PRICE:
Frommer's Very Highly Recommended

Another L.A.-import, The Standard, owned by Raleigh Hotel owner Andre Balazs, is meant to be a shabby chic spot, but is more chic than anything else. The quintessential spa resort a la Palm Springs, The Standard is housed in Miami Beach's legendary Lido Spa spot, a place that was swinging back in the days when women used to strap themselves into those machines to shake their fat off. Today, the hotel is full of all the modern trappings of a swank spa resort, not to mention a bay-front view and a serene location on the Venetian Causeway, a quiet and relaxing locale within walking distance of all the South Beach craziness. Unlike the Standard on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, this one's meant for rejuvenation, not partying like rock stars. Remnants of the atomic age of the fabulous '50s still exist here -- the lobby's white marble walls, terrazzo floors and stainless steel elevators, to name a few. Add to that a touch of Scandinavian retro-modernism in the form of sconces from an old SAS Hotel in Stockholm and vintage Danish furniture and you've got a photo spread in Wallpaper Magazine. The hotel library has an interesting collection, too, ranging from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance to The History of the Devil and the Idea of Evil. Nothing is typical here, especially the spa facilities, which also come to you. Guest rooms -- white-washed walls, plywood floors and macramé rugs -- are serviced by roaming carts containing herbal teas and offering aromatherapy footbaths. There's a cedar sauna, an authentic Turkish hammam with heated marble seats, and tongue-in-cheek treatments such as the Standard Spanking, a $165 cellulite fighting treatment -- the 21st-century version of that old 1950s machine we mentioned above. Then there's the chlorine-free plunge pool, with a 12-foot tall waterfall, DJ-spun music piped beneath the water. Nearby are clothing-optional mud baths. There's nothing standard about this hotel.

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

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