Casa Faena Miami Beach

El Paraiso Apartments: A 1928 Survivor on Collins Avenue

Before it was Casa Faena, this building was El Paraiso Apartments, opened in 1928 during Miami Beach's first great building boom. Martin L. Hampton designed it, a South Carolina born architect who settled in Miami in 1914 and became one of the city's most prolific interpreters of Mediterranean Revival style. The original building held just two hotel rooms alongside eighteen apartment units, modest by the standards of the boulevard it sits on today. Nearly a century later, the arched openings and stucco detailing Hampton drew are still legible, and the building is a contributing structure in the Collins Waterfront Architectural District on the National Register of Historic Places.

Why It Works

We picked Casa Faena because it offers something increasingly rare on Collins Avenue: a hotel built around an actual 1920s structure rather than a recreation of one. The Mediterranean Revival details are original, not applied for effect, and the building earned its Historic Hotels of America membership in 2015 on the strength of that authenticity. At thirty eight rooms, it also stays small enough to feel like a residence rather than a resort, which suits a Mid-Beach location that trades South Beach's density for quieter streets. The pet-friendly policy and the on-site concierge add a layer of everyday comfort that a strictly preservationist property sometimes skips in favor of period accuracy alone.

Why This Location

Casa Faena sits at 3500 Collins Avenue in Mid-Beach, a few minutes north of the Art Deco Historic District's busiest blocks and close to the Faena District's restaurants, galleries, and oceanfront promenade. It is a location suited to travelers who want proximity to South Beach's energy without staying inside it. A golf course within three kilometers and easy cycling access also make it workable for travelers mixing sport with sightseeing.

Fast Facts

• Price: Upper mid range to luxury

• Vibe: 1928 Mediterranean Revival building on the National Register

• Rooms: 38, pet friendly

• Best For: Architecture minded travelers, Mid-Beach stays, pet owners

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: the original 1920s stucco and arched detailing

• Dining: on site restaurant and bar

• Amenities: 24 hour front desk, concierge, golf course within 3 km

• Attractions: Faena District, Mid-Beach oceanfront, Art Deco Historic District nearby

Martin L. Hampton's Mediterranean Revival Beyond This Building

Hampton's imprint on Miami Beach runs well past this one address. He designed the city's own City Hall along with La Corona Apartments, Hampton Court, and the Embassy Hotel, all within the same architectural district. Seeing Casa Faena in that context turns a single hotel stay into a small survey of how Mediterranean Revival shaped the city's early civic and residential buildings alike, long before the Art Deco boom that usually gets the credit for Miami Beach's look.

A Wartime Chapter Most Guests Never Hear About

During the Second World War, the U.S. Army Air Forces leased El Paraiso Apartments along with a number of other Miami Beach properties, part of a citywide program that turned hotels and apartment buildings into temporary military housing and training facilities. The building returned to civilian hands afterward, and that wartime interruption is now just one chapter in a near century of continuous use.

Before You Book

Book Casa Faena for a documented 1920s building in a quieter corner of Miami Beach, with the Faena District's galleries and dining within walking distance. At four stars and thirty eight rooms, it rewards travelers who value a real architectural story over a bigger property with less history behind it. Request a room facing Collins Avenue if you want to wake up looking at the original facade rather than an interior courtyard.