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Lodge in style at Miami's EPIC Hotel

by Grant Martin (RSS feed) on Jun 8th 2009 at 3:30PM

Miami is a lavish city. It's people and beaches are beautiful, the food is tremendous and money and style reign. It takes a special hotel to cater to these traits, a special cut of class that not any old property can fully develop. Kimpton's EPIC hotel fits this bill perfectly.

Situated on the edge of the Miami river and the Biscane Bay, Kimpton's EPIC Hotel opened its doors only six months ago and is practically brand spanking new. A sprawling, 54 floor ellipse, the EPIC proudly stands out from the rest of the drab, downtown buildings, glowing white against the sublime Miami skyline.

Each of the 411 rooms is expertly and immaculately appointed, with the nicest sheets on the planet, large, open bathrooms and a private balcony overlooking either the city or the bay.

One of the most useful facets of the rooms is the connectivity. Each is equipped with a desktop computer, where you can log onto the internet, view your current room balance, manage your account or engage in a variety of other activities. You can even select your preferred pillow type for your return trip. If you prefer to work from your bed, you can tune into the free wireless as well, or just relax and watch your giant LCD flat screen TV.

If you're going to relax though, you should head down to the 16th floor pool deck, where you can currently dock into any of the cabanas circling the pool for free, turn on your personal television and order a few drink as you lounge in the Miami heat. It's an excellent way to spend the afternoon avoiding work and people watching, but do it soon before the deck gets popular and they start charging for cabanas.

After your swim through one of the two massive swimming pools, you can stop by John Critchely's Area 31 restaurant for a Mediterranean inspired sea food dish as you gaze out at the sparkling city. Alternatively, the River Lounge on the first floor will cut you a top quality cocktail, as you munch on bar bites and watch patrons pull up to the lounge on their boats from the Miami River.

It's true – the luxury afforded by the EPIC hotel comes at a price. You're going to end up paying more for a beautiful room facing the Biscane Bay than you will for a motel on the highway. But the overall experience – the magnificent style, the spacious rooms, the ridiculous pool deck and the wonderful sleep that you'll get at the EPIC – will be well worth your investment. Check out Kimpton's website for rates after you go the gallery below.