Will Pryce/Mayfair House Hotel & Garden
Mayfair House Hotel & Garden, Miami, Florida
Mayfair House may be in its second act—but it’s just getting started. Lodged in the heart of leafy, low-key Coconut Grove, the palatial hotel first opened its doors in 1985, and with its yawning indoor atrium, was then a distinguished example of that era’s typology. But over the years, the property fell into disrepair—and after a lengthy pause, reopened in 2022, following its purchase by Brookfield Asset Management and a mammoth redesign by interiors maven Matthew Goodrich. Now, everything about it feels fresh; its signature atrium, loaded with vegetation, is a place of respite rather than a shopping mall, and rooms express a modern flair with clawfoot tubs, jewel-tone walls, and tropical-print accent pieces. But the F&B is the real scene-stealer. That’s thanks to Chris Hudnall and Randy Alonso, co-founders of hit Downtown Miami bar Lost Boy, who’ve launched concepts exciting enough to keep you on-property through the night. The vibe is cool, calm, collected, and fun–so don a flouncy, floral dress or a breezy button-down and khaki shorts and head up to Mayfair Grill, where the centerpiece is—you guessed it—an aromatic wood-fired grill, which touts Miami’s first Sonoran culinary offering (think woodfired Navajo bread studded with roasted pepper, dried tomato, and Mexican chihuahua cheese, and hand-milled maize tacos). Sipsip, the cocktail bar by the hotel’s scene-y rooftop pool, serves up rum-centric cocktails best enjoyed with the expansive views of Biscayne Bay.
But this is Miami’s oldest continuously occupied neighborhood, and as such, there’s plenty to see beyond hotel walls. Grab a vanilla cream cold brew at Panther Coffee, the city’s first specialty roaster, then mosey over to Barnacle Historic State Park. Formerly the home of Ralph Middleton Munroe, one of the Grove’s earliest residents, you can still see his 1891 home, the oldest in the county, which sits under an ancient tree canopy. (For something with a little more “wow” factor, you can’t do better than Vizcaya Museum & Gardens, a mere 10 minute-drive up the coast—the sprawling, Mediterranean-style villa and estate, built in 1916 for industrialist James Deering, is well worth a stroll.) And while the exotic birds no longer roam Peacock Park, you can at least sit it on a free fitness class. If you happen to be in town on a Sunday, the Coconut Grove Foodie and Farmers Market operates out of St. Stephens, the church next door, where you’re guaranteed an enviable selection of artisanal goods and handicrafts. —Betsy Blumenthal
