My Musings: Arriving at the Faena

For the first time in 18 months (since Nov. 2019 when I went to Disney with my sisters) I flew on a plane! It's crazy how long it felt since I had been on a plane, but it also felt like no time had passed and it felt completely normal at the same time. I flew to Miami to meet up with Laura and Lex to spend a week exploring the city and enjoying the beach.

This was also the first time I got to see the brand new, ginormous Salt Lake airport! It is absolutely beautiful with so many yummy restaurants and super fun stores, but it felt completely unfamiliar and I kind of missed the old airport that I had flown out of so many times, it had come to feel like a home away from home. I am excited to get to know this new airport in the same way.

Masks are still required at all times in the airport and the entire time while in the plane. Gotta document that pandemic life.

Since I had an afternoon flight, I had plenty of time to arrive a few hours early and just explore all the shops and restaurants. I flew delta so I only explored terminal A, I hear terminal B is a whole other world with lots of walking, but with lots of yummy restaurants too. I'll have to check that area out some other time.

The first restaurant I passed was Granato, I popped inside to take a quick look at their menu and I saw this Italian donut that looked like a sugar coated, chocolate topped cronut and I just couldn't resist. I got one to go so I could enjoy it either after my lunch or on the plane.

I strolled through the entire terminal and looked at all my options for lunch and decided on California Pizza Kitchen, I wanted a place where I could sit down and have a nice leisurely lunch. It was delightful.

After my relaxin lunch I explored every, single store. I was excited to see one of my favorite little book stores has an extension in the airport!

There are a couple of really cute gift stores that have some adorable and silly merchandise. Of course I was all about the cat section.

These local chocolates were so fun and the packaging designs were gorgeous.

After my fun little vacation at the new airport, my really vacation began!

We stayed at the stunning and stylish Faena hotel in Miami Beach.

In 1947, George Sax built a hotel to reach beyond all other experiences. The Saxony was one of Miami Beach’s first luxury resort hotels and was considered the most lavish and expensive hotel of its time. The hotel became the epitome of modern glamour, where Hollywood icons such as Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe and Dean Martin entertained the crowds.

Drawing from this DNA, Argentinean hotelier Alan Faena, transformed The Saxony, into a place of infinite possibility that enthralls and transforms all who visit. Debuting Fall 2015, Faena Miami Beach Hotel features 169 guestrooms and suites conceived by Alan Faena and designed by award-winning film director/producer Baz Luhrmann and four-time Academy Award winning production and costume designer Catherine Martin.

"Faena Hotel Miami Beach features an artful visual language

that recalls the glamour of the 1950's with stunning Art Deco appeal."

"Faena Hotel Miami Beach: Where Art Meets Glamour"

This hotel is like stepping into a fantasy world, every detail is a feast for the eyes and filled with imagination. We had the best time exploring this one of a kind hotel and taking in all of its unique beauty. I, of course, documented it VERY thoroughly, so here is a virtual tour of the stylish, creative, colorful Faena Hotel.

Walk into the Faena Hotel Miami Beach entrance to find The Cathedral, an expansive great hall with gold-leafed columns and ceiling, floor-to-ceiling mystical, richly-hued murals by Argentinian artist Juan Gatti, and an intricately patterned mosaic tile floor. Breathe in. The hotel’s signature scent, the Faena scent, is being subtly released through tea lights.

The focal point of the lobby is a series of eight, 10 x 15’ murals, these murals combine mythological, religious, and astrological iconography. They were hand-painted, including the backgrounds and details in 23K gold leaf. Upon entry to the hotel, guests arrive not through a traditional lobby, but rather a “Cathedral” lined with gold-leafed columns and adorned with vivid floor-to-ceiling murals.

As cliche as it sounds, pictures do not do these gigantic works of art justice. Their color was incredible, so vivid and deep. The detail was unbelievable, we discovered new things in each the mural everyday. I tried to find an explanation of the different symbols and words used in each mural but I couldn't find any, so we get to use our imaginations.

In addition to the eye catching murals, there are also intricate mosaic floors.

Just off the Cathedral, is the concierge desk which looked like it was taken straight from the set of Baz Luhrmann's Great Gatsby movie.

This room was next to the check in area, the decor details in here were so fun.

I wanted to take all the sea shell sculptures home, they were the perfect combination of whimsical and elegant, my personal aesthetic.

This was a coffee table book all about the creative genius that is Alan Faena. He always dresses all in white, we were lucky to see him a couple of times during our stay!

He would materialize as out of thin air, quietly float around the room, taking in the atmosphere and the reaction of the guests to his hotel, and then would quietly disappear. He had a mystical air of mystery about him, it was thrilling to get to see him in person.

Specimens in domed jars is another favorite of mine, as a collector myself, I know how amazing and rare these arrangements are.

There are quite a few restaurants and lounges at the Faena, all are just as artfully decorated as the rest of the hotel.

Drawing from a range of international styles including Filipino, Spanish, Japanese & French, Pao boldly presents a new brand of modern Asian cuisine with stunning ocean views.

Even the staircases are a work of art in this hotel.

As I was passing by the theater, a security guard was just coming out of the locked door and I asked if I would be able to just quickly peek inside since I had heard the theater is so gorgeous. As first he said "no!" so I was ok so sorry for asking! But then he was like "I was just kidding! Come on!" and he unlocked the door and showed me inside.

The theater was just as stunning as I was expecting it to be. Inspired by Europe’s grand opera houses and the glittering allure of Old Hollywood, the intimate gilded theater showcases ambitious artistic productions and Faena’s very own highly-acclaimed cabaret performances.

While we were in the theater, my new friend Rico asked if I would like to see the secret restaurant and lounge where they have parties reserved only for those on a very exclusive guest list. Obviously, I said a very enthusiastic yes!

The speakeasy underneath Faena Hotel, known as the Saxony Bar, is the place to go to sip timeless cocktails in an equally timeless (and very exclusive) setting.

Next, Ricco show me El Secreto, a secret bar connected to the theater that can host private parties up to 15 people.

Getting a private tour of all the fun secrets spots in the hotel was the best surprise ever! Rico was so nice to take the time to show them to me and patiently wait while I took endless photos of each place.

Continuing on our tour, next up is the Living Room and Los Fuegos. The Living Room is a lounge where live music is played every night. You have to have a reservation and you have to spend a certain amount on your tab to retain your table, let's just say it would have taken us a lot of diet cokes to keep a table. Luckily, we dined at the adjoining restaurant, Los Fuegos our first night in town, so we got to enjoy the music from our table.

Last stop on our tour, lucky room #710, our Miami home.

This was the view from our balcony.

We could see South Beach and how insanely crowded it was for Memorial Day, and it made us all the more grateful for our hotel's private beach (Next post is a tour of all the outdoor spaces including the beach!)