton South Beach offers families and business travelers a unique combination of sophisticated luxury and quick access to the shops and sidewalk cafes along Lincoln Road Mall making it one of the best locations for exploring this dynamic city
Few properties in the area are large enough to provide full resort amenities including a full-service pool and beach club, 7-day fitness, spa and salon services, an in-house designer shopping mall plus gourmet indoor and outdoor dining options.
Located within walking distance of the Miami Beach Convention Center, the Ritz-Carlton has more than 20,000 square feet of conference facilities and a dedicated business center for executives on the go.
Enjoy cocktails in the lobby bar, fruit-flavored hookah pipes at the Morroccan-inspired beach oasis, lavish brunch buffets in the hotel bistro or a classic martini in the Lapidus Lounge. Parents can relax and reconnect while the tots are safely entertained in the hotel’s Kids Club and couples and singles can enjoy a pampering getaway at the spa or inside one of the poolside VIP cabanas overlooking the sea.
1116 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, FL
Experience true splendor by the sea at The Villa by Barton G, a boutique luxury hotel housed in the palazzo designer Gianni Versace once enjoyed as his private South Beach escape on busy Ocean Drive.
No other destination in the city embraces La Dolce Vita quite like this 19,000 square foot resort which features millions of dollars in hand-crafted mosaics, dazzling pools, shaded grottoes and private lounges. A dazzling fantasy, this historic Ocean Drive villa is the perfect backdrop for a romantic getaway or a dream honeymoon. Guest preferences are noted prior to check-in so that each room reflects their personal taste in flowers, food and level of service (from attentive to invisible).
Restaurateur Barton G, who is famous for his imaginative events and whimsical dining destinations, supervises the hotel’s exclusive restaurant which offers just 30 seats and one of the most innovative menus in town. Butlers attend the hotel’s 10 custom suites where king-sized beds, marble baths, cozy sitting rooms and private balconies overlook the Art Deco District and the sea. Enjoy the pool, two private lounges or star-gazing on the rooftop patio where the Versace family spent many happy days enjoying the glorious South Beach scene.
2201 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL
Brand new from top to bottom, this full-service, state of the art resort offers guests whatever they want whenever they choose which makes it a popular choice for celebrities, athletes and discerning travelers from all over the world.
Each of the W’s 334 rooms and beachfront bungalows are strategically engineered to offer dazzling ocean views as well as comfy beds, breezy balconies, high tech entertainment centers and unparalleled service.
The resort boasts 5-star dining at Mr. Chow and Solea restaurants plus pool and beachside service day and night. Evening action focuses on the W Living Room, the poolside WET nightclub and Wall dance club just steps way.
In a unique partnership with top-rated Bliss Spa, the W tailors targeted treatment options perfect for a girls’ getaway, a couple’s retreat or a quick pick me up on the road. Guests can tone up at the fitness center, shoot baskets on the roof or simply relax and enjoy over 300 feet of white sandy beach.
If the heated pool isn’t enough, rent a waverunner, paddle a kayak or test your skill at horseshoes, bocce ball or board games. The W also provides transport around the city by bike, skates or free rides in their chauffeur-driven Acura SUVs. The W Hotel makes it easy to relax or explore all the nearby sights, restaurants and nightlife that makes South Beach one of the world’s most popular destinations.
17875 Collins Avenue, Sunny Isles Beach, FL
Acqualina is located 150 streets to the north of the Art Deco District in Sunny Isles Beach where city fathers decided to transform the local landscape from a sleepy group of retro snowbird motels into a glittering Vegas-style strip of luxury beachfront high rises.
While South Beach incorporates historically significant properties with newer luxury hotels, this tiny city by the sea called upon real estate developers like Donald Trump to transform the guest experience into a full service mega-resort destination.
Acqualina takes it’s design inspiration from a posh Mediterranean villa facing 400 feet of unobstructed Atlantic coast. The property comprises 188 private residences and just 97 hotel rooms and suites with two gourmet restaurants, three swimming pools and a 20,000 square foot spa. Guests enjoy elegantly appointed havens with private terraces, flat panel TVs and oversized marble baths.
Parents can take advantage of a fully staffed marine biology-based kids program to entertain the tykes while mom and dad reconnect. The beach club features a zero-entry pool, an adults-only recreation area, private cabanas and food and drink service.
The world-renowned spa has steam and sauna, ice fountains and invigorating showers plus a full menu of body and facial treatments designed to pamper and restore. While Sunny Isles Beach is at a quiet remove from the city’s most popular restaurants and nightclubs, a 24-hour multilingual concierge staff can arrange transport to the shops at Bal Harbour, Aventura or South Beach.
500 Brickell Key, Miami, FL
Steps away from Miami’s international financial district, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel is designed to offer a tranquil respite for romantic vacations, business travelers and pampering family getaways.
Crafted in a tasteful Asian decor, the hotel features dazzling bay views, private beaches, an infinity pool and 5-star dining at two world-class restaurants.
Hotel guests can spend the day at a luxurious spa and fitness center practicing yoga, pilates, belly dancing and Tai Chi. The Oasis Beach Club’s 20,000 square-foot white sand beach adjoins the swimming pool, jacuzzi terrace and sushi pool bar. Guests can relax on shaded day beds, snooze in comfortable hammocks or experience a deep-tissue massage inside a private VIP cabana.
For more personalized pampering, the 17 treatment rooms set over a massive full-service spa offer his & her therapies inside an Asian-inspired oasis. Offering traditional Chinese medicinal rejuvenation, Thai massage, sauna and steam rooms, the Mandarin Oriental is one of Miami’s most popular destinations for a day of rejuvenation or a longer and more relaxing escape.
Mandarin Oriental guests can enjoy a tropical cocktail at M-Bar, an exotic meal overlooking the exhibition kitchen and Biscayne Bay at Azul or a sake-tini and a sushi roll at the more casual Cafe Sambal. What distinguishes a vacation at the Mandarin Oriental is surely the level of service which is known the world over to be discrete, well-informed and always on hand. For full-service resort amenities that put the pleasure back into traveling, the elegant rooms and suites at this Brickell Key retreat provide the ultimate luxury escape in South Florida.