by Shayne Benowitz, The Telegraph, April 7, 2017
An insider's guide to the top boutique hotels in Miami, including the best for Art Deco architecture, stylish interiors, buzzing bars, trendy restaurants and incredible pools, in locations including Collins Avenue, South Beach, Mid-Beach and Downtown Miami.
Gale South Beach Miami Beach, Florida, United States
9Telegraph expert rating
The Gale hotel is located in the prime of the prime of South Beach’s glittering Collins Avenue scene. Its throwback Art Deco glamour is executed in a tasteful, self-contained manner with framed black and white vintage photographs of South Beach’s heyday. The décor is elegant and understated in a palette of creams and blues with dark hardwood floors. Most come for the fun: The Regent Cocktail Club is home to the most expertly-mixed cocktails in Miami by some of its most prized mixologists, and a stylish crowd to match. Rec Room, with its sometimes-tough door and eclectic, crowd-pleasing DJ sets, has proven to be a perennial nightlife favourite. Read expert review. From £113per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
• The best hotels in South Beach
The Raleigh Miami Beach Miami Beach, Florida, United States
8Telegraph expert rating
A classic Art Deco hideaway in the heart of South Beach, The Raleigh is famous for its lovely, baroque swimming pool where movie star and synchronised swimmer Esther Williams once splashed in the 1950s. Originally erected by famed architect L. Murray Dixon in 1940, The Raleigh is a confirmed South Beach classic. Where some Art Deco properties veer towards kitschy or overwrought, this exudes a fashionable, understated grace from its original terrazzo floors to comfy outdoor dining amidst a tangle of tropical hardwood trees at Restaurant Michael Schwartz. Rooms follow the same design scheme as the hotel’s common areas with pink, cream and natural wood as the pervasive colour palette. Read expert review. From £232per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
• The best budget hotels in Miami
The Plymouth Miami Beach, Florida, United States
8Telegraph expert rating
The Plymouth strikes boutique hotel gold inside a restored Art Deco gem from the 1940s on South Beach. With a louche, subtropical clubhouse appeal, the hotel boasts a courtyard swimming pool and outpost of New York’s Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill. A surprisingly sophisticated indoor bamboo bar opens up to a courtyard pool with a playful black and white checkered tile deck and cushy lounge chairs in sun-bleached coral. Most rooms are extra large with oversized bathrooms; some have French clawfoot bathtubs at the foot of the bed for an unexpected and playful touch. Located a couple of blocks off the beach on Collins Park in South Beach’s northern perimeter, it feels slightly removed from the beaten path. Read expert review. From £170per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
• The best resort hotels in Miami
The Langford Miami, Florida, United States
8Telegraph expert rating
The Langford is something downtown Miami hasn’t seen before: an independent boutique hotel with a finely tuned food and beverage programme. The 126-room Beaux-Arts beauty is in a category of its own, with 1920s Jazz Age-inspired design and a rooftop bar offering a unique vantage of the city’s famous skyline. With only 14 rooms per floor and wainscoted wooden doors, the hotel has a Golden Age residential aesthetic. Rooms all come with a queen bed in a cozy setting full of vintage brass accessories. PB Station restaurant is a New American concept – think heirloom radish salad with fresh burrata and pickled strawberries, French onion soup dumplings and a mouth-watering bistro burger. Read expert review. From £162per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
• The best hotels near the Port of Miami
Sense Beach House Miami Beach, Florida, United States
8Telegraph expert rating
Lovingly referred to as a 'micro-boutique' by its proprietor Ciro Campagnol, it is designed to feel more like a friend’s beach house than a hotel. It's just across the street from the beach, with stand-up paddleboards on hand to borrow. The hotel’s style is more Hamptons beach house than South Beach kitsch, with interiors in soft blue, rustic white-washed wooden furniture, comfy loungers and decorative knick knacks on white-painted shelves. The owner is a musician and, thus, there’s a piano in the lobby. The small plates menu at The Local House is perfect for a mix-and-match feast of octopus a la plancha, tuna sashimi, goat cheese croquettes and lamb sliders. Read expert review. From £146per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
• The best hotels in Miami Beach
Freehand Miami Miami Beach, Florida, United States
8Telegraph expert rating
This hip hotel-hostel with both private and shared rooms, anchored by one of Miami Beach’s most popular cocktail bars, is something of an anomaly; at once one of Miami’s trendiest and most affordable hotels. The Roman and Williams design is hip and eclectic with mix-and-match furniture. The highlight is the lush, expansive courtyard with a nearby pool, home to the Broken Shaker, which has a party vibe at night. 27 Restaurant has swiftly become the locals’ favorite restaurant. The menu is inspired by Miami and its melting pot of cultures: from Jewish-Israeli influences, there are latkes and shakshuka; from Latin America, there’s an arepa platter and rabo encendido made with Cuban rice and oxtail. Read expert review. From £22per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
• The best five-star hotels in Miami
Room Mate Lord Balfour Miami Beach, Florida, United States
7Telegraph expert rating
This cheeky boutique hotel pays homage to the irreverent former British Prime Minister, Lord Balfour. With avant-garde interiors inspired by tattoo art and a sculptural scroll climbing the ceiling filled with quotes by Balfour, it’s an intimate, highly stylish place to rest your head. The Art Deco exterior continues inside the hotel, with square lines and low sofas in the spacious reception-cum-bar area. There are coffee table books showcasing photography of Miami, a concierge desk, and on the walls pieces from the hotel’s art collection. There is no restaurant at the hotel but the bar serves a British-themed cocktail menu, with tea-infused drinks ($12) including the ‘Piccadilly Circus’: rum with canton green tea, mint and soda water. Read expert review. From £124per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
• The best beach resorts in Florida
Circa 39 Miami Beach Miami Beach, Florida, United States
7Telegraph expert rating
Independently owned by a family of world travellers, Circa 39’s renovations reflect a traveller’s spirit with eclectic design influences drawn from African tribal prints, bright colours such as lime green and citrus, beachy rattan furniture, vintage travel posters and photographs from around the world. The cosy 97-room boutique hotel has a welcoming lobby and lush interior courtyard. Rooms are bright and sun-filled with the same design influences as the lobby. Located on 39th Street and Collins Avenue across the street from the ocean, the hotel is in up and coming Mid-Beach near some of the beach’s trendiest new hotels. Read expert review. From £105per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
• The best family-friendly hotels in Florida
Hotel St Augustine Miami Beach, Florida, United States
7Telegraph expert rating
The Hotel St. Augustine is located in a charming residential neighbourhood near South Pointe Park just two blocks from the beach, known as SoFi (South of Fifth district), the southernmost part of South Beach. The area is home to many of top restaurants. It’s very stylish for such an affordable hotel. The building, which was built in 1937, was given new interiors by designer Peter Page. Designed in a calming white palette with custom-milled Maplewood interiors and steam showers, the rooms are a retreat in and of themselves. The shower cabin doubles as a steam room, with multi-jet massagers and stereo speakers inside. The in-room bar contains aromatherapy products – oils, lotions and scrubs – by H2O. Read expert review. From £121per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
• The best family-friendly hotels in Orlando
The Angler's Miami Beach, Florida, United States
7Telegraph expert rating
The Angler's is a historic Mediterranean Revival building with large rooms and duplex accommodations, some offering private patios. A lushly landscaped courtyard boasts a pool and an under-the-radar, yet tasty, restaurant and the hotel is only a few blocks from the beach. Privacy and serenity are the main draws. Rooms are large and residential-style, many with private patios or rooftop terraces. The cuisine at the restaurant, 660 Angler’s, is American with Latin flavours, with stand-out dishes ranging from braised short rib to crispy seared snapper. In addition to the pool, guests can borrow bicycles and yoga mats are found in every room. Read expert review. From £181per night. Check availability. Rates provided by Booking.com.
This article was written by Shayne Benowitz from The Telegraph and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.