Bal Harbour

While everyone else in fashion was developing e-commerce platforms, retail pioneer Laure Hériard Dubreuil decided to open a 20,000-square foot brick-and-mortar shop in South Beach in a 1939 Henry Hohauser-designed Art Deco building. The space itself is impeccably designed, each room has a slightly different vibe (some, dark and moody, others light and bright), but it’s all the better to browse in, and ultimately spend hours wandering through. Exclusives like palm-leaf printed silk PJs from For Restless Sleepers, Olympia Le-Tan clutches, Gigi Burris Millinery woven hats, and even a Pantone Universe iPhone case in—you guessed it—The Webster Pink. While South Beach was her first location, she’s since opened locations in Bal Harbour, Costa Mesa, CA, and Houston.

One of the country’s preeminent indie booksellers, Miami native Mitchell Kaplan opened Books & Books at the beginning of the 1980’s, originally in Coral Gables. There are now three locations in Miami—one on Lincoln in Miami Beach, and one at Bal Harbour Shops, in addition to Coral Gables (plus a Grand Cayman and Westhampton Beach location). The staff recommendations will help you land on the perfect beach, plane, etc. read. Literary lovers must go.

Right across from Bal Harbour Shops (Aquazurra, Valentino, and the like), the 243-room beachfront hotel was designed by Yabu Pushelberg. The twenty-seven-floor hotel, which is a hybrid hotel-and-residential property, occupies a prime stretch of shoreline. Rooms are comfortable, done in a muted color palette of soft beachy shades and greyish blues; many feature balconies overlooking the ocean. There are a few dining options on-site, one of the most notable is the new Atlantikos, which exudes major Santorini vibes with its largely white-and-blue design and chef Anastasios Chasekioglou’s take on traditional Greek cuisine. Dishes like the roasted manouri cheese with honey are meant to be shared. The BH Burger Bar, with its build-your-own burgers, is sure to be a hit with the littles. For the adults, there’s local craft beer on tap and decadent Parmesan tater tots. When it’s time to decompress, the 14,000-square-foot Remède Spa is wholly transporting and features Finnish saunas and aromatic steam rooms. Treatments are offered outdoors in the spa cabanas upon request.

Stephen Starr has been opening Miami restaurants at a rapid-fire pace, and one of our favorites by far is the sunny, colorfully decorated Le Zoo in Bal Harbour. There's a lovely French-inspired menu, but we come for the gorgeous (and beautifully designed) drink list, which includes carefully selected wine and beer, plus a few tasteful, straightforward cocktails. It's the perfect place to stop in for a glass of wine or an Aperol Spritz to break up a day of window-shopping at Bal Harbour's pristine boutiques.