W South Beach

Look down from your balcony at an endless ribbon of the sand. Watch the waves rolling in off the horizon-stretching Atlantic Ocean. Listen and you can almost hear the throbbing bass and flamenco guitar from the clubs and cafes that make this one of the world's top nightlife destinations. Then pinch yourself, because you're at W South Beach and things are about to get crazy.

Want to jump on the bed? Go for it. Those high ceilings give you plenty of headroom. Or show off the spoils of the day's high-fashion boutique-ing with an impromptu catwalk strut.

It's tempting, but don't spend too much time upstairs. W South Beach has six different bars and lounges to sample, plus the palm tree paradise of the heated outdoor pool. Soleá beckons, with its seafood-and- spice Spanish cuisine, which is topped only by an adventurous wine list full of singular labels from California, France and, of course, Spain.