A collaboration between legendary hotelier Ian Schrager and Marriott International, The Miami Beach EDITION is set inside a restored mid-century grand dame on the Atlantic Ocean with a food and beverage program by celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten and nightlife offerings that include an ice skating rink and bowling alley.
Location 9/10
Situated just north of South Beach at 29th Street and Collins Avenue, The Miami Beach EDITION played a hand at reawakening the once sleepy stretch of sand known as mid-beach. Now lined with trendy hotels, including the Freehand, Faena, The Confidante and Soho Beach House, it’s a buzzy strip for nightlife and dining. While the area’s not quite as walkable as South Beach (it’s a 25-minute walk or five-minute drive to Lincoln Road), it more than makes up for that with its fashionable escapist resort atmosphere.
Design 9/10
The hotel’s design tows the line between sumptuous mid-century glamour and restrained modernity with a sprawling, all-white marble lobby occupying the curvilinear lines of the hotel’s historic bones. Original gold mosaic columns twinkle amidst a forest of potted palms. Entertainment is at every turn with a lobby bar, multiple dining venues, swimming pool and downstairs nightclub.
Amenities & Hospitality 9/10
The sprawling poolscape is one of the prettiest on the beach with two enormous swimming pools (one with a historic diving platform), a cabana bar with rooftop lounges and a grassy knoll. The spa, though lean on amenities, is transporting with its relaxation room’s white gauzy curtains and lounges. There’s also a fitness center.
Hospitality is excellent and refreshingly anticipatory.
Rooms 8/10
The rooms, with their clean lines, white porcelain floors, natural oak wood furnishing and gold accents can feel deceptively spare, at first; more unfinished, than minimal. That is, until you realize how intuitively they’re designed for total comfort and relaxation. The linens, everything from sheets to pillows to towels and fluffy hooded robes, are gossamer soft. Bathrooms maintain the minimalist motif in sharp white lines with plenty of counter space and storage. Most rooms also enjoy oceanfront balconies.
Hoteligence Tip: If you can swing it, the two-story bungalows, some with private plunge pools and en suite saunas, are worth every penny. They’re amongst the most luxurious and stylish accommodations on the beach.
Food & Beverage 9/10
When Jean-Georges Vongerichten presides over the food and drink, it’s a good indication that you’re going to eat well. Matador Room, with its gorgeous sunken dining room and outdoor terrace, is the hotel’s marquee fine dining restaurant, serving an eclectic menu of Spanish tapas-inspired dishes with a Caribbean and South American spin inspired by Miami. Highlights include crispy black grouper tacos, sweet pea guacamole and the signature arroz con pollo dish with “crackling” chicken skin and lemon zest.
For a pre- or post-dinner drink, pull up a seat at the moody adjacent Matador Bar with a solid walnut floating bar, jewel-toned banquettes and wall-to-wall framed photographs of matadors and bulls.
“I was quite witless for several days prior to the accident and should not have started out, but I felt that only a change could pull me together. So I filled a thermos with martinis and hit the highway.”
Tennessee Williams, 1951
Market is a more subdued, casual option for breakfast and lunch, inspired by European markets with raw bar selections, pizza, pasta and salads. Tropicale, by the pool, is great for lunchtime, especially when their lobster grilled cheese is on the menu.
Meanwhile, downstairs, Basement is home to a four-lane bowling alley and small ice skating rink anchored by a buzzy sports bar. But Discobox, once one a favorite spot for late night dancing has not been reactivated post-pandemic.
Value 8/10
Rates from approximately $349 in low season and $749 in high; Book
The Bottom Line
The epitome of mid-century, escapist glamour, The Miami Beach EDITION makes for a plush place to lay your head at night or a stylish evening out at Jean-Georges’ Matador Room.
Contact
2901 Collins Avenue; 786-257-4500; editionhotels.com/miami-beach
