Icon Brickell Boutique Residences by IliosRentals

If your idea of a Miami base is an apartment rather than a conventional hotel room, Icon Brickell Boutique Residences by IliosRentals puts you in the middle of the action. This is an aparthotel in central Miami, with the space and practical freedom to settle in properly rather than merely unpacking a suitcase beside the bed.

The hotel team speaks English and Spanish, so you will be understood from the start. A 24-hour front desk, free WiFi and a concierge service keep the useful parts of the stay straightforward, while the residences give you somewhere to spread out, eat in or simply close the door on the city for a while.

Your base is in Brickell, in central Miami. Bayfront Park is about 0.6 miles away, Bayfront Park Station is under 1 km away, and Brickell metro station is roughly 0.7 miles from the residence. That gives you practical access to the centre without putting you out in the suburbs and hoping a taxi remembers the way back.

Restaurants are close enough for an unambitious evening: Cipriani is next door, Atelier Monnier Brickell Cafe is about 250 ft away, and Shukran Mediterranean Food is around 400 ft away. Allen Morris Brickell Park and Brickell Key Park are both about 0.4 miles away, while Bayside Marketplace is roughly 1 mile away.

This is a city base rather than a hotel planted directly on a swimming beach. Hobie Beach is around 4 miles away by road, with Miami Beach and South Pointe Park Beach around 5 miles away. The property also presents white-sand beach access in Miami Beach, with sun loungers and parasols.

The useful difference here is the apartment layout. Every residence has a private bathroom, kitchen, dining area and balcony, with views over the city, sea or river depending on the accommodation. For a couple, that means room to make coffee, eat something simple and sit outside without turning the bed into the entire living room.

The larger penthouse apartment is the one to consider when five people need to share without conducting a daily negotiation over floor space; it also has two bathrooms. The one-bedroom apartments suit smaller groups, with some options sleeping three and others four. The balcony and view matter here: choose the ocean outlook if the view is part of the holiday, or the city view if Brickell's lights are the point.

Air conditioning handles Miami's heat, while the kitchen brings a refrigerator, microwave, stovetop, cookware and electric kettle. A washing machine is useful when salt, sun and wet kit have made the day's clothing choices rather theoretical. There is also a bath or shower, towels, toiletries, a hairdryer and a flat-screen television.

The residences are set up for self-catering rather than a fixed hotel meal plan. You have a dining table, stovetop, microwave, refrigerator, kitchenware and kettle, which is enough for breakfast before an early start or a quiet meal when restaurant noise has lost its charm.

For a more hands-off evening, a private chef is available for in-residence dining and catering. That is a useful option when you want food brought to the apartment rather than another expedition through downtown Miami.

There is a cocktail bar at E11EVEN Hotel Downtown. The property also places you close to several independent restaurants and bars, including Bon Fromage, Barjourne and Stone Sports Bar, so you can keep the evening local without treating dinner as a full-day excursion.

The property gives you a swimming pool, hot tub and sauna for the part of the day when the body has had enough of being useful. A terrace adds somewhere to sit outside, while the air conditioning in the apartment lets you retreat from Miami's heat without ceremony.

Additional facilities are available at E11EVEN Hotel Downtown, including a rooftop pool, resort pool and dayclub pool. The fitness centre is there too, with a cardio row. These facilities are not in the residence itself, so you will need to factor in the move between buildings rather than assuming everything is downstairs.

When the city wins over the sofa, the concierge can arrange yacht charters and Sprinter transfers. The nearby parks offer a simpler change of pace: Brickell Key Park, Allen Morris Brickell Park and Bayfront Park are all within about a mile. Miami Freedom Tower, the Frost Science Museum and Vizcaya Museum give you a few solid alternatives to spending the entire afternoon discussing whether the pool counts as an activity.

Miami International Airport is about 7 miles from the property by road, with a drive of around 12 minutes in the stated route information. Airport transfers are available through the property, and the concierge can also arrange Sprinter transfers. Private parking is available on site, with reservation not required.

Check-in runs from 4 pm to 11 pm, and you need to give the property your arrival time. You will need photo identification and a credit card at check-in. Check-out is between midnight and 10 am, so an early departure is built into the timetable rather than treated as an exceptional event.

Children of any age are welcome, and a cot can be requested for children aged from 0 to 3, subject to the selected accommodation. There are no extra beds. Pets are allowed, smoking is not, and parties or events are not permitted. The residences have free WiFi throughout, and the front desk operates around the clock.