Review of Pelican, by Hal Peat

Small in size but unfailingly large in personality, The Pelican Hotel achieves with wit and seeming ease the type of originality that South Beach hotels of all shapes and sizes usually work hard to attain. The personable quality is there in the friendliness and efficiency of the staff, the menu that works wonders with local staples and fresh ingredients to produce Mediterranean masterpieces, or the guest rooms that transport you to periods and places across continents and time.

The facilities:

Owned by the creative team behind the Diesel Jeans Company, desisgned by the acclaimed Magnus Ehrland, the Pelican is a design hotel that caters perfectly both to the working and leisure demands of cosmopolitan travelers and the media world who appreciate the hip residential ambience along with the prime location. With seated dining that stretches from the interior edges of its entry to the outdoor patio and across to the sidewalk bordering Ocean Avenue, the Pelican's restaurant has plentiful location along with a menu that displays the strong Italian influence of its executive chefs.

Among the current highlights to choose from are freshly prepared entrees such as black linguine seafood pasta, key lime Mahi-Mahi or homemade spinach ravioli. A leisurely weekend brunch -- served until 3:30 p.m. -- is another fine way to observe the traveling universe strolling along SoBe's most favored pathway as you sip your Italian cranberry mimosa or special Bloody Mary.

The rooms:

Each of the 27 rooms, 4 suites and 2 penthouses in this design hotel feature their own unique design concept -- making a stay at The Pelican something of a global adventure across time and space, embracing period motifs, cultural icons and regional highlights with wit and creativity. Conceivably, no visit here will ever be quite the same, with suite themes ranging from "Cubarean Islands" to "High Corral, OK Chaparral" to "People from the 50's". Our own visual favorite was "Executive Sixties", which you may also enjoy if you ever watched "Mod Squad". The bathrooms have been carefully restored to maintain the original period style washbasin, making this area possibly the most consistently deco derived of the entire guest room, although some of the design themes draw on the deco style to complete the overall appearance of the suite.

Personal amenities and features in every room that make the stay that much more luxuriant include a TV/stereo/CD enterainment system; a minimum of two telephones (including a bath phone); all-natural Aveda toiletries for the bath area; a mini-fridge (with complimentary water). There's also a complimentary deluxe beach towel and chair handy for nearby sun worshipping; a personally coded safe; and of course free wi-fi throughout the property. The 24-hour front desk and concierge are knowledgeable about local attractions, world-class shopping along nearby Collins Avenue, and the ever-changing local night scene, much of which is within easy walking distance of the hotel.