The Betsy, MIAMI.
Where is it?
Where the full-on Miami Beach circus of Ocean Drive peters out into... aaaaah, that’s more like it. Stylish, sedate, sophisticated, it’s a jewel of a hotel facing the beach and back-dropped by the rinkiest, dinkiest stretch of South Beach. Right in the thick of all that Art Deco ritz and close enough to any sort of action you’re after, yet, someway, somehow in an elegant world all of its own.
Why so lovely?
Funny you should ask, as The Betsy is – and we know our schizz – the loveliest hotel in all of South Beach. It doesn’t bother with that carnal showiness that defines a lot of/most Miami hotels, instead opting for charm and laid-back swish – with a whole load of very good art thrown in. And that has a lot to do with its owner, the stylish, avuncular, art-loving Jonathan Plutzik, who you’ll most probably see shooting the tepid breeze with guests in the Lobby Bar alongside his blonde-bombshell dogs, Betsy and Rosa. And he’ll totally invite you to join.
First impressions?
A tropical hideaway that’s found that sweet spot between buzzy and intimate. Old Havana by way of Art Basel, the Lobby Bar and, to your left, Laurent Tourondel’s go-to restaurant swell with the good and the even better of Miami’s culture club. Clever, thought-about art hangs off the walls, live jazz fills the air seven nights a week (and when it doesn’t Jonathan’s wife’s curated playlists fill the space very nicely) and the impeccably dressed (natch!) staff totally have that cheeky-charm thing down to a well-fitted T’. (And Insta-tip; pop round the back and a take a load of The Orb, an e-like structure squished between the hotel’s two buildings.) This is recherché Miami, and you’ll be glad you came.
And the accommodations?
There are 130 of them, and they’re all pitch-perfect. And sure, 130 sounds a lot for a boutique hotel but you’d be none the wiser unless you’re housekeeping. From the smallest room right through to the show-stopping 1,710 sq ft penthouse with its Viennese chandelier and wraparound terrace, Colonial-lite meets Deco meets easy-breezy, and the result is disarming – simply beautiful and beautifully simple, with touch-me furnishings and tastefully luxe finishes.
Marble bathrooms, walnut floors, Malin + Goetz bathroom goodies, that kind of lark. Oh, and a little library in every room, because you’re clever like that.
And the food?
Laurent Tourondel has a glittering CV on a global scale (London, NYC, Hong Kong, couple of other dishy addresses) and his LT Steak & Seafood – seasonallyinspired American, seeing as you ask – has brought a new destination restaurant to South Beach, with the accolades to match. Tucked around the back of The Betsy is The Alley where you can chow down on Neapolitan-style pizza under a neon glow, while the Lobby Bar will do the honours if you fancy those LT goodies with a more kicked-back vibe. Oh, and breakfast on the terrace, perched over Ocean Drive as the joerati swish by in all the right Lycra, is a treat.
What is there to do?
The hero of our story, Jonathan, has used his hefty philanthropic clout and turned The Betsy into a glittering cultural hub for Miami. Which means an ever-changing roster of events and talks and gigs and whatnot, often with star turns. ‘Salon by the Sea’ is their Bloomsbury Set-style cultural series, fronted by James Franco and John Grisham among others. The Writers Room, if you fancy being a scribe in residence, has hosted two US Poet Laureates. There’s a monthly read-through for local playwrights, to which you’re welcome. And we’ve not even mentioned the two pools – one on the roof, dreamy! – or the sunrise yoga sessions or the weekly cocktails hosted by Betsy and Rosa (those blonde bombshells we mentioned). Spoilt, much?
And the LGBTQ bit?
South Beach is synonymous with cracking LGBTQ+ hullabaloo. Just down the road on Ocean Drive is Palace Bar, where drag queens regularly stop traffic with their sass. The lobby bar and garden at Gaythering, South Beach’s official gay hotel, are rammed Thursday till Sunday. A few blocks that-a-way on Washington Avenue is Twist, the gargantuan poly-sexual playhouse where pretty much anyone on the queer spectrum will end up on a night out. And Miami Beach Pride (28 March–5 April, miamibeachpride.com) is among the most diverse and joyous we’ve ever been to. So there.