Miami Beach Travel Guide

Three-quarters of a century after the art deco movement, Miami remains one of the world's trendiest and flashiest hot spots. Luckily for visitors, South Beach is no longer the only place to stand and pose in Miami. North of downtown Miami's megamakeover, the growing Wynwood and Design districts—along with nearby Midtown—are home to Miami's hipster and fashionista scenes, and South Beach continues to extend both north and west, with the addition of new venues north of 20th Street and along the bay on West Avenue. Following the reopening of the mammoth Fontainebleau and its enclave of nightclubs and restaurants along Mid-Beach, other globally renowned resorts have moved into the neighborhood, like the Soho Beach House and Canyon Ranch.

RITZ-CARLTON, SOUTH BEACH REVIEW

Completely revamped and renovated for 2013, the smoking hot, art deco Ritz-Carlton, South Beach is a suprisingly trendy, beachfront bombshell, with a dynamite staff, a snazzy Club Lounge, a "tanning butler," 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, that is, attentive service, a kids' club, a club level with five food presentations a day, and high-end restaurants. The spa has exclusive brands of scrubs and creams. The "tanning butler" will make sure you're not burning and will apply lotion in the hard-to-reach places. Friday through Sunday afternoons a master mixologist patrols the pool deck with a caipirinha cart, serving made-to-order cocktails using homemade syrups crafted from fresh herbs and fruit. 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 1954 art moderne hotel, designed by Morris Lapidus, has never been hotter.