Best Hotels in Miami

Best Historic Hotel: With a guest registry that reads like a who's who of history crossed with an engrossing whodunit, Miami's monumental, Mediterranean revivalist-style Biltmore Hotel opened its doors in 1926. Guests ranging from Al Capone to the duke and duchess of Windsor loved the stately hotel so much that they never left, so say those who claim the hotel is haunted. Ghosts aside, this national landmark boasts the largest hotel pool in the continental United States as well as a 300-foot bell tower modeled after the Cathedral of Seville.

On South Beach, where chic rooms cost upwards of $500 a night, The Creek hotel is a kitschy-cool hostel turned hipster haven with rooms designed by local artists.

Best Celebrity-Saturated Hotel: The Shore Club reigns as Miami's number one celebrity magnet, attracting stars and starlets who you'd find at A-list Hollywood parties. The terminally trendy Skybar is also the city's loftiest nightspot.

Best Art Deco Hotel: The Raleigh Hotel in Miami is the reigning diva of Deco, dating back to 1940. It features one of the most photographed palm-lined swimming pools, reminiscent of the days of Esther Williams.

Best Beach Hotel: Miami's Beach House Bal Harbour was inspired by the great beach homes of the Hamptons, Nantucket, and coastal Maine, and when you stay here, you will feel like someone's houseguest rather than an anonymous hotel guest.

Best Inexpensive Hotel: It's hard to find a hotel on South Beach with both good value and excellent service, but the Crest Hotel Suites delivers as one of Miami's best bargains as well as coolest hotels.

Best for Families: In Miami, the Sonesta Beach Resort Key Biscayne is known for its complimentary children's programs led by trained counselors who supervise kids, grouped by age, in pool and beach activities and on field trips including dinner, movie, and museum excursions. Fees apply for meals/certain excursions.

The Boca Raton Resort & Club has activity programs designed for distinct age groups. Upon registering children in the program, each parent is given a beeper with a 60-mile radius so that their children may contact them at any time.

Best for Romance: In Miami, the Hotel Place St. Michel is a cozy European-style hotel whose wood-floored dark-paneled rooms are adorned in antiques, transporting you from sunny Florida to gay Paris.

Best Guesthouses/B&Bs: The Villa Paradiso may be smack in the heart of frenetic South Beach, but once you're inside you're worlds away, with rooms facing a sun-drenched courtyard and a host who is genuinely glad to see you, unlike some of the more attitudinal staff found in other nearby hotels.