Mr. C Miami - Coconut Grove

In chic Coconut Grove, Mr. C—is a glamorous and nautical retreat with 100 balcony-clad rooms, plus a rooftop pool and restaurant.

• The retro design, which seemingly takes its cues from the yacht culture of the Italian Riviera circa 1930
• The removed setting in Coconut Grove
• The rooftop pool and Bellini Restaurant with views over Biscayne Bay

Everything at Mr. C is nautical. The yacht-white building, with its porthole windows and ship-like balconies, even floats—not on water, but in mid-air, suspended by thin columns. Done in the hands of some hoteliers, a hotel like this could veer into Gilligan’s Island territory. But Mr. C doesn’t. Instead, it charts a course straight to the Mediterranean, thanks to the impeccable style of its founders, brothers Ignazio and Maggio Cipriani (yes, of the legendary Italian family originally behind Harry’s Bar and the Cipriani Hotel in Venice).

Designer Martin Brudnizki is behind the hotel’s 100 rooms, which resemble utopian yacht cabins with their high-polished wood accents and shades-of-blue palette. Each has a private balcony, and some look out to Biscayne Bay.

The rooftop pool is a standout, with full sunshine all day (a rarity in Miami, where most hotel pools lose direct sunlight in the afternoon).

Also on the top floor, Bellini restaurant is a local favorite for celebratory dinners, and serves dishes that have become signatures from the Cipriani family (carpaccios and seasonal pastas, not to mention bellinis, invented by Giuseppe Cipriani nearly a century ago). On the ground floor, Il Giardino is a more casual garden café that's popular for brunch and light bites.

There is also a well-equipped fitness center and a spa.

Mr. C is a great option for someone wanting to be on the mainland but not in Downtown Miami or Brickell. It’s only five minutes from Vizcaya and an easy 35 minutes from the airport.