Review: The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach

Why book? The Ritz-Carlton South Beach, one of a string of hotels on Miami’s destination waterfront, is a refined respite from the area’s pool parties and ‘til-the-sun-rises nightlife, while still providing easy access to the city’s best restaurants, a great lobby bar scene, and ocean views.

Set the scene With a prime South Beach location, the Ritz-Carlton is right in the mix of things. Easy to appreciate, though, is that the clientele—a mix of sharply dressed business travelers, vacationing couples, and a handful of families with children—is on a different wave-length than the throngs of people club-hopping nearby each night (at least, for the most part).

The backstory: Though the hotel was originally opened in 1953, the property underwent a $90 million-dollar renovation just before the pandemic and was only open for a couple months before COVID-19 hit. Like most Ritz-Carltons, the experience is reliably five-star: service is fantastic, the decor is elevated and modern while nodding to the destination, amenities leave little to be desired, and the location is ideal.

The rooms The rooms are crisp and modern, with white walls and linens punctuated by deep cerulean blue furniture—a velvet bed frame, plush chaise—and mid-century-style accents like bronze reading lamps and caned armchairs. In the ocean-view rooms and suites, which make up a majority of the room categories, the brilliant Atlantic out of the window is the real star of the show, just as it should be.

Food and drink: The Lapidus lobby bar is a bubbly scene, and the mood is similar at casual restaurant Fuego y Mar on the pool deck—on a night when you need a break from making reservations out and about, pop down for a cocktail followed by dinner (and maybe, another cocktail...). At Fuego y Mar, dig into punchy Latin American dishes, like a Mexican-style ceviche and Peruvian-style crudos, and, at Lapidus, go for the rum-based drinks. They treat local flavors with care here.

The spa: A full-service den of pampering with everything from a nail and hair salon to facials and body treatments. Facials incorporate the luxe Natura Bisse line, with a pricey “Diamond Luminous” treatment available. The spa recently introduced treatments in the “Timeless Capsule,” an elliptical room designed to condense spa treatments and is ideal for time-restricted guests.

The neighborhood/area: South Beach is exactly as you know it, a blur of flashy cars, locals working out around the clock, and tanned, manicured visitors strutting down Collins Avenue and Ocean Drive. Chef-led staples, like Los Fuegos in the Faena, are within a stone’s throw, as are must-snag reservations at New York City-imports Carbone and Lucali. That’s just the tip of the iceberg in these parts, though.

The service: Attentive, and proactive—you’ll find everyone from the front desk to the bar staff working to anticipate your next move and make it easier for you. Need a suit pressed in record time? They’ve got you covered. Hoping to rearrange your itinerary around a rainy day? Someone’s on it. The club level really does feel like a club too, with quickly familiar faces and staff that is always on hand to grab you a glass of champagne or an afternoon espresso.

Accessibility: This sprawling property has elevators and ramps, though circling around some of the lobby stairs can feel a bit like navigating through a corn maze.

Anything left to mention? The ocean-view rooms are a must—you’re in Miami, after all—but be warned that, should your neighbor decide to have a 4a.m. nightcap on their balcony, as ours did, you’ll hear it. Given all the activity down on street level, though, that’s hardly as bad as it could be. And given that the beds—fitted with plush down toppers—are as comfy as can be, you might never notice.