Tour

Welcome to Miami Modern

By Chantal Martineau

While the party shores of South Beach live up to their reputation as a hedonist’s heaven, Miami has grown up into a major centre for art and design. From its renowned Art Deco District to the annual Art Basel exhibition, there’s more to Miami than mojitos and monokinis.

Architecture aficionados are known to make a beeline for the Art Deco District the moment they touch down in this seaside playground. A stroll past the majestic hotels of Collins Avenue still impresses – not only for the meticulously maintained pastel facades but also for the mobster history lurking behind them. Al Capone himself was known to run wild around the neighbourhood, operating various speakeasies and gambling dens. (His ghost, however, is said to haunt the halls of the Biltmore Hotel, across the bay in swank Coral Gables.)

Fontainebleau Hotel

More adventurous building buffs are drawn to Miami’s North Beach, which is gaining something of a cult following for its Miami Modern – or MiMo  – architecture (fun, futuristic condos and hotels from the 1950s and ’60s). All concrete and glass, the most famous of these structures is the Fontainebleau Hotel, one of the area’s many Morris Lapidus designs. The hotel’s $1-billion renovation is set for completion this summer. In the meantime, check out International Inn on the Bay, a kitschy cantilevered construction over Biscayne Bay.

Art lovers and collectors flock to the city for Art Basel Miami Beach, held annually in December. But a growing art gallery district in downtown Miami, dubbed the Wynwood Art District, is beginning to attract visitors year-round. While it’s mostly quiet during the day, small crowds gather in the district the second Saturday of every month for a gallery walk. The nearby Design District also features monthly gallery walks on the same night. Tucked amid the boutiques selling art and modern European furniture is the Rainforest Garden Lounge, a leafy oasis of bamboo shoots and cushioned couches, perfect for a picnic or a weary shopper’s break.

The Strand Ocean Drive

If you’re going to Miami for the art and design, why not stay in a designer boutique hotel? The infamous Ocean Drive promenade can be pricey, but the ocean view and complimentary beach services – towels, chaises and umbrellas – make it worthwhile. The trendy Strand Ocean Drive is a winner for its rooftop pool overlooking the beach and sleek suites complete with gourmet kitchenette. Another option is the Albion, a renovated 1930s Igor Polevitzky structure. Just steps from the heavily trafficked Lincoln Road outdoor mall, it’s done up in hip nautical themes with a ceiling-high wall fountain in the airy lobby. The latest addition to sexy South Beach is the new Miami outpost of New York City’s Hotel Gansevoort. Boasting a full city block of luxury boutiques and a Philippe Chow restaurant, Gansevoort South also features a 15-metre shark tank in the dramatic lobby.

Gansevoort South

Wherever you stay, it’s best not to stray too far from the beach. After all, that’s where the action is. Come nightfall, artists, designers, starlets, Internet billionaires and their scantily clad arm candy can all be found sipping cocktails within sniffing distance of the sea.

(Chantal Martineau is a freelance writer who splits her time between New York and her native Montreal. She is a regular contributor to Imbibe and Best Life magazines.)

Useful information

International Inn on the Bay, 228 NE 1st Ave., 305-866-7661
Rainforest Garden Lounge, NE 40th St. and Second Ave.

TOP PHOTO: THE STRAND OCEAN DRIVE