The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, Miami

Character and identity

A 421-room oceanfront resort on a barrier island 20 minutes from downtown Miami, freshly out of a $100 million renovation completed through 2025. The redesign brings a contemporary coastal palette (strawberry-blonde woods, gold-veined marble bathrooms, floor-to-ceiling water views) to a property that already owned 12 acres of beach. Dining anchors on Luma, an Italian grill with a Josper oven and live pasta station, alongside Aegean beachfront restaurant Paralía, the reintroduced Rum Bar, and Dune Beach Bar. A 30,000-square-foot spa with 16 treatment rooms and the Cliff Drysdale tennis, pickleball and padel courts round out a relaxed, social, island-paced register.

Who's it for

Bottom line

The defining draw here is the combination of a fully renovated, modern resort product on a genuine island beach with Miami still a 20-minute drive away. Book it if resort days (pools, racquet sports, spa, beachfront dining) are the holiday, with one or two trips into the city as a bonus. The Ritz-Carlton Club tier on the ninth floor is the splurge worth making.