MIAMI BEACH — South Beach is Art Deco glamour, beautiful white beaches and hot nightspots, and when we rolled into town on a Friday afternoon, we wanted to have it all in one night.

We got it at The Richmond.

Andrew Marra   A fountain enlivens the pool area at The Richmond.

A friend and I arrived at the boutique hotel on Collins Avenue to find a friendly staff and a simple but comfortable room we had booked just the day before.

The hotel, one of the first built here on the oceanfront, traces its roots to 1941 and a zipper importer who modeled it after the famous Normandie ocean liner.

It still harkens back to that history with prints of vintage Miami postcards, Pan American posters and even old-fashioned clock radios. But my companion and I were more interested in the present than the past.

So we walked a couple of short, pretty blocks to Lincoln Road to check out the scene — trendy sidewalk restaurants and a parade of fashionable people.

We stopped at Nexxt and sat beneath white tents, sipping perfect mojitos and nibbling on Vietnamese shrimp rolls.

The scorching sun drove us back to The Richmond's gorgeous pool. Thanks to a canopy of palm trees, a carpet of lush grass and a sweet little fountain, we felt as if we had sneaked into some swell's backyard oasis.

After a quick dip in the pool, we slipped into the half-moon hot tub to loosen up. It was just a short stroll through the hotel's back gate to wiggle our toes in South Beach's perfect white sand.

Then it was off to dinner at Sushi Samba, a trendy restaurant on Lincoln Road that fuses Brazilian, Peruvian and Japanese food.

With two friends, we toasted Peru's independence day with pisco sours, and tucked into a variety of tasty, small dishes.

My companion and I ate tender beef skewers, tempura vegetables, a spicy tuna roll and a delicious "Ezo" roll, which was filled with salmon and asparagus.

Then it was off for a drink at the famous Delano Hotel, just a few doors down from The Richmond.

The large, striking hotel seemed to go on forever. We wandered through gauzy, white curtains from the huge lobby, into the crowded bar, past the hotel's restaurant and out to a dramatically lit pool.

Lined with tall palms, the long pool had a few touches of whimsy, including a table for two set up in the shallow end and a bed parked on the lawn.

As we sipped our after-dinner cocktails, we agreed this was the glamorous South Beach escape we'd imagined.

If you go
 

The Richmond

1757 Collins Ave., Miami Beach

Rates: Start at $139 for a queen bed with limited views plus $25 a day for valet parking.

For more information: Call (305) 538-2331 or visit http://www.richmondhotel.com/

Tips: Be sure to take advantage of the hotel's proximity to South

Beach's finest things — the beach, Lincoln Road and a host of trendy hotel bars.

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