Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club

Rooms and decor

Picture a Mediterranean-style beach club that has been open since 1930 — cream arches, tiled courtyards and rows of palms that were once a playground for golden-age Hollywood stars. Now picture Pritzker Prize architect Richard Meier stepping in to restore it meticulously, keeping every original piece he could and setting his modern white glass towers alongside in harmony. That's the charm of the Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club, which opened as a hotel in 2017. With only around 77 rooms and suites, it feels remarkably private. The rooms are decorated in bright, easy tones — warm wood against cream and pale-blue fabrics that feel open and airy, as if Florida sun pours in all day. Most have a private balcony opening onto the deep-blue Atlantic, so you can watch the sun rise over the ocean from bed. The beds are soft enough that many reviews single out how well they slept, and the bathrooms are spacious with separate tubs and premium products. Anyone who likes clean, understated luxury that lets the sea view and natural light play lead will feel at home here.

Food and amenities

If this hotel has a heart, it's the food and the beachfront downtime. The flagship is Le Sirenuse Miami, the Miami outpost of the restaurant from the legendary Le Sirenuse hotel in Positano on Italy's Amalfi coast, serving refined southern Italian food in a luxe seaside setting. There's a Champagne Bar for a drink before or after dinner, and reviews call sunset here the most romantic moment of the stay. Beyond that, other beachfront restaurants and bars run from easy poolside meals to evening cocktails. But what truly makes people fall for the place is the 900-foot private beach — quieter and far more private than South Beach — backed by Cabana Row, private cabanas lining several pools, with staff bringing drinks and snacks right to your sun lounger. A late afternoon here, sun low and breeze up, is heaven for anyone who genuinely loves seaside downtime. Inside there's a full Four Seasons spa that reviews praise for its treatments and calm, a well-equipped fitness center, and green spaces and historic courtyards to wander and soak up the old-world charm. All of it is wrapped in Forbes Five-Star service that many reviews agree on — attentive, remembering guest details, and going beyond expectations so you feel like a special guest.

Location and getting there

The hotel sits beachfront in Surfside, next to Bal Harbour at the northern end of Miami Beach. A location like this is the dream for anyone who wants calm and privacy by the sea instead of crowds and noise. Step out the door and you hit white sand and Atlantic surf that's much quieter than the South Beach side. The surroundings are an easygoing upscale residential area, and nearby is Bal Harbour Shops, a renowned designer shopping center set in a tropical garden just a few minutes' walk away — great for anyone who wants to shop and find good restaurants without traveling far. For Miami's color — South Beach, the pastel Art Deco district, Ocean Drive and the nightlife — it's about a 15 to 20 minute drive or ride away. There's no metro, so getting around relies on a private car, the hotel's car service, or a ride-hailing app. In short, if your trip in your head is waking up to a quiet beach walk, relaxing poolside all day, then driving out to touch the city's energy now and then, this location fits beautifully.

Things to know before booking

Straight talk to help you decide — the first thing to weigh is price. This is genuinely ultra-luxury: rates start around $1,114 a night and climb past $4,571 in peak season or for the larger suites. And being in Miami, food, drinks, spa treatments, plus extra service charges and tips run high too, so budget for that. The next thing to understand is the location away from the buzz — Surfside is a quiet area, so if you plan to party, walk Ocean Drive every night, or chase full-throttle South Beach nightlife, it may feel too quiet, and you'll need a car into town each time. This resort is also built more as private downtime than a party hotel, so the mood is slow and calm; anyone after constant lively fun may not find their scene. Finally, the small things: valet parking is charged daily, and in high season the restaurant and spa should be booked ahead because they fill fast. Plan a little and you won't miss out.

Our take

After reading hundreds of real reviews, the Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club sells the charm of a legendary 1930s beach club, seaside privacy, and Forbes Five-Star Four Seasons service with full confidence. If the trip in your head is waking to a sunrise over the ocean from your balcony, settling into a cabana on the quiet private beach all day, and closing with dinner at Le Sirenuse and Champagne at sunset, this is about as well-matched as it gets — especially for couples and honeymooners, who rate it 9.6 on Booking.com. But if the heart of the trip is nightlife and South Beach energy every night, the quiet location and top-tier price may give you pause. Overall we give it 9.2/10, best for couples and luxury travelers after privacy, historic charm, and first-class service by the sea — more than full-throttle city fun.