9 Best Hotels in Miami and Miami Beach, Florida

The grand dame of Sunny Isles Beach continues to raise the bar for Miami beachfront luxury, delivering a fantasy of modern Mediterranean opulence, with sumptuously appointed, striking gray- and silver-accented interiors and expansive facilities. Oceanfront lawns recall Miami's famed Vizcaya gardens; three stylish swimming pools (one adults-only) and a colossal 20,000-square-foot ESPA spa offer opportunities for relaxation; and the famed Il Mulino New York restaurant is there for excellent dining. Upon arrival, you'll quickly notice the Ferraris and Lamborghinis lining the driveway. With this prelude it's only natural that accommodations are sinfully comfortable and undeniably lavish, with every conceivable frill. Even standard rooms facing away from the ocean seem grand; they have huge flat-screens that rise out of the foot of the bed, making recumbent TV-watching into a theater experience. The property is exceptionally children-friendly, with a fabulous kids' program and tons of activities on-site.

A lush paradise in the heart of Brickell's city center, this tropical, trendy hotel has impeccable art and design elements plus rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows and views of the twinkling city—even from the bathtubs. The sustainable design of the hotel is LEED certified, making it one of the greenest properties in the area. Dining options include fifth-floor Quinto La Huella, a meat-centric Uruguayan concept, and Sugar, a rooftop bar with some of the city's best sunset views.

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.

In an ultra-laid-back setting on serene Key Biscayne, it's only natural to appreciate the Ritz hallmarks of pampering with luxurious rooms, attentive service, five on-property dining options, and ample recreational activities for the whole family. An expansive, grand lobby feels like an old-world European villa. Beyond the doors lies a large garden area that leads to the pools and beach beyond. Rooms, bathed in ocean blues and earth tones, feature either a resort or water view with floor-to-ceiling windows, balcony, and workspace. A 25,000-square-foot spa offers unique services based on Florida's rich Caribbean and Tequesta roots. The property's five eateries take you through the gastronomy and beverages of Cuba (RUMBAR), Mexico (Cantina Beach), New York (Key Pantry, offering a Dean & Deluca–style market), and back to Miami (Dune, Burgers on the Beach, and Lightkeepers, the hotel's flagship, coastal-cuisine restaurant). An 11-court tennis "garden" with daily clinics, a private beach, and beachside water sports are other options. The Club Level offers food and beverage presentations throughout the day, and the Ritz Kids club has expanded its full-, half-day, and Saturday-night programs to include island history, fishing, and beach treasure hunts. Borrow bikes here to explore Bill Baggs Park and its lighthouse.

Not to be confused with the budget Bentley Hotel down the street, the Hilton Bentley Miami is a contemporary, design-driven, and artsy boutique hotel in the emerging and trendy SoFi (South of Fifth) District, offering families just the right mix of South Beach flavor and wholesome fun while still providing couples a romantic base without any party madness. Occupying two 10-story buildings with a prime beachfront location, rooms and suites (collectively called "studios") range from snug to colossal, each adorned with a perfect mix of art deco redux and modern bling. They feature Italian-marble flooring, kitchenettes, and balconies facing either the ocean or the Miami skyline. It happens to be one of the area's few kid-friendly boutique hotels, and, as such, for the little ones there are child-size beach chairs and umbrellas as well as a bunch of other kids' amenities on request.

Golfers and families flock to this 300-acre tropical resort flaunting jumbo-size suites and world-class amenities, including 36 holes of championship golf, prolific tennis courts, an on-site waterpark, the three-story âme Spa & Wellness Collective, and two renowned restaurants—Michael Mina's Bourbon Steak and Corsair kitchen & bar. To compensate for its location in residential Aventura, the resort has a private beach club a five-minute shuttle ride away. The lush resort and club was conceptualized on the back of a cocktail napkin in 1967 by founder and real estate developer Donald Soffer. South Florida's leading shopping destination, Aventura Mall, is right across the street.

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.

In one of South Florida's poshest neighborhoods, this property exudes contemporary beachfront luxury design with decadent mahogany-floor guest rooms featuring large terraces with panoramic views of the water and city, over-the-top bathrooms with 10-foot floor-to-ceiling windows, and LCD TVs built into the bathroom mirrors. Suites have fully equipped kitchens with cooktops, microwaves, convection ovens, dishwashers, and refrigerators. The northwest corner suites have some of the best views in Miami. Split your afternoons between the outdoors—enjoying the pool and 750 feet of beachfront—and the hotel's lavish, 10,000-square-foot spa and fitness center.

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.