It’s that point of yr, when the art world descends upon Miami for the bacchanalian moving feast referred to as Art Basel.
And because the global glitterati and influential tastemakers head to Magic City, they demand stylish digs by which to rest their pretty heads.
Enter a latest batch of hotels that aim to reinvent the party retreat, the stylish resort or the hipster hangout.
Welcome to the most recent edition of contemporary Miami’s scene-stealing escapes.
Finally, a hotel in town’s creative hub — and it couldn’t come at a more clutch moment. If all goes as planned, the 217-room, nine-story retreat designed by architectural darlings Meyer Davis will probably be the go-to hangout for the art crowd’s younger generation.
Those in search of engaging conversation can find it over inventive cocktails courtesy of Bar Lab, the hospitality collective that brought us the beloved Broken Shaker, or with a meal at MaryGold’s by award-winning chef Brad Kilgore, whose focus here is on Florida-inspired brasserie fare.
After the party is the after-party on the cocktail-centric third-floor Higher Lounge, where DJs spin, and after that, the cool kids move to the rooftop deck for sunrise mimosas.
Work it off with complimentary and ticketed each day yoga classes and meditation sessions, or simply dance yourself clean to the sounds of live music and native DJs. Free bikes get you from Wynwood to all of the satellite fairs; giant, immersive, colourful murals are your guideposts home.
For those planning to stay around awhile and truly unpack their Rimowas, this 646-room debut in increasingly hot downtown Miami is a straightforward first alternative. The just-opened 49-story tower by Sieger Suarez Architects swims in desirable amenities, like a 19,000-square-foot sun deck formed beneath two-story structural pillars.
That shady, double-height outdoor space guarantees to be highly engaging 24/7: There’s a 132-foot-long pool; an outside faux-grass “theater” with 16-foot LED screens displaying movies, videos and sporting events; a bar; and, natch, killer views. Guests flitting backward and forward of their fantastical Éliou rompers are welcomed by a colourful mural by Jeffrey Noble, which sets the tone for some seriously festive darties.
When it’s time for rest, guest rooms by Florida-based Cotofana Designs embrace a residential coastal aesthetic, with 9-foot-tall ceilings, fully-stocked kitchens, spa-like bathrooms, earth tones and personal balconies — even in entry-level abodes.
Greater isn’t all the time higher; sometimes it’s those jewel-box hotels that leave you breathless and booking a return stay.
Such is the case with the Pelican, a 32-room oceanfront property that has upended the notion of a Fifties Art Deco hotel, filling it not with sleek black and brass, but with elevated kitsch — courtesy of the freakish mind of Renzo Rosso, founding father of the Italian clothing brand, Diesel. Cinematic-themed rooms range from the jungle-chic “Me Tarzan, You Vain” to the James Bond-inspired “Penthouse One” (Rosso’s secret lair when he’s on the town), to a retro-futuristic “Lust in Space” guest quarter with its Antonio Citterio sofas.
The ironic wink extends to the beachfront eatery, the Pelican Café, where chef Wendy Cacciatori serves up (what else?) classic Italian dishes with a cheeky spin. After all, if probably the most fun isn’t being had in that festive café, then you definately get a second shot on the hotel’s beach, where scantily clad fashionistas parade around sipping spumante as they order cocktails and Capreses to be delivered to their (complimentary) lounge chairs. You ought to be with the gorgeous people? Take flight to the Pelican.
Esmé | 1438 Washington Ave.
Originally built as a Twenties artists colony, the Spanish-Mediterranean Revival property retains that bohemian vibe. Its 145 rooms, by Jessica Schuster Design, are spread across eight buildings and are available in two iterations: the Village Rooms are fairly classic with slightly whimsy, while the Casa Matanza quarters are moodier and pay homage to this secret hideout for Al Capone’s gambling syndicate within the Nineteen Thirties.
Five on-site restaurants include El Salón — an intimate cocktail bar and lounge that serves only its own proprietary blends of spirits — and The Roof, an expansive space connecting 4 rooftops with a retro pool and cabanas that will probably be filled with late-night diners and dancers moving to the chilliness beats of local DJs.
In sizzling Coral Gables, 219 guest rooms and 23 suites occupy the center of the newly opened Plaza Coral Gables, a dining and retail destination very similar to Dallas’ Highland Park Village or the Malibu Country Mart.
Targeting business travelers and festive-event attendees, the property caters to ladies who lunch of their Lilly Pulitzers, replenishing their vitamin D at Phineas, the poolside ninth-floor oasis serving Latin flavors with views. Private groups can book the Chef’s Table, tucked away within the Americana Kitchen restaurant — an ode to the Americana Hotel built by the Tisch family (Loews’ owner) in 1956 in what’s now Bal Harbour.
In-built 1985 by architect-sculptor Kenneth Treister with infinite sculptural details that visitors can still discover throughout their stays, the Mayfair — Coconut Grove’s original grande dame — was once the favored resting spot for Miami’s cocaine cowboys, but now draws a more sophisticated guest.
Check into this 179-room tropicool escape to immerse yourself within the Caribbean rhythms of the calypso-style rooftop bar, with rum cocktails and live music. Or simply Instagram the heck out of a meal on the Fountain Bar, the brainchild of beloved hospitality group Lost Boy & Co. and positioned — wait for it — in one in all the unique elevator shafts.
No two guest rooms are alike, though each has a wonderful feature that comes with bragging rights, be it an outside shower, a walled garden, or a stand-alone tub. Skip the Uber line and get around by complimentary cruiser.
It’s that point of yr, when the art world descends upon Miami for the bacchanalian moving feast referred to as Art Basel.
And because the global glitterati and influential tastemakers head to Magic City, they demand stylish digs by which to rest their pretty heads.
Enter a latest batch of hotels that aim to reinvent the party retreat, the stylish resort or the hipster hangout.
Welcome to the most recent edition of contemporary Miami’s scene-stealing escapes.
Finally, a hotel in town’s creative hub — and it couldn’t come at a more clutch moment. If all goes as planned, the 217-room, nine-story retreat designed by architectural darlings Meyer Davis will probably be the go-to hangout for the art crowd’s younger generation.
Those in search of engaging conversation can find it over inventive cocktails courtesy of Bar Lab, the hospitality collective that brought us the beloved Broken Shaker, or with a meal at MaryGold’s by award-winning chef Brad Kilgore, whose focus here is on Florida-inspired brasserie fare.
After the party is the after-party on the cocktail-centric third-floor Higher Lounge, where DJs spin, and after that, the cool kids move to the rooftop deck for sunrise mimosas.
Work it off with complimentary and ticketed each day yoga classes and meditation sessions, or simply dance yourself clean to the sounds of live music and native DJs. Free bikes get you from Wynwood to all of the satellite fairs; giant, immersive, colourful murals are your guideposts home.
For those planning to stay around awhile and truly unpack their Rimowas, this 646-room debut in increasingly hot downtown Miami is a straightforward first alternative. The just-opened 49-story tower by Sieger Suarez Architects swims in desirable amenities, like a 19,000-square-foot sun deck formed beneath two-story structural pillars.
That shady, double-height outdoor space guarantees to be highly engaging 24/7: There’s a 132-foot-long pool; an outside faux-grass “theater” with 16-foot LED screens displaying movies, videos and sporting events; a bar; and, natch, killer views. Guests flitting backward and forward of their fantastical Éliou rompers are welcomed by a colourful mural by Jeffrey Noble, which sets the tone for some seriously festive darties.
When it’s time for rest, guest rooms by Florida-based Cotofana Designs embrace a residential coastal aesthetic, with 9-foot-tall ceilings, fully-stocked kitchens, spa-like bathrooms, earth tones and personal balconies — even in entry-level abodes.
Greater isn’t all the time higher; sometimes it’s those jewel-box hotels that leave you breathless and booking a return stay.
Such is the case with the Pelican, a 32-room oceanfront property that has upended the notion of a Fifties Art Deco hotel, filling it not with sleek black and brass, but with elevated kitsch — courtesy of the freakish mind of Renzo Rosso, founding father of the Italian clothing brand, Diesel. Cinematic-themed rooms range from the jungle-chic “Me Tarzan, You Vain” to the James Bond-inspired “Penthouse One” (Rosso’s secret lair when he’s on the town), to a retro-futuristic “Lust in Space” guest quarter with its Antonio Citterio sofas.
The ironic wink extends to the beachfront eatery, the Pelican Café, where chef Wendy Cacciatori serves up (what else?) classic Italian dishes with a cheeky spin. After all, if probably the most fun isn’t being had in that festive café, then you definately get a second shot on the hotel’s beach, where scantily clad fashionistas parade around sipping spumante as they order cocktails and Capreses to be delivered to their (complimentary) lounge chairs. You ought to be with the gorgeous people? Take flight to the Pelican.
Esmé | 1438 Washington Ave.
Originally built as a Twenties artists colony, the Spanish-Mediterranean Revival property retains that bohemian vibe. Its 145 rooms, by Jessica Schuster Design, are spread across eight buildings and are available in two iterations: the Village Rooms are fairly classic with slightly whimsy, while the Casa Matanza quarters are moodier and pay homage to this secret hideout for Al Capone’s gambling syndicate within the Nineteen Thirties.
Five on-site restaurants include El Salón — an intimate cocktail bar and lounge that serves only its own proprietary blends of spirits — and The Roof, an expansive space connecting 4 rooftops with a retro pool and cabanas that will probably be filled with late-night diners and dancers moving to the chilliness beats of local DJs.
In sizzling Coral Gables, 219 guest rooms and 23 suites occupy the center of the newly opened Plaza Coral Gables, a dining and retail destination very similar to Dallas’ Highland Park Village or the Malibu Country Mart.
Targeting business travelers and festive-event attendees, the property caters to ladies who lunch of their Lilly Pulitzers, replenishing their vitamin D at Phineas, the poolside ninth-floor oasis serving Latin flavors with views. Private groups can book the Chef’s Table, tucked away within the Americana Kitchen restaurant — an ode to the Americana Hotel built by the Tisch family (Loews’ owner) in 1956 in what’s now Bal Harbour.
In-built 1985 by architect-sculptor Kenneth Treister with infinite sculptural details that visitors can still discover throughout their stays, the Mayfair — Coconut Grove’s original grande dame — was once the favored resting spot for Miami’s cocaine cowboys, but now draws a more sophisticated guest.
Check into this 179-room tropicool escape to immerse yourself within the Caribbean rhythms of the calypso-style rooftop bar, with rum cocktails and live music. Or simply Instagram the heck out of a meal on the Fountain Bar, the brainchild of beloved hospitality group Lost Boy & Co. and positioned — wait for it — in one in all the unique elevator shafts.
No two guest rooms are alike, though each has a wonderful feature that comes with bragging rights, be it an outside shower, a walled garden, or a stand-alone tub. Skip the Uber line and get around by complimentary cruiser.
