Faena Hotel Miami Beach: Inside Miami's Most Artistic Five-Star Oceanfront Experience
Experience theatrical luxury at Faena Miami Beach—where Damien Hirst's gilded mammoth, Baz Luhrmann's design vision, and world-class dining from Francis Mallmann converge in Mid-Beach's most extraordinary art hotel.
By BeachLoco Editorial Team
Some hotels offer luxury. Faena Miami Beach offers theater. Rising from the sands of Mid-Beach like a fever dream conceived by Alan Faena and realized by Baz Luhrmann, this isn't merely a five-star hotel—it's a billion-dollar art installation you can sleep in. From the moment you encounter Damien Hirst's gilded woolly mammoth skeleton in the lobby to your last sunset cocktail beneath hand-painted murals, Faena delivers an experience that makes other luxury hotels feel like they're trying too hard by not trying hard enough.
Located on Collins Avenue in Florida's exclusive Mid-Beach neighborhood—between the party of South Beach and the quiet of Bal Harbour—Faena occupies a singular position in Miami's hospitality landscape. This is where Argentine vision meets Hollywood glamour meets serious art collecting, wrapped in 450 feet of pristine private beach.
Quick Stats
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- Location: 3201 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33140
- Suites & Rooms: 169
- Architecture: Baz Luhrmann & Catherine Martin design, Alan Faena vision
- Private Beach: 450 feet of Mid-Beach oceanfront
- Art Collection: multi-million dollar+ including Damien Hirst's gilded mammoth
- Pools: 2 (Oceanfront Pool + Cathedral Pool)
- Rate Category: Ultra-luxury rates
- Contact: +1 (786) 655-5600
Who Is This Guide For?
- ✔ Art collectors and design enthusiasts seeking a hotel-as-gallery experience
- ✔ Creative professionals who appreciate bold, theatrical aesthetics
- ✔ Couples celebrating special occasions with romance that has edge
- ✔ Those who've done the Edition, done the Setai, and want something wilder
- ✔ Travelers who curate moments, not just destinations
Los Fuegos by Francis Mallmann
"Argentine wood-fire mastery meets Miami oceanfront—where whole-animal cooking and theatrical flames create the city's most primal dining experience."
Francis Mallmann doesn't cook food. He conducts fire. At Los Fuegos, the legendary Argentine chef brings his Patagonian open-flame philosophy to Miami Beach, with custom-built wood-burning grills imported from South America. The restaurant wraps around an open kitchen where flames dance and whole animals rotate slowly over hardwood embers.
The oceanfront terrace offers what might be Miami's most dramatic dinner setting—watch the sun descend into the Atlantic while your eight-hour lamb emerges from the infiernillo, the "little hell" pit where Mallmann achieves the impossible: meat that's simultaneously charred and impossibly tender.
- Must-try: Infiernillo-grilled ribeye, whole lamb cooked over 8 hours, burnt lemons
- Best Day to Visit: Saturday for extended menu and sunset fire lighting ceremony
- Hours: Dinner 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM daily; Brunch Sat-Sun 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
- Address: 3201 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33140
- Phone: +1 (786) 655-5600
- Price Level: Luxury pricing
Pao by Paul Qui
"Top Chef brilliance meets Miami's cultural crossroads in a gold-leafed wonderland of Asian-Latin fusion."
Paul Qui won Top Chef, then proceeded to redefine what Asian-Latin fusion could be. At Pao, he operates in a cathedral of gold leaf and hand-painted murals, crafting dishes that honor his Filipino heritage while embracing Miami's Latin soul. The tasting counter offers front-row seats to culinary theater.
The space itself—designed to feel like dining inside a Fabergé egg—somehow doesn't overwhelm the food. Qui's foie gras dumplings arrive looking like art objects; his whole roasted duck feeds two and photographs like a still life. This is Instagram dining elevated to genuine gastronomy.
- Must-try: Foie gras dumplings, whole roasted duck, omakase tasting menu
- Best Day to Visit: Thursday for chef's tasting counter experience
- Hours: Dinner 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM Wed-Sun; Closed Mon-Tue
- Address: 3201 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33140
- Phone: +1 (786) 655-5600
- Price Level: Luxury pricing
El Secreto Omakase
"Miami's most exclusive sushi counter hides behind an unmarked door—twelve seats, one master, zero compromises."
You won't find El Secreto on any sign. This hidden 12-seat omakase experience operates behind an unmarked door within the hotel, accessible only to those who know to ask. Inside, a master sushi chef conducts a two-hour journey through the day's finest fish, flown in from Tokyo's Tsukiji market.
The intimate space creates an almost sacred atmosphere—no phones, no menus, no choices. You surrender to the chef's vision and emerge having experienced sushi the way it was meant to be: personal, precise, and utterly transportive. Reservations are essential and often require hotel concierge intervention.
- Must-try: Chef's omakase (the only option), seasonal uni, otoro
- Best Day to Visit: Tuesday when freshest fish shipments arrive
- Hours: Two seatings nightly at 6:00 PM and 8:30 PM, Thu-Sat only
- Address: 3201 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33140 (hidden entrance)
- Phone: +1 (786) 655-5600 (request through concierge)
- Price Level: Luxury pricing
Tree of Life
"A garden oasis where craft cocktails flow beneath tropical canopy and the pace of Miami slows to a meditation."
Set within the Faena's lush courtyard garden, Tree of Life offers respite from both the beach and the theatrical interiors. This open-air bar wraps around mature banyan trees strung with lights, creating an atmosphere that feels more Tulum than Miami Beach.
The cocktail program emphasizes fresh juices and house-made infusions, with light bites that won't weigh you down before dinner. It's the perfect late-afternoon transition space—sundowner drinks as the sky turns pink, before the evening's more elaborate dining begins.
- Must-try: Garden Collins with house herbs, coconut-washed rum cocktails, ceviche
- Best Day to Visit: Sunday for extended garden brunch hours
- Hours: 12:00 PM – 10:00 PM daily
- Address: 3201 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33140 (garden courtyard)
- Phone: +1 (786) 655-5600
- Price Level: Luxury pricing
Campo Casa Faena
"Tropical Mexican soul food in a pastel Art Deco dreamscape—Faena's sister property delivers the neighborhood's most joyful dining."
Across Collins Avenue at Casa Faena (the brand's boutique sister hotel), Campo offers a completely different vibe: casual, colorful, and unabashedly fun. The menu celebrates Mexican cuisine with Miami Beach flair—think elevated tacos, fresh guacamole prepared tableside, and mezcal flights that educate as they intoxicate.
The pastel interiors and vintage Deco bones of Casa Faena provide a lighter counterpoint to the main hotel's gilded drama. This is where Faena guests escape for a laid-back lunch or a margarita-fueled early dinner before returning to the theater of the mothership.
- Must-try: Tableside guacamole, carnitas tacos, mezcal flight
- Best Day to Visit: Friday for extended happy hour and live music
- Hours: Lunch 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM; Dinner 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM daily
- Address: 3500 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33140 (Casa Faena)
- Phone: +1 (786) 655-5510
- Price Level: Luxury pricing
Faena Theater
"A 150-seat jewel box designed by Oscar winners, where cabaret, culture, and the unexpected collide nightly."
Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin—the husband-wife team behind Moulin Rouge! and The Great Gatsby—designed the Faena Theater as their vision of a 1920s Parisian cabaret reimagined for 21st-century Miami. Every surface drips with red velvet, gold leaf, and theatrical intention.
The programming rotates between original cabaret productions, visiting artists, cultural events, and private celebrations. On any given night, you might experience aerial performers, avant-garde dance, or a legendary musician in an impossibly intimate setting. Theater tickets are separate from hotel stays and sell out quickly for special performances.
- Must-try: Saturday night cabaret show, VIP table with bottle service
- Best Day to Visit: Saturday for flagship cabaret performances
- Hours: Show times vary; typically 8:00 PM and 10:30 PM on performance nights
- Address: 3201 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33140
- Phone: +1 (786) 655-5600
- Price Level: Luxury pricing
The Living Room
"Where Damien Hirst's gilded mammoth holds court and craft cocktails flow beneath soaring hand-painted murals."
The Living Room is the heart of Faena—a soaring, cathedral-like space anchored by "Gone But Not Forgotten," Damien Hirst's 12-foot gilded woolly mammoth skeleton in a gold vitrine. This is where guests gather for afternoon tea, evening cocktails, and late-night jazz, all under Juan Gatti's spectacular ceiling murals.
The cocktail program rivals any standalone bar in Miami, with masterful classics and Faena originals that honor the space's theatrical DNA. Live jazz and piano music most evenings transform the room into a salon for the global creative class. This is where deals are made, love affairs begin, and Instagram moments are harvested by the hundreds.
- Must-try: Faena Old Fashioned, afternoon tea service, mammoth-viewing at golden hour
- Best Day to Visit: Friday and Saturday for live jazz performances
- Hours: 7:00 AM – 1:00 AM daily
- Address: 3201 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33140 (main lobby)
- Phone: +1 (786) 655-5600
- Price Level: Luxury pricing
Saxony Bar
"When midnight strikes and the theater empties, Saxony ignites—Miami Beach's most sophisticated late-night escape."
Named for the legendary Saxony Hotel that once occupied adjacent land (host to Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and the Rat Pack), Saxony Bar is Faena's answer to the question: where do beautiful people go after the cabaret? Answer: here, for bottle service, live DJs, and dancing until 4 AM.
The intimate space channels 1950s glamour with a modern Miami edge. Banquettes line the walls, a small dance floor pulses with energy, and the crowd skews toward hotel guests and their enviably attractive friends. This is not a nightclub—it's a late-night salon with serious sound.
- Must-try: Bottle service champagne, Saxony Martini, late-night caviar
- Best Day to Visit: Saturday after the 10:30 PM theater show
- Hours: 10:30 PM – 4:00 AM Fri-Sat; 10:30 PM – 2:00 AM Thu & Sun
- Address: 3201 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33140
- Phone: +1 (786) 655-5600
- Price Level: Luxury pricing
Tierra Santa Healing House
"Where ancient shamanic wisdom meets modern wellness in a sanctuary designed for transformation, not just relaxation."
Tierra Santa ("Holy Land") isn't a spa—it's a healing house, and that distinction matters. Drawing from South American shamanic traditions, the 22,000-square-foot wellness sanctuary offers treatments you won't find anywhere else in Miami: sound healing ceremonies, hammam rituals, and signature experiences that incorporate elements from Faena founder Alan Faena's Argentine heritage.
The facilities include a traditional Turkish hammam, chromotherapy steam rooms, an aromatic herbal laconium, and oceanfront treatment rooms where the sound of waves becomes part of the therapy. The Tree of Life signature treatment—a four-hour journey involving multiple modalities—represents the pinnacle of the experience.
- Must-try: Tree of Life signature journey (4 hours), hammam ritual, sound healing
- Best Day to Visit: Weekday mornings for quietest experience
- Hours: 9:00 AM – 8:00 PM daily
- Address: 3201 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33140 (4th floor)
- Phone: +1 (786) 655-5570
- Price Level: Luxury pricing
Rossano Ferretti Hairspa
"The Method haircut that A-listers fly across continents for, now available steps from your ocean-view suite."
Rossano Ferretti revolutionized haircutting with "The Method"—a philosophy that works with hair's natural fall rather than imposing structure. His salons serve as pilgrimage sites for celebrities and civilians alike who've experienced cuts that somehow always look just-styled, even months later.
The Faena outpost brings this Italian excellence to Miami Beach, offering cuts, color, and styling in an environment that feels more private club than hair salon. Book well in advance; Ferretti-trained stylists are in constant demand, and the pre-event blowout appointments during Art Basel and similar events sell out months ahead.
- Must-try: The Method haircut, pre-event styling, Olaplex treatment
- Best Day to Visit: Tuesday for new week availability
- Hours: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM Tue-Sat; Closed Sun-Mon
- Address: 3201 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33140
- Phone: +1 (786) 655-5580
- Price Level: Luxury pricing
Faena Beach & Pool
"Red-and-white striped cabanas, white-glove service, and 450 feet of Mid-Beach perfection—this is how the art world does ocean."
The Faena beach experience is immediately recognizable: those iconic red-and-white striped cabanas marching toward the Atlantic, creating perhaps the most photographed beachscape in Miami. But beyond the Instagram appeal lies genuine excellence—450 feet of private beach with dedicated attendants, ocean-view daybeds, and service that anticipates rather than reacts.
The oceanfront pool extends the experience for those who prefer chlorine to salt, while the adults-only Cathedral Pool in the penthouse offers an entirely different atmosphere. Beach and pool menus from Los Fuegos keep the food elevated above typical poolside fare.
- Must-try: Lobster roll from beach menu, rosé by the bottle, afternoon cabana service
- Best Day to Visit: Weekdays for quiet beach; weekends for scene
- Hours: Beach 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM; Pool 7:00 AM – 8:00 PM (hotel guests priority)
- Address: Faena beachfront, 3201 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33140
- Phone: +1 (786) 655-5600
- Price Level: Luxury pricing
The Suite Experience
Faena's 169 rooms and suites channel 1950s Miami glamour through a distinctly contemporary lens. Catherine Martin's interiors combine ocean blues, creamy whites, and carefully deployed gold accents—theatrical enough to feel special, restrained enough to actually relax in.
Ocean View Rooms (from ultra-luxury nightly rates): Entry-level at Faena still delivers premium: 450 square feet, custom Faena beds, marble bathrooms with ocean-facing soaking tubs, and that Mid-Beach view that makes even the "basic" rooms feel indulgent.
Ocean Front One-Bedroom Suites (from ultra-luxury nightly rates): Separated living and sleeping areas, expanded terraces with direct ocean views, and butler service that actually knows when to appear and when to vanish.
Penthouse Collection (from ultra-luxury nightly rates): For those who require the top floor, the Penthouse Collection offers 2,000+ square feet, private terraces with plunge pools, and access to the exclusive Cathedral Pool. The Faena Penthouse suite—the crown jewel—commands luxury nightly rates and includes everything short of its own zip code.
Awards & Recognition
- Forbes Travel Guide: Five-Star Rating
- Condé Nast Traveler: Hot List, Gold List, Readers' Choice Awards
- Travel + Leisure: World's Best Awards, Top 100 Hotels
- Wallpaper*: Best Urban Hotel Design
- Architectural Digest: Featured in "Hotels as Art"
Access & Booking
- Address: 3201 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33140
- Phone: +1 (786) 655-5600
- Email: reservations.miamibeach@faena.com
- Check-in: 4:00 PM
- Check-out: 12:00 PM
- Airport: Miami International Airport (MIA) – 25 minutes
Why Book Faena
If you want art that lives with you: Faena isn't a hotel with art—it's an art installation that happens to have beds. Damien Hirst's mammoth is just the beginning; every corridor, every ceiling, every detail was curated by people who believe hotels should make statements.
If you've outgrown subtle: South Beach has quiet luxury. Bal Harbour has restrained elegance. Faena has gilded mammoths and Baz Luhrmann and Francis Mallmann setting things on fire. For guests who want their luxury with edge, there's really nowhere else.
If dining matters as much as sleeping: Los Fuegos alone justifies the stay—Francis Mallmann in Miami is a gift. Add Pao, the hidden omakase, and beach-front lobster rolls, and you have a culinary program that rivals any hotel in the Western Hemisphere.
Pro Tips from BeachLoco
- Book Faena Theater tickets separately and early: The Saturday night cabaret sells out weeks ahead during season. Don't assume hotel guests get automatic access.
- Photograph the mammoth at 5 PM: The late afternoon light through the Living Room windows turns "Gone But Not Forgotten" to actual gold. Peak Instagram hour.
- Request a room ending in 01-05: These face directly oceanward rather than at angles, maximizing sunrise views and balcony usability.
- Try Campo for casual: When you need a break from the theatrical intensity, cross Collins to Casa Faena. Same ownership, 50% less drama, excellent tacos.
- Book Tierra Santa treatments for late morning: The 10:30 AM slots catch the spa empty after early risers leave but before the afternoon rush.
- Ask about Art Basel packages: During Miami Art Week (early December), Faena becomes the unofficial headquarters of the art world. Packages include VIP fair access and exclusive events.
The Final Word
Faena Miami Beach is not for everyone, and that's precisely the point. It's for guests who believe hotels should be experiences rather than accommodations—who want their morning coffee served beneath a multi-million dollar Damien Hirst, their dinner cooked over open flames by one of the world's great chefs, and their nightcap in a bar designed by the Moulin Rouge! team.
It's theatrical, it's unapologetic, and it's utterly singular in a city crowded with luxury hotels trying to be everything to everyone. Faena knows exactly who it is and invites you to either embrace the performance or stay at the Setai. Both are excellent choices. But only one has a gilded woolly mammoth.
