The Setai Miami Beach — Three Pools at Three Temperatures, Nothing Else Like It in South Beach
Every South Beach luxury travel guide lists The Setai — but what makes it genuinely different is the three pools calibrated to different temperatures: 21°C, 29°C, and 32°C, designed to be enjoyable at any time of day regardless of the weather outside. Score: 8.9/10 on Booking.com — Exceptional. Every room is a suite, with teak floors and high ceilings. The building splits between a modern tower and a restored 1936 Art Deco landmark, with original terrazzo walls intact. The spa holds a Forbes Five-Star rating and draws on Asian wellness traditions. Guests who return regularly say the hotel delivers luxury quietly, without effort.
Picture the situation: it is 2 pm in Miami, the air temperature is around 35°C, and you slip into a pool held at 21°C. Immediately refreshing. The pool next to it sits at 29°C — comfortable at almost any time of day. At 6 pm, when the air starts to drop, you move to the 32°C pool and soak while the light fades over the Atlantic. This is the pool system The Setai has built, and it is the one thing in South Beach that no other hotel has managed to replicate. Guests who have stayed come back specifically to say the same thing: the three-temperature pool setup is the reason this place is different.
"The 21°C pool in the afternoon heat — exactly what you need. Then the 32°C pool as the sun went down. We barely left the hotel grounds all day and it was the best day of the trip."
The Setai's building splits between a modern glass tower and a 1936 Art Deco landmark, with every inch of original terrazzo flooring and facade kept intact. The contrast works — the landmark wing has a depth and layered atmosphere that a brand-new hotel simply cannot manufacture. Every room on the property is a suite: no standard rooms exist here. Floors are teak, ceilings are high, furniture is Asian-inspired with quality materials throughout. Studio Suites start around $700–1,000 per night. One-Bedroom Suites run $1,200–2,000. Penthouse Suites reach $5,000–15,000 and above. These are South Beach prices at the very top of the market, and guests going in with that expectation report little disappointment.
The Forbes Five-Star Spa draws on Asian wellness traditions — genuine ones, not just branding. The treatments guests describe are grounded, calm, and consistent with the quiet-luxury tone the hotel maintains throughout. The spa atmosphere, according to multiple reviews, feels genuinely separate from the noise of South Beach just outside. The three pools themselves sit alongside Collins Ave, close enough to the sand that guests can walk to the beach in under five minutes without planning or transport.
On location — the hotel is at 2001 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, in the Art Deco District at the heart of South Beach. Ocean Drive and the beach are both under five minutes on foot. Hard Rock Stadium, the World Cup 2026 venue, is around 20 km away — roughly 25–30 minutes by Uber on a normal day. On match days, allow at least 90 minutes to 2 hours; traffic across the causeway backs up severely. The hotel is not positioned as a stadium-adjacent property — it is positioned as the best of South Beach, with Uber access to the stadium when needed.
A few honest points worth knowing before booking: Studio Suites starting at $700 put The Setai above comparable five-star competitors in South Beach, and the value calculation only works if you use what the hotel offers — the pools, the spa, the location. The Setai's Booking.com review count sits around 251, which is small for a hotel of this profile; the data is reliable but narrower than a hotel with thousands of reviews. South Beach is inherently livelier than Surfside or Sunny Isles — on weekend evenings, sound from the street and nearby venues does filter through.
To put it plainly: The Setai is South Beach's most complete luxury experience if all-suite rooms, three-temperature pools, and a genuine Forbes Five-Star spa matter to you as much as the address. The 8.9 score from 251 Booking.com guests — a pool of people who paid the premium — tells you this is not just a hotel that looks good in photos. For couples, honeymoons, or trips where the experience itself is the point: this is it. If your budget is below $700, or you need to be significantly closer to Hard Rock Stadium, our Miami list has alternatives worth considering.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ Three infinity pools at 21°C / 29°C / 32°C — no equivalent anywhere in South Beach
- ✓ All-suite property — no standard rooms; teak floors, high ceilings throughout
- ✓ Forbes Five-Star Spa + 1936 Art Deco landmark wing fully intact
- ✓ Collins Ave South Beach — beach and Ocean Drive under 5 minutes on foot
- ! Studio Suite starting at $700 — above most five-star competitors in South Beach
- ! South Beach is busier and louder than Surfside or Sunny Isles
- ✓ Asian Zen architecture paired with Art Deco 1936 — a combination that cannot be manufactured elsewhere
- ✓ Exceptional location: walk to the beach without transport
- ✓ Forbes Five-Star Spa: calm and consistently well-reviewed
- ! ~251 Booking.com reviews — smaller data set than high-volume hotels
- ! Weekend evenings: street and venue noise from South Beach audible in some rooms
- 💡If your budget is below $700/night · Studio Suites start at $700 here — for five-star South Beach at lower rates, see 1 Hotel South Beach or Fontainebleau Miami
- 💡If you need to be close to Hard Rock Stadium · The Setai is ~20 km from the stadium (Uber ~25–30 min) · For properties closer to the venue, look at hotels in Doral or Brickell
- 💡If you want a quieter setting than South Beach · South Beach is inherently busy · For calmer surroundings, consider Surfside or Bal Harbour alternatives
Heading to Miami for the World Cup?
Miami is a 2026 host city — see our full World Cup guide (matches, where to stay, tickets, visa) plus how to reach Hard Rock Stadium on match day.