A five-storey, 600,000 cubic feet industrial space is transformed for this walkthrough exhibit.

Situated just north of Venetian Way and MacArthur Causeway, the hotel offers easy access to Miami Beach and the Port of Miami’s cruise ship terminals. Featuring 527 spacious rooms, including 37 suites and four Presidential Suites, the hotel boasts a business centre as well as family amenities such as babysitting services. Brisa Bistro’s menu is inspired by the cultures in South Florida—Caribbean, South American and European. For late-night bites, 1601 lobby lounge is open until 11 p.m.
Good to know: Relax at the hotel’s recently updated rooftop pool while tucking into food and sipping drinks from the on-site bar, which is open peak days and weekends.
Nearby: The Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science and the Pérez Art Museum Miami, which highlights the city’s diverse communities, are both just a 10-minute walk away. —Dean Lisk
Step into the lobby of this friendly boutique hotel in Miami Beach, and you’re greeted by a wall of 20 sculptural hands, each holding a vanity mirror, as if to say, “Look at you, wise traveller, staying in this stylin’ place.” Housed in a 1940 art deco building, the extensively renovated Room Mate Lord Balfour is an oasis of calm, and it sits a mere 164 paces (give or take) from the beach on Ocean Drive. The property’s 64 guest rooms are on the small side, but they are all smartly appointed and feature “wow” wall murals of a luminously tattooed woman peeking over the beds’ yellow headboards. Enjoy a buffet breakfast served in the lobby until noon, as well as complimentary beach amenities and Wi-Fi in the hotel and city. —Ann Britton Campbell
Located minutes from South Beach (with a fleet of rental bikes to get you there), The Standard Spa, Miami Beach makes staying active easy with a daily roster of on-site yoga, Pilates and other fitness classes. Guests can soothe sore muscles at the spa, which includes a hammam, mud baths and eucalyptus steam room. —Alyssa Schwartz
Ideal for culture lovers
A love child of Baz Luhrmann, designer Catherine Martin and Argentinian hotelier Alan Faena, the Faena Hotel is located in Miami’s newest arts and culture district, aptly named the Faena District. Inside the hotel, expect a theatrical decor aesthetic, plus four bars, three restaurants and a spa. —Alyssa Schwartz
Ideal for foodies
Expect style, and food, that’s a notch above your typical surf shack at the Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club. The decor is old-school Miami glam, with mid-century accents that harken back to its days as a celebrity hangout. The hotel also houses the only outpost of Le Sirenuse’s Michelin-starred restaurant on the Amalfi Coast. —Alyssa Schwartz
Ideal for nature lovers
Surrounded by fragrant gardens and more types of palm trees than you likely knew existed, the lush Palms Hotel & Spa in Miami Beach is an escape within an escape. The decor at this oceanfront resort gives off a tropical vibe, and the menu at its restaurant incorporates local ingredients including kale and green papaya. —Alyssa Schwartz
Don’t be intimidated by the fleet of Rolls-Royces and Lamborghinis parked out front—at this five-star, seaside haven you’ll receive the same friendly, champagne welcome no matter what sort of car you drive up in.
Located on a long stretch of beach in Miami’s scenic Sunny Isles Beach neighbourhood, Acqualina is a place where guests get to live large—from the 750-square-foot standard guest rooms with oversized balconies to the two-story, 20,000-square-foot spa complete with a heated jet pool, Finnish sauna, crystal steam room and Roman waterfall.
The resort also offers world-class dining, four swimming pools and a cool, complimentary marine-biology program for kids. —Amber Gibson
The complimentary, white chocolate-macadamia nut cookies and Voss water may not be the primary reasons for bunking at the 14-room Prime Hotel—the location on Ocean Drive and the nearby famous beaches in the Art Deco District of South Beach also make it a solid choice—but they certainly sweeten your stay. Owner Myles Chefetz considers the hotel an extension of his dining brand and had the structure, which houses Prime Lounge in its lobby, renovated largely for out-of-town regulars of his upscale eateries. Chefetz’s award-winning restaurants Prime 112, Prime Italian, Prime Fish and Big Pink are just steps away, and guests can take advantage of preferential reservations at these eateries. Guest-room highlights include white-and-chrome mid-century Miami Modern furnishings, tech-updated bathrooms (with wall-mounted, flat screen televisions) and L’Occitane en Provence bath and beauty products. The rooftop pool overlooks South Beach, Nikki Beach and the South of Fifth neighbourhood. —Jen Karetnick