When we had the chance to build another new hotel in sun-splashed Miami, we chose one of the hottest neighborhoods in this already too-hot-to-handle city.
Kimpton Hotel Palomar South Beach has opened its doors in bright and buzzing South Beach, aka SoBe. This 96-room new-build joins our four other subtropical retreats across the Sunshine State.
This time we chose a residential nook called Sunset Harbour, which is fast becoming a happening social hub. Here’s a look at what the hotel will bring to the SoBe scene as well as a few of our favorite locally loved activities and hot spots.
Eye-Popping Design
Designed by Kobi Karp Architecture, known for creating contemporary and awash-with-light buildings around the world, Kimpton Hotel Palomar South Beach is an attention-stealing addition to one of the busiest corners of Miami Beach. A ground-level restaurant means you won’t have to leave the premises to get in on South Beach’s smoking hot culinary scene. Thankfully an on-site fitness center will keep us all in swimsuit shape year-round, and the rooftop bar and pool is the area’s coolest new place to lounge and be seen.
A rendering of Kobi Karp Architectures’s innovative design for the Kimpton Hotel Palomar South Beach.
Location, Location…Vacation
The Palomar South Beach is poised on the edge of Sunset Harbour, a trendy waterfront neighborhood brimming with one-of-a-kind eateries, independent shops, chic juice bars, and innovative gyms. Also strolling distance away is Lincoln Road, a mix of luxury shops and restaurants luring over six million visitors every year. Plus the hotel is right off the Venetian Causeway, getting you across Biscayne Bay over to Downtown Miami in less than 10 minutes.
Classic Art Deco architecture at Lincoln Road’s Colony Theatre. (Photo credit: Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau)
Speakeasy and Spin Your Cares Away
Now for a few must-try tips during your stay:
Those with wellness on the mind will appreciate SobeKick, a boxing studio with creative combo classes like Thai Boxing Spin. Take your workout to the water at South Beach Kayak, two blocks from the Kimpton Hotel Palomar, gliding across the bay aboard a kayak or paddleboard. Hop on a Citi Bike and enjoy beach access via Collins Avenue—or skip the sand and browse the avenue’s designer boutiques. Speaking of shopping, don’t miss the fashion-forward fun of The Backroom, or the refined beauty of Eberjey—both in the Sunset Harbour ‘hood.
Luxe shops and local murals line scenic Collins Avenue. (Photo credit: Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau)
For a healthy break, wellness sanctuary Delicious Raw offers fresh juices, smoothies, and a haute cuisine plant-based menu. Award-winning Chef Bee brings delicious (and Instagram-worthy) Thai street food and Japanese specialties to his unique hot spot NaiYaRa. Bodega Taqueria y Tequila is basically an industrial-funky taco stand in the front and a speakeasy in the back. And the Palomar’s own Osteria Morini brings the delizioso to the table with its soulful Italian cuisine, wine and cocktails. You can gather with friends in a rustic-meets-modern ambience with floor-to-ceiling windows, or dine outdoors on an inviting patio overlooking Collins Canal.
Consider visiting in May during the annual South Beach Wine & Food Festival, when dozens of celebrity TV chefs are in town offering late night tastings and cooking demos. Or, if pampering is your muse, aim for Miami Spa Month (actually two months: July and August) and indulge yourself at the area’s swankiest spas.
And Palomar Makes Five
Kimpton Hotel Palomar South Beach joins a bevy of Kimpton hotels around Florida. Also on South Beach are The Angler’s, an intimate enclave, and playful Surfcomber, while Kimpton EPIC Hotel glistens in the downtown Miami skyline. Farther up I-95 is Vero Beach Hotel & Spa with its West Indies aesthetic.
Whatever your Florida vibe—Kimpton’s got the perfect getaway.
