HotelChatter

Breathe easy, fellow devotees. On a recent visit to the hotel, we found the essence of Asia alive and well in the MIA. The Setai still pays homage to the Far East in its design, from the lobby flooring (rescued from an Art Deco building in Shanghai) to the Balinese-style pool beds and the Forbidden City-inspired courtyard statues. The Restaurant's open kitchen has separate stations and dedicated chefs for Indonesian, Japanese, Chinese and Indian cuisine (there are even dumplings at breakfast), and the spa's most popular massage styles include stretch-heavy Balinese and chakra-centering Kundalini. Most importantly, the service is back to being unobtrusive and on-point; employees you meet will even offer you their business cards with two hands, Asian-style.

The communal mother of pearl table at the re-launched Setai Grill

This isn't to say the new owners aren't making their mark. The most notable development is the recent re-opening of the intimate Setai Grill, which has been re-imagined as a gourmet steakhouse under the direction of newly-appointed Executive Chef Mathias Gervais. Meats are brought in from New York's famed LaFrieda & Sons, and there's an in-house curing room for charcuterie and salumi.

Minor changes are also afoot in the spa. Sunrise yoga is being offering on the beach, and featured product lines now include seaweed-based Voya from Ireland, organic Ila from England, and Ayurveda-inspired Sundari—to keep that Asian touch.

New menu items at The Setai Grill

Also, what has remained the same are the rates. You'll still pay a pretty penny to stay at this Zen paradise. Rates were $775 a night in Feb/March, $675 in April, and $575 in June.

[Photos: The Setai Miami Beach]