Top 10: the best Miami hotels with pools
An insider's guide to the best hotels with pools in Miami, featuring the top places to stay for rooftop infinity pools, palm-shaded sun loungers, poolside cocktail bars and Art Deco architecture, in locations including Downtown, Miami Beach and South Beach.
A glittering 54-storey tower in downtown Miami with sweeping views of the Miami River and Biscayne Bay, the EPIC hotel is a luxurious destination featuring London transplant Zuma for fine Japanese dining. Guest rooms are modern and spacious with glass balconies and floor-to-ceiling windows. The 16th-floor pool deck is chock-full of amenities, with two angular infinity pools and the acclaimed Exhale Spa with results-oriented treatments and Core Fusion and yoga classes.
The ultimate in Miami Beach cool, The Standard Spa hotel boasts one of the hottest poolside scenes in town, along with inspired fitness and wellness programming in its popular spa. The views are picturesque with a labyrinthine garden leading to the dockside pool and Lido Restaurant & Grill. Additional amenities include a large spa, featuring a Turkish hammam, do it yourself hydrotherapy treatments, saunas, yoga rooms and outdoor mud baths.
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The Delano put South Beach back on the map in the 1990s when it was a playground for the likes of Madonna, Prince, Jennifer Lopez and P. Diddy. Conceived by Ian Schrager— often credited as the founder of the modern boutique hotel — the Delano is still a hotspot today. Its main attraction is the whimsical oceanfront yard with its long, infinity-edged pool, copious cabanas, daybeds and a buzzing bar. From the silver baroque café tables and chairs perched in the shallow end, to trees trimmed in the shape of gum drops amidst tall palm trees, it’s a playful space that draws a crowd. There’s also the small, but stylish Agua Spa and a fitness centre.
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There are two stunning pools at the large, eco-luxury 1 Hotel South Beach: the 15 square-metre main pool, on an elevated plaza, puts the ocean at mesmerising eye level, while the narrow rooftop pool is an equally splendid hideaway with 360-degree views that encompass the city skyline and ocean. Poolside service is also excellent, with attendants on hand to offer iced water, menus and even complimentary baked goods at intervals throughout the day. The hotel is also at the nexus of two Miami beaches.
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W Miami, formerly the Viceroy, is a slick, stylish hotel, perfect for business or leisure travellers. Its impressive 300-foot long rooftop infinity pool –15 storeys up – is the longest in the city. Naturally, it also boasts incredible views over Downtown, the Miami River and Biscayne Bay. It also has a chilled-out party scene, and you can often find a DJ spinning the discs poolside on weekends. Philippe Starck designed the spa: it has a lavish, angular wading pool inlaid in marble in the middle of a library.
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A collaboration between American hotelier Ian Schrager and Marriott International, The Miami Beach EDITION occupies a restored mid-century grand dame on the Atlantic Ocean, a little north of South Beach. The EDITION's sprawling poolscape is one of the nicest in Miami Beach: there are two palm-shaded swimming pools to choose from, surrounded by sun loungers and with the poolside Tropicale cabana bar to turn to for refreshments. The hotel’s design tows the line between sumptuous mid-century glamour and restrained modernity with a sprawling, all-white marble lobby.
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All glamour, all the time, the Fontainebleau oozes with it from the moment you set foot on its iconic marble bow-tie floor and gaze up at three glittering chandeliers by Chinese contemporary artist Ai Weiwei. The lobby is anchored by the neon-pulsing Bleau Bar, a buzzing gathering place by day and night. The pool area is equally impressive, with a massive freeform pool and various other small pools, as well as luxurious cabanas in addition to standard lounge chairs.
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The Biltmore is a Miami icon with a rich history nearly as old as the city itself. With vaulted ceilings, travertine floors, marble columns, restored hand-painted frescos and lavish gardens and courtyards, it is a luxurious, stately hotel that exudes Old Florida opulence. Its 600,000-gallon swimming pool – adorned with Renaissance-style sculptures – is currently the largest in the continental United States. The sprawling property has long been an elegant gathering place for the city’s social set and international travellers.
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A perennial hotspot since the day it opened. Expect stunning design flourishes – such as high-ceilings, a bar outfitted in eclectic furniture and a rotating collection of museum-quality modern art – and a large pool with copious cabanas. The hotel's own Wall nightclub is a great spot for a South Beach night out. Each room has a balcony overlooking the beach.
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With a unique location overlooking Biscayne Bay on the west side of South Beach, the Mondrian is a stylish boutique hotel with a design inspiration drawn from Sleeping Beauty’s castle. The hotel's poolscape is a playful place to sunbathe, overlooking the bay with cabanas set beneath an exaggeratedly tall arcade of hedges, and an equally oversized cabana with white gauzy curtains surrounding piles of red pillows and an Oriental rug. Come here for sunset views over downtown Miami.
