Hotel Victor South Beach

Forty-plus Art Deco facades line this stretch of Ocean Drive, and Hotel Victor South Beach occupies one of the best-preserved, its 1937 limestone front restored alongside a glass-walled addition facing the beach boardwalk directly. Ninety-one rooms sit above a ground-floor lounge that opens straight onto the sand.

The rooftop pool overlooks Lummus Park rather than the street, a quieter vantage than most Ocean Drive neighbors offer. South Pointe Park and its pier are a fifteen-minute walk south, past the Clevelander's daytime crowds.

Valet parking is mandatory here — there's no self-park option nearby — making this a better fit for guests without a rental car.