If you’re heading to South Beach this summer, you’re probably packing skimpy clothes and planning on plenty of cocktails on Collins Avenue. But if you drive just a couple miles north on Collins, you can really chill (in spite of the 90-degree heat) and enjoy Miami’s ultimate oasis of zen: Canyon Ranch.
Miami Beach’s Canyon Ranch is the latest outpost of the Lenox, Mass., and Tuscon, Ariz., mainstays. Unlike the other new properties on the Beach, it opened without too much hoopla late last year. But — again, unlike so many other hotels on Collins — Canyon Ranch is quiet and calm, encouraging guests to relax with yoga and healthy eating instead of piña coladas and partying.
More than just a hotel (although it’s super comfortable on that level), Canyon Ranch is about an overall experience. There’s a huger-than-huge gym with a rock climbing wall and loads of fitness classes as well as workout equipment. There are doctors and wellness practitioners that work there full time to help get rid of everything from plain old stress to a smoking addiction. And if western medicine’s not your cup of tea, traditional therapies like acupuncture are offered as well.
The hotel is an elegant renovation and modernization of a classic old Miami Beach property, The Carillon, which was named Miami’s Hotel of the Year half a century ago. That’s another thing that sets this place apart. Instead of trashing a memorable old building, as is typical with many new Miami Beach hotels, Canyon Ranch hired architect David Rockwell to preserve a healthy chunk of the original property (like the fabulous lobby, pictured) and bring it up to date. If you’re hoping to look that good 50 years from now, hop on the next plane to Miami.