Imagine you stumble upon a massive shipment of cocaine on the beach and are able to sell it off without ending up as dinner for a cartel boss' pet barracuda. You're suddenly rich! Where's the best place to live out all your 1 percent fantasies? The W Fort Lauderdale is the swankiest of swank spots, not only along Fort Lauderdale Beach but in all of South Florida. Just walking through the gleaming modern building gives you the sense you're now a member of a different tax bracket. From the slick rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows that offer beach views to neon-blue 15-foot aquariums lining the walls of onsite restaurant Steak 954, the place oozes the kind of chic tastefulness that's rare in South Florida's garish landscape. Plus, the W's second-floor balcony off the bar is probably the best place in town to sip a drink.
Readers' Choice: W Fort Lauderdale