The Setai, Miami Beach

The Setai sits at 2001 Collins Avenue, placing it directly in South Beach. It's the closest to the Art Deco Historic District, Lincoln Road, and the city's cultural and dining energy. For guests who want a spa retreat within walking distance of South Beach's restaurants and nightlife, it has no peer at this level. The trade-off versus Sunny Isles (Acqualina) or Surfside (Four Seasons) is a busier, more stimulating environment — though The Setai's own grounds are tranquil by South Beach standards.

The property occupies a restored 1936 building originally opened as the Dempsey-Vanderbilt Hotel, designed by Henry Hohauser, one of the defining architects of the Art Deco style in Miami Beach. The renovation wove Far Eastern aesthetics throughout the original facade: Burmese teak, Shanghai brick, dark hardwoods, and Asian carved details sit alongside the original Art Deco bones. The result is a hotel that looks and feels categorically different from the glass-and-marble luxury towers surrounding it — quieter, more opaque, more private. The lobby is tranquil in a neighbourhood that is rarely so.

Valmont is a Swiss luxury skincare company with over 30 years of cellular cosmetic research, drawing on Switzerland's glacial spring water, organic botanicals, and the brand's patented triple DNA technology. It occupies a similar prestige position in skincare to what Hermès holds in leather goods — rarely available in US hotel spas and chosen for its clinical anti-ageing efficacy rather than its marketing profile. The Setai uses Valmont exclusively across every facial, body, and massage treatment in the spa. The partnership began in 2019 and positions the spa as a destination for guests who take skincare results seriously.

The signature Kobido facial — Valmont's adaptation of the ancient Japanese percussive lifting technique — is the most talked-about treatment in the spa. The Abhyangha Ayurvedic full-body massage honours the hotel's Asian design philosophy with a traditional oil-based treatment that guests consistently describe as the most deeply relaxing massage they've received. The Signature Master of Time Treatment ($1,300) is the spa's most comprehensive offering, combining full-body exfoliation with Valmont's anti-ageing pressure-point facial massage.

Each of the four private spa suites functions as a self-contained treatment sanctuary: private steam room, ocean and pool views, full private bath, and space for up to two guests. The relaxation experience begins before the treatment does — guests are received in an 18th-floor ocean-view lounge with a complimentary glass of prosecco. The suite format means there is no shared wet-area circuit: what other spas deliver as a communal steam room and sauna circuit, The Setai delivers privately within the suite itself. That intimacy is the point. It's a spa built for discretion rather than scale.

Yes — two worth knowing. First, the spa building is separate from the main Art Deco hotel; guests whose treatment suite is in the Ocean Suite tower walk through a residential section in their robes to reach it, which a minority of guests find awkward. Second, the spa closes at 7 pm — earlier than most Miami peers — which limits same-day flexibility for guests arriving late or planning an evening visit. Valet parking is complimentary for spa-only visitors (use the hotel entrance and inform the valet of the spa visit). A 20% service charge is applied to all spa services at checkout.

All three deliver exceptional service in our experience. The Setai's spa is the most intimate of the three, with four private suites with their own steam rooms, no shared thermal circuit. It excels for guests who want a deeply private treatment experience in one of Miami's most atmospherically remarkable hotels, with a Valmont skincare programme that prioritises visible anti-ageing results. Acqualina's spa is larger, more comprehensive technically (full thermal circuit, Cryo T-Shock, 11 rooms), and suits guests who want a full spa-day format. Four Seasons Surf Club is closer in scale to The Setai — both are intimate and design-led — but The Setai's South Beach location and its Art Deco character give it a different cultural weight. None of the three is a medical wellness destination; Carillon remains the only one in that category.

Three strong options. Jaya brings South Asian cuisine — Thai, Indian, Chinese, Balinese — to an al fresco courtyard setting, using tandoor ovens and wok stations; it's consistently considered one of the finest Asian restaurants in Miami. The weekend Caviar & Champagne Brunch at Jaya — with Louis Roederer and live music — is a South Beach institution. Japón opened in late 2024 as the property's contemporary Japanese addition and has received a strong early reception. Ocean Grill serves Mediterranean-Italian cuisine in a beachside setting with an expanded al fresco deck. Sunday Jazz Brunch is available with a lavish carving-station buffet. The dining programme is among the most coherent and high-quality on the Miami market.

Three temperature-controlled pools — each a different temperature — set in a sculpted courtyard with water sculptures, tropical palms, and cabanas. The temperature differentiation is a practical feature rather than a gimmick: guests move between them based on preference. The pools strike an unusual balance between being well-attended and genuinely uncrowded — a function of the hotel's 91-room scale and a guest profile that trends toward the less party-seeking end of the South Beach market.

Rooms in the Art Deco building require guests to navigate through a somewhat meandering internal route to reach the pools and beach — some guests have described it as a minor annoyance rather than a dealbreaker. Rooms in the original building show their age and would benefit from refurbishment; the Ocean Suites in the tower are more consistently updated. Service, while generally exceptional, shows more variation than at Acqualina. The spa closes at 7pm, which limits evening flexibility.