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With its towering ceilings, sultry furnishings, and massive gilded mirrors, the elegant 1940s-style National ought to be the backdrop for a gangster flick. At 11 stories, the main building stands taller than most of its neighbors and offers grand views of the beach and ocean below. The hotel completed a $3 million renovation project in late 2003, revealing a much needed, brilliant, luxurious refurbishment of the tower rooms and hallways. For those who want to go all out, there's also a new three-story penthouse suite. And while all the rooms in the main hotel are comfortable and plush, the best rooms are the 32 poolside cabana rooms that are ultra modern, with flatscreen TVs, European linens, and feather pillows. What the hotel really needs to invest in next is its lackluster lobby, which is somewhat reminiscent of an old age home at nap time.

The National's pool, however, is the hotel's crown jewel. It's Miami's longest pool (205 ft.) and can be considered the supermodel of hotel pools, lithe and graceful and almost too sleek (rivaling even the Delano's pool) for splashing. The hotel's Tamara is an elegant and formal dining room offering French fusion fare, and the Deco Bar (or D'Bar) looks like a 1940s movie set. Live entertainment on weekends, a wine connoisseur club, and happy hours during the week add to the ambience.

© 2005, Wiley Publishing, Inc.