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After a six-year closure and $100 million restoration, the legendary Delano Miami Beach is back with 171 redesigned rooms and bungalows, destination restaurants, restored Delano signatures, and a lobby corridor that pulls your gaze straight through the hotel toward the pool and ocean. Instead of creating an à la carte beach operation, Delano commissioned Gigi Rigolatto, the coastal Italian import from Paris Society, to oversee a waterfront experience that channels a European beach club. Sounds complicated in words, but in practice it’s an umbrella for the outdoors, spreading from the lush garden terrace and cascading steps to the pool and beach itself (aka Gigi Beach). On the sand, attentive staff proffer plush towels, frilly designer parasols lined with floral prints underneath, and a lunch menu that won’t have you reaching for a cover-up afterward. It makes alternating between beach, pool, and restaurant lounge simple and encourages languid days in the sun that are anything but mundane.
Who it’s best for: Those who want the European beach-club experience without leaving South Beach
The vibe: Euro summer, South Beach edition
Where to eat and drink: If you want more than the smaller beach and pool menus, head indoors to Gigi Rigolatto’s proper restaurant for crudo, pastas, and a coastal Italian menu that makes its way around the country. Come evening, go upstairs to Mimi Kakushi for 1920s Osaka-inspired interiors, theatrical cocktails, succulent sashimi, and Wagyu glazed with chipotle soy.
