Sanctuary Hotel South Beach

Sanctuary Hotel Miami Beach

Poised to redefine the standards of personal attention, the Sanctuary Hotel is the ultimate South Beach getaway, where lifestyle connoisseurs are pampered in a relaxing, Zen-like environment with total privacy.

As its name implies, Sanctuary offers its residents a rich physical and spiritual experience within an intimate hotel setting of just 29 rooms, while also featuring the full amenities of a resort. Take one step into the posh entrance adorned with Mother of Pearl from Bali and African Wenge hardwood floors, and you'll know you've found Sanctuary. Smooth bamboo wood panels create an air of serenity, while custom-designed furniture offers the finest comfort available. The central bamboo garden courtyard, where water runs continuously through tiered chroma-therapy lit ponds, invokes an otherworldly sense of tranquility and creates a soothing rain sound. A transparent elevator at the end of the courtyard instantly whisks guests to the stunning rooftop pool and cocktail lounge. And should one ever feel the need to return to Earth, a pristine, blue Bentley and driver are available upon request.

Each room at Sanctuary embraces modern luxury with spare lines and reflective surfaces that span the indoor and outdoor. Bianca Calacatta marble counter top kitchens feature glass-fronted beverage centers, microwave ovens and deluxe espresso makers. A 42-inch, flat-screen plasma TV, custom designed seating and CD stereo complete the living room. Bathrooms are mini retreats with Lapis Lazuli blue terrazzo tile throughout, and Rain Head showers. Some rooms are equipped with steam showers, others with soaking tubs or jetted Jacuzzi tubs. All suites feature imported, porcelain tile floors, queen-size beds with Egyptian cotton sheets and a large custom wardrobe with laptop safe. Mini-bars are stocked with healthy, organic treats from "Whole Foods Market" like yogurt-covered raisins and cranberries, chocolate covered figs, juice spritzers, and green teas.

Satisfy a more substantial appetite at Sugo Restaurant, which comes to Sanctuary from famed restaurateurs Tommy Billante & Manuel Paucar, owners of the wildly popular Carpaccio Restaurant in Bal Harbor and many of South Florida's other fine Italian restaurants. Sugo, ("sauce" in Italian), will be their apex venue, the crown jewel of their culinary empire. With TK intimate tables, the lobby restaurant spills out onto a lush terrace for dining alfresco.

Managed by Miami's prestigious Facemaker Salon, the Sanctuary Salon and Spa offers guests and patrons a full menu of beauty and relaxation services. Local ingredients are highlighted in the tangerine bath and scrub, botanical mud treatments and Shirodhara Scalp Rejuvenation. Outdoor treatment areas and a spa menu ensure complete contentment.

Sanctuary is also South Beach's first "female-friendly" hotel, with an ongoing 25-percent discount for single women guests.

With the 24/7 lifestyle of the 21st century, the simple vacation isn't so simple any more. Sanctuary's 24-year-old owner, Keith Menin, understands the new demands put upon the modern hotel. "In the unwired world of cell phones, email, Blackberrys, and laptops, guests want a more meaningful experience from which they will return changed, detoxed, and perhaps a more spiritual person." Menin describes a Sanctuary guest as "a person who seeks a vacation that is also a retreat."