Natural beauty by the Atlantic: A look at one of Miami's best hotels

When Barry Sternlicht sold W hotels to Marriott he famously said the world doesn't need another hotel chain, it needs a better one. That's when he created 1 Hotel - sustainable from the ground up and stylish to the hilt. There are many 1 Hotels now around the world - one's even coming to Australia; to Melbourne in 2025. This, however, is the OG, which opened in 2015, but still looks as good as new.

If South Beach is the centre of all the action in Miami, 1 Hotel is the centre of the centre. It's a 15-minute walk to the boutiques of Lincoln Road and about 20 minutes to the start of Ocean Drive, dotted with gorgeous art deco buildings, many with their own equally gorgeous vintage cars parked in the front. And the beach? You can literally crawl out of your bed and on to the Atlantic's creamy sand and warm waters.

You would be hard-pressed to find a shiny surface in 1 Hotel's sprawling lobby, which is all about natural materials. There are endless slabs of ash-grey wood salvaged from water towers in Alaska on the ceilings and acres of local sand-hued coral stone on the floor. Plush sofas, settees and centre tables - made from fallen trees in South American rainforests - are set around the high-ceilinged space, with swathes of white linen curtains billowing in the humid Miami breeze. But here's the clincher: none of the finishes are perfectly finished, just like Mother Nature, giving the hotel the sort of confidence few other properties exude.

The bright and airy aesthetic continues in the hotel's 536 rooms, all of which are staggeringly large - even the smallest ones are a generous 60 square metres in size. I am staying in an Ocean View Junior Suite with a balcony overlooking one of the hotel's pools, as well as the beach and the ocean beyond. Everything is natural - from cotton sheets, robes, towels and slippers to ethically sourced Bamford amenities. Even the palm-sized jute bag next to the Nespresso machine is filled with sachets of natural sweetener: crystallised honey pearls. Just one gripe: for a room this size, the storage space is surprisingly low. By the time this solo traveller is done unpacking, every drawer and hanger is taken. Admittedly, though, I don't travel light.

There are seven eateries at the hotel; from ground-floor Habitat that does a fine trade in modern Mexican to the open-air ocean-side 1 Beach Club where you can enjoy laid-back Mediterranean fare amid swaying palms and - to my horror - listless iguanas. But if you can only have one meal at the hotel, head for Watr at the Rooftop, where you can feast on lip-smacking Peruvian-Japanese dishes with a side of sweeping ocean views.

There are four swimming pools on three different floors; my favourite is the 33-metre-long adults-only joint on the top floor. The onsite gym is one of the largest hotel workout zones in northern America, with a swank spa right next to it. But what really takes the cake are the e-bikes guests can use for free to explore the beachside boardwalk just outside the hotel - that humid Miami breeze in your hair.

The waitress who served me at breakfast at Habitat restaurant on day one, remembered my name when she greeted me on day two, even though she was not serving me on the second day, making the service truly memorable. Her name is Sole. I won't forget either.

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Where: 2341 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, Miami, USA

How much: From US$600 ($906) per night

Explore more: 1hotels.com

The writer was a guest of LE Miami and 1 Hotel South Beach.