The Betsy Miami: do Ocean Drive the chilled way at this chic gallery hotel
Ocean Drive — but don't get the wrong idea. If you're imagining flashing neon lights, bars hoping to lure in tourists with happy hour cocktails and semi-naked rollerbladers whizzing along the boardwalk, well yes, that's all part of the South Beach experience. But The Betsy, which is at the northern end of the strip, couldn't be spiritually further away from all that.
The hotel's colonial architecture stands out among a sea of Art Deco . Really, it's the ideal location — right on the beach, surrounded by everything Ocean Drive has to offer, but just tucked away enough to offer a sanctuary amid the hustle and bustle of Miami's place to be seen.
It's just a couple of minutes' stroll to the beach (the sea is an astonishing 28 degrees when I visit in June), where there's enough sand for everyone. The crowd is a mixture of locals bobbing in the water, influencers filming themselves dancing and visitors soaking up the scene.
South Beach's boutiques, eateries and bars are easily walkable — as is the pedestrianised Lincoln Road, home to chains such as beauty emporium Sephora. The charming cobbled streets of Espagnola Way, with its lovely restaurants and cafes, are a five minute walk, too.
Let's put it this way: I've only been at The Betsy for an hour when I spot Biba founder and local resident Barbara Hulanicki strolling through the lobby — turns out, she's friendly with the hotel's charming owners, husband and wife team Lesley Goldwasser and Jonathan Plutzik.
It's thanks to them that art and literature are taken so seriously here. The entire hotel is a gallery, hosting rotating exhibition. During my stay, the walls are filled with black and white photographs of The Beatles by Bob Bonis, and I enjoy perusing a fun collection of images by Andy Sweet, depicting the residents of 1970's Miami Beach. There's plenty of contemporary African art and they don't hold back on the dog photos — namely Betsy and Rosa, the owners' pups who are commonly referred to as the CEOs (Canine Executive Officers) and can often be found enjoying the attentions of guests in the lobby.
The hotel opened in March 2009 after a renovation of the historic Betsy Ross hotel and merged with the former Art Deco Carlton Hotel in 2016 — the two buildings are linked on the exterior by a futuristic-looking orb, onto which art is projected, and a 'poetry rail' featuring the etched words of a dozen writers who influenced Miami culture, including Langston Hughes.
Did I mention that The Betsy had a colonial appearance? That runs right the way through the hotel's interior, designed by Italian duo Diamante Pedersoli and Carmelina Santoro. Think white Venetian blinds, candy-striped sofas, potted palm trees, classic overhead fans, lots of dark polished wood and Fortuny Scheherazade chandeliers. The whole place has the feel of a sophisticated beach club, where you definitely want to be a member.
The 130 rooms — including a penthouse and ocean view suite — continue the colonial style. My Ocean View Suite had white shutters, plenty of rattan accessories, sofas covered in tropical leaf-print fabric and a candy-striped armchair. A mini fridge proves handy for my endless bottles of water and a small library provides my beach reading (Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder, as it happens).
When I say the bathroom was huge, I've lived in smaller flats and certainly ones with shabbier toiletries — they're Malin and Goetz here — and there's plenty of space to wash the sand from between your toes.
I'm right above the hubbub of Ocean Drive but it's never noisy — the only disturbance comes when the lights flick on unprompted one morning at 5am, something quickly sorted by the warm, chatty front desk staff. The huge windows opposite my bed look across to the South Beach boardwalk, with palm trees swaying in the Miami breeze — meaning I can't wait to open the shutters each morning.
Eating and drinking at The Betsy takes place courtesy of chef Laurent Tourondel. The hotel's main offering is the LT Steak and Seafood restaurant — food from France, Asia and Latin America that's best enjoyed, in my opinion, on the terrace at the front of the hotel. There's good sushi, fresh local fish and I can't recall having enjoyed a watermelon and tomato salad so much — it must be the added bonus of balmy evening temperatures and superb people watching.
At the Piano Bar, in the lobby, I spy mother and daughter playing backgammon over cocktails — come 6pm, the entire entrance to the hotel is buzzing with guests and locals enjoying drinks and listening to the live (and very good) jazz pianists.
Breakfast is also served in the restaurant: think eggs, fruit, bagels, pastries, pancakes — nothing too challenging — alongside local Panther coffee. The freshly squeezed orange and grapefruit juices are the perfect beachside kickstarter. And while my grain-heavy oatmeal (ie. porridge) might have seemed a strange choice for breakfast in 32 degree heat, it came as a welcome relief after that stodgy aeroplane food.
Around the corner, towards the rear of the hotel and accessed as though visiting a separate restaurant, Tourondel also runs pizza joint The Alley — takeaways are available, given your proximity to the beach.
Sandwich joint La Sandwicherie is where the locals go for a hearty, affordable lunch — my baguette seems to contain mango alongside its chicken salad filling, which is a lot more delicious than it sounds.
Like any Florida hotel worth its salt, there's a pool and sunrise yoga classes on the rooftop, as well as an additional outdoor pool in the downstairs courtyard, beside the front desk.
The location is undeniably great for beach lovers, but I have no trouble ordering taxis (air-conditioned: vital) to explore further afield. The hipster neighbourhood of Wynwood is a 20 minute drive away and a stroll through the street art covered neighbourhood, with its quirky shops and cafes, is well worth the hop.
Don't miss the Museum of Graffiti ( museumofgraffiti.com ) — the world's largest, which opened in 2009 and features work from talented international street artists. Or having lunch from The Taco Stand ( letstaco.com ), where locals and visitors alike queue for some of the best Mexican snacks in town. Follow it up with an artisan paleta ice pop from Cielito ( cielitoartisanpops.com ) I loved the jalapeno flavour so much that I went back for another.
An afternoon stroll around non-profit modern art gallery the Rubell ( rubellmuseum.org ) — the other Miami stalwart, the Perez, is closed when I visit — is a good way to leave the heat behind. It opened in 2019 in the Allapattah neighbourhood and sits on a single level, housing work by American artists including Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring. I'm the sole occupant of two mirror rooms by Yayoi Kusama when I visit — a rare treat given the queues her work usually attracts.
