The Miami beachfront is perhaps one of the world’s most happening and action-filled places. Not only does it have one of the world’s longest and most pristine stretches of sand, but it also has world-class entertainment, award-winning spas, and atmospheric restaurants. For a place with the sun, the sand, and the sea, there’s no better place to be than Miami Beach. Adding to the glam quotient are the hundreds of hotels, but none are more fabulous than the beachside beauties. The best options for a beachfront or oceanfront hotel in Miami Beach, FL, range from retro and chic to boutique and even swanky, upscale resorts. So, there’s something for everyone on the sublime shoreline, with palm trees swaying in the ocean breeze. Many stand out as particularly idyllic, offering amenities while being serene at the same time. To that end, here are the best beachfront/oceanfront hotels in Miami Beach, FL.
Table of contents
- Faena Hotel Miami Beach
- Four Seasons Hotel At The Surf Club, Surfside
- Loews Miami Beach Hotel
- Fontainebleau Miami Beach
- Marseilles Beachfront Hotel
- The Sagamore Hotel
- Hotel Breakwater South Beach
- Shelborne South Beach
- 1 Hotel South Beach
- The Betsy
- Carillon Miami Wellness Resort
- Recommended Beach Bars/Restaurants in Miami Beach
- Recommended Things To Do in Miami Beach
- Best Beach Areas in Miami Beach
Faena Hotel Miami Beach
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Faena Hotel Miami Beach is not just an excellent oceanfront Miami Beach, FL, hotel, but it’s also one of Miami’s most expensive hotels. When you enter the hotel, it feels like Alice in Wonderland has come to life. The digs are some of the most spacious in the city, complete with Carrara marble bathrooms and plush goose-down beds. But, the best feature is the huge floor-to-ceiling windows and the furnished balconies, which run along the room’s length and boast sensational views of the Atlantic Ocean.
If you do manage to get out of these jaw-dropping accommodations, the Faena has a lot of indulgent amenities for you. The crown jewel is the 100,000 square feet of pristine white sand beach. It lies across a sandy walkway right across from the pool complex, which has cabanas, daybeds, and even a pool bar. Afternoons are best spent at the massive 22,000-square-foot spa, which is home to one of the largest hammams on the East Coast. Finally, start and wind up your days by digging into delicious food at one of the seven restaurants and bars.
Four Seasons Hotel At The Surf Club, Surfside
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Few hotels have the glam quotient of the Four Seasons Hotel At The Surf Club, Surfside, one of the best beachfront hotels in Miami Beach, FL. This celebrity-ridden waterfront beach hotel has seen many famous guests, including Liz Taylor, Wallis Simpson, and even Winston Churchill, who’s said to have rented two cabanas. In one, he used to drink Prohibition-era drinks and nap, and the other one was for painting. But, one of the Four Seasons’ best features is the direct beach access, which lies across a neat sandy walkway from the complex. Back at the hotel, you’ll find three swimming pools where you can swim and lounge on the daybeds. Whether you want seafood or delectable Mediterranean cuisine, both restaurants at the hotel offer those, along with stunning water views.
The hotel might have a glass-and-steel exterior, but the rooms and suites are exquisitely minimalist, calm, and gorgeous. Besides being thoughtfully designed, they’re dripping with luxury. In fact, you can even see the ocean from your decadent rainshower! If you want the best of the best, go for the Oceanfront rooms, which have massive floor-to-ceiling sliding doors leading out to furnished alfresco balconies that overlook the beach.
Loews Miami Beach Hotel
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The Loews Miami Beach Hotel is one of the best oceanfront beach hotels in Miami Beach, FL, especially for families with kids. In fact, the hotel’s tagline ‘Loews Loves Families’ tagline is what makes it one of the best family hotels in Miami Beach. For instance, 4-12-year-old kids have their kid zone with half and full-day programs. Even the digs are designed to accommodate families. The rooms and suites, for example, are large enough for families of all sizes. Moreover, they have mod-cons to keep both kids and adults happy; the kids can watch movies on the smart TVs, while the parents can relax with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine on the balcony.
Begin your days with a fabulous in-room breakfast with a great kids’ menu. Downstairs, the lavish Soak pool club is a cinch for parents with covered seating areas, daybeds, adults-only cabanas, and dedicated concierges. So, while your kids frolic in the pool, you can unwind on the daybed. Wrapping up the amenities are five restaurant and bar options, a huge freeform pool area, and the fabulous beach, which lies across from a short sandy walkway.
Fontainebleau Miami Beach
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One of the top gay-friendly hotels in Miami Beach is Fontainebleau Miami Beach. This beachfront Miami Beach, FL, hotel sits on the gorgeous main beach strip, which is the see-and-be-seen place for the LGBTQ set. What’s more, the beach lies just across the pool deck and can be accessed easily via wooden walkways. When it gets too hot for the beach or the pool, the onsite Lapis Spa with showers and mineral pools is soothing and also happens to be a cruising hotspot on the Miami scene. Your day ends at one of the many restaurants and bars or the scintillating LIV nightclub, where you can dance the night away. Choose from a host of oceanfront rooms and suites that boast million-dollar beach views. White and earthy hues, oversized armchairs, and marble bathrooms top off the sexy chic coastal vibe.
Marseilles Beachfront Hotel
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The Marseilles Beachfront Hotel is one of the best cheap hotels in South Beach, Miami. This art deco district hotel offers the ideal mix of comfort and value, especially since it has such a long list of amenities. For one, you’ll find a fabulous outdoor pool and a vibrant lounge where you can gather for an evening drink. If the pool isn’t your scene, head straight to the beach, which lies right as you step off the hotel property. Wind up the day with signature cocktails at the Backyard Bar or dinner at the restaurant. After that, retire to your comfortable rooms, which have flatscreen TVs, coffee machines, and luxe bathrooms.
The Sagamore Hotel
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Those who love tasteful designs and beachfront living will love The Sagamore Hotel. This upscale suite hotel is filled with tasteful artwork and design and has everything you could ever want. The sunny beach, for instance, lies right out front across a wooden walkway that brings you right to the sands. Beach service, along with towels, daybeds, and umbrellas, ensure that you can spend hours here. Back at the hotel, you’ll love the rectangular art deco pool fringed by palm trees and a pool bar. A restaurant and a video bar serve delicious food and drinks between them. The all-suite and super-sleek crash pads are visions of luxury, with flatscreen TVs, whirlpool baths, microwaves, and mini-fridges. Of course, the best ones have full-frontal balconies with views of the ocean.
Hotel Breakwater South Beach
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South Beach doesn’t get any more “South Beach” than Hotel Breakwater, a gorgeous beachfront hotel in Miami Beach, FL. This hotel might be known for its vibrant furnishings and accents, but its digs are as contemporary and swish as they get. What’s more, these beachfront boutique digs, the best of them at least, come with huge furnished seafront balconies. When you leave your rooms, and we recommend that you do, there are many hotel amenities for you to enjoy. These include two restaurants, a 24-hour fitness center, a rooftop terrace, and the piece de resistance, an upper-level pool. The crown jewel, though, is the beach out front, which is a short stroll from your room along a sandy walkway.
Shelborne South Beach
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Boho cool is available in spades at Shelborne South Beach, which dates back to the 1940s. Today, it occupies pride of place on SoBe’s Collins Avenue, right across from the beach. Step off the lush landscaped lawns directly onto the sandy walkway that leads to the beach. The place is a shining beacon of art deco design, whether it’s the library’s curved seats or the sunburst chandeliers in the lobby. When you’re done at the beach, head to the pool terrace, which is a vision of loungers and palms and where you’re served refreshments right at the perch. When you’re hungry, the onsite cafe serves amazing Cuban beverages and street food to go. Obviously, the rooms with oceanfront balconies are the best, but they all have minibars, swish mod-cons, and modern bathrooms.
1 Hotel South Beach
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1 Hotel South Beach is the best oceanfront hotel in Miami Beach for couples who’re looking for a romantic getaway. Soak up some sun with your beloved by your side at what is the largest rooftop pool in SoBe, which also happens to be adults-only. There are three other pools too, but you and your bae might find the 600 feet of pristine sandy beach better. It’s also dotted with chaise lounges and daybeds for a lay after a swim. Wrapping up the amenities at this sun-kissed getaway are the excellent eight drinking and dining options, including a sea-to-table restaurant and a rooftop one.
If you were impressed by the amenities, wait till you see the rooms and suites, which have nautical themes and swish mod-cons. Of them all, couples will love the ocean-view king rooms with balconies are the best. They boast wraparound couches that look right out the balcony door.
The Betsy
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The Betsy Hotel is the very epitome of South Beach. It’s not just one of the best beachfront hotels in Miami Beach, FL but also one of South Beach’s best boutique hotels. Tucked at Ocean Drive’s northern end, this hotel is a colonial beauty right on the beach. In fact, you can walk down a sandy path surrounded by lush lawns right onto the sands, where beach attendants ferry to and fro to get you everything from chairs and umbrellas to snacks and beverages.
When you’re done with the beach (we don’t believe in this statement), there’s a lot to do at the boutique hotel. Water fun at the Betsy is in the form of the rooftop ocean deck, which has a bar, beach chairs, and sunbeds. Even better, there are two pools, one on the ground floor and one on the rooftop, so that you can take your pick. And when the hunger pangs come calling, two restaurants, a modern bistro, and a steak and seafood one indulge you to the core.
But that’s not all. The rooms and suites are particularly divine, especially the oceanfront digs. Are you looking to splurge? We’d highly recommend the oceanfront suites, which are no less than palaces, especially the corner ones with Miami Beach and Ocean Drive views. Besides the furnished seafront balconies, the Carrera marble bathrooms and personal mini-libraries are what add a touch of indulgence and luxury.
Carillon Miami Wellness Resort
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The Carillon Miami Wellness Resort is the absolute best oceanfront hotel in Miami Beach, FL. It also happens to be one of the best Miami Beach hotels and also one of the most luxurious hotels in Miami Beach. This sprawling resort is tucked on North Beach’s white sand shores and is all about the “wellness luxury.” Originally, it was the Canyon Ranch and Spa when it opened in 1958, but all digs here are no less than modern luxurious apartments. Choose from one or two-bedroom mini-villas, all of which have full kitchens, spacious living rooms, and massive bathrooms with deep-soaking tubs. While all have floor-to-ceiling windows with garden, partial, or complete sea views, the best ones have furnished balconies with sweeping ocean views. Clearly, oceanfront suites are the best “seats” in the house.
No matter who stays here, they all love the pristine sandy beach out front, which is accessible via sandy and paved pathways. Mostly, they lead from the pool complex, which has four pools, numerous cabanas and daybeds, a pool bar, and lush gardens. Wrapping up the amenities are the swanky gym and the onsite waterfront restaurant, where you can enjoy delectable Miami Beach cuisine.
Recommended Beach Bars/Restaurants in Miami Beach
- Casa Isola: Combine affordable yet classic Italian dishes and mesmerizing Atlantic views, and you get Casa Isola. This Sunset Harbor restaurant boasts a fabulous patio where you can sit and people-watch while digging into rigatoni alla carbonara and washing it down with cocktails.
- Joe’s Stone Crab: This restaurant is the holy land for stone crabs and has been radiating old-school charm since 1913. There’s a notoriously long wait for a table here, but it’s worth it. Are you in a rush? There’s even an adjacent Joe’s Takeaway, which is perfect for grabbing some fried chicken or claws to go. Pro tip: take your haul right across the street and enjoy a picnic in South Pointe Park.
Recommended Things To Do in Miami Beach
- Miami City Cruise to Millionaire’s Homes & Venetian Islands: Take in gorgeous views of the Miami skyline and the Floridian sun on this cruise along Biscayne Bay. Also, you get to see the Venetian Islands, the homes of famous stars, and South Beach.
Best Beach Areas in Miami Beach
Miami Beach “is” the beach, but it does have some amazing beachside neighborhoods where travelers love staying in. We begin with the absolute best beach neighborhood of Miami Beach, which is South Beach. The densely populated SoBe, as it’s affectionately called, is all about miles of pristine and sandy beaches. Aside from that, SoBe is also home to some of the world’s most stunning Art Deco architecture. SoBe is also one of the world’s best gay beaches and one of the top things to do in Miami. So, it’s not surprising that Miami Beach also happens to be one of the world’s most gay-friendly cities. Secondly, there’s Mid-Beach, which is in the middle of the neighborhood. It runs along the Atlantic shoreline and has plush resorts, cocktail bars, and cafes sitting along a gorgeous three-mile sandy strip.
Next, there’s the stunning Flamingo/Lummus, which is south of SoBe. It’s named for the famed early-20th-century Flamingo Hotel and many other beachside hotels. Finally, there’s North Beach, a mellow, primarily residential area that’s more low-key than South Beach. But, it’s fringed by a wide stretch of sand and is home to some of the best quieter beachside hotels and restaurants in Miami Beach.