The Carillon Miami Wellness Resort is a 150-suite oceanfront property on the north end of Collins Avenue that doubles as one of Miami Beach’s most serious spa destinations. I spent three nights here in February and it holds up well as both a wellness retreat and a straight-up beach hotel.
I booked through American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts, which added complimentary breakfast, a $100 hotel credit, and upgrade priority. The Carillon is also available through Virtuoso via Classic Travel with a comparable package of perks.
Here is a review of my three-night stay.
Location
The Carillon sits at 6801 Collins Avenue in the Mid-Beach area, which puts it well north of the South Beach action and closer to Surfside and Bal Harbour. If you’re looking for walkable nightlife and the dense restaurant scene that South Beach is known for, you won’t find it here — the immediate neighborhood is quieter and more residential.
The hotel is oceanfront, so you’re walking directly from the property onto the beach with no Collins Avenue to cross. The stretch of beach up here is noticeably less crowded than South Beach, which makes a real difference if you’re planning to spend significant time outside.
Getting around requires a car or a rideshare. Bal Harbour Shops is about a 10-minute drive north, and South Beach is roughly 20 minutes south, depending on traffic. Miami’s Design District and Wynwood are 15-20 minutes by car.
Lobby & Check-in
The Carillon’s lobby is calm and understated — more spa retreat than flashy Miami hotel, which fits the property’s wellness positioning. The space is open and airy with natural materials and a vibe that feels deliberately low-key compared to what you’d find at a South Beach property.
Check-in was smooth, and the staff handed me a printed summary of my Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts benefits, which I always appreciate — it makes it easy to track what you’re owed and reference throughout the stay. Not every property does this, and it signals that the front desk actually knows how to handle FHR reservations.
My original room was a one-bedroom apartment — perfectly fine in terms of size and layout, but the view was overlooking the street, which wasn’t great. I made a point of requesting an upgrade to an ocean-facing room as soon as one became available, and it came through on night two.
The ocean view room is the one worth booking. Floor-to-ceiling windows face the Atlantic directly, and in February the view was really good — clear skies, calm water, uncrowded beach.
Rooms and Suites
The Carillon is an all-suite property with 150 one- and two-bedroom apartments ranging from 720 to 1,200 square feet. Every room is configured as a full apartment with a separate living area, fully equipped kitchen, and spa-inspired bathroom — there are no standard hotel rooms here. That’s worth knowing before you book, since the setup is more like a luxury condo rental than a traditional hotel room.
My room was a one-bedroom ocean view apartment with double beds — 720 square feet, which is a solid size for Miami Beach.
The bedroom is separated from the living area, which makes a real difference for a three-night stay. The double beds are configured with the Carillon’s Bryte Balance Smart Bed setup, marketed as a sleep-optimization system. The room also has blackout capabilities and enough storage that you’re not living out of your suitcase, which is nice on longer stays.
The separate living room is a step above what you’d find at a standard hotel suite. It has a full seating area and the same ocean-facing windows as the bedroom, so you’re getting the view from both rooms. There’s a dining table as well, which makes the kitchen setup actually usable rather than just decorative.
The kitchen is fully equipped — stovetop, full-size refrigerator, the works. For a wellness property where a lot of guests are on extended stays, this is actually useful.
I personally did not use the kitchen during my stay, but I liked the added space it provided, and the island was a great spot for me to use as a desk and get some work done.
The floor-to-ceiling windows face the Atlantic directly, and the ocean view from this room is the real selling point. February is a good time to be up there — clear skies, calm water, and no crowds on the beach below. The view is unobstructed and runs the full width of the living area.
Restaurants and Bars
The Carillon has four dining options on property.
The Strand is the main restaurant — oceanfront with indoor and outdoor seating, modern American menu with a coastal focus, and wellness-friendly options (vegan, keto, blue-zone) available at every meal. My FHR breakfast benefit was provided here each morning.
Tambourine Room by Tristan Brandt is a Michelin-starred tasting menu restaurant tucked inside the hotel — 12 seats, French technique with Asian influences, running around $265 per person before wine pairing. I did not have a chance to try this restaurant.
For casual eating, Seaglass Cafe handles poolside food and frozen cocktails by the Cabana Pool, and The Corner Store is the spot for coffee, juice, and smoothies in the morning — good if you want something quick before a workout or spa session.
I had lunch at Seaglass and my morning coffee at The Corner Store – both were very good.
Fitness Center
The fitness center is one of the biggest draws at the Carillon, and it’s genuinely impressive. The gym floor is fully equipped with Technogym cardio and strength machines, and the ocean view from the treadmills alone is worth showing up for. Beyond the standard equipment, the property has a two-story indoor rock climbing wall, which is a fun option if you want to mix things up.
The class schedule is what really sets this place apart from a typical hotel gym. There are 75+ group fitness classes per week covering yoga, Pilates, boxing, spinning, barre, TRX, gyrokinesis, and even salsa and tango. For a three-night stay, you could realistically take a different class every morning without repeating anything. Private personal training is also available if you’d rather have dedicated instruction.
The whole setup is part of a 70,000 square foot spa and wellness facility, which is the largest on the East Coast. So the fitness center isn’t just a gym bolted onto a hotel — it’s at the center of what the Carillon actually is as a property. If working out is a priority for you, this is hard to beat in Miami Beach.
The property also has bikes available to rent, which is a nice option for exploring the area or just cruising along the water. Collins Avenue has a dedicated bike path that runs the length of Miami Beach, so it’s actually a practical way to get around — not just a hotel amenity that sounds good on paper.
Beach and Pools
The beach is a strong point, with 750 feet of private beachfront, and because it’s in Mid-Beach rather than South Beach, it stays noticeably less crowded. In February, the conditions were great — calm water, plenty of space, and beach attendants who were helpful without hovering over you.
The property has four pools total, but the two worth knowing about are the Cabana Pool and the Atlantic Pool. The Cabana Pool is the main oceanfront pool closest to the beach — it’s where most of the action is, with the Seaglass Cafe right there for food and drinks. The Atlantic Pool is the adult-only rooftop saltwater pool, which has a completely different vibe. It’s quieter, the views are great, and it’s a better option if you want to actually relax without kids around.
Final Thoughts
The Carillon is a genuinely good hotel if the wellness angle appeals to you — the fitness facilities and spa are the real deal, not just a marketing label. The apartment layout makes it comfortable for multi-night stays, the beach is great, and once I moved into the ocean view room on night two, I had no complaints about the accommodations.
A few things to keep in mind: the location works against you if you want walkable restaurants and nightlife beyond the property. You’re also dependent on upgrade availability to get the best views, so if you’re only there for one night, there’s real risk of ending up in a street-facing room. And if you’re booking through Amex FHR or Virtuoso, make sure to request an ocean view room explicitly — it’s worth pushing for.
For the right traveler — someone who wants a serious wellness experience, a comfortable apartment-style room, and a quieter stretch of Miami Beach — the Carillon delivers. Just go in with realistic expectations about the neighborhood and prioritize the ocean-facing rooms.
Booking Options
If you are looking for some other options in Miami Beach, check with some of the other properties we have stayed at, including:
Tim White is the founder of milepro.com, a luxury travel resource featured in CNBC, Travel & Leisure, and other major media outlets. With over 2 million miles flown and 30+ years of business travel experience, he holds Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Lifetime Titanium, and Hilton Diamond status — and has spent years decoding the world of luxury hotel programs, preferred partner benefits, and miles & points optimization so you don’t have to.
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