Picolo recommends · Hotel in Miami, Florida
The Betsy
A colonnaded 1940s hotel on Ocean Drive, where you can borrow a book downstairs and read it by the pool on the roof, looking over the Atlantic.
The beach is just over the road, but the surprise at The Betsy is the shelves. There is a small library, and the hotel arranges its own programme of evenings with authors and musicians, so a stay can include a reading or a set of live music as well as the sea.
The building dates from the 1940s, with columns along the front, and sits in the middle of the Art Deco district. Climb to the roof and you find a pool with the ocean spread out in front of you.
Picolo’s verdict
Why we chose The Betsy
For a first trip to Miami, this is where we would send you. The location puts the beach and the Art Deco streets at your feet, and the hotel has a personality of its own, so it feels like more than a place to sleep.
Rooms are on the small side, and Ocean Drive stays loud well into the night. If you go to bed early, ask for a room facing the courtyard rather than the street.
What you get
- Rooftop pool with ocean views
- Small library for guests
- Programme of writers and musicians
- Beach across the road
- Views over the Atlantic from the roof
A day at The Betsy
- Morning
- A swim across the road before the joggers and the volleyball games take over.
- Midday
- A wander through the Art Deco streets behind Ocean Drive.
- Afternoon
- A book from the library and a lounger on the roof.
- Evening
- An evening with music or a reading, if the programme has something on.
Location
Ocean Drive, South Beach, Miami Beach, Florida, USA
Open in MapsQuestions about The Betsy
Is The Betsy on the beach?
It is on Ocean Drive, directly across the road from the beach, so you only need to cross the street to reach the sand.
Which rooms are quietest at The Betsy?
Rooms facing the courtyard are calmer than those overlooking Ocean Drive, which stays busy and loud late into the evening.
What is special about The Betsy?
Besides the rooftop pool, it has a small library and runs its own cultural programme with writers and musicians, which is unusual on Ocean Drive.
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Updated 6 Nov 2026All articles
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