A most welcome last-minute invite to the South Beach Food & Wine Festival just recently brought me to bright Miami from rainy Los Angeles. I reserved the Pelican Hotel on Ocean Avenue for its convenient area near the occasions and had just a fast glimpse of the hotel’s crisp green and white outside and Art Deco-style lettering before I entered. At that point, the Pelican looked comparable to the opportunity’s lots of little hotels with outdoor dining along the busy sidewalk.
The restaurant was the most significant function outside along with within, with wonderfully set tables taking most of the lobby space. A well-stocked bar was the next thing I spotted before I discovered the small reception location off to the side. My space was all set, and the lovely Lorenz inspected me into space 309, where I was greeted by an intense orange fur club chair and a whole wall painted in wild yellow and green wavy stripes. That was one of my very first clues that this hotel was something various. That, and the lettering on the door that stated “Psychedelic(consumed) Girl.” Hmmm.
Owned by Renzo Rosso, creator of Italian fashion brand name Diesel, the hotel was entirely remodelled and reopened late in 2022. Rosso acquired the hotel in 1990, and his kid, Andrea Rosso, collaborated the two-year improvement. Each of the 32 spaces is distinct, with its own name, decor based on retro-inspired motion picture styles, and cheeky vintage furnishings.
I had the opportunity to see a number of other rooms, including the penthouse, where Rosso stays when visiting Miami. Another space, called “Old Glory,” includes a framed vintage Diesel banner and walls covered in pale blue jeans. The room named “Me Tarzan, You Vain” is embellished with zebra stripes, a leopard cub painting, bamboo-framed mirror, and striped nightstand of woven natural product.
My sis joined me on the trip, and we had a dinner appointment at the Pelican Café. Our outside table on the upper level was the best location to enjoy the constant parade of South Beach locals and visitors. Enthusiasts of everything Italian, we enjoyed to hear the wait personnel speaking the language of our favorite travel destination. The supper, from our burrata with ripe cherry tomatoes and cantaloupe with prosciutto to our tiramisu and pistachio ice cream, was extraordinary. Our server, Andrea, suggested the ideal white wine from Naples, and we concurred that Pelican Café is too modest a name for one of Miami’s finest Italian dining areas. Chef Giancarlo “Wendy” Cacciatori, renowned for his restaurants in Miami and New York, manages the cooking area, bringing his cooking experience from his native Emilia Romagna. The all-day menu includes seasonal meals, pastas, seafood, and traditional Italian cuisine with a contemporary touch.
Complimentary beach chairs and towels, everyday aperitivo hour, turndown housekeeping, and mini-bar with drinks are consisted of for guests, and the hotel’s staff members belong to the fun and casual experience. We enjoyed being familiar with a number of during our brief stay, and we found out that Ilenia, who we talked with at the bar, would be leaving soon to work in Puglia, Italy, at Borgo Egnazia– among the best resorts in Italy– for the season.
Our stay at the Pelican Hotel was the icing on the cake, so to speak, of our trip to Miami for the South Beach Food & Wine Festival. Investing a few nights in the yellow and green “Psychedelic(ate) Girl” was fun, and next year, we wish to return to a completely different and simply as whimsical room.