What it is

An oceanfront gem, with uber hip rooms and a top-notch spa.

What it isn't

Dated. She just emerged, like a butterfly, from a total transformation.

What we think

Just renovated to the tune of $55 million, W Fort Lauderdale is everything a Floridian hotel should be: chillaxing to the max. Guest rooms are swathed in blonde woods, bleach whites, and calming blues, down to the carpet, which is reminiscent of a riverbed. The Away spa proffers Bright Detox Elixir shots along with cloud nine treatments (you’ll want to book the Go Deep massage and an antioxidant boosting Revive Facial); there’s also a 24/7 FIT gym on site with comped classes and a whirlpool for a post-workout soak.

You're here because

Even in beach locales, you neeeed a top-notch pool, and W has two of the best—they’re rooftop, and they’re more Instagrammable than a Kardashian’s belfie.

The Moment

You’d been holing up with the hotel’s round-the-clock room service since arrival, but tonight you skip it for a meal at Steak 954—and you’re so glad you did. The chef, James Beard Award winner Stephen Starr, turns wagyu skirt steak into something transcendent. The key lime baked Alaska—with graham cracker, blackberry and makrut lime soda— is so divine, you decide you’ll be back every night.

Restaurants & Bars

Steak954 - a modern interpretation of the classic steakhouse

Sushi Bar - located in the Living Room, offering a wide variety of sushi and sake

Wet Deck Bites - light fare, soups, salads, sandwiches, wraps, colorful coctails, domestic and imported beers, smoothies, and shakes

Location

In the thick of the action on Central Beach, yet just a mile from only-in-Florida sights, like the Bonnet House Museum and Gardens, a latter day plantation built in 1895.