During our recent stay at the W South Beach, we did some morning pool reconnaissance around 11am on a Saturday. We were at first annoyed and then amused and then annoyed again by the loud-talking group of revelers taking up 10 or more lounge chairs nearby. The group, mostly women, seemed to be visiting for their male ringleader’s birthday, and were discussing how everyone had fared after the previous night’s partying. (“Who woke up naked?” was asked without sarcasm.)

Last week we got to check out the home of that lush garden patio, the W South Beach (which one commenter guessed correctly), and we’ve gotta say: now we’ve seen it, the breathless hype makes a little more sense. (But the rates? Hmm, not quite.)

The hotel is just like its location: beautiful and showy; laidback by day, and a total scene by night. Summer is meant to be low season in Miami, but not at a just-opened hotel like the W. The place was jumping by 7:30 pm on a Friday night—the Bentleys parked outside were only the first sign.