The Standard Miami

A Spa Built on Miami Beach's Only Natural Island

Before it was The Standard, this stretch of Belle Isle, the only natural island in Miami Beach, everything around it man-made, was the Monterrey Motel, built in 1953 by Miami Modern architect Norman Giller. New owners renamed it the Lido Spa in 1960 and added the three-story spa building credited to A. Herbert Mathes, and for decades it drew a loyal, older clientele; the club on site is said to have hosted Josephine Baker, on the condition the audience be desegregated. The Lido closed in 2002, sat frozen for years, and reopened in 2006 as The Standard Spa, Miami Beach, rebuilt around its original idea of a hotel organized around a spa, not the other way round.

Why It Works

We selected it for a premise most Miami Beach hotels don't share: the spa came first here, literally, and the hotel was built to serve it. The Standard kept the Miami Modern bones of Giller's original layout and Mathes's spa wing rather than replacing them, so the property reads as restored rather than reinvented. The hydrotherapy circuit is open to every overnight guest at no extra cost, a rarity on a stretch of coast where spa access is usually its own line item, and the adults-only policy keeps the grounds genuinely quiet.

Why This Location

Belle Isle sits just off the Venetian Causeway, a few minutes by car from Lincoln Road and South Beach's main strip but insulated from both by water on every side. It's close enough to reach the galleries, shopping and nightlife of South Beach without living inside the noise of it, and the island setting means the hotel's own grounds, not a street scene, are the main event. Guests without a car rely on taxis or rideshare for the short hop into South Beach proper.

Fast Facts

• Price: Luxury

• Vibe: Miami Modern bones, Danish-modern lounge, spa-first pace

• Rooms: 100, adults only

• Best For: spa-focused breaks, adults-only quiet, couples

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: the free indoor-outdoor hydrotherapy circuit, hammam, Roman hot tub, arctic plunge, open to every guest

• Dining: Lido Restaurant & Bayside Grill, plus a Danish-modern bar and lounge

• Amenities: Finnish sauna, aroma steam room, mud lounge, infinity pool, spa treatments (massage, acupuncture, skincare)

• Attractions: South Beach's Lincoln Road and Art Deco Historic District, the Venetian Causeway, Belle Isle's own shoreline

Inside the Hydrotherapy Circuit

The circuit is the reason to book here over almost anywhere else on the beach: a Turkish-style hammam, a Roman waterfall hot tub and an arctic plunge, indoors and out, included for every overnight stay rather than sold by the hour. A Finnish sauna and an aroma steam room round out the loop, and the spa's treatment menu, massage, acupuncture, skincare, nail care, runs alongside it for anyone who wants a scheduled session rather than a free soak. It's less a hotel amenity than the organizing idea of the place, which is exactly what the Lido was built around in 1960.

Dining at Lido and the Bayside Grill

The Lido Restaurant and the adjoining Bayside Grill handle meals on site, set beside the infinity pool and built for a slower pace than South Beach's restaurant rows a few minutes away. In the evening, a Danish-modern bar and lounge takes over, mixing cocktails for guests who've already decided the point of this trip is the spa and the pool rather than a reservation circuit across the causeway.

Before You Book

The Standard Spa is adults-only, so this isn't the pick for a family trip to Miami Beach. Check-in starts at 4pm, with late check-out running as late as 1pm on request. The hydrotherapy circuit is open to every guest at no extra charge, but spa treatments book up, especially on weekends, so reserving a slot ahead of arrival is worth doing before you land. Guests who want South Beach's galleries and nightlife should plan on a short rideshare across the causeway rather than a walk.