The Miami Staycation, Perfected: A Weekend at Acqualina Resort

Acqualina Resort in Sunny Isles Beach is the hotel that guests discover once and return to every year after. Mediterranean-inspired, oceanfront, and operating at a standard of hospitality that most properties only approximate, it is the weekend destination that does not require an explanation.

Photo Credit: Acqualina Resort

Acqualina’s oceanfront suites treat the Atlantic as far more than a backdrop. Every suite opens onto a private balcony where the ocean fills the frame from edge to edge. Inside, a Mediterranean-villa aesthetic continues with classic furnishings, modern touches, a full kitchen, and a marble bathroom stocked with Seed to Skin Tuscany amenities. The true showpiece is the oversized marble jetted tub, prepared with Epsom salts at turndown for a nightly ritual that blends indulgence and calm as seamlessly as the resort does everything else.

Photo Credit: Acqualina Resort

While the resort’s main pools welcome families, the Adult Pool offers a serene retreat for guests 18 and over, tucked on the property’s north side and framed by swaying palms, low lounge music, and plush daybeds. Its private cabanas function less like tents than intimate oceanfront living rooms, each outfitted with two chaise lounges, a sectional sofa, a stocked refrigerator, a television, privacy curtains, and a fan for the Florida midday. Attentive pool attendants circulate with fresh fruit, juices, chilled towels, and glasses of bubbly. The drink to order is the Scarlett’s Breeze, a refreshing blend of rum, pineapple purée, lemonade, and fresh mint.

Photo Credit: Acqualina Resort

Costa Grill, the resort’s alfresco beachside restaurant, is Acqualina’s most exclusive table and the ideal way to begin any stay. Open only to hotel guests, residents, and Beach Club members, it offers an unhurried atmosphere with the sand close enough to feel underfoot, alongside a bright coastal menu designed for a lunch that drifts effortlessly into the afternoon. Standouts include the chicken pesto wrap, the Aquaburger, and the Margherita pizza, each pairing perfectly with a glass of Whispering Angel rosé.

Photo Credit: Acqualina Resort

Ke-uH, Acqualina’s Japanese fusion restaurant, deserves the first evening of any stay. It offers what may be the property’s most coveted seat for a sunset or full moon over the water, with a shareable tapas-style menu showcasing Japanese plates with global inflections, served in an art-inspired dining room that flows onto an ocean-view terrace. Arrive in time for a cocktail as the light fades. The sushi is impeccably fresh and expertly rolled, but the steak is the undisputed star of the menu.

Photo Credit: Acqualina Resort

Acqualina Spa spans 20,000 square feet across two floors with a crystal steam room, Himalayan salt lounges, a private pool, and a self-guided thermal circuit centered on a cold plunge. Its true treasure, however, lies upstairs.

The Royal Spa Suite is a private sanctuary designed for two, featuring a mother-of-pearl steam room, a rainforest shower for two, side-by-side treatment beds, and a private terrace looking directly out to the Atlantic. Its signature couples’ experience pairs a 90-minute customized massage with 30 minutes of private relaxation before and after, finished with a glass of bubbly on the balcony. With no interruptions and no sense of time, it is luxury in its purest form.

Photo Credit: Acqualina Resort

Il Mulino New York, the Acqualina outpost of the legendary Greenwich Village institution, offers the perfect finale to the weekend. The newly reimagined dining room, unveiled in March, overlooks the resort’s pools and the ocean. The celebrated formula that made the original famous translates beautifully here, combining a lively, celebratory atmosphere with market-fresh daily specials, an extensive wine list, and service so polished it seems to anticipate every order. Highlights include the mussels, the chicken parmigiana, and the meatballs, alongside an espresso martini.

For more of Haute Living’s Miami coverage, see Nine Espresso Martinis in Miami Worth Staying Up For and Inside Bal Harbour’s Restaurant Scene.