In brief
Staff Obliging.
Food & drinks Expensive and exemplary.
Bathroom and shower Minimal and calm.
The crowd Regular but rich.
In a nutshell Enter the palm-filled lobby and it might still be 1931, except that the buzz from the bar is a signal that prohibition has clearly been lifted.
Set the scene
Like a cool calm hacienda owned by a fabulous South American aunt. So classy and well-proportioned, every touch on point. The best restaurants in town, the most elegant bars, it feels like a breath of elegant air in an otherwise gung-ho Miami scene.
What's the story?
Back in the day, rum-runners from Cuba and the Bahamas ensured the Surf Club rarely ran dry, so there was always a party in the cabanas here, drawing Douglas Fairbanks Jnr, Gary Cooper, Henry Ford and John Harvey Kellogg. Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner honeymooned here. So jettison the idea that Four Seasons is a faceless Canadian brand of business hotels; this place is practically a national landmark that has been transformed into a 21st-century beacon of high-rise living by starchitect Richard Meier, with interiors by Joseph Dirand.
What can we expect in our room?
Exquisitely minimalist, calm and beautiful and so thoughtfully designed that you can see the sea from the shower. The category to choose is an Oceanfront room; they’re actually even lovelier than those in the double-aspect Premier ones. The less expensive city-view category is great too: looking across Biscayne Bay to mainland Miami, and that way you get the sunset too.
Check your dates at the Surf Club on Expedia now
How about the food and drink?
Calabrian by birth, Antonio Mermolia heads up Le Sirenuse Miami, sister restaurant to the Michelin-starred La Sponda in Positano. The cooking is therefore full-flavoured southern Italian (the Gragnano pasta is served super al dente). The crab may be Alaskan, but that first mouthful of terrina di granchio served with slivers of intensely sweet tomato will take you straight back to Amalfi. They shouldn’t be serving endangered Chilean sea bass, though.
Anything to say about the service?
Unexpectedly international and reassuringly slick.
What sort of person stays here?
Despite three pools and direct access to the beach, the polished, outwardly conservative clientele are mostly in town for meetings, at least midweek. It’s less preppy at weekends. Much of the restaurant crowd are glam and local.
What's the neighbourhood scene like?
Compared with South Beach (20 minutes south in an Uber), the Surfside area of northern Miami Beach is fairly residential and lacking in shops and restaurants. But Renzo Piano and Antonio Citterio are building towers in the neighbourhood, so its time will come.
Anything else we should know?
If you’re waiting the lobby, the photo-filled vitrines in the lobby are an intriguing visual history of the place.
Is it worth it – why?
A real treat. Glamorous, gorgeous, and the spa is lovely. By Claire Wrathall
Book a room at the Surf Club on Expedia now
Address: Four Seasons Hotel at the Surf Club, 9011 Collins Avenue, Surfside, Florida 33154, USA
Telephone: +1 305 381 3333
Wifi: Strong, free wifi
Price: Doubles from £570
This hotel is one of our favourite in the world, and included in our Gold List 2019. Discover more of the best hotels in the world 2019 now.
