Mondrian South Beach

With the Collins Avenue strip on the Atlantic side of South Beach pushing maximum luxury-hotel density, it makes a certain kind of sense that the next move for a hip hotel would be to set up shop on West Avenue, on the Biscayne Bay side. Among the benefits for the Mondrian South Beach is the luxury of space: these suites the largest standard-level accommodations in South Beach, and every one has room for its own kitchenette, an appealingly self-sufficient touch.

Who better to bring a fresh perspective to the long-established Miami Beach look than the Netherlands’ maximalist man-of-the-moment Marcel Wanders? He’s a natural fit, both for a neighborhood with a taste for the dramatic and for a hotel as fantastical the Mondrian; his bright and shiny modern-baroque sensibility is a natural evolution for this gleaming Art Deco town.

It’s a classic boutique-hotel pleasure palace, with all that that entails: bustling bars, placid pools, and a dream of a dining room. Guest rooms lack for nothing in the way of luxury, and the spa, also by Wanders, is a good deal sexier than the usual zen-and-exfoliation fare. Don’t be afraid of West Avenue; while it’s uncharted territory at the moment, the Mondrian will change that — and anyway, you’re close enough to the rest of the South Beach action that you’ll be thankful for this slight remove at the end of the night.