15 of Miami’s most instagrammable hotels
Photo by: Valerie in Miami
Miami is easily one of the most instagrammable cities in the world, and that especially goes for its hotels! From their architecture and pools to their rooftop bars and beach fronts, they offer the signature colors, creativity, and history of Miami that you’ll definitely want to capture!
Whether you’re visiting or a local, treat yourself to a stay and a professional photoshoot at one of these instagrammable hotels.
The Standard Spa Miami Beach
Located on Belle Island, this hotel boasts a lobby of plush, cobalt seats with a stained glass backdrop, library and ping pong table. Even more stunning are its infinity pool and bath terrace rooms, bringing countless photo ops! If you’re a solo traveler, get some angled selfies with your leg hanging over the edge of your very own outdoor soaking tub, or have someone photograph you gazing out at Miami’s Biscayne Bay from the rim of the glassy pool.
1 Hotel South Beach
This stylish Miami hotel is all about clean white lines, minimalism and sustainability, putting a green thumbprint on South Beach. The interior is decorated and furnished with reclaimed materials and you’ll want to make sure you get photographs in front of the Moss Wall! On the rooftop, the pool seems to stretch into eternity. When it does end, it’s so you can better gaze over beaches and ocean. Get in some sunset photography with a drink in hand, either in a white lounge chair or at the outdoor bar!
The Vagabond Hotel
There’s retro and then there’s The Vagabond, a boutique hotel that celebrates its 1950s motel setting and fabled Miami history. Load up on your batteries and memory cards, then make like you’re one of the Rat Pack or lounge at the pool like a showgirl. You’ll want photo ops with all the hotel’s kitchy glam, from the iconic motel signs with the famous Coppertone Girl in the background to the beckoning nymphs-with-dolphins sculpture greeting those on Biscayne Boulevard!
The Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove
You’ll be dazzled by this artsy Coconut Grove hotel that will highlight your photographs in its peacock feather color scheme of blues, violets, and greens textured with marble and gold details. The pool is a shimmering gemstone ringed in lounge chairs and umbrellas, while its Courtyard Fountain Terrace features a stepped waterfall with mood lighting for private rendezvous and romantic selfies. Each room features a private balcony and floor-to-ceiling windows, providing amazing views and photo ops of Regatta Park, the marina, and the sparkling water beyond!
Faena Hotel Miami Beach
The Faena is one photo op after another, from the ground floor lobby of golden pillars to the rooftop pool that evokes Marilyn Monroe in her signature red bathing suit with its plush red lounge chairs and striped red and white umbrellas. In between are two David Hirst sculptures not to be missed on Miami’s art tour: the gilded skeleton of a wooly mammoth skeleton in the garden and the exposed inner muscles of a golden unicorn standing center stage in Pau restaurant. You’ll be practicing your poses with a one-of-a-kind backdrop!
Life House Little Havana
Here you get to imagine you’re a guest staying at a tropical Miami mansion surrounded by the sights, sounds and smells of Havana. The hotel immerses you in corals, dark woods, and greenery. Leave your camera on as you easily illustrate the fantasy with pics lounging in a courtyard hammock, sipping mojitos on the rooftop, and climbing into your private sleeping nook after a night of salsa dancing on Calle Ocho.
EAST, Miami
EAST perfectly blends sleek modern architecture with tropical accents. Staying in the art-loving Brickell City Centre, you’ll be able to capture all of Miami’s best angles, from the pool which balances geometric design with swaying palms and playful pops of orange and turquoise, to the rooms which all feature floor-to-ceiling windows and balconies overlooking Downtown Miami and Biscayne Bay. Nestle into its tropical rooftop bar of greenery and carved wood, candlelight and glittering views.
The Confidante
There’s something irresistible about the sherbert colors that flavor this hotel, from its room decor to its striped lounge chairs and umbrellas lining the turquoise pool and spilling out onto its ocean front. It won’t matter what your level of photography, you’ll feel like a 1950s starlet, posing in the pastel cabanas under palm trees, or on your wraparound terrace with Biscayne Bay or the Miami skyline sparkling behind you.
Urbanica The Meridian Hotel
Created from a former block of condominiums, this hotel is clean lines punctuated by palms bursting from the rooftop terrace and window boxes, and forming a lush forest around its base. The hotel is linked to the Gale South Beach Hotel, whose posh lobby you’ll pass through to check-in. The Urbanica’s rooftop plunge pool is open to the wide Miami sky, surrounded by a striped patio and just waiting for creative “pool grams.” You can also head across the street and use the Gale’s sleek pool that ends with ocean views.
Mandarin Oriental, Miami
Standing on Brickell Key, surrounded by water, the Mandarin Oriental in Miami is pure luxury. Go with a group of friends and you’ll feel like you’re on your own private island with ample opportunities for over-the-top group photos. Soak in the infinity edge pool which almost kisses secluded Brickell Beach, jutting into the sea, lined with palm trees and dotted with elegant umbrellas and seating areas. At night, pose together for a toast in the richly decorated, high-ceilinged lobby or on the restaurant terrace with the Miami skyline lit up behind your smiling faces.
Freehand Miami
The Freehand Miami is a tropical, relaxed home away from home where you can bunk with new friends in a shared room or have your own private retreat. Set in the former art deco Indian Creek Hotel, and not far from the Miami Beach Convention Center, the colorful hotel provides a breezy sense of community with comfy communal areas and homestyle dining at its restaurant. The courtyard and Mediterranean pool feel more like a lush backyard oasis strung with lights and papel picado, and hosting a bar you won’t want to miss. Your Instagram account will have friends thinking you’ve moved into your very own Miami Beach house with a dozen new friends!
The Betsy South Beach
An anomaly amidst the colorful art deco buildings and nightlife of Ocean Drive, this white colonial-style hotel oozes understated class and cerebralism. Built in 1941 and recently renovated, it’s all about quiet nooks and hideaways, arts and culture, Miami sunshine and relaxation. If you want live jazz or poetry readings, drinks at a courtyard pool or a dive in a suspended rooftop pool, ocean deck views or books in a hotel library, it’s all at The Betsy, along with amazing photographic opportunities. And if you can manage it, after a stroll along the Poetry Rail, catch the monthly display of videos and images on the surface of the Betsy Orb, a large white, spherical sculpture which connects The Betsy to The Carlton next door.
Hyde Midtown Miami
The sleek 31-story tower of this hotel and residence rises up amidst condominiums in Miami’s innovative Design District. just a twenty minute walk from the world-renowned street art of Wynwood Walls where you’ll find so much to photograph you’ll be bracketing shots like a professional! The hotel embraces the spirit of its Midtown location, combining edgy and industrial architecture and decor, with modern artistic touches in the lobby and rooms and lush greenery sprouting from the pool area and bar. You’ll relax into its eclectic, contemporary setting after a full day of shooting photos!
SLS Brickell
Whether you’re staying in Downtown Miami or not, you need to get yourself in front of the 50,000 square feet, 10-story tall mural by Markus Linnenbrink which covers the facade of this modern hotel. It is a wonder of color that takes Linnenbrink’s signature drip style to another level while boldy capturing Miami’s innovative, larger-than-life artistic spirit showcased in events such as annual Art Basel. You’ll get some edgy and beautiful shots angled upward!
The Villa Casa Casuarina
Not all of us can afford to stay in one of the ten suites of the former Versace Mansion, but everyone can manage a glimpse of its sumptuous decadence, especially on a self-led Miami photo-walk. The front steps just off Ocean Drive are a popular photo op. Or you can splurge and head inside for a sumptuous lunch or dinner, photographic evidence you’ve reached the top of Miami excess.