George Merrick's 1926 Mediterranean Revival masterpiece in Coral Gables is a hotel that operates at a scale of ambition that modern developers no longer attempt. The tower — modelled after the Giralda in Seville — is visible from miles away. The pool is the largest hotel pool in the continental United States, a 23,000-square-foot Mediterranean fantasy surrounded by arched colonnades. Al Capone kept a suite here. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor stayed. FDR fished in the canals. The building served as a military hospital during World War II and nearly succumbed to demolition before a restoration in the 1980s returned it to its intended grandeur.
Location
Coral Gables, Miami
Insider Intel
Request a tower room for the architectural experience and the views over Coral Gables' tree canopy. The pool is the hotel's non-negotiable draw — spend at least a full afternoon there. Sunday brunch in the courtyard is a Coral Gables institution. The golf course is one of the oldest in Florida. The lobby architecture — vaulted ceilings, hand-painted frescoes, travertine columns — deserves a slow walk-through even if you are not staying.
Winter dry season (November through April) for the pool and the outdoor spaces. Sunday brunch year-round for the full social experience. The hotel is less crowded midweek and the reduced guest count makes the public spaces feel more like a private estate. The annual wine and food festival events use the hotel as a venue to spectacular effect.
Located on Anastasia Avenue in Coral Gables, a twenty-minute drive from South Beach and a world away in atmosphere. The hotel is a National Historic Landmark. The pool is genuinely enormous and open to hotel guests only (no day passes in the standard program). Valet parking is available. The Coral Gables neighbourhood surrounds the hotel with Mediterranean Revival architecture, the Venetian Pool, and Miracle Mile shopping — plan a full day in the area. Room rates vary widely by season and room category; the tower suites are the premium experience.