Miami Beach
Florida


The Experience

While other heavy-hitting hotel brands like the Four Seasons and Mandarin Oriental have set up shop downtown in Miami's business center, the Ritz-Carlton's position on Lincoln Road in South Beach offers a more playful location to its upscale crowd. The Ritz-Carlton spent a whopping $200 million to convert the former DiLido hotel into its flagship Miami property, preserving many of the original Art Moderne details put in place by architect Morris Lapidus (including backlit convex mirrors, black terrazzo floors and oversize lamps), while giving the rooms a much-needed overhaul. Still, among the hip designer properties in South Beach, the R-C's corporate overtones can occasionally make it feel a little like the aging guy at a rock concert.

The Rooms

Though rooms are spacious (as are the gray marble-tiled bathrooms), it's a bit of a shame the resort didn't continue the Art Deco theme here. Designed to resemble an ocean liner, they come with nautical stripes and dark woods, making them feel a bit too formal for the swinging neighborhood. The Club Level provides even larger rooms and entry to the R-C's signature endless food and drink. But the most prized reservations are the six Lanai suites, with large terraces looking out onto the azure water.

The Service

Generally, SoBe hotels rate poorly for service, especially when it seems the staff is hired for looks over skills. The Ritz-Carlton goes a long way toward changing that reputation, but with more than 350 rooms to manage in the highest season, service can become overtaxed.

The Highlights

The overall ethos of a more-fun-than-stuffy approach extends poolside, where a tanning butler helps you pick out your SPF and -- upon request -- applies it for you. The approach extends to weekly synchronized swimming demonstrations by the Dolphinettes, and the requisite resident DJ who sets up nightly. But there's plenty of downtime to be had as well, particularly in the beachside cabanas with king-size daybeds and at La Maison de Beauté Carita, its first signature spa outside of Paris. And there's more to come, with the imminent opening of Evolution, a restaurant by celeb chef David Bouley. Who said the old guy at the concert can't have any fun?

-- Ondine Cohane

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