8 Best Hotels in Miami and Miami Beach, Florida

After a massive expansion, the original Betsy Ross Hotel (christened the "Colonial" wing) has been joined with what was the neighboring, historic Carlton Hotel to create a retro-chic, art deco treasure that delivers the full-throttle South Beach experience with style, pizzazz, and a big-time cultural bonus: year-round programs include poetry readings, live jazz, and art shows. The front porch and outdoor eating space along Ocean Drive are perfect for quintessential SoBe people-watching. The lobby, which remains in the original Colonial wing, is busy, but not insanely so, and cultivates a social, trendy scene, especially in the evenings. The guest rooms of The Betsy 2.0 embody a color palette of white and ocean-blue tones with pops of green. Enjoy time at the rooftop pool deck, and consider dining at the hotel's excellent surf-and-turf restaurant by chef Laurent Tourondel, LT Steak & Seafood.

This 150-all-suites beachfront hotel is defined by a 70,000-square-foot wellness spa, including a rock-climbing wall, 54 treatment rooms, and 30 exercise classes daily. The lobby is one of the most tranquil in Miami, filled with greenery and soothing colors. A driftwood hanging sculpture is a focal point, and several different lounge areas provide places to read and relax. If you grow tired of swimming in the hotel's four pools, you'll find 750 linear feet of oceanfront out back. In between exercise and yoga sessions, lounge around your well-appointed suite, with its 400-thread-count linens and spa-like bathroom, or delight in a healthy cuisine. The Strand offers seafood-centric dishes by executive chef Rosario Corrao in consultation with an in-house nutritionist. What's more? Dogs of up to 35 pounds are welcome with 48-hour advance notice in one of the resort's many pet-friendly suites. Your pooch will be pampered by his own concierge service that can help provide vet services, dog sitters, treats, and more.

Vegas meets art deco at Miami's largest hotel, which has more than 1,500 rooms (in four separate towers, almost half of which are suites), 12 renowned restaurants and lounges, LIV nightclub, several pools with cabana islands, a state-of-the-art fitness center, and a 40,000-square-foot spa. Fontainebleau's main pool is nearly as big as a small lake—complete with islands with private cabanas. DJs play sets around the pools, and on weekends it can be a mix of kids, bachelorette parties, and honeymooners. Truth be told, there's so much going on in and around the hotel that you can easily forget about the downy sands directly behind the property—it almost feels like being on a cruise ship. And in this vein, there's plenty to do for party-ready adults and restless kids and teens alike.

At this enclave of old and new South Beach, a contemporary, 85-room tower with a rooftop pool neighbors several 1930s-era villas and modern low-rise units, together capturing the feel of a sophisticated private villa community. The secluded, landscaped setting makes it easy to forget that the hotel is on busy Washington Avenue, two blocks from the beach. New tower rooms are done in neutral tones with accents in shades of blue. Each has its own balcony. The resort fee here includes towels and foldable umbrellas to take to the beach, but the sixth-floor sun deck and rooftop pool beckon if you don't feel like walking five minutes to the beach. Consider kicking off your evenings downstairs at the stylish Minnow Bar, where clear spirits are blank canvases for cocktail creativity.

In the heart of Downtown, Kimpton's pet-friendly, artful EPIC Hotel has 411 guest rooms with spacious balconies (many of them overlook Biscayne Bay) and fabulous modern amenities to match the sophistication of the common areas, which include a supersexy rooftop pool. The lobby is decorated in earth tones—the better to showcase the rotating modern art collection. Seating areas look onto Biscayne and the hotel's marina on the Miami River. Rooms start at the 18th floor of the hotel, so you'll have a sweeping view of the Miami skyline. In general, the hotel caters to business travelers and groups, but its association with the Kimpton brand ensures a steady intake of pleasure-seekers.

The 16th-floor pool area comes to life seven days a week, especially during the complimentary wine hour at 5 pm. Area 31 is an elegant, delicious seafood restaurant also on the 16th floor, flying high with an advanced concept of sustainable cuisine. A second restaurant, Zuma, is Miami's hottest London invasion—just brace yourself for a long wait. The hotel also has a full-service marina and the fabulous Exhale spa.

Royal Palm South Beach Miami, now part of Marriott's individualistic Tribute Portfolio, is a daily celebration of art deco, modernity, and design detail. Laura Rottet of Rottet Studios was charged with reinventing South Beach's original 1939 Royal Palm and Shorecrest buildings alongside the Royal Palm's younger annexes to create a seamless design masterpiece. Rooms assume a classic South Beach identity with blends of whites and pops of tropical colors. Double-door minibars open to a world of local Florida products, while colossal, wood-framed mirrors function as sliding doors for the oversize bathrooms. Beyond design brilliance, Royal Palm is an endless indulgence of the best of South Beach, including plenty of beachside and poolside bliss, excellent eating at its in-house restaurant, Byblos, and fabulous people-watching. The hotel's location at 15th and Collins places Royal Palm in the heart of the South Beach action.

As part of the hip Kimpton Hotel group, South Beach's legendary Surfcomber hotel reflects a vintage luxe aesthetic and an ocean-side freshness as well as a reasonable price point that packs the place with a young, sophisticated, yet unpretentious crowd. Expect bursts of tropical colors that perfectly complement the terrazzo floors and create an ideal lobby backdrop. Rooms are a little small but offer an ample dose of sweet and stylish modern opulence. The outdoor spaces channel backyard bliss, with plenty of lounge chairs surrounding the pool and two floors of poolside cabanas. The grassy lounge area behind the pool includes an entire sandy beach playground complete with picnic tables, games, and the High Tide Bar. Stop by the Social Club for shareable plates paired with craft cocktails and local beers. Wi-Fi, a nightly wine hour, and morning coffee are all complimentary.

This two-tower megahotel has 790 rooms with a soothing, sea-inspired motif, top-tier amenities, a massive spa, a great pool, and direct beachfront access, making it a great choice for families, businesspeople, groups, and pet lovers. When it was built in 1998, Loews managed not only to snag 99 feet of beach but also to take over the vacant St. Moritz next door and restore it to its original 1939 art deco beauty. The entire complex combines boutique charm with updated opulence. How big is it? The Loews has 85,000 square feet of meeting space and an enormous ocean-view grand ballroom. A three-story spa has 15 treatment rooms and a state-of-the-art fitness center. In the grand lobby you'll find a dozen black-suited staffers behind the counter and a half dozen other bellboys and valets. Rooms are great: contemporary and very comfortable, with flat-screen TVs and high-end amenities. But the best part is the pool area, just steps from the beach and equipped with cooling misters.