Miami Beach, Florida
Fontainebleau Miami Beach
Vegas-style pizzazz
What it is
A big and brash icon of Miami Beach glamour.
What it isn't
A quiet beach retreat: this isn’t a place to seek private R&R—unless your version involves dancing and cocktails.
What we think
Opened in 1954 and designed by Morris Lapidus, the originator of the Miami Modern style, the Fontainebleau was the most glamorous and luxurious hotel in Miami. Bob Hope and Lucille Ball were on the entertainment bill; James Bond played cards by the pool in Goldfinger. A two-year, $1 billion renovation preserved many of the aging design elements—including Lapidus's notorious "stairway to nowhere"—and added a Vegas-sized raft of restaurants and nightlife options. With more than 1,500 rooms and suites spread over three towers and the gently curved central building, it's like a city unto itself. Tucked into corners across the property, you'll find a dozen restaurants (many helmed by celebrity chefs, such as Scott Conant's Scarpetta and Michael Mina's Stripsteak); the enormous Lapis Spa; and nightclubs like the celeb magnet LIV and concert venue BleauLive. The pool complex is enormous and busy. Rooms serve as a respite from all this activity, with blond wood floors and a cream-and-taupe color scheme. They're not particularly large unless you spring for a junior suite or higher.
You're here because
Of all Miami's personalities, you want the legendary, over-the-top version (and don't mind sharing it with a lot of other people).
The Moment
Red soles flashing, you click across the marble floor of the curvilinear lobby, passing tiered chandeliers and bowtie-patterned floors on your way to Bleau Bar, where you'll sip cocktails—just as the Rat Pack did in decades past.
Restaurants & Bars
Hakkassan - Michelin-star Chinese
Michael Mina 74 - Seafood
Scarpetta - Italian
Stripsteak - Contemporary steakhouse
La Cote - Mediterranean/seafood
Vida - American bistro
Blade - Japanese
Fresh - American comfort food
LIV Nightclub
Bleau Bar
Glow Bar
Location
A 20-acre lot on the north end of Collins Avenue (at 44th Street), between the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic. Miami International Airport is about half an hour away.