Down-to-earth luxe: celebrity style, for regular people

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The Studio Suite, the standard room type, at the Setai in South Beach, Miami
The Studio Suite, the standard room type, at the Setai in South Beach, Miami

At just under $800 for the average night, a guest room at the Setai is about the most expensive hotel room in South Beach. What do you get for this extraordinary splurge? Mood-lit style; an extraordinary restaurant; a beachfront location; large suites — all this you can find elsewhere, and for a lot less cash. Largely, you’re paying for a slight but not impossible chance of spotting Giselle lounging by the pool. For most people — anyone without an uncommonly thriving multinational corporation, a blockbuster film, or a royal family — spending this kind of cash for a hotel room is out of the question.

If the recession, the holiday cash crunch, and common sense still factor into your vacation planning, consider this: Just down the block, the Z Ocean Hotel offers even larger, adequately shmancy suites, a hip pool (with a sexy glass-bottom above the Table 8 restaurant), a renowned celebrity-chef-led restaurant (available for room service), a spa, and an even more convenient beachfront location in the heart of the action — all for less than $200 per night.

The huge, South Beach Suite (the standard room type) at the Z Ocean hotel in South Beach, Miami

The huge, South Beach Suite (the standard room type) at the Z Ocean hotel in South Beach, Miami

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