If you're not in Miami at least once every winter/spring, you're losing. Not only is the glorious/gloriously tacky (depending on how you feel about art deco) hotspot a birdwatcher's paradise, but it also has one of the best nightlife cultures in the entire country. But you can't very well stagger out to the beach and fall asleep, so kick off your Miami vacay prep by reading our list of the best places to stay in Miami...
The Raleigh
1775 Collins Avenue
(305) 534-6300
raleighhotel.com
• Maybe the coolest pool in South Beach (which is saying something), The Raleigh is worth a stay just for the deck chairs alone. It's about as "pretty people" as they come, so be prepared to see a bunch of dudes and dudettes trying really hard; then again, if you're that allergic to chic, we hear Des Moines is really lovely this time of year.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fontainebleau
4441 Collins Avenue
(305) 538-2000
fontainebleau.com
• North of the full South Beach craziness, the Fontainebleau has been Miami's go-to beachside mecca since 1954. Wear and tear (and a crazy-looking mural) made it passé for a while, but a $1 billion renovation a couple years ago put it back on the map. One thing they kept—their famed enormous pool, now with ultra-trendy white lounges and cabanas.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Biltmore Hotel
1200 Anastasia Avenue (Coral Gables)
(305) 913-3158
biltmorehotel.com
• Located on the mainland just south of Miami proper in Coral Gables (home of the University of Miami), the Spanish-style Biltmore is a converted WWII hospital surrounded by one of the M-I-A-Yo's best golf courses. Rich in history (check out the haunted 13th floor), the Biltmore is also just plain rich, and trends toward an older demographic. Still worth a drink even if you don't want to take out a second mortgage for a golf weekend.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Delano Hotel
1685 Collins Avenue
(305) 672-2000
delano-hotel.com
• If walking through the enormous white curtains into The Delano's dark wood lobby doesn't make you feel like a celebrity, maybe spotting Lindsay Lohan in the hotel's lower level Florida Room bar will. OK, so that'll make you feel like a degenerate, but at least at the Delano you can feel like a sophisticated degenerate.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gansevoort South Beach
2377 Collins Avenue
(305) 604-1000
gansevoortsouth.com
• The hot little sister to NYC's Meatpacking District original, the Gansevoort SB has a rooftop pool, one of Miami's best spas, and gets rave reviews for its beds (no joke). Hotel service has known to be hit or miss, but you're in fucking Miami Beach—what the hell are you rushing around for?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
South Beach Plaza Villas
1411 Collins Avenue
(305) 531-1331
southbeachplazavillas.com
• The bungalows at this boutique hotel look way more expensive than they are and with an Astroturf roof garden and in-house hookah bar, walking two blocks to the beach is no big deal.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Standard Hotel and Spa
40 Island Avenue
(305) 673-1717
standardhotels.com/miami
• Since being hungover on Sunday mornings is a given in Miami, the Standard Hotel LoveLife Sundays draw locals and hotel guests alike to lounge the booze away poolside. If you extend your Sunday Funday, a mean game of not-your-grandma's bingo starts up at night.
• CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE COMPLEX CITY GUIDE POSTS!
