The Ritz-Carlton South Beach

There are hotels — even luxury hotels — in Miami Beach where the evening’s festivities threaten to spoil the air of tranquility that’s essential to this type of hospitality. It almost goes without saying, however, that the Ritz-Carlton, South Beach is not one of these. This thoroughly restored Morris Lapidus landmark is plenty stylish, mixing as it does classic Miami modernism and echoes of Art Deco with crisp contemporary design; there’s nothing dated or old-fashioned about it at all.

In fact the rooms are downright hip, perhaps surprisingly so; a measured but noticeable departure from the brand’s old style, which often erred on the side of conservatism. The Atlantic-facing rooms and suites are the most desirable, but all of them, at all levels, are spacious, light-filled, and furnished with every comfort you could plausibly expect, from marble bathrooms stocked with Diptyque products to 50-inch Samsung televisions.

The hotel’s distinctive cross-shaped swimming pool is a stunner, as is the Ritz-Carlton Spa. And bearing the historical name of this South Beach landmark is the DiLido Beach Club, an all-day restaurant and garden bar. Fuego Y Mar, the Mediterranean-inspired restaurant, is a lively one, as is Bagatelle House, inspired by the south of France. And the Lapidus Bar, named for the original architect, is the Ritz-Carlton’s swankiest nightspot, with a rather more refined atmosphere than the typical South Beach hotel bar.