Miami’s trendy Coconut Grove may be a hotbed of world-class shopping, dining, and entertainment, but its crown jewel is the Mayfair House Hotel & Garden. Enclosed in an unassuming corner building with a hidden lobby entrance, doors open to a nature lover’s paradise.

The ground floor’s courtyard touts plants of all shapes, sizes, and species, in addition to fountains and water installations that run along its perimeter. This flora and fauna motif extends to each floor with green-lined planters that greet guests as they enter their adorably-named and garden-themed rooms from open-air breezeways.

Beyond the natural beauty and jungle-like feel, rooms are handsomely designed with dark woods, forest greens, and pops of burnt orange. They also include unique, one-of-a-kind features such as a cavernous shower, typewriter, bar cart, standalone tub, and an outdoor lounge space with its own shower.

The lighting is also moody, the beds are remarkably comfortable, and the rooms are large so that you have enough space to stretch your legs, especially if traveling with a significant other.

Despite the hustle and bustle of everything happening on the streets that surround it, the Mayfair offers a sense of tranquility so that you can rest your head and detach from South Florida’s oppressive heat and excess of energy.

Top Takeaways

Location: Miami, Florida

Address: 3000 Florida Ave, Miami, FL 33133

Rating: Five stars

The Vibe: While the general vibes are chill and laid-back, there is definitely a lively scene in the hotel’s amenity areas. The Mayfair’s rooftop is constantly packed with ray-chasers, both in the pool and on the surrounding furniture, while an outdoor fireplace overlooks its bar area where guests and locals mingle over classic libations such as mojitos and Aperol spritzes. Its main floor is also a gathering place to listen to live music while sipping coffee and noshing on local Cuban-inspired pastries.

Food + Drink: Nestled among a canopy of trees on the property’s ground floor, the Mayfair Grill is not to be missed. Its impressive menu, which ranges from “house expression” cocktails featuring tropical produce to Spanish-style tapas including grilled olives and ibérico ham, is not only good hotel fare but good Coconut Grove fare, which says a lot for the neighborhood that is celebrated for its innovative and consistently high-quality cuisine. Other standout dishes include black truffle and potato croquetas, passionfruit tuna tartare, lobster ravioli, and an angus skirt steak with chimichurri rojo.

Amenities: Rooftop pool and bar; restaurant; gym; complimentary breakfast; valet parking; welcome beverage; daily bike use; bottled water

Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: The landscaping, of course. Who needs a botanical garden when you can live among the property’s impressive array of flowers and plants? And while the elevator is notoriously slow and often temperamental (it will literally skip your floor), its iconic glass walls and antique design have made it a Mayfair staple.

5 Nearby Attractions: Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Cocowalk, The Kampong, Bayshore, Marjorie Stoneman Douglas Park

Any Personal Neighborhood Recs? Anyone can step into Coconut Grove and find something to do, though happy hour at Bayshore Club is a must with its impeccable views of the marina and Miami City Hall. Take full advantage of stone crab season, as well as $2 oysters on Mondays, while people-watching and winding down after a long work day.

On Monday, the Italian chain restaurant, Buca di Beppo, filed for bankruptcy after a slew of store closures.

The company blamed its financial woes on things including rising costs and hiring difficulty, according to information from the restaurant and court papers filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas.

In its 21-page petition obtained by USA TODAY, the Orlando-based casual restaurant chain named 30 creditors it owes close to $50 million.

The chain of Italian-American restaurants has been slowly shuttering its doors since COVID hit in 2020 and last month closed nearly 20% of its locations, according to Restaurant Business Magazine.

Following the closures, the chain says it plans to restructure 44 locations and open a new one, according to a press release.

Which locations remain open?

The following locations are listed as open to diners in the U.S. on Buca di Beppo website:

Arizona | California | Florida | Illinois | Indiana | Kentucky | Minnesota | Missouri | Nevada | New Mexico | Ohio | Tennessee | Texas | Washington

Arizona

California

Florida

Illinois

Indiana

Kentucky

Minnesota

Missouri

Nevada

New Mexico

Ohio

Tennessee

Texas

Washington

Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. She has covered various topics, from local businesses and government in her hometown, Miami, to tech and pop culture. You can connect with her on LinkedIn or follow her on X, formerly Twitter, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz.

Why book?

An architectural marvel from the 80s lives again. Expect the unexpected, from moody peacock blue and terra cotta-toned rooms with giant clawfoot tubs to a soaring open atrium of outdoor corridors lined with lush plants and a buzzy lobby bar set in a hollowed-out fountain.

Set the scene

During the years it sat in relative obscurity, The Grove missed out on an anchor, both literally (the Mayfair occupies two entire city blocks smack dab in the center of The Grove) and socially (in its 1985 heyday the hotel featured a mélange of creatives, businessmen and even the odd cartel boss). Today that energy is back and better than ever. During the temperate months, the lush atrium will be filled with an amalgam of well-heeled, work-from-home types and creative artists that likely live in the neighborhood. Around sunset the rooftop pool bar features a friendly, eclectic bunch of unpretentious patrons, giving it a warmer feel than venues on the beach that are often packed with overdressed tourists.

The backstory

The hotel was originally built in 1985 in the garden atrium typology by acclaimed architect Kenneth Treister. Inspired by the work of Spanish maestro Antoni Gaudí, Treister’s gem sadly fell into neglect in the early aughts. Enter hospitality Pac Man Brookfield and emerging New York interior designer Matthew Goodrich, and you have today’s iteration that, instead of reinventing the wheel, brings back the best the hotel had to offer and places it firmly at the center of The Grove’s post-pandemic development renaissance.

The rooms

Rooms range in size from 400 all the way up to 1,000 square feet and as such, never disappoint in terms of space. Even their balconies (95 percent of rooms have one) are more than generous, making the property ideal for larger groups and families. Rooms feature cool perks like working typewriters, a fully kitted-out bar cart with cocktail sets, and oodles of “made in the Grove” craft snacks. But the piece de resistance is truly the oversized clawfoot tub (it, too, is big enough for the whole family!). We were digging the over-the-top, saturated color scheme and original carved-wood headboards, but it may not be everyone’s bag.

Food and drink Helmed by Chris Hudnall and Randy Alonso, cofounders of hit Downtown Miami bar Lost Boy, the Mayfair Grill features an aromatic wood-fired grill (which you can smell across the street) and a first-in-Miami Southwestern culinary offering specific to the Sonoran Desert. This means anything from woodfired Navajo bread and hand-milled maize tacos to the most succulent wagyu picanha steak (admittedly a Brazilian import). Be sure to grab an early table as this spot fills up quickly with locals seeking the neighborhood’s hottest dinner resi. After dinner, rum-centric cocktails are served up nightly with vibey tunes and a view of the Grove that stretches all the way to the Bay.

The neighborhood/area Within a 1-mile radius of the hotel, you’ll find a slew of Michelin-starred restaurants (Los Felix, Ariete), a must-see farmers market, a host of tasty baked goods (Panther Coffee, Fireman Derek’s), unique retail offerings (Bazaar Project, Books & Books, Coco Walk) and miles of bayside parks (Kennedy and Peacock Park). But what truly sets the neighborhood apart is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously, despite its current status as one of the country’s hottest hoods. This is a place where locals still greet each other and establishments have been unchanged since the 60s.

The serviceFrom check-in to arranging in-room facials, the hotel’s casual staff has a friendly “here if you need me” attitude. The check-in and check-out process is non-transactional and can be fully automated through lobby-level kiosks (much more thoughtfully designed than the ones at the airport).

Eco/health offerings The hotel has a fleet of bikes that guests can use throughout their stay at no extra charge and partners with Modern ?M to offer open-air yoga classes.

For families Large room sizes and reasonably-priced rooms featuring two king beds are ideal for families. For bigger groups, the hotel even features lavish 2-bedroom suites and the equally generous Grand Luxe Corner Suite. The hotel is especially popular with pet parents whose furry friends love the hood’s ample dog parks as well as the hotel’s indoor-outdoor feel.

Accessibility Elevators are generous, ramps are provided where necessary, and the hotel has nine ADA rooms.

All listings featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. If you book something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.