Hotel Review - The Shelborne South Beach - NYTimes.com A reborn 200-room Art Deco hot spot in the pulsing heart of South Beach, with renovated rooms starting at $269, plus a $25 per day resort fee. Opened in 1940, the Shelborne enjoyed a couple of decades as a sparkling luminary in Miami's postwar tableau before fading into cut-rate anonymity. Last November, though a $20 million renovation to revive that allure was unfinished, the owners forged ahead with a grand reopening. The result is a hotel whose common areas are show-stopping, with some rooms left unrestored. As you enter the soaring lobby, the clean, white lines punctuated by two colossal chandeliers dissolve into a dark, glossy lounge, then into the sunny exuberance of the pool area. Just 50 of the rooms have been refurbished (with 50 more being renovated this year), but sleep isn't the point here, so whatever problems you encounter in your room fade away amid the bustle downstairs. Nestled in the area's trendiest night-life strip on the oceanfront side of Collins Avenue alongside other velvet-rope destinations, this hotel may leave you feeling underdressed, which in South Beach can mean that you're too covered up. At check-in, we were given three options: a city view, partial ocean view or unrenovated oceanfront with balcony. We went with the partial ocean view and arrived at a room on the sixth floor that at first glance had all the hallmarks of South Beach minimalist opulence. The room was bathed in chic shades of gray and punctuated by a white mounted horse head and a chandelier; the pièce de résistance was a sprawling mirror that niftily masked the television. For a room that was just redone, though, there were some surprising glitches: already-nicked furniture and a nonworking TV. We declined the front desk's offer to move us. Small and basic but also sleek and functional, with black tiles and a curtained window onto the main room. The only drawbacks were the somewhat dim lighting and two holes where a towel hook should have been. Daytime activity centers on the oceanfront pool, a glamorous place with an old, elegant diving board and dotted with palm trees. With waiter service from Lucy's Cantina Royale, the hotel's "taco shack" facing the boardwalk, there was little reason to leave the grounds, save for a dip in the ocean. Poolside cabanas are available with a guarantee of $250 to $350, depending on the day. At night, the lounge chairs disappear as the space transforms into a swank bar. Because we were guests, we happily bypassed the line outside. The resort fee includes pool towels, chairs and umbrellas, a happy-hour drink at Bar Tanaka, and a continental breakfast. In addition to Lucy's, dining options are Bar Tanaka, a sushi bar, and Vesper American Brasserie, by the pool, both with impressive menus. A basement karaoke lounge supplies grittier fun. A reasonably priced breakfast came quickly, though not quite hot. The huevos rancheros and pancakes arrived in hefty, tasty portions, and the coffee was plentiful. A stylish base for experiencing South Beach, with prices that can come in a couple hundred dollars cheaper than its similarly hip neighbors. Seeming shortcuts taken on room renovations are the real price to pay for an otherwise glamorous stay. The Shelborne South Beach, 1801 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; (305) 531-1271; www.shelborne.com.