There are also more modest hotels only a few hundred yards inland. Prices below are only to give a general idea. There are often discounts to be had, and there may be increases at high seasons.

Delano Hotel: this is where the “beautiful people”, from poets to fashion designers, gather late at night in the flowing white lobby that runs from the front doors through bars and restaurant to the pool and the beach. The interior of the hotel was designed in 1995 by Philippe Starck.

The rooms are white, the bathrooms are marble, and the Blue Door restaurant is French. In season, from £270 for rooms with a city view to a terrace suite at £1,700. There is also a poolside bungalow and a penthouse.

Details: www.delano-hotel.com

The Shore Club: another very luxurious hotel, recently created from two historic Art Deco hotels and a new guest tower, with multiple pools, and four smart bars for night life in its Marrakesh-style gardens. The bathrooms are in Mexican sandstone.

There is a Nobu Japanese restaurant and an outpost of Ago, Robert de Niro and Agostino Sciandri’s Italian restaurant in Hollywood. In season, from £235 for a “Superior King” to £875 for an ocean view suite and £2,000 for a bungalow. There is also a penthouse with a “pool-in-the-sky”.

Details: www.shoreclub.com

The Raleigh Hotel: an elegant, discreet and luxurious Art Deco hotel in 1940s style, set back a little from Collins Avenue behind its palm trees. It has a remarkable pool with a cascading waterfall. Prices from £200 for a “Sunset View King” to £500 for the Sunset Terrace Suite.

Details: www.raleighhotel.com

Sagamore Hotel: works of art in every one of its 93 rooms, which are “boutique” suites, starting at £200. There are two-storey bungalows beside the pool from £590, and a three-bedroom suite with a private ocean-front sundeck is also available.

Details: www.sagamorehotel.com

Aqua House: this is a comfortable boutique Art Deco hotel on the other side of Collins Avenue from the hotels above. Rooms start at £40 out of season but can go up to £170 in season.

Details: www.aquamiami.com

Crest Hotel: yet another agreeable boutique Art Deco hotel, just a few streets inland from the beach - £50 low season to £165 high season.

Details: www.crestgrouphotels.com

Agreeing with Susan d'Arcy in the accompanying Sunday Times article "Get a room in Miami", I would also nominate the Setai Hotel...

The Setai Hotel: This is the most recently redesigned of the great beachside hotels, now decorated with modern oriental style and simplicity. The restaurant offers modern Asian food, and one can also eat among the garden ponds and at a poolside grill.

The rooms are furbished in oriental materials, with Thai silk bedheads and Indonesian ebony furniture. In season, from £500 for a studio suite with city view, to £1,800 for a two-bedroom suite with a balcony on the ocean front.

Details: www.setai.com