Forget South Beach. Just a few miles north, Miami Beach offers a more laid-back experience — without the poolside pickup lines — making it the ideal mini-weekend escape, any time of year.
Where to Stay:
Eden Roc Renaissance Miami Beach features 631 luxurious rooms (from US $259 a night), including the 650-square feet Ocean Tower corner king suites. These gorgeous suites feature a full dining room, living room, separate king bedroom, full double-sink bathroom with rain shower and Jacuzzi tub, and two flat-screen TVs, all encompassed by floor-to-ceiling windows and a spacious balcony overlooking the ocean. With four infinity-edge pools (including an adults-only and a near-Olympic-size pool for doing laps), covered cabana beds, dozens of lounge chairs on multi-levels, and complimentary poolside snacks all day long, you may never want to leave the resort. If you do, make a pit stop at the Starbucks in the lobby before you head out.
Where to Eat:
Chef Scott Conant brings his NYC-bred Italian restaurant Scarpetta (also recently opened in Toronto’s Thompson Hotel) to the Fontainebleau Miami Beach. Signature dishes include creamy burrata (US $17), truffled polenta (US $16) or rabbit ragu and sausage cavatelli (US $24).
Joe’s Stone Crab, in its 99th year, is an institution. They don’t take reservations, so get there early to avoid the two-hour wait. Be sure to order the stone crabs — in medium, select, large and jumbo (market price) and eat them as the locals do, like popsicles. For a steakhouse experience, head to Prime One Twelve at the southern-most tip of South Beach. Grab a spot on the patio and people-watch the crowds on Ocean Drive. With a crowd? Order the Kobe beef sliders (US $25) for a truly lavish dish to share.
What to Do:
Spend the afternoon at the 22,000-square-foot ELLE Spa. Eighteen treatment rooms offer everything from four-handed facials (from US $195) to Thai massage (from US $200) to detoxifying Dead Sea mud wraps (from US $200). Book a signature massage or facial (or pay $45) and gain 24-hour access to the fitness centre, private rooftop cabanas, scrub bar, Finnish sauna, eucalyptus infusion steam, energy deluge shower, immersion jet bath and cold plunge.
Sweet Tip:
Rent DecoBikes from any of the several dozen stations along the boardwalk, Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue, and ride the bike-friendly path from 14th to the tip of South Beach. Stop in at the Art Deco Welcome Center and take the guided Art Deco walking tour (1 ½ hours, daily at 10:30 am). Or, download the audio tour to your iPod to DIY.