"This hotel has its own creative director! You know the place by its former name, the Banana Bungalow, perched there at the tail end of Indian Creek on Collins Avenue. It still has that fabulous, sweeping-roofed glass-encased lobby. The Fifties rooms have not been remodeled. But the Signature Rooms have been "redecorated" by artists and designers. You can take the Honeymoon Suite, with lingerie, panties, necklaces, and bra hung on a lamp, painted in red on the walls. Or the room covered with little red plaques — if you take one off, you can write a "secret" message on the white wall underneath. Or you can leave another message in the Message in a Bottle room, with glass bottles hanging in a corner. And the cheesy Gold Lamé room is killer. The rooms will most likely be redone by other artists next year. Down at the poolside patio there's electronica lounge music in the evening, a barbecue on Saturday afternoons and a hip, urban feel 24/7. With rates that can drop below $100, this little island can make South Beach feel cool again." - Best of Miami 2003 | The Creek | Best Hotel
ONLY MINUTES AWAY FROM the neon-laden streets of South Beach, on a peninsula overlooking the ocean, sits The Creek, a new hotel that fuses the subtle glam of a remodeled, post-WWII motel with the creative dynamism of urban art and modern graphic design. The 85-room hotel, which opened last December, features a lobby lounge that doubles as a screening room and a spacious pool deck that includes a fully equipped DJ booth complete with underwater speakers. Eighteen of the hotel's rooms constitute the "Signature Series"—designed by young artists like Shepard Fairey (Andre the Giant), Inkheads, Kezno Minami, and Camella Ehlke (Triple 5 Soul), these rooms are veritable art galleries. Guests wishing to stay in one of the signature suites are advised to make reservations and provide their top-three choices. More signature rooms will be added every year until capacity is reached; each room's paintings and décor will rotate on a yearly basis thereafter. Artists may submit design concepts every September; in November, those chosen will be given a $500 budget to execute their installations. The Creek's collaborative spirit and its emphasis on showcasing fresh talent will surely make it one of Miami Beach's most timeless and vibrant mainstays.
THE CREEK, 2360 COLLINS AVENUE, MIAMI BEACH. ROOMS FROM $79. WWW.THECREEKSOUTHBEACH.COM
- Complex Magazine | April/May 2003
