When you travel as much as the Uproxx family, you start to feel like a pro when it comes to the act of booking accommodations. We know how to pick the best AirBnB from the bunch. We’ve got clear criteria for chic resorts that won’t be overrun with sugared-up kids and exhausted parents. We definitely know the luxury brands we love. We even gave them their own special column, Hotels We Love.
Point being, we’ve got our stay n’ play game down! And we still get legit excited when something new comes across our radar and makes us perk up.
I recently took a quick jaunt down to Miami to follow the sun and beat the winter blues. To my delight, the Moxy Miami South Beach presented a fresh flavor that felt new and intriguing to my travel-seasoned palate. With a sense of irreverent flare that walks a fine line between playful and posh, they’ve got a formula that felt just on the edge unfamiliar but thoroughly inviting. Here’s what hooked me hardest:
BOLD DECOR
So what exactly makes the Moxy Miami South Beach live up to its name as if Sinatra were saying it?
First, the aesthetic is about as bold as you can go without becoming brash. It’s not a stretch to say that the decor could have easily been put together by Hunter S. Thompson in a peak altered state. Clean and unassuming from the outside, as soon as you walk in the door you’re hit with a wave of vibrant color.
Surrealist murals line the lobby and smartly contrast the sleek mirrored glass bar anchored in the center of the space. When I visit a hotel, I love not having to ask where to get our cocktails upon arrival, Frank and Hunter would agree.
FLOW
More than just flare, the Moxy Miami has flow. The lobby opens to a beautiful atrium where you can step out to sip your evening cocktail or enjoy your morning juice and breakfast burrito from the tienda. From the atrium, you can proceed up a staircase to the 2nd floor restaurant Serena which takes a much more refined approach which we appreciated for dinner.
Both Serena’s food and beverage menus lean LatinX with plenty of options to delight from the spiciest taste buds to the more subdued not looking to pile on the feugo. Oh, and keeping with the requisite pinch of random, we’ll note that the guacamole and plantain chips appetizer is portioned to be a meal unto itself. No skimping detected here.
Not hungry? The same staircase will wrap you around to the pool which you can count on being full of floaties and eye other eye candy catching a little sun in their ample rows of lounge chairs and cabanas. Not in the mood for a dip? Step just past the pool and you’ll find yourself in their fitness center which is stocked enough for even the hardcore gym bros to not scoff.
THE ROOMS THEMSELVES
The meat and potatoes of any good hotel. I stayed in a corner king suite which was just as flavorful as the lobby. Jungle leaf wallpaper lined the entry to the living room with a neon sign that read “Mañana, Mañana, Mañana” – a mantra reminding me to relax and just enjoy the moment.
Not to overdo it, the wallpaper stops short and the rest of the room keeps it clean and white. A portrait of Jean Michel Basquiat hung over the bed and proved a refreshingly on-point pop-alternative to so much of the hotel art we’ve all become used to.
THE INTANGIBLES
Made for the stay with an emphasis on play, the Moxy offers several floor plans designed for the group of friends who aren’t in town to stay cooped up in the room. Yes, they offer the standard king and double queen options, but the Moxy Miami also has a quad-bunk bed layout for those dedicated to squad life. We were intrigued enough to ask and although the bunk option isn’t available at all Moxy locations, you and your pack can shack up tight and save a few bucks to offset your bar tab at many of their global properties.
So where to next? I stated earlier that I followed the sun down to Miami but the Moxy brand has just launched a partnership with the Sanctuary astrology app that’s meant to encourage travelers to literally follow their stars and discover new locations based on their signs. They held a launch party for the partnership while I was in town and I got an astro-cartography reading that gave some insight and recommendations for where I might find auspicious energies awaiting in my upcoming travels.
The main bar served up a well-rounded offering of zodiac-inspired cocktails and they even had a crystal bar where I grabbed a few rocks for my pockets to balance the ones in my drink. The evening’s offerings were equal parts playful and thoughtful, just like the rest of the Moxy experience. The Uproxx crew loves a little “woo-woo” with our “where to?” and Moxy nailed that in style.
Check out the Moxy website and book here. Rooms start at $350 per night for a standard King and hike up to $750 for a Suite. Bunk rooms fall somewhere in the middle but make for a great way to split the tab as a team. No matter what room you choose, our crystal ball predicts a whole lot of winning.
