Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Shore Club
BOUTIQUE HOTEL
305-695-3100;
www.shoreclub.com
; 1901 Collins Ave; r/ste from $348/
455; )
Imagine a Zen ink-brush painting; what's beautiful isn't what's there, but what gets left
out. If you could turn that sort of art into a hotel room, it might look like the stripped-
down-yet-serene digs of the Shore Club. Yeah, yeah: it has the 400-thread-count Egyptian
cotton sheets, Mexican sandstone floors etc, but what the Shore Club does like no other
hotel is arrange these elements into a greater whole that's impressive in its understatement;
the aesthetic is compelling because it comes across as an afterthought.
Gale South Beach
HOTEL
855-532-2212;
galehotel.com
;
1690 Collins Ave; r from $310;
)
The Gale's exterior is an admirable re-creation of classic boxy deco aesthetic expanded to
the grand dimensions of a modern SoBe super resort. This blend of classic and haute South
Beach carries on indoors, where you'll find bright rooms with clean colors and sharp lines
and a retro-chic vibe inspired by the mid-Century Modern movement.
The Standard
BOUTIQUE HOTEL
305-673-1717;
www.standardhotels.com/miami
;
40 Island Ave; r/ste from $240/
480; )
Look for the upside-down 'Standard' sign on the old Lido building on Belle Island
(between South Beach and downtown Miami) and you'll find the Standard - which is any-
thing but. This excellent boutique blends a bevy of spa services, hipster funk and South
Beach sex, and the result is a '50s motel gone glam. There are organic wooden floors,
raised white beds, and gossamer curtains, which open onto a courtyard of earthly delights,
including a heated hammam (Turkish bath).
National Hotel
HOTEL
$240-420, ste from $500; )
The National is an old-school deco icon, with its bell-tower-like cap and slim yet muscular
facade. Inside the hotel itself you'll find off-white rooms fashioned to fit more traditional,
