Casa Cañita, a new hotel in Miami Beach, officially opens April 23 on historic Ocean Drive. The 24-room boutique stay features a tropical maximalist look, with some unexpected amenities and a buzzy restaurant by James Beard Award–winning chef Michelle Bernstein.
Inspired by Cuba’s golden age of the 1950s, the hotel was created by designer Nicolette Bernstein (sister to Michelle Bernstein) in partnership with hospitality pros Orestes Pajon, Davide Borgia, and David Martinez. Nodding to the property’s location steps from the sand, the interiors incorporate coral-lacquered furniture, oversized velvet beds, handmade Nicaraguan chairs, botanical wallpaper, and vintage artwork throughout.
All 24 accommodations, ranging from a queen room to a two-bedroom, two-bathroom oceanfront suite, share a distinct residential vibe. Some open to private balconies, and while no two are exactly alike, all are pet friendly.
"When I started designing Casa Cañita, I kept returning to this idea of being invited into an ancestral home somewhere in the Caribbean, where there's music playing, food being cooked, and everything feels weathered and layered."
Nicolette Bernstein
Hotel Designer
"I wanted the rooms to feel warm and personal, like they'd evolved over time, with details that don't feel too perfect or staged—a place where guests feel comfortable right away, but also like they've stepped into a story that's familiar and vibrant."
Downstairs, La Cañita restaurant serves as the hotel's social anchor. The menu draws from across the Caribbean and Latin America, with dishes like slow-braised ropa vieja, conch fritters, and jerk-spiced chicken wings. The bar highlights rum and Caribbean cocktail heritage, including guava mojitos and elevated classics like the Canchánchara. Each evening, a live band featuring percussion, guitar, maracas, and flute takes over the dining room, and guests who turn in early can stream the performance directly to their in-room TVs.
Some of the hotel’s smaller details are its most charming, including the room key doubles as beach access, unlocking two chairs and an umbrella just across Ocean Drive. For those wanting more, La Cañita can arrange a picnic package for an afternoon on the sand. Guests can also book private cigar rolling sessions, cocktail-making classes rooted in Cuban tradition, and dance lessons—useful for keeping up with the nightly band downstairs.
Nightly rates at Casa Cañita start from $200, and you can book your stay at casacanita.com.
Elevate culinary's team represents chef Michelle Bernstein.
