Miami ? My oh My !

Boutique and Luxury Miami Hotels and Holidays

Miami has an incredible selection of Boutique and luxury Hotels for you to choose. Miami is a must see and do destination where the rich and famous rub shoulders with the aspiring and unknown for the common cause of experiencing Miami.  A unique blend of Latin America influence, artistic flair and a touch of the Caribbean help to make Miami a unique and diverse destination. From family resorts to Gay Hotspots such as South Beach, known as the Gay Riviera. South Beach is a one of the world's hottest destinations for gay and lesbian fashionistas. A real favourite destination for the weekend crowd from New York, so expect weekends to be busy and full on, with hotel prices reflecting the higher demand. The Miami gay club scene is trail blazing and what happens in Miami will find its way to the UK at some point.

Choosing which boutique luxury hotel to stay in will not be an easy decision based on the high number of high end Hotels you can select.  Here are some ideas to help you choose the right are for that luxury Miami Hotel.

BAL HARBOUR – An upscale area with beautiful beaches which has been a real favourite with the Miami elite for a number of years. Head out to the Bal Harbour Shops for some high end shopping.

COCONUT GROVE – Dating back to the early 19^th Century this pedestrianised area will keep you busy with boutique shops and art galleries, as well as restaurants, bars and cafes. Look out for Coconut Grove Arts Festival (Normally held in February), the Taste of the Grove Food & Jazz Festival (Normally held in April) and the largest black heritage festival in the US at the Goombay Festival (Normally takes place in June).

CORAL GABLES – Known as “The City Beautiful” with a great selection of upmarket restaurants and boutiques, tree lined streets and parks. Head to Miracle Mile for a specialist high end shopping experience.

CUTLER RIDGE – One of the oldest towns in Miami dating back to the 1870's, head to Cauley Square and the Deering Estate at Cutler.

DORAL – Five championship golf courses and a wide choice of cultural events makes this area an aspiring place to live

DOWNTOWN MIAMI AREA – There’s always something happening in Downtown Miami. There’s more to this area than high rise buildings. There’s a whole lot of history to discover and of course some great shopping and a great choice of restaurants where you can eat yourself around the World. 

- Epic Hotel 

EVERGLADES - Within a one hour drive you can be in the Everglades National Park which is the 3^rd largest National Park in the USA

FISHER ISLAND – A private residential area located reached by ferry that lies off the southern point of Miami Beach, and close to Port of Miami. Super clean beaches, golf courses, spas and restaurants.

IALEAH – Home to Hialeah Park where you can see those pink flamingos this primarily Hispanic neighbourhood is the 5^th largest city in Florida.

HOMESTEAD – A great place to come and visit with 2 national parks: Biscayne National Park and Everglades National Park with wildlife and natural beauty. Perfect for fishing and twitchers.

KEY BISCANE – Miles and Miles of glorious sandy beaches and quiet towns are waiting for you in Key Biscayne.

MIAMI BEACH – Art Deco buildings and so much more. Come for the beaches by day and the nightlife after the sun goes down. A great choice of restaurants, and of course shopping. Great selections of boutique and luxury hotels are available in Miami Beach.

MIAMI DESIGN DISTRICT – with an incredible array of art galleries, showrooms and antiques shops to keep you occupied – we’re pretty sure you’ll come home with a memento or two.

MIAMI SHORES – Art Deco buildings and sit beside Mediterranean style villas in this small town that started to develop in the 1920’s.

NORTH MIAMI AREA – Situated on Biscayne Bay and home to The Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA).

NORTH MIAMI BEACH – Great for shopping and dining as well of course for the beach with North Miami Beach situated between Fort Lauderdale and Miami.

OVERTOWN – Home to the rich and famous from the 1920’s to the 1950’s (Billie Holiday and Nat King Cole to name just 2).

PINECREST – Home to Pinecrest Gardens where all year round there are shows and events taking place

SOUTH BEACH – The Gay Riviera. Home to the Art Deco Neighbourhood, to great beaches, Boutique shopping, bars restaurants and nightlife. This is the party capital of Florida… it’s one of THE places to see and be seen.  Some of our favourite luxury Hotels are here in South Beach – in our opinion if you can handle the heat then this is the place to stay.

- Delano 
- Setai South Beach  
- Tides South Beach
- The Betsy South Beach  

SOUTH MIAMI AREA – Leafy, tree lined neighbourhoods and an abundance of shops, bars and restaurants.

SUNNY ISLES BEACH – fast becoming a luxury Resort, despite more humble beginnings in the 1950’s. The Newport Fishing Pier is still pretty much an original construction from back in the day. The beautiful beach stretches for a mile

- Acqualina Resort & Spa On The Beach 

SURFSIDE BEACH / COLLINS AVENUE – The original Art Deco Miami ? Classed as "America's Rivera" this area is a hot spot for music events as well as home to a topless beach.

WESTCHESTER AREA – Home to Tropical Park, a 275-acre green area and Florida International University's South Campus.

WYNWOOD – Considered by many to be the arty hub of the Miami area with over 70 art galleries and museums.

Six Of the best Miami Boutique and Luxury Hotels:
- Acqualina Resort & Spa On The Beach 

- Delano 

- Epic Hotel   

- Setai South Beach 

- Tides South Beach

- The Betsy South Beach  

If you have a particular Miami Travel Tip you would like us to add to our blog, such as favourite bar, club restaurant, or a recommendation (or warning) then please email us and we will add your comments to our blog: email us: blog@boutixury.com

The Perfect Luxury Boutique Hotel?

The Perfect Luxury Boutique Hotel?

The term Boutique hotel is often accused of being somewhat overused. What really is the definition of a boutique hotel?  How many guest rooms are too many to be in Boutique? In Manhattan we have hotels that claim to be boutique but have 200 rooms… well for New York 200 rooms is a relatively small hotel.  So what makes the perfect Luxury Boutique Hotel?

1. Location Location Location – with trying to go all “Kirsty and Phil” on you, any decent hotel has to be in the right location. But is this really true...Surely with the right ingredients any hotel can be the right location... with a few obvious exceptions is there really a wrong location. A few years ago the idea of turning the disused Town Hall in Bethnal Green in to a boutique hotel wouldn’t have been laughed at (and sneered at too we don’t doubt) but the Town Hall Hotel and Apartments excellent hotel is helping to breathe new life in to this are of London… or the perfect location for many would be with great Sea view like the Saint John Hotel and Villas in Mykonos


2. it’s all about the décor – I must admit I do have a thing for minimalist décor in hotel rooms… All white washed and sultry... I really like Cavo Tagoo in Mykonos again (so many cool luxury boutique hotels in Mykonos) but some boutique hotels like to break with conventionality and with rooms a little different... like the Sanderson in London…bit’s also refreshing to find luxury boutique hotels that are just, well… different… Palm Springs wins hands down here with two different but great examples that are bringing a new crowd to what was once a fading resort – The Ace Hotel, and The brand new Riviera Resort & Spa.... next time you are planning a trip to New York then the Mondrian SoHo is very different to most of the bland corporate Manhattan Hotels… make your next stay in the Big Apple be more memorable… it’s not quite Alice in Wonderland, but not far from it…

3. It’s all about the romance – Sometimes you just need to get away and recharge your batteries... we don’t always book ourselves into a little secret hotel to explore a brand new city... sometimes we recognise we just need to remove ourselves from the day to day, leave the laptop at home (really, are you sure.. I think I am definitely addicted to mine!) And go in search of just not doing too much... here at Boutixury Towers we‘re really not very good at not doing much... there’s always a new hotel to find, new hotel descriptions to write and hoteliers to try and impress.. But every so often we book ourselves in to somewhere a little bit different and remind our partner that we do still love them and care about them more than anything else in the World... even if we don’t always remember to tell them or, by our actions, show them they mean everything to us…can a hotel create romance.. maybe it can create the right environment... the most romantic boutique hotel we’ve seen so far on our travels is Bill & Coo Suites (Mykonos Again).

4. It’s all about the Spa – every Cool luxury boutique hotel has to have a spa Right? A chance to really give your body the time and treatments it deserves... Well at the Sirayne Boutique Hotel and Spa ,not only can you enjoy breakfast overlooking the snow-capped peaks of the Atlas Mountains, and have the privacy of, in suites, your own private swimming pool, but the spa will leave you refreshed and relaxed with a massage where they literally walk all over you !

5. It’s all about the Personality – not like your crazy Great Aunt Mabel who is always described by the family as “the one with the interesting personality” but personality as in character.. And character in abundance like the Hotel SixtyTwo in Barcelona... in a building dating back to 1897 - feel like a local in Barcelona and get the full Catalan experience..

7. Ultimately it’s all about the Service - the most important thing about a luxury Boutique hotel. Staff who remember your name and your face. They treat you as a person and not a number ….Great service is all about knowing your customer... we won’t single out a specific hotel for excellent service as we think all out hotels offer the very best in customer care

If you would like to suggest or recommend a luxury boutique hotel then please contact me: blog@boutixury.com – I’d love to hear from you.