Animal Prints, Pink Walls & Spanish-Style Charm—At This Miami Hotel, It All Works

A snowbird I am not, but when New York City’s frigid temps became too much (or too little, I should say) this January, my sister and I jetted off to Miami for a weekend of warmth—and to see Unrivaled, the WNBA’s off-season three-on-three league. When I put a call out on Instagram for a chic place to stay, the answers were almost unanimous: Esmé Hotel Miami Beach. We booked it immediately.

First things first: Esmé is in South Beach, but not on the beach, which wasn’t a deal-breaker, considering the ocean is less than a five minute walk away (and the hotel guarantees all guests a chair on the sand). The real selling point, and the one that drew me to the boutique space, is that it doesn’t feel like a hotel at all—the 145 guest rooms are spread out among eight Spanish-Mediterranean style buildings constructed in the 1920s to be a bohemian artist’s colony. (The inspiration? New York’s Greenwich Village.)

Miami can have a reputation as a party town, and even the courtyard outside our room was once the home to Prohibition-era gambling dens, and post-World War II, Desi Arnaz would perform nearby during the Rhumba craze. Our king room, though comically small, was tucked away into a quiet street that, at night, stayed pin-drop quiet. Any volume came from the more-is-more design (by Jessica Schuster), which marries animal prints, brick red walls, and plush carpeting in the best way.

One afternoon, we wandered up to the rooftop pool, where chaises and overstuffed sofas provide a soft place to land with a book. As we wandered over, you see the hotel’s history in action: 100-year-old ceilings, vintage fireplaces, and the feeling that, yes, you’re in Miami, but instead of a slick stay, you’ve chosen warmth, history, and a hotel with soul.

What's your favorite Miami hotel? Let me know in the comments!