PRICE:
Frommer's Highly Recommended

With its towering ceilings, sultry furnishings, and massive gilded mirrors, the elegant 1940s-style National ought to be the backdrop for a gangster flick. At 11 stories, the main building stands taller than most of its neighbors and offers grand views of the beach and ocean below. Guest rooms and suites were designed as a tranquil and elegant refuge from bustling South Beach. Complementing the hotel's sleek Art Deco lobby, guest rooms feature modern geometric shapes and classic colors. Rooms are divided into two distinctive buildings: the Historic Tower and the Cabana Wing, which feature their own balconies overlooking the spectacular Infinity Pool. Seeking the ultimate in luxury? Check into The Triplex, the National's three-level penthouse suite where you can sit on top of South Beach like a Hollywood star. And while all the rooms in the main hotel are comfortable and plush, the best rooms are the 32 poolside cabana rooms that are ultra modern, with flatscreen TVs, European linens, and feather pillows. The hotel's historic Deco lobby is a rarity in a town where all vestiges of the good old days have given way to sterile minimalism.

The National's pool, however, is the hotel's crown jewel. It's Miami's longest pool (205 ft.) and can be considered the supermodel of hotel pools, lithe and graceful and almost too sleek (rivaling even the Delano's pool) for splashing. The pool's Zee Pool Lounge is a great place for afternoon and evening cocktails and features a great, grill menu with a gourmet twist with fabu fare including grilled shrimp kebabs and Cajun scallop skewers. The hotel's Tamara is an elegant and formal dining room offering French fusion fare, and the lobby's Deco-cool D'Lounge looks like a 1940s movie set. Live entertainment on weekends, a wine connoisseur club, and happy hours during the week add to the ambience.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's South Florida including Miami and Keys, 5th Edition, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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