The Fair:
WHERE: Miami Beach Convention Center.
WHAT: The contemporary-art world’s foremost American gathering.
WHEN: December 4–7.
HIGHLIGHTS: Twenty-five of the 250 exhibiting galleries are here for the first time, including Air de Paris and Greenberg Van Doren Gallery. • An endless slate of other art events scheduled to coincide with the Art Basel, including the smaller Nada, Pulse, Scope, and Design Miami fairs. • Art Basel Conversations will include such panelists as Vik Muniz, Thelma Golden, and Chuck Close, among others. • It’s a week full of countless parties. Some highlights include: The New York Times Magazine party hosted by Stefano Tonchi, Andre Balazs, and Ambra Medda at the Raleigh Penthouse (Dec. 2); Jeffrey Deitch’s party at the Raleigh featuring rock group The Gossip (Dec. 3); the opening night extravaganza for the exhibition “Russian Dreams…” at the Bass Museum of Art (Dec. 3); the launch of Visionaire magazine special issue 55 on the theme of “surprise” at a place to be announced (Dec. 4); the IFC Films screening of Che at Byron Theater, and afterparty at the Raleigh hosted by Steven Soderbergh, Benicio Del Toro, and Laura Bickford (Dec. 4); the Bruce Weber dinner and afterparty for the L'Uomo Vogue “Miami Issue,” which he shot, hosted by editor Franca Sozzani and Remo Ruffini at Casa Tua; and the opening cocktail party for the exhibition “Thoughts on Democracy” at the Wolfsonian (Dec. 5).
artbaselmiamibeach.com
Stay:
The Delano
This iconic Aztec-headdress-topped hotel, designed by Robert Swartzburg in 1947, has recently snatched back its share of the jet-set crowd, thanks in part to a room refit that retained its white-on-white aesthetic but upgraded the dated amenities with new mattresses and plasma televisions (Dita von Teese’s much-gossiped-about striptease here a couple of years ago didn’t hurt either.) A rooftop Agua Spa opened last year, along with a speakeasy-inspired lounge designed by onetime Miami mainstay Lenny Kravitz.
1685 Collins Ave.
305/672-2000
Rates: $435–605
morganshotelgroup.com
Fontainebleau
The cutting-edge curve on this Morris Lapidus–designed hotel provoked some outrage when it was completed in 1954; now the price of the remake ($1 billion) is doing the same. The 1,504 rooms (each with an oversize jet tub), 11 restaurants (including one from Alfred Portale of New York's Gotham Bar and Grill), and 40,000-square-foot spa are just the beginning. The renovation, which was completed in November, went to lengths to retain the original design details, like the circular ceilings and the lobby's "stairway to nowhere." Just in case you get bored, next door is another 1950s Lapidus hotel that reopened this fall: Eden Rock. Check out its rooftop terrace.
4441 Collins Ave.
800/573-6351
Rates: $310–710
fontainebleau.com
Gansevoort South
The Manhattan hotel’s Florida outpost opened in July in the former Roney Palace building. It includes a restaurant (by Philippe Chow) and a pool area where you’re likely to see art-world VIPs. Like the original, this hotel has a showy rooftop pool — with cocoa palms and cabanas. A second elevated oceanfront “pool plaza” has a Jacuzzi, bar, and café. The 334 charcoal gray–walled rooms are a nod to Miami’s heyday, with ’40s pinup photos and large balconies.
2377 Collins Ave.
305/604-1000
Rates: $395–795
gansevoortsouth.com
The Raleigh
Andre Balazs’s louche, luxe hotel has established itself as an art-world mainstay — it reliably hosts a bulk of the A-list parties. No one stays at the Raleigh for the rooms, though they’re comfortable and chic in a style you might call “Chateau Marmont goes to 1950s Cuba.” Rather, it’s the common areas, from the lovingly restored wood-paneled cocktail bar at the entrance to the curvaceous Esther Williams–era pool out back, that lure crowds.
1775 Collins Ave.
305/534-6300
Rates: $360–545
raleighhotel.com
Sagamore Hotel
The 93 suites in this art-crammed space were recently refreshed, renovating the kitchenettes and adding de rigueur luxuries such as plasma TVs. A video garden by the pool, with cocktail-ready lounging sofas and screens showcasing highlights from the owner’s art collection, is another new addition. This year the hotel will host works by Swiss artist Olaf Breuning, including a 150-ton sand sphinx on its beach, and an absurdist mural inside the hotel.
1671 Collins Ave.
305/535-8088
Rates: $195–700
sagamorehotel.com
The Tides
A thorough, floor-by-floor renovation by designer Kelly Wearstler recently updated Lawrence Murray Dixon’s original 1936 Art Deco hotel. There are 45 suites, and those on the upper floors offer stunning views of the ocean. Don’t miss chef Pietro Rota’s Mediterranean cuisine at one of the terrace tables — a preferred Ocean Drive spot.
1220 Ocean Dr.
305/604-5070
Rates: $395–595
tidessouthbeach.com
Eat:
Bin #18
Breakout chef Alfredo Patiño and his brothers run this tapas spot a few blocks north of the Performing Arts Center — great for lunch after hitting Wynwood. Raw concrete floors are offset by vintage wine barrels and an art gallery. Try the blue cheese fig brûlée.
1800 Biscayne Blvd.
786/235-7575
Casa Tua
Secreted behind hedges in a Mediterranean-revival mansion, Miky and Leticia Grendene’s bolt-hole is more exclusive than ever now that the upstairs has become a members-only lounge, serving drinks and a full menu. Civilians can sample the delicious burrata-mozzarella ravioli in the first-floor Venetian restaurant.
1700 James Ave.
305/673-1010
David Bouley Evolution
Bouley and designer Jacques Garcia teamed up for this high-end restaurant in an annex of the Ritz-Carlton. The fantastical interior, heavy on the gold and drapes, is lush, and the food is dreamy. The consensus is that Bouley still deserves his elevated reputation. The $90 tasting menu is a classic of the genre, and the elegant truffled mushroom salad is an unmissable treat.
1669 Collins Ave.
305/604-6090
Devito South Beach
Actor Danny’s place, co-owned by seasoned local restaurateur David Manero, is part chophouse, part rustic Tuscan spot — with chandeliers. It takes style cues from Dorothy Draper and lures high rollers with a $250 “steak flight” (a trio of Wagyus) and a VIP balcony that’s reachable only by private elevator.
150 Ocean Dr.
305/531-0911
Fratelli Lyon
Located inside the Driade design store, Fratelli Lyon is one of the coolest new restaurants in town. At both lunch and dinner it offers a range of antipasti categories (bruschette, verdure, pesce, salumi, formaggi), as well as pastas (ravioli with braised oxtail) and house specialties (filet of sole with pickled onions, pine nuts, and raisins).
4141 NE 2nd Ave.
305/572-2901
Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink
Afterglo’s Michael Schwartz opened his casual Design District place last year, and it has been packed with black-clad gallery workers and glitzy beach scenesters ever since. The indoor-outdoor space has an industrial aesthetic, while the menu is eclectic modern American (wood-roasted local black grouper). It’s best to eat solo at the bar or snag a coveted table on the plaza under an umbrella.
130 NE 40th St.
305/573-5550
Play:
Back Nine Putt-Putt
The nine-hole mini-golf course designed by local artists was such a hit at the 2006 Basel that it now has a permanent home in this garden center on the mainland. No hole is named, so you can also play Spot the Hernan Bas (or Daniel Arsham, or...). The $5 entry fee includes a stiff piña colada.
7244 Biscayne Blvd.
305/984-3231
Marimekko
The design house founded in Helsinki in the 1950s opened a store here just last year. It sells a full range of those distinctive Marimekko prints adorning everything from clothing to housewares. Look especially for quirky items like slippers and disposable coasters.
1671 Meridian Ave.
305/534-0411
marimekkomiami.com
Tomas Maier
Relocated in November to the Design District, Maier’s store is now in a 6,000-square-foot former pineapple plantation homestead. Shop for Maier’s own men’s and women’s wear (think bikinis and lightweight cashmere), plus his pick of gifts and housewares. The second floor gallery will be showing works by French photographer Karine Laval through March 2009.
170 NE 40th St.
305/576-8383
tomasmaier.com
This article is an updated version of "When in Miami for... Art Basel Miami Beach," which was originally published in the winter 2007 issue of Culture+Travel magazine.
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