Each time I've landed in Miami's South Beach, I've been somebody different.
The 2009 version of me painstakingly mapped out the best clubs and happy hours. In 2015, I returned for a bachelorette party, fancy dinner reservations secured weeks in advance. And in 2023, I came back for a conference, overcaffeinated and overscheduled.
During my most recent visit in January, however, I pulled up to the W South Beach with my husband, 8-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter in tow, wondering if we'd be able to adapt to such a famously high-octane destination.
Thankfully, I wasn't the only one who'd evolved. Originally opened in 2009, the W South Beach has undergone a major repositioning in recent years, with part of that transformation involving a heightened focus on the family market. Our hosted stay was a chance to put that focus to the test.
We kicked off our experience by getting settled into a two-bedroom oceanview suite, which served as an ideal home base. The split layout put the kids at one end and parents at the other, while a spacious living area and kitchenette -- with a stovetop, a microwave and a fridge -- sat in the middle. The unit's two and a half baths, one with a large soaking tub, rounded out the accommodation's family-friendly bona fides.
From there, it was a matter of keeping two very different kids happy.
Parents and kids get lessons at a pickleball clinic on The Courts, the W South Beach's rooftop complex. Photo Credit: Christina Jelski
Bonding time
For my sports-obsessed son, that meant a morning visit to The Courts, the W South Beach's rooftop complex featuring a full tennis court, pickleball court and basketball half-court. He and I joined Joshua, one of the hotel's pickleball coaches, for a group clinic, which are offered weekly as part of the property's surprisingly long roster of complimentary activities. By the session's end, my son was sweaty, happy and noticeably reluctant to surrender his paddle.
The author's 4-year-old daughter splashes around the hotel's massive pool. Photo Credit: Christina Jelski
For my water-obsessed daughter, pool and beach time were the priority. While my son and I learned the art of the pickleball "dink," she and my husband headed to the W South Beach's main pool, which is epic in size. It's also a stone's throw from the beach, which meant that the two of them could migrate back and forth between pool and ocean with ease. Once on the sand, W South Beach staffers are available to set up hotel guests with chairs, umbrellas and towels, taking virtually all the hassle out of beach-going with a 4-year-old.
All that pickleball and playtime were enough to tire my husband and me out by lunch, but our kids, naturally, were just getting warmed up. Luckily, it was time to hand them over to the experts.
Group fun
While the W South Beach doesn't have a dedicated kids' club, it does offer children's programming through Itavi, a boutique childcare company that has built a niche around partnering with luxury hotels.
We got our first taste of the Itavi experience via an Olympics-style event on the property's back lawn, where staffers divided a mixed-age group of kids into two teams and ran them through a series of challenges, from tug-of-war to a puzzle competition.
Kids of different ages sit down for some arts and crafts while parents chat nearby. Photo Credit: Christina Jelski
I'll admit, I spent part of the time braced for my daughter to come wandering back to me, overwhelmed by an activity too advanced for her age. But much to my surprise, she never did.
The Itavi staff appeared to have a knack for keeping every kid in the game, from my 4-year-old all the way up to the teenagers.
The following day, the team had converted that same lawn area into an arts-and-crafts center, anchored by a long communal table lined with supplies. Once again, our kids quickly settled in, stringing together beaded keychains and decorating wooden frames, the latter thoughtfully personalized with a fresh Polaroid of each child.
And although all of this would have already been more than enough family fun for one trip, the W South Beach still had one more trick up its sleeve.
The night before checkout, the all-purpose lawn was transformed once more, this time into an outdoor movie theater with comfy pool chair seating and a snack table stocked with chips, popcorn, candy and soda. The showing was "Wonka," the 2023 prequel to "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." Both kids, finally exhausted, curled up and were glued to the screen almost immediately.
As Timothee Chalamet serenaded us on screen and palms swayed gently overhead, I realized this version of the South Beach experience might just be my favorite so far.