Canyon Ranch Hotel & Spa Miami Beach Rating: 4.5 Pearls
Handicap-Accessible Features: The handicap-accessible rooms feature roll-in showers and the common areas throughout the hotel are ADA-approved. Also, the adults-only pool is also equipped with an ADA device to assist with entering and exiting the pool.
About the Hotel: With some of the most beautifully decorated large guest-rooms in Miami, a beachfront location, a great spa, and a huge fitness center, Canyon Ranch is a great choice for a healthy vacation.
Turnberry Isle Miami Rating: 4.5 Pearls
Handicap-Accessible Features: The hotel features wheelchair-friendly check-in and handicap-accessible rooms with handicap-accessible bathrooms (roll-in showers and lowered countertops) as well as special lights for the deaf and doorbells for the blind.
About the Hotel: An award-winning golf course, beautiful pools, elegant rooms and an amazing spa make the Turnberry Isle Miami a true luxury retreat.
The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne Rating: 4.5 Pearls
Handicap-Accessible Features: Several wheelchair-friendly rooms include roll-in showers and devices for the hearing-impaired. Common areas also have ramps and service dogs are permitted. Plus, all on-site parking is valet and the parking at the tennis courts includes handicap parking.
About the Hotel: A tranquil 450-room island resort off the Miami mainland on Key Biscayne, the Ritz provides some of the traditional "Ritzy" benchmarks -- impeccably kept grounds, huge pools, a brilliant spa, a world-class tennis center, a kids' club, and elegant (if generic) interiors.
JW Marriott Marquis Miami Rating: 4.5 Pearls
Handicap-Accessible Features: The hotel is equipped with ramps and handicap-friendly check-in, and with about a week's notice, the hotel can set up rooms with ADA-approved kits, which include lights and telephone devices for the deaf. The theater room is also handicap accessible.
About the Hotel: Everything at the JW Marriott is big, from the light fixtures to the bathrooms, and the array of amenities is so extensive guests might not have to leave the premises -- there are three restaurants, a pool, a basketball court, a virtual bowling alley, a 3D theater room, a golf school, and a huge fitness center.
Epic Hotel Rating: 4.0 Pearls
Handicap-Accessible Features: Handicap-accessible features include a wheelchair-friendly check-in and a number of handicap-accessible rooms, equipped with a wheelchair-friendly shower (foldable chair, lowered faucets, and a handheld shower nozzle) and toilet (rails surround it and the handle is adjusted).
About the Hotel: Opened in 2009 by the Kimpton hotel group, this is a relaxed, luxurious alternative to humdrum Downtown business hotels. The hotel's 411-room, 30-floor glass tower sports a broad terrace on the 16th floor, three pools, and the excellent Italian restaurant Area 31.
The Standard Miami Rating: 4.0 Pearls
Handicap-Accessible Features: The hotel has a ramp at the entrance for wheelchairs as well as handicap-accessible rooms on the first floor.
About the Hotel: The blissfully remote, adults-only (14+) Standard is about a mile from the beach, but it's still passionately hip. It creates a low-key holistic haven by way of vintage furniture, outdoor bathtubs, a 24-hour pool, yoga retreats, and a world-famous spa.
Townhouse Hotel Rating: 3.0 Pearls
Handicap-Accessible Features: The hotel features several ADA-approved rooms with handicap-accessible bathrooms (including bathtub seats, handheld showerheads, roll-in showers, safety rails, and a raised toilet with grab bars), closed-captioned TVs, wide doorways, accessible refridgerators, braille lettering (also in public areas), and lowered peep holes, closet racks, and room controls.
About the Hotel: Located right on the beach, the Townhouse offers bright, stylish rooms but little else. Still, it's a great, comparatively clean alternative to the sketchy, similarly priced hotels throughout South Beach.
Whitelaw Hotel & Lounge Rating: 3.0 Pearls
Handicap-Accessible Features: The hotel features several ADA-approved rooms with lower thermostats, handicap-accessible bathrooms (with grab bars and shower seats), lower closet rods, and flashing emergency lights. There are also ramps into the lobby and the hotel has an elevator.
About the Hotel: Perfect for the party animal looking for cheap digs in a central Collins Avenue location. The Whitelaw has a young, lively party scene, free drinks from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., and hot music that plays 24/7. Rooms aren't the cleanest, but they come with 42-inch plasma TVs, iPod docks, and a lively pink decor.
Albion Rating: 3.0 Pearls
Handicap-Accessible Features: The hotel's ADA-approved rooms have wide doorways, descriptions in braille, and handicap-accessible bathrooms with grab bars and roll-in showers.
About the Hotel: An Art Deco landmark located two blocks from the beach and steps from the upscale Lincoln Road Mall, the 100-room Albion is one of South Beach's best bargains. Base-level rooms and bathrooms are small and a bit worn, but features are great: a clean pool, free Wi-Fi, room service, and comfortable beds.
