If you want to know what it feels like to live in a big-budget Hollywood musical and a ethnically inspired playground, try staying at Faena Miami Beach.
Located in the heart of Miami Beach’s mid-beach neighborhood, the hotel is originally known as The Saxony Hotel, a see-and-be-seen spot in the late ‘40s. Now, it’s been reimagined with Art Deco style and bold Hollywood glamour, but with a modern feel.
There’s something visually stimulating at every turn, and the most eye-catching, talked-about-piece is “Gone But Not Forgotten” by Damien Hirst, an enormous 24-karat-gold mammoth that rests in a house of glass in front of the beach. During the day the clear glass offers a spectacular view of the turquoise ocean in the background, with an allure that sirens you to want to take a dive in.
With 169-guest rooms decked out in deep shades of red and blue that effortlessly harmonize with Miami’s sparkling turquoise water — these are the rooms of your dreams. Many of the guest rooms feature opulent rugs designed by Catherine Martin, hand-woven Argentinian throws, leopard couches and spacious sitting areas, and for extra-decadence, each floor has its own butler.
Argentine hotelier Alan Faena enlisted the help of ‘The Great Gatsby’ director Baz Luhrmann and his wife, Oscar-winning, costume and production designer Catherine Martin, to give this 1940s building a properly theatrical makeover.
A relaxed meal or cocktail can be enjoyed at Veranda, which boasts views of the pool and ocean. Pao serves Asian cuisine with international influences, including original rice dishes and fresh meats and fish. The restaurant, Los Fuegos, boasts an open-fire kitchen and dishes made with local ingredients.
There’s never a shortage of unique finds at the shops at Faena. One may find unique installations, emerging brands, handcrafted treasures and vintage finds, such as Versace to the stylish works by Juan Pablo and Juan Sebastian, co-Founders of El Dorado. Many items are inspired by the intersection of art, science, environment and culture, by those who work with artisanal and indigenous communities with sustainable practices, using recycled materials, like plastic and acrylic.
The hotel makes the most of its 100,000 square feet of private white sand beach with the Faena Beach Club, which has red-and-white candy-striped lounge chairs, plus a range of private cabanas that can accommodate large groups with access to poolside butlers.
Draped in dark red and gold, Faena also has an entertainment room that gives off the glam vibes of an old Hollywood movie, but with a new scene-set. For a night of fantasy, reserve a table at the Faena Theater, where resident shows range from a seductive cabaret to a journey of burlesque to even a bold jazz series.
Even if you’re not a guest of the hotel, you can book a day at the vibrant Tierra Santa Healing House. Like everything at Faena, it has a show-stopping focal piece, “Float,” a handmade chandelier fashioned with 400 multi-colored fishing floats. The ancient healing spa boasts one of the largest hammams on the East Coast, which will warm-up your body for shaman-inspired treatments and body-healing rituals. For a treatment that you’ll want to re-live repeatedly, book the Tree of Life Vibrations, a 110-minute massage on a heated quartz-sand bed where warm singing bowls are placed along areas such as the spine and stomach. One may feel the interconnectivity between earth and universe in the cross-cultural exchange of treatments and services.
Whether you find fact, fiction, mythology or fantasy above — find out for yourself what draws you in, by booking your stay at www.faena.com because if you can dream it, they can truly bring it to life.