the miami menu
best hotels in miami
where to stay in miami, from beach resort to boutique. we've focused on hotels that get the food and drink right, because the best miami hotel experience starts well before you get to the pool.
last updated: july 2026
The eco-luxury flagship on the sand, and it pulls it off without the wellness posturing getting in the way. Reclaimed wood and ocean light in the rooms, deep beachfront pools, and Tala Beach is the day club to know. The food happens to be the best hotel program on the beach, and it's not close: WATR sits 18 floors up over the water, and AVIV, from the CookNSolo team behind Zahav, is already one of the best new restaurants in the city.
eat at: AVIV, WATR rooftop · day at: Tala Beach
The most theatrical hotel in miami by a wide margin, and it commits all the way: the gilded Damien Hirst mammoth in the lobby, the red-and-gold interiors, the cabaret at Faena Forum. Beach service and design are flawless, nothing here is accidental or understated. Los Fuegos by Francis Mallmann runs the open-fire argentine cooking in the courtyard. If you're going to spend, this is the most memorable place to do it.
eat at: Los Fuegos by Francis Mallmann
The hotel that defined what miami beach could be in the 90s is back. The Philippe Starck design is intact, the pool is still the best on the strip, and the rooms feel like the icon reopening the way it should. Paris Society runs the food and beverage now. Some hotels are iconic because they earned it, and the Delano is one of them. Early visits confirm it still has what made it matter.
eat at: the restaurant and bar
The 1940s art deco landmark came back in 2025 after a $100 million restoration, now run by Proper Hospitality. The oceanfront position and MiMo bones are intact, the rooms are done right, and the pool and ocean terrace do the heavy lifting. Food and drink finally match the address: Pauline is the signature restaurant, Little Torch the cocktail lounge built for old-school miami beach nights.
eat at: Pauline, Little Torch
You already know the Fontainebleau. The pool deck is a legitimate event and the scale is absurd: 1,500 rooms, a beach club, a full spa, a dozen restaurants and bars including Mirabella and Hakkasan. It's not the most intimate hotel in miami but it is the most miami hotel in miami. There's a reason everyone ends up here eventually, and first-timers and lifers both understand it.
eat at: Mirabella, Hakkasan
One of south beach's true icons, and it earns the title. The zen-inspired lobby of black granite and French limestone sets the tone: sleek, calm, quietly timeless. Three temperature-controlled pools step down the courtyard, the oceanfront service is genuinely five-star, and the DUXIANA beds in the ocean suites are worth the rate on their own. Jaya handles the pan-asian food and holds its own against the address.
eat at: Jaya
Ian Schrager doing for now what he did for the 90s with the Delano. The EDITION stacks in amenities you didn't know a hotel could hold, an ice rink and a bowling alley and the Basement nightclub among them, without the rooms losing their calm oak-and-white restraint. Five bars and restaurants, led by Matador Room, Jean-Georges Vongerichten's latin-leaning flagship. A genuine scene that still works as a hotel.
eat at: Matador Room
High-energy and unapologetic about it, but the substance backs the scene. The rooms are the largest in south beach, every one with a balcony and ocean views, and the $50 million art collection, Warhols and a few Basquiat collaborations included, is worth the walk-through even if galleries aren't your thing. Mr Chow handles dinner. Come for the party, stay for rooms that actually earn the rate.
eat at: Mr Chow
The calm option on south beach, a refined break from the pool parties that still keeps you in the middle of everything. Rooms are crisp and modern with deep cerulean accents, and in the ocean-view categories, which is most of them, the Atlantic does the decorating. The lobby bar is a real scene, the service is reliably five-star, and DiLido Beach Club puts you right on the sand.
eat at: DiLido Beach Club
The first new hotel to land on Española Way in decades, and it leans all the way into the setting: crimson carpeting, Moorish tilework, brass and dark green across eight connected buildings. The rooftop pool is small and made for dipping, not laps. What you're really buying is the location, steps from the Española Way restaurants and a short walk from everything in south beach.
great location for: Española Way's restaurants
The most polished big-brand stay in brickell: 70 floors up, a full spa, a pool deck that stays calm even when the city doesn't, and Four Seasons service that actually shows up. Then there's the restaurant program, the best in the city that isn't on the beach. NUNA is one of miami's best Peruvian spots, Séptimo just opened on the 7th floor with an oyster and martini bar from Jacopo Rosito (ex-Le Sirenuse), and Edge runs the sunday brunch brickell had been waiting for.
eat at: NUNA, Séptimo, Edge Miami
The only downtown hotel with its own marina, and it uses the waterfront better than anything around it. Every room has a private balcony over the river or the bay, the 16th floor pool deck runs two pools and cabanas above the skyline, and Privai handles the spa and fitness. Service is the kind guests actually write home about. Zuma downstairs is the dining draw: modern Japanese on a riverfront terrace, with a weekend brunch worth planning around. Best if you're spending time in brickell, edgewater, or want to be central without committing to south beach.
eat at: Zuma
A modern downtown tower that puts you within reach of everything from brickell to wynwood without being stuck in either. Newer than most on this list and still finding its footing, but the rooms and rooftop are sharp and the central location does a lot of the work. Casa Gianna is a real reason to book: modern italian, and better than most hotel restaurants at this price.
eat at: Casa Gianna
The anti-beach stay, and it makes the case convincingly. A futuristic Swire-built glass tower in the middle of brickell, all dark woods and skyline views, with a fifth-floor pool deck that stays busy. Quinto La Huella does wood-fired south american on site, and Sugar, the rooftop bar, is one of the best in the city for a drink above the skyline. Pack a blazer and your gym kit.
eat at: Quinto La Huella · drinks at: Sugar
No pretense, and the best value on this list. The design is sharp, the rooftop pool has the right energy, and Moxy knows exactly what it is. What you're really paying for is the location: walking distance from more good restaurants than you'll have time to visit. If you're coming to miami for the food scene, this is the right base, with Francesco Martucci, Casa Tua, Canta Corazón and Tacos Atarantados all within reach.
great location for: Francesco Martucci, Casa Tua Wynwood, Canta Corazón
The Cipriani family's miami property, and it shows: understated, polished, with Biscayne Bay views from the pool deck. The right base for anyone spending time between the grove and coral gables, close to everything worth eating in both. Bellini does traditional italian with a coastal sensibility, and Il Giardino on the lobby level is the all-day cafe the grove has needed.
eat at: Bellini Restaurant · great location for: 1986 Steakhouse, Manoli, Buccan
Kenneth Treister's 1985 architectural landmark, reborn in 2022 and now a Michelin Guide hotel. The building itself is the draw: carved wood, hidden gardens, and a rooftop pool with the Sipsip rum bar and biscayne bay views. 1986 Steakhouse brought serious argentine live-fire cooking to the ground floor. The right base for anyone spending time between the grove and coral gables.
eat at: 1986 Steakhouse · great location for: Manoli, Buccan Coral Gables
It doesn't get more old-school miami than this. A 1926 Mediterranean-revival landmark in coral gables, all hand-painted frescoes, marble columns and carved mahogany, spread across 150 acres with a golf course and the largest hotel pool in the continental US. Palme d'Or handles the fine dining, Fontana the all-day italian out in the courtyard. A grand dame that has kept up without shedding the history.
eat at: Palme d'Or, Fontana
If you're staying more than two nights and money isn't the concern, this is the answer. Three pools, direct ocean access, a full spa, and the level of beach service most miami hotels claim and few deliver. Far enough from south beach to feel like a genuine escape. Il Mulino just got a full interior refresh and a new menu.
eat at: Il Mulino at Acqualina
Ultra-luxury at the quiet north end, right next to the Bal Harbour Shops. The Yabu Pushelberg suites come with real butler service, the beachfront is cabana-lined, and two pools and four restaurants mean you rarely have a reason to leave. Atlantikós does elevated greek, J&G Grill the Jean-Georges steak and seafood. Far from the south beach noise, and priced to match.
eat at: Atlantikós, J&G Grill
Old-school glamour done right. Built around the restored 1931 Surf Club that once hosted Churchill and Sinatra, now wrapped in Joseph Dirand's midcentury-modern towers, with a champagne cart waiting at check-in. The food is a genuine reason to come: Le Sirenuse Miami brings the Positano legend stateside, and Lido does local-favorite italian in the old ballroom. Quietly one of the best stays in miami.
eat at: Le Sirenuse Miami, Lido
A secluded island resort ten minutes from the city, which is the whole pitch: the privacy of a getaway without the drive. Popular with families and couples who want off the south beach grid, and with locals who come for Cantina Beach and its hundred-plus tequilas. The beach is calm, the pace is slower, and the airport is still close. Miami's easiest escape that never feels like a compromise.
eat at: Cantina Beach, Lightkeepers
The wellness pick, and it takes the word seriously. Originally a Canyon Ranch, the Carillon runs a phenomenal spa, four pools, a two-story fitness center and a roster of nutritionists, acupuncturists and healers who actually host retreats on site. The north beach location means calm over crowds, with 750 feet of quiet sand. Come to reset, not to party. It pairs naturally with a few days on our move list.
eat at: The Strand
An island-feeling resort without the island, 300 acres built around a century-old banyan tree up in aventura. Golf courses, the Tidal Cove water park, gardens and Mediterranean architecture make it a real getaway that keeps kids, adults and golfers equally happy. Bourbon Steak by Michael Mina anchors the food. Best with Marriott points to burn, and a short walk from the Aventura Mall.
eat at: Bourbon Steak
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