Complete pampering . . . .

This pool is where I spent my afternoon yesterday. Isn't it beautiful? I am enjoying a week of complete pampering at a spa hotel, and even though I don't normally do posts like this, I wanted to share with you just a little bit about this incredible hotel.

My morning began with a 90-minute Essential yoga class that left me feeling strong, stretched, centered & aware.  Later, I was able to spend a few relaxing hours at that beautiful pool where I found myself "dozing" in that state between sleep & awake where your mind goes completely blank. It's so easy to relax here at The Standard Miami, which is a spa focused hotel, and is where I am this week.  Although this hotel is not high glitz, there is nothing standard about it. There are plenty of hotels on South Beach that are hip at night, but this hotel oozes "hip" during the day.  It is about a feeling rather than the size of the pool.  It may not be the biggest, shiniest, tallest or most expensive hotel in Miami, but it is certainly the coolest.  And although the design certainly got it, it’s not the design that creates the vibe.  It’s more the result of an attitude; an attitude that says to be different you have to be different without trying too hard.  It feels natural and effortless.

The original motel rooms, built in the 1950's, were too small for bathtubs, so owner Andre Balazs put them outside on patios surrounded by gauzy drapes. Inside, the rooms were cleverly updated, with lots of white paint, more gauzy drapes, and flat-screen TV's with cotton slipcovers so they don't detract from the chic-shack appearance.  The Garden Fire Lounge invites you in to sit, relax, nap, or cozy up in the shady wicker loungers.  You can enjoy conversation in the Shady Swing Lounge while you suspend yourself in swings under a shadowy trellis. Take your yoga outside in one of the outdoor yoga lawns, or enjoy it waterfront at sunset. Get dirty with your choice of Detoxifying, Purifying or Smoothing Mud in the Mud Lounge. Take a dip in the Arctic Plunge, relax under the waterfall hot tub, or in the sound pool. This place is the epitome of a spa hotel.

Here at The Standard, the atmosphere is informal, so it is not unusual to see guests having lunch in the restaurant, or a cocktail in the bar, in their bathrobes. After all, it is a spa hotel. And as a guest, I can assure you that while you're here, you are pampered and spoiled in a rich atmosphere beyond belief.