40 Best Hotels in Miami and Miami Beach, Florida

This tropical, retro boutique hotel in the heart of Little Havana is both budget-friendly and chic, putting you close to the sights and sounds of Miami's Cuban culture for a fraction of what you'd pay on Miami Beach. Thoughtful community-driven design, including coworking spaces and a hammock-festooned lounge out back provide a social atmosphere. The light-filled rooms have dark woods and retro touches, and there are cool (and somehow inviting) adult bunk-bed configurations for groups. The Terras rooftop restaurant and bar has a buzzy energy. 

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.

The adults-only National Hotel is a glorious time capsule that honors its distinct art deco heritage (the building itself and wood pieces in the lobby date from 1939, and new chocolate- and gold-hue furnishings look period-appropriate) while trying to keep up with SoBe's glossy newcomers (rotating art installations complement the throwback glamour). Safari-chic guest rooms, draped in leopard, zebra, and giraffe prints, are found within the historic art deco tower; the poolside cabana wing has larger suites. The hotel serves as a bastion of calm in the sea of white-on-white mod decor and raucous reveling typical of most other beachfront properties lining this stretch of Collins Avenue. The most spectacular feature is Miami Beach's longest infinity-edge pool (a whopping 203 feet long), which stretches from the tower, past a series of comfy striped cabanas and poolside tables, to a tropical tiki bar and the beach.

Immaculate views with hues of pink dominate the Novotel in Brickell. An affordable option with an extremely clean feel and great location, this is the perfect place to stay downtown while on a budget without compromising on cleanliness and a nice aesthetic. Instagrammable moments are all around the lobby and the on-site restaurant, UVA.

If you're seeking a relaxed property away from the noise but close to both Mid-Beach and South Beach nightlife, you'll find an exceptional beach, an easy pace, and beautiful gardens with soaring palm trees and inviting hammocks here, with rooms as fabulous as the grounds. An expansive lobby, filled with ceiling fans, palm trees, and French doors is an inviting place reminiscent of a Caribbean mansion by the sea. From the lobby, take a walk through the extensive property that features an edible garden, walking paths, and many places to get away from the world. Rooms offer either a city view, garden view, or ocean view and all are decorated in browns and beige with hints of tropical orange. The hotel also has a 5,000-square-foot Aveda spa and a signature farm-to-table restaurant, Essensia. The property combines excellent service, laid-back sophistication, and oceanfront serenity into a destination where wellness and environmental awareness are high priorities.

The recently renovated Ritz-Carlton is a trendy beachfront bombshell, with a dynamite staff, a snazzy Club Lounge, and a long pool deck that leads right out to the beach. There are all the usual high-level draws the Ritz is known for and more. Expect attentive service, a kids' club, property experiences like a shark-tagging boat excursion with the University of Miami, and high-end food and beverage offerings. The spa has exclusive brands of scrubs and creams. New dining includes a sultry bar, Lapidus, and a bright, airy pool-view restaurant, Fuego Y Mar, serving Mexican, Cuban, Venezuelan, and Colombian fusion dishes. The wonderful DiLido Beach Club restaurant is, believe it or not, one of the very few places in Miami where you can get a beachside meal. The ocean is on one side and the pedestrian Lincoln Road begins on the other: the locale is tops. Overall, this landmarked 1953 hotel, designed by Morris Lapidus, has never been hotter.

This supersleek, all-white, all-suites hotel in the middle of the action looks and feels like an edgy art gallery, filled with brilliant contemporary works, the perfect complement to the posh, gargantuan, 500-square-foot crash pads. With all the mind-bending hipness, you might expect South Beach pretentiousness, but there's none here. In fact, the service is excellent. All suites have some kind of kitchen component, with at least a microwave and mini-refrigerator, sometimes a full refrigerator and stove. What else? How about huge flat-screen TVs and whirlpool baths? As you might expect of such an arty place, hallways are lined with noted artists' quotes, and public restrooms feature avant-garde video installations. The 500-square-foot terrace overlooking the ocean is great for spa parties.

The modern rooms inside this Philippe Starck--designed, Alice in Wonderland reminiscent luxury escape may feature mirrors over the bed, but the real jawdropper is the rooftop pool deck with lovely city views and cabanas. An extra bonus: the rooftop bar is available only to those staying on the property. Fi'lia is the hotel's resident Italian restaurant, with woodfire pizzas and large pasta dishes. The Lounge is a safari-theme hideaway with great cocktails and bites featuring an outdoor terrace with views of the city streets below.

Formerly the Viceroy, Miami's second W hotel cultivates a brash, supersophisticated Miami attitude, likely stemming from its whimsically decorated guest rooms, floor-to-ceiling marble bathrooms, and the Philippe Starck–designed 28,000-square-foot Iconbrickell Spa. Rooms are available in a host of categories, ranging from 440-square-foot "Wonderful" rooms to a 1,550-square-foot "Wow" suite that has a living room, dining room, and sweeping views of Biscayne Bay. Each room, though, is furnished with a private balcony, a W Signature bed with down comforter and pillows, a safe, Wi-Fi, and a TV. The 50th floor Wet Deck is the W's rooftop pool, offering expansive views of Biscayne Bay and Miami's skyline. Relax in a chaise under an umbrella or sip cocktails in the sun.

This is definitely not your grandmother's Crowne Plaza: the lauded firm of Arquitectonica designed this glossy and bold all-suites hideaway, including 27 rooftop suites endowed with terraces, each complete with Jacuzzi, plush chaise lounges, and a view of the South Beach skyline. Units are at least 500 square feet and have big balconies. The floor-to-ceiling windows are soundproof—important given its proximity to Ocean Drive. The furnishings are contemporary and sleek but comfortable, with two flat-screen TVs and oversize, marble-floored bathrooms. A glass-bottom pool features teak loungers and bar service. The Z also offers a beach club with lounge chairs and umbrellas for guest usage. Spa services are offered in-room.