Miami - Sarah visits the Shore Club, Miami.
Star quality
Rihanna, Leonardo DiCaprio, Usher, Lance Armstrong, Janet Jackson, actors Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson, Beyoncé and Jay-Z.
Vital statistics
The outside space is most important at this hotel, as that’s where all the action happens, and it is a riot of rich blues, oranges and reds.
South Beach’s Shore Club mines a Moroccan vibe in its garden, with lanterns in the trees, blue floor tiles and cushions to lounge against. At night, a courtyard turns into the Skybar, a mellow party area that attracts huge crowds, especially at weekends.
The penthouse, used to film the US version of The X Factor, features its own swimming pool but the rest of the bedrooms are fairly plain – there are 325 of them, all with concrete floors and all-white furnishings and bathrooms.
Most private is the Beach House. With its own entrance and swimming pool, it’s the preferred destination for stars including Beyoncé and her husband Jay-Z – he refers to it as Bungalow 8 in his song All Around The World.
There’s a rooftop spa where Jenna Bush, daughter of former US President George Bush, has been known to check in, but the hotel’s biggest pull is Miami’s only branch of Nobu, the Japanese fusion restaurant that acts as a honey-trap to sushi-seeking celebrities.
A more relaxed restaurant, Terrazza, is near the pool. Singer Usher was an early fan of its Mediterranean-style food.
Location report
In the heart of the busiest stretch of South Beach, Shore Club guests also get their own reserved area of sand with dedicated sunloungers.
This part of Miami is so status-conscious that there’s even a VIP section of the beach closest to the ocean and kitted out with specially luxurious loungers. Entry costs $150 (about R1 500), although, once they’re in, guests can access the sunloungers for free.
South Beach’s clubs are a short taxi ride away and the Delano, the Shore Club’s more serene sibling and home of FDR, a small but achingly trendy bar, is just a block away.
Key attraction
The Shore Club’s pool area essentially acts as a daytime club where swimming is strictly secondary to South Beach’s see-and-be-seen raison d’etre.
Hollywood actors Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson have chilled out here. Constant rosters of DJs provide the music, ratcheting up the beats towards late afternoon and early evening.
The side of the pool that gets the most sun is particularly prized, and to secure a sofa area here, guests will need to weigh in with a serious alcohol order.
For those who don’t want to mix partying with sunscreen, there’s a second, less frantic pool near a gate that leads to the beach.
In the news
Singer Rihanna stayed last year, but she decided to hang out at the beach rather than by the pool.
Good enough for the rest of us?
Breakfast at Terrazza is the meal to aim for – all you can eat for a little over £20. V Hip Holidays (vhiphotels.co.uk, 0844 573 2460) is offering a four-night break at the Shore Club, including breakfast and return flights, from £1 099 per person. - Mail On Sunday