Which is the best hotel on Miami Beach? Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club, Surfside, Florida Vs. Setai Miami Vs. 1 Hotel South Beach? We discuss below.
1. Best Location: Four Seasons Surf Club Vs. Setai Miami Vs. 1 Hotel South Beach
These three hotels are in quite different locations. Four Seasons Surf Club is located on the Northern end of Miami Beach, facing the Atlantic and in a calmer, more serene patch of this beach.
The Setai Miami and 1 Hotel South Beach are on the edge of the central part of South Beach, so are walkable to all the nearby nightlife and again face the Atlantic. Both The Setai Miami and 1 Hotel South Beach are better from the perspective of getting to South Beach in the evenings.
Of course, many will prefer to spend their evenings in the secluded exclusivity of Four Seasons Surf Club, so if you are not looking for nightlife, it is the quieter location of the Surf Club that we prefer.
2. Best Beach
As I outlined above, Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club, Surfside, probably has the best location for a beach as it is nestled on a prime spot of quiet beach and looks out over the Atlantic ocean. The Surf Club boasts 965 feet (300 meters) of Atlantic oceanfront on a 9-acre (3.6 hectares) with more than 40 beach cabanas. The beach is spectacular, with crystal clear waters.
The Setai Miami and 1 Hotel South Beach are also both beachfront, so there is little to choose between these hotels in terms of the beach.
3. Best Pool
The Four Seasons’ four swimming pools are excellent, stylish, and relaxing and are just a couple of humps of sand away from the beach. The 1 Hotel South Beach has a rectangular rooftop pool and a ground-level pool made out of numerous rectangles. The Setai has a serene pool surrounded by palms. In my opinion the pools at the Setai and Four Seasons are best.
4. Best For Kids
Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club is fabulous for children offering a Kids For All Seasons activity program. If money is not a barrier to booking here, then Four Seasons is the best hotel for children.
5. Best Style
Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club has approximately 80 rooms and incorporates a historic Russell Pancoast-designed building. The legendary Surf Club was founded in 1930 by Harvey Firestone as a private membership club. Now a Four Seasons Hotel, it has been lavishly restored and, in my opinion, is the most stylish hotel in Miami. This hotel also feels boutique because of its size.
The Setai is a meticulously replicated eight-story art deco landmark building. Set amid tropical gardens and sparkling pools at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. With 86 impeccably detailed guestrooms and 56 suites, it is only slightly larger than the Four Seasons.
1 Hotel South Beach offers a stylish nod to nature. Salvaged driftwood and glass terrariums bring the outside into its 425 rooms. While I like the style here, I prefer the boutique feel of the Four Seasons and the Setai so they are the best for style.
6. Best Restaurant
I think the best restaurant is Lido Restaurant at Four Seasons. Once the name of The Surf Club’s restaurant prior to its reimagination, chosen for evoking the leisurely lifestyle of an Italian summer, Lido Restaurant at The Surf Club celebrates its place as the best oceanfront dining experience in the Miami Beaches. Here, Michael White, the chef behind Michelin-starred spots in New York City, brings his stylized and sophisticated coastal Italian cuisine to a Miami icon.
7. Best Rooms
Four Seasons rooms are stylish and immaculate and the best of these three hotels. With either privileged views of the Atlantic Ocean or city, Guest Rooms are bathed in natural light by floor-to-ceiling windows and feature a refreshing color palette that echoes the classic Surfside combination of sand, sea, and sun.
The rooms at the Setai are also rather nice with an Asian feel. Amenities include in-room bathtubs for personal spa treatments, rain showers, Dux beds, pure Irish bed linen, luxurious amenities by Acqua di Parma, in-room daybed seating, and teak floors.
8. Club Lounge
None of these three hotels offers a club lounge. In fact, the only hotel on South Beach with a club lounge is the Ritz-Carlton.
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