Striking Luxury Hotel Steps from the Ocean

Across the street, where the warm Floridian surf melts into the beach, the colors span the spectrum—the blue of the salt water, the beige of the footprint-dappled sand, the infinite hues of beach towels and swimsuits. But at the Catalina Hotel & Beach Club, a simpler palette prevails: pure, dazzling white and rich, ruby red. The colors of heat. For the much-talked-about hotel, a regular destination for movie stars and other celebrities, it is a signature combination, one that confronts visitors the second they step in the lobby and examine its over-the-top glam décor and plush, modish furniture.

The color scheme continues in the On a Budget rooms, with their crisp red-and-white modern stylings and their 300-thread-count Belgian linens spread out across full-size Tempur-Pedic mattresses. Slipping on the provided cotton pique robes, guests can pad about their contemporary South Beach nests, sipping now and then from the provided bottle of sparkling wine or using the in-room WiFi to Skype with a neighbor’s cat. Based on availability, rooms will be upgraded to a boutique suite—either a Classic Comfort room, gussied up in dark-wood and ivory design, or a sleekly handsome, spacious B-Room offering the same amenities.

The call of the surf draws adventurers back out of their rooms and across the street, where they can work on their tans at the private Catalina Beach Club or splash in the bathwater-warm ocean waves. Those looking to stay closer to home can cannonball into the Catalina’s two pools—the exclusive-feeling rooftop pool or the happening, palm-shaded Bamboo pool. The rooftop poolside bar keeps swimmers refreshed from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and the popular in-house restaurants Maxine’s Bistro & Bar and Kung Fu Kitchen & Sushi tackle more sizeable culinary cravings with plates such as baked-meatball parmesan ($16 at Maxine’s) and szechuan eggplant ($15 at Kung Fu). Along with the lobby's Red Bar, Maxine’s and Kung Fu also host the hotel’s daily happy hour, stretching from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., during which unlimited complimentary well mixed drinks are shaken and stirred for registered, thirsty guests.

South Beach: Vibrant Nightlife Set Amid Spectacular Beaches

The Catalina Hotel perches on the shoreline of Miami Beach’s South Beach, a spot well-known for its hot nightlife, gorgeous beaches, posh shopping districts, and celebrity sightings. Daytrippers can head over to popular clothing-optional Haulover Beach for an extra afternoon helping of vitamin D, or they can get acquainted with the city by hopping on a colorfully narrated duck tour, on which travelers cruise by million-dollar houses before dramatically splashing into the surf on a bus that turns into a boat.

The Catalina Hotel is a short walking distance from all of South Beach’s vibrant charms—stepping out of the hotel, guests find themselves surrounded by options for fresh seafood and exquisitely crafted cocktails at every turn, as well as the pulsating beat of club music wafting through the night air. Clubs in the area stay open late, encouraging nights of dancing that end as the sun comes up over the water.