Loews Miami Beach

Loews Miami Beach Review

I wish you could close your eyes and imagine this while you read. I'd tell you to listen to the sound of the surf brushing against a white, sandy shore. To feel the warm sun wash across your skin. And to extend your right hand two feet away from your body and hold your hand out invitingly as an icy cold Pina Colada is placed expertly in your thirsty grasp.

Constructed in 1998, the Loews was the first luxury hotel to be built in Miami Beach in more than 30 years. Located at the intersection of Collins Avenue and 16th Street, the hotel sits in the heart of South Beach, America's playground and bastian of beautiful people.

The hotel has 790 rooms, including 57 suites, with views of the city, Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. One hundred of these rooms are located in the refurbished St. Moritz Hotel, a landmark building originally constructed in 1939 that rests adjacent to the hotel's brand-new, 18-story tower. The tower houses the majority of the rooms and suites, including three floors of concierge rooms served by a private lounge. Guests can choose between the Art Deco splendor of the St. Moritz or more contemporary-styled quarters at the main tower. The Presidential suite features duplex accommodations with floor-to-ceiling ocean views. Each room is equipped with data ports, two-line phones with voice mail, electronic safes, minibars, bathroom phones, hair dryers and scales.

The stroll to the outdoor swimming pool is lined with palm trees surrounded by beautifully landscaped gardens. Stretching out before you, the massive free-form oasis is designed to deliberately blur the line between pool and beach. Twenty butler-served cabanas surround the pool. Guests also have access to a private 900-foot beach where they can indulge their inner sun god or experience an array of watersports.

Basking in all this beachfront fun makes can make you hungry -- at least, that's the effect it had on this fearless traveler. Luckily, Loews Miami Beach offers 24-hour room service. For fine dining, try the Gaucho Room, a blend of Argentinian chic and Miami heat, serving local seafood, prime aged beef, South American specialties and a palate-pleasing wine list.

For more casual fare, try Preston's for delicacies such as melt-in-your-mouth quesadillas and tangy tomato basil soup. I tried the aromatic, tongue-tingling Pizza Margherita, resplete with fresh onions, roasted garlic, whole Roma tomatoes and a medley of Meditteranean seasonings. Before or after your meal, lap up a libation at the hotel's Hemisphere Lounge, or sip cognac and fine port at the Gaucho Bar. With a few sips of courage, you're ready for the South Beach nightlife.

No matter what your evening plans hold, rest assured you will experience comfort in your guest room upon your return. Rooms are good-sized with an assortment of amenities, and insulated enough to drown out the hum and throb of South Beach. I am happy to recommend this hotel for both the pleasure seeker and the business traveler.

(Reviewed June 2002)

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Loews Miami Beach is located: in South Beach
1601 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida 33139
Phone: (305) 604-1601; Reservations: (877) 563-9762
Web site: Loews Miami Beach