Travel + Leisure

July 2023

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  Travel+Leisure Readers’ 15 Favorite Resorts in Greater Miami Beach of 2023

  Read the original article

  There’s no one Miami Beach experience. You could park yourself on a stretch of sugar-soft white sand, marvel at Art Deco mansions, eat your way through the area’s best beachfront restaurants, shop till you drop on Lincoln Road, or hit the nightclubs on Ocean Drive. In Miami, the hotels aren’t just for tourists — they’re stitched into the fabric of this lively, colorful city, bringing together the best of the destination under one roof.
  
  How Voting Works
  
  Every year for the World’s Best Awards survey, Travel + Leisure asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe — sharing their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. Nearly 165,000 T+L readers completed the 2023 survey, an increase of nearly 25 percent over pre-pandemic voting levels.
  
  A total of more than 685,000 votes were cast across over 8,500 unique properties (hotels, cities, cruise lines, etc.).
  
  Hotels were classified as either resort hotel, city hotel, or safari lodge based on their location and amenities, and they were rated on the following criteria: rooms / facilities, location, service, food, and value.
  
  For each characteristic, respondents could choose a rating of excellent, above average, average, below average, or poor. Final scores are averages of these responses.
  
  What Readers Loved
  
  T+L readers’ favorite hotels in Miami offer world-class services and amenities. Take, for example, Nobu Hotel Miami Beach (No. 4), which is home to not one but four pools, a private marina, a 22,000-square-foot spa with Natura Bissé treatments, an exclusive beach area, and the namesake Japanese restaurant from chef Nobu Matsuhisa and actor Robert De Niro.
  
  “This is luxury,” gushed one traveler. “The location is great, the rooms have amazing views, and the staff go out of their way to serve you.”
  
  And while some travelers prefer the beachside energy of properties like The Setai (No. 3) on Miami Beach, others favor the calm, more refined atmosphere of Bal Harbour. Two of this year’s winning properties are located there: The Ritz-Carlton Bal Harbour (No. 5) and The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort (No. 2).
  
  “This is the most elegant hotel in Miami,” said one traveler of The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort, a 216-room property within walking distance of designer boutiques like Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci.
  
  When this year’s winning property emerged a few years ago, it helped put another ritzy Miami enclave on the map.
  
  The Winner - Four Seasons Hotel at the Surf Club
  
  In the mid-20th century, The Surf Club was Miami’s most exclusive social club, where Hollywood stars like Gary Cooper and Frank Sinatra mingled with figures such as Winston Churchill and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
  
  Today, the Mediterranean Revival clubhouse serves as the heart of the Four Seasons Hotel at the Surf Club. Parisian interior designer Joseph Dirand envisioned 77 rooms spread across a 12-story glass tower and a collection of beachfront suites and cabanas.
  
  Guests described the property as “immaculate,” “pristine,” and “excellent.” The resort also features a fine-dining restaurant by chef Thomas Keller.
  
  “This is the best of Miami,” one traveler shared.
  
  The Full List
  
  Four Seasons Hotel at the Surf Club — Surfside, Florida
  Reader Score: 95.71
  
  “This is the best of Miami.”