SLS Brickell
Miami, USA
The lowdown A sleek urban oasis with an upbeat, playful vibe.
Best for The unexpected – it’s full of tongue-in-cheek surprises. This sleek 55-floor glass tower in the Brickell neighbourhood of downtown Miami houses 124 hotel rooms and suites and 450 condos in the up-and-coming financial district. Design big-hitter Philippe Starck was tasked with designing the glossy hotel’s interior. Rooms, as one would expect from Mr Starck, are modern, spacious and quirky, done out in white, pale pink and slate grey, with cushions adorned with Picasso line drawings and framed black and white photographs casually leant up against the walls. In Bazaar Mar, super-chef José Andrés’s SLS Brickell restaurant offering seafood dishes with a Caribbean twist, Starck has splashed out on a nautical fantasy theme, with large, surreal maritime scenes depicted across the walls and ceiling on blue and white delftware tiles (sea unicorns, pin-up mermaids and Andrés himself all appear) and a big fish head sculpture protruding from the wall. Andrés’s Sunday brunch is fast becoming legendary, with a table laden with seafood delicacies such as king crab, oysters and Dungeness crab Benedict, alongside brunch classics such as Nutella pancakes and egg white tortilla, all washed down with free-flowing Moët & Chandon. Follow this up with the Meet Me Upstairs Sunday pool party up on the pool deck, with two swimming pools plus hot and cold plunge pools and sets by Miami’s hottest DJS – reserve yourself a cabana for the full experience… Book it Rooms from approx £168 (slshotels.com/brickell).