Fortune House Rating: 3.0 Pearls

Downtown, Miami, Florida

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The Fortune House is located beside the Four Seasons in a horseshoe of hotels overlooking the water in the southern section of downtown Miami. Although there's no beach access, the view is nice, and two parks -- plus a handful of restaurants -- are within walking distance.

Miami's financial center occupies downtown's southern tip; its skyscrapers make the skyline especially impressive in the evenings, when the towers are lit like the massive prisms. Among its highlights: American Airlines Arena (home to the Miami Heat basketball team), the Adrienne Arsht Center of the Performing Arts (a triple treat of opera, philharmonics and ballet), and the scarce warehouse-turned-nightclub.

• 15-minute drive or $25 taxi to Miami International Airport
• 35-minute drive or $90 taxi to Fort Lauderdale International Airport
• South Beach is 15-minute, $20 to $25 cab ride away.
• 10-minute drive to the Port of Miami
• Seven-minute drive to Parrot Jungle Island and the Miami Children's Museum
• 15-minute drive to the Miami Seaquarium
• Five-minute drive to the Adrienne Arsht Center of the Performing Arts
• 20-minute drive to the Museum of Contemporary Art

A Double Suite

All rooms are huge one-bedroom condo units -- not conventional hotel rooms. While the style may differ from room to room, the following features are standard:

• Full kitchen -- microwave, stove, oven, breakfast bar with two stools, dishwasher, and coffeemaker
• Washer/dryer unit
• Balcony; bay or city views
• Rainfall showerheads
• No smoking rooms
• Free Wi-Fi
• Walk-in closet with a large safe (big enough for a laptop)
• Flat-screen TV, in both the bedroom and the living room