Miami Memories : Hilton Cabana Miami Beach

[ The Hilton Cabana Miami Beach (left) boasts direct beach access. ]

Our home away from home during our quick Miami getaway this past weekend was the Hilton Cabana Miami Beach, a brand-new luxury beachfront hotel that just opened this past summer. 

Situated on Collins Avenue at 62nd Street, the 10-story building is built in the MiMo style of architecture that originated in Miami in the 1950s and 60s. As is typical with Miami Modernism, the Hilton Cabana's design and decor is sleek and minimalist with flashes of glamour and fun. I especially loved all the vintage photos that peppered the hotel walls and our room, as well as the pops of yellow here and there, inside and out.

While we didn't have an ocean view room, we didn't have to travel far to catch a glimpse of the sand, the sun and the surf. G and I enjoyed cocktails at the poolside, ocean-adjacent Allison Bar twice-- upon arriving at the hotel, just in time to watch the sunset, and Sunday morning before heading off to the Chargers game. The on-site restaurant, L'echon Brasserie, was fabulous as well, offering us not only a convenient place for breakfast but gourmet a.m. grub. The Eggs Benedict was deliciously salty and savory and the yogurt parfait was seriously the most beautiful cup of yogurt I have ever seen. It tasted every bit as good as it looked and a mini croissant with butter and blackberry preserves was the perfect accompaniment.

My only complaints with the Hilton Cabana are minor. The bed's mattress was a bit hard for my taste. (Maybe it needs a bit more breaking in? The hotel is new, after all.) And I wasn't terribly fond of our spaceship of a bathroom, as I called it, with its brightly illuminated, high-powered mirrors. I don't need to see my pores quite that closely. Especially on vacation!

But overall we had a very pleasant stay at the Hilton Cabana and would recommend it to those looking for an upscale, oceanfront, centrally-located hotel in Miami Beach.

Now for a few more photos, if you'd like to see...

[ Vintage touches in the lobby. ]

[ Sparkling, modern light fixtures in the lobby. ] 

[ Our MiMo-style room. ]

[ If you want to see everything wrong with your face, these are the mirrors for you. ]

[ Playful, vintage-inspired mural at the Hilton Cabana. ] 

[ Vintage photographs in our room. ]

[ Scenes from two breakfasts at L'echon Brasserie. ] 

[ Ocean view from the outdoor, poolside Allison Bar. ]

[ Cocktails at the Allison Bar. A pre-Chargers game mimosa and a margarita (left). A Tropical Storm (right) upon arriving at the Hilton Cabana, though the Kappa Pisco concoction (mixed with passionfruit, orange juice and bitters) tasted more like sunshine in a glass. ]

[ Watching sunset hues dance over the water from the poolside Allison Bar. ]

[ The rooftop Cabana Pool boasted a stellar view of the hotel's beach access and beyond. ]

[ Yellow beach cabanas at the Hilton Cabana. ]