Stay
Set within a former hostel just a few minutes’ stroll from the beach, this boutique hotel spreads across eight buildings (connected by charming paths) and features a rooftop pool and lounge, along with a cornucopia of alfresco cafés and shops. Conjuring the romantic feel of Europe’s leafy, walkable villages, Española Way has seen very little change since it was conceived in 1925 as a rambling artists’ colony—which made Esmé’s opening here in 2021 a monumental occurrence.
If the pink-and-red marble walls of the Shelborne by Proper could talk, they’d tell stories of Frank Sinatra, the Beatles, and Marilyn Monroe. Originally opened in 1941, the Shelborne was one of Miami Beach’s glamorous art deco–era hotels frequented by anybody who was anybody. Today, after a $100 million reimagination, its 251 rooms are once again all glammed up. The curvy, organic lines of the furniture, plus abundant artwork and lush greenery, give the whole place a playful vibe, and the photogenic 1950s diving platform still proudly anchors the palm-lined pool.
Photo: JOSH ARONSON
The bar at the Shelborne hotel.
Located in the exclusive Belle Isle neighborhood, this adults-only hotel is the locals’ spot to reset from Miami Beach’s buzzy scene. Idyllic and charmingly hidden behind a forest of flora, the Standard keeps residents intrigued and engaged with its pop-up dining and events, which have included a takeover of its Café Standard with sushi and Venezuelan breakfasts, and tarot readings.
Coming Soon: The Delano and the Raleigh
When they opened in the 1940s, the Delano and the Raleigh cemented Miami Beach’s status as a major getaway for art deco design lovers. The American Institute of Architects even included the Delano, a striking white building located directly on the beach, on its list of America’s Favorite Architecture. Both hotels temporarily shuttered in the past decade, but the rumors are legit: The Delano and the Raleigh have been undergoing major renovations that will maintain their iconic styles. The two are poised to make their exciting returns in 2026 and 2027, respectively.
Eat & Drink
Much of the pilot episode of Miami Vice, titled “Brother’s Keeper,” was filmed not far from this aptly named neighborhood bar, a new kid on the block that quickly garnered a following for its retro, neon-lit ambience and inventive cocktails. Brother’s Keeper Bar also benefits from a keen sense of how to mash up lowbrow and high, past and future: Alongside late-night bites like the Cheeseburger in Paradise and Hatch chili queso, you’ll also find a rum-and-Campari Jungle Bird cocktail as well as an entire menu of martinis that includes a bright and briny peperoncini Gibson.
Photo: JOSH ARONSON
The buzzy bar at Brother’s Keeper.
Let’s be clear: The Joyce is more than the steak house it’s advertised to be; it’s a speakeasy-inspired space with a chef whose résumé includes Chicago’s Michelin-starred Alinea. Opened early in 2025 off Española Way, it’s causing a stir with its moody, velvet-draped dining room and remarkable collection of art. The pomp that comes with dining inside is worth the wait, but if you’re just rolling up for a bite, check out its sister eatery the Patio, a riff on the Cuban ventanita style of sidewalk dining mixed with classic Americana: milkshakes, hand-cut fries, and a perfect paper-wrapped cheeseburger.
Ten seats and two seatings. That’s it. The straightforward evening schedule is one of the many ways MILA Omakase makes its Japanese dining experience feel enticingly exclusive, but once you’re in, “you are not a guest anymore, you are part of the family,” says head server Jose Jimenez. “Like Southern hospitality, the Japanese concept of omotenashi is about making your guests feel warm and welcomed.” Opt for the tasting menu, which might include a mix of sashimi and nigiri with fresh wasabi grated tableside and such surprises as lobster tempura and a truffle hot pot.
An unexpected deep dive into heritage cuisine awaits inside a nondescript white box of a building in South Beach. Red, a lucky color in Chinese culture, swathes the plush banquettes, and a reflective bronze bar sets the stage for intimate dining that doubles as a sensory tour through both the rural and urban regions of China—Sichuan-style cucumbers, a four-foot-long Beijing “belt noodle,” and fluffy Guangdong Ma Lai Go cream cake to top it off.
Photo: JOSH ARONSON
Mimi Chinese’s four-foot belt noodle.
In the sea of high-end South of Fifth restaurants, Motek stands out for its relaxed style and light and bright Mediterranean cuisine. The warmth of the family-owned mini-chain, with seven locations across South Florida, comes across in its sunshine-yellow awnings, cascading flora, and zippy flavors in such dishes as made-from-scratch hummus and a whole branzino swimming in citrusy goodness.
Photo: JOSH ARONSON
Motek’s branzino entree, arayes burger, summer salad, and hummus.
Enter through the Freehand hotel into the nostalgic wood-paneled world that is Ray’s, which sits alongside the famed Broken Shaker bar. The cerulean and salmon-pink checkered floor glimmers by the glow of string lights, and pretty much the only time you can hear the television is when the Dolphins are on. Yes, the beer of choice might be the humble High Life, but the Michelin-starred chefs Jeremiah Stone and Fabián von Hauske Valtierra have heightened bar snacks like mustardy Cuban sandwiches and game-day wings into fine art. For a nightcap, order the Gloraya Estefan, a cheery rum-and-guava sipper.
Photo: JOSH ARONSON
A booth at Ray’s Hometown Bar; the welcoming beacon at Ray’s.
See & Shop
Seeing the fluorescent tower of boulders on the front lawn is how you know you’re at the right place: A short walk from all the Collins Avenue hotels, the Ugo Rondinone masterpiece Miami Mountain signals your arrival to the Bass, Miami Beach’s famed art museum set inside a 1930s art deco building. The Bass will be bumping during December’s Art Basel, but it’s easy to while away any afternoon among the museum’s two floors of works by mid-career and established contemporary artists. Through mid-August 2026, the museum is exhibiting Jack Pierson: The Miami Years, a collection of the artist’s photography from the area.
This shopping destination’s Mid Beach location forgoes subtlety in favor of bold, thrilling aesthetics (you can’t miss the wallpaper covered in a flock of swans). The massive twenty-thousand-square-foot, four-story space is like a dream department store: craveable designer clothing, shoes, and accessories aplenty, but also homewares and an entire vintage division. Serious fashionistas come for the constant carousel of brands, including resort wear from Eres, Donde Esteban, and Zimmermann that fits right in with the city’s just-got-off-the-beach-for-cocktail-hour vibe.
Leave it to Miami Beach to erect a public park that’s all underwater. The ReefLine is an in-process seven-mile sculpture gallery, snorkel trail, and hybrid reef a mere six or seven hundred feet offshore, meaning you don’t need a boat or scuba gear to access it—just a bit of swimming experience, a snorkel, and a mask. The first phase includes Concrete Coral by Leandro Erlich, a life-size traffic jam of concrete cars designed as habitats for marine life. Other artists signed on to the project’s next stages include Miami’s own Carlos Betancourt and Alberto Latorre.
A tissue box covered in fringe. A handblown glass vase that appears to be melting. These and more curiosities dot the petite and chic emporium of unexpectedness called row., a homewares boutique founded by the British-born Elise Chetek. “I love having somewhere that people can come in and see things that are pretty and cool,” Chetek says, “things you don’t see too often.”
Photo: JOSH ARONSON
The exhibition assume vivid astro focus: XI at the Bass Museum; owner Elise Chetek in her store, row.
Small but mightily fun, the bayside Sunset Harbour neighborhood is residents’ go-to place for, well, just about anything. The live-work-play destination covering about three blocks is your best bet for a me-time afternoon full of iced lattes (Panther Coffee), facials (cult-favorite Gee Beauty), and maybe even a workout (Barry’s gym). Depending on your post-spin-class mood, dine as the locals do with fried chicken at Stiltsville Fish Bar or an acai bowl at the fast-casual Pura Vida.
Day Trip
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
Calling a massive tropical paradise a “hidden gem” might seem misleading, but Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden has offered Miamians a beloved and quiet respite since its founding nearly ninety years ago. Tucked away near Coral Gables, Fairchild is a strollable ode to natural beauty, with a significant collection of palms, cycads, and rare orchids. Cool fact: It technically counts as the only tropical rainforest in the continental United States.
Photo: JOSH ARONSON
Chef Jeremy Ford harvests shampoo ginger, also known as awapuhi, at his farm.
This bucolic destination is well worth the hour-plus drive from Miami Beach to Homestead to witness a chef making “farm to table” his personal mission statement. Chef Jeremy Ford, whose fine-dining Miami Beach hot spot Stubborn Seed earned a Michelin star, tends five and a half acres of mangoes, avocados, and such specialty crops as curry leaf and ylang-ylang (part of the Chanel No. 5 perfume formula and a fun experimental cocktail ingredient). The chef opens the farm to the public during monthly (and sometimes twice a month) dinners served inside the cavernous seven-thousand-square-foot barn, which he announces on the Instagram page @fordsfarmmiami, as well as through the ticketing partner OpenTable.
See more: Ace Atkins’s Love Letter to Miami Beach