Art Basel with InterContinental Miami

Sponsored by InterContinental Hotels & Resorts

Last weekend I was lucky enough to be asked to be a guest of the InterContinental Miami for Art Basel. Have you ever been? It's one of the world's most popular (read: swankiest) art festivals. I'd never had the chance to check it out so I was eager to visit Miami and find out what had everyone abuzz.

Checking in to the InterContinental Miami hotel at the start of the weekend was a wonderful way to ease into the madness. I took in the stunning panoramic view of the city from my suite and considered hiring an UberBOAT to catch the fair. (I'm just kidding—traffic was bad, but never so bad I felt the need to take a speedboat to South Beach. Can you imagine?) Of course, you can't make it out of the lobby of the InterContinental without taking in one of the country's most impressive sculptures, artist Henry Moore's The Spindle. The 70-ton marble masterpiece is an amazing work that creates a sense of awe—totally befitting an arts-driven weekend getaway at a hotel that champions new media arts. On rotation in their lobby during Art Basel also features works by Julio Le Parc.

Art Basel itself was a wild ride, and not for the faint of art. It's immense! The fair takes place in a nondescript convention center that looks like it hasn't been updated since the 80's. That's not necessarily a bad thing as it lets the works take center stage. I fell particularly hard for every Sheila Hicks piece we came across. And I was enamored by all the ceramic and metal works, of course. It was hard to put my camera away all weekend but at a certain point, I stopped snapping and started to enjoy the works. There were just too many beautiful pieces. #TMB (too much beauty!) I wish I could've brought them home with me.

Sheila Hicks

Katinka Bock

Sam Durant

Margaret Kilgallen

Ulrike Müller

Erin Shirreff

Jacob Hashimoto

Checking back into the hotel after a long day of taking in art along with thousands of other admirers, it was nice to unwind at InterContinental's mySpa with a deep tissue massage and then wander the hotel grounds. The InterContinental's seasonal ice rink was unfortunately not open during my stay, and I can't help but harbor a little jealousy of the guests who'll get to go ice skating under the cover of palm trees. Doesn't sound half bad, does it?

Dinner at Toro Toro at the hotel was another highlight—the Chilean Sea Bass a particular favorite and the bar's signature cocktail, the Toro Roll, happily went well with everything. We even got VIP treatment and ate at their private chef's table at Table 40. Miami is a late night city, and it's not hard to see why. The temperatures were pleasantly mild during my visit, and gray skies couldn't dampen the rambunctious mood in the city's busiest nightlife district. We asked the friendly staff at Toro Toro for the best bar in town and spent Saturday night curled up under palms at The Broken Shaker into the wee hours of the morning. I'm still recovering...ha!

Have you ever been to Miami or Art Basel? What'd you think? Next up on my list is the Venice Biennale...better start saving up now!