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If you walk down Ocean Drive in Miami without knowing what’s there, you might just miss it. But tucked between hotels and restaurants is one of Miami’s most iconic former residences: the Versace Mansion. However, it’s now known as the Villa Casa Casuarina and the outside of the hotel is lined by a wall and shrubs. The only glimpse you might get of the opulence within is from behind the bars of the wrought iron gate. That is…unless you are dining or staying at the Versace Mansion.
About the Versace Mansion
The Versace Mansion is located in the heart of South Beach on Ocean Drive between 11th and 12th Street. It’s come a long way from where it was when Gianni first set eyes on the property.
Apparently, Gianni Versace was only in Miami to see his sister, Donatella, on a short stopover on his way to Cuba. He saw the building while walking down Ocean Drive on his layover and took a tour of the property. They were apartments at the time and Versace decided to buy it right then. He bought it for $2.95 million and then proceeded to do a whopping $32 million in renovations. The apartment building became an eight bedroom home, complete with two kitchens, ten bathrooms, three sitting rooms and more.
In addition, Gianni bought the hotel next door for $3.7 million so that he could extend his property and put in a guesthouse, pool and garden.
The house has intricately painted rooms and (at the time) hidden passages to get from room to room. There were Picasso’s on the wall and Versace upholstery on the furniture.
The Famous Pool
One of the most famous parts of the house is the pool made of Italian mosaic tiles. The pool was reportedly made in Italy, then broken down into sections and shipped to Miami where it was then rebuilt at Versace’s house. The pool is filled with colorful tiles, including thousands of 24-karat gold tiles.
But can you swim in it? Well yes and no. Read on and find out 😉
The Death of Gianni Versace
One morning in July, in 1997, Versace left his mansion and walked down the street to a cafe. As he was walking up the marble steps to his home, he was shot, execution style, in the back of the head. The shooter was supposedly a wanted man (having committed other murders) and fled the scene. He was never arrested but was found 2 weeks later having committed suicide.
After his death, the house was bought by an owner in 2000 for $19 million who turned it into a members-only club. However, in 2013, the owner filed for bankruptcy and it sold at auction for $41.5 million in CASH. The buyers? A hotel group called VM South Beach. They turned it into The Villa Casa Casuarina, the boutique hotel it is today. The hotel did a great job keeping the hotel as similar to Versace’s vision as they could and even used old photos to guide them.
In 2018, American Crime Story did a special on Versace’s assassination that reignited interest into the fashion designer’s life and the house itself. The show was filmed at the mansion and gave an inside look into the house.
So how can you see it?
On a normal tour around Miami Beach, you’ll only be stopping out front to look through the gates and at the front door. There are no outside tours allowed and you can’t walk in and pay for a tour. So how do you see it?
The most affordable way to get past the front gate is to make a lunch or dinner reservation at the hotel. The tables of the restaurant are either on the balcony outside overlooking the garden or right on the lawn itself. And for dinner, the tables are right next to the pool. You can take pictures of the pool at dinner but you won’t be able to see much more of the house.
You’ll be able to see the courtyard when you walk in, the tiled hallway leading to the pool area and then the pool area which doubles as the dining area.
To be able to see it all, you need to be staying at the Versace Mansion. Being a guest at the hotel allows you to see the hotel, take tours and yes, you are able to swim in the famous pool. So basically, to get the full experience, you’ll have to stay there.
Staying at the Versace Mansion
There are now ten rooms you can stay in at the Villa Casa Casuarina, I believe. I think Gianni created eight and possibly somewhere in the renovations, two were added. The hotel has largely maintained a lot of the original interior and the hotel group purchased a lot of the original furniture at auction.
Room prices vary depending on the season and depending on which room you choose. On the high end you can spend upwards of $2k and on a slower month, only $550. It may get pricey, but it’s definitely worth exploring the world of Versace. It’s definitely one of the more memorable things to do in South Florida.
The room my friend and I stayed in has pastel colors on the walls and an ornate bed frame and light fixtures. It was a large room with a seating area and little nooks in the wall that had cushions and pillows. They were nearly large enough to sleep in as well.
The main sink area in the bathroom was a circular dome with beautiful floor tiles and painted details on the wall. The entire place is covered in intricate details, like the tiled designs you’ll see in many places.
Staying here allows you to explore freely, sit at the pool while others are dining, and of course, take a dip in the famous 24-karat gold-tiled pool.
While it’s not large, the pool is so intricately designed that it is pretty special to use. And if you don’t feel like stripping down to your bikini in front of a group of lunch diners, opt for the time between meals.
Gianni’s: The Versace Mansion Restaurant
The restaurant at the Versace Mansion is called Gianni’s and you’ll need reservations ahead of time. The cuisine is an Italian + Mediterranean mixture. Breakfast is for guests only and then anyone can make reservations for lunch or dinner.
Breakfast
This was included with our room stay and was a fairly standard, but good breakfast. We had mimosas by the pool with a traditional American breakfast. It was quieter for breakfast since there aren’t many rooms and therefore, not that many people staying there.
Dinner
I’ve had dinner here twice. The first time, I remember it being really good. Then when I stayed here, we had dinner reservations one night and it was unfortunately underwhelming. I ordered the branzino, which was recommended. I hate to say it, but it was bland. The dish my friend ordered (I can’t remember what) was also just ok. Miami has SO many good restaurants and this one just did not hold up this time around.
Bar food & drinks
There’s also a little saloon type room with a bar where you can order drinks and snacks. I assume you still have to have some sort of reservation to go here (whether at the restaurant or the hotel).
The truffle fries at the bar were delectable and the dragon fruit drink was amazing! I would drink it all day.
My friend and I had ordered a pomegranate drink by the pool earlier in the day and it was nearly undrinkable. Incredibly strong. One of those drinks knocked my friend out and she napped by the pool while the lunch crowd came in.
Update: Lunch
Before now, I’d only ever had dinner and breakfast here. But recently I went for lunch. I ordered the dragon fruit drink and the lunch preset menu. The preset menu includes an appetizer, entree and dessert for $29, which is amazing because dinner entrees alone are like $40-60. If you’re trying to be boujee on a budget, lunch is your friend.
I asked for recommendations and AGAIN was recommended the branzino (Why do people keep recommending that??) I instead ordered the burrata, spinach & ricotta ravioli (the other recommendation), and the brownie.
The burrata was a decent portion and I could hardly finish the entree (because I ate all the burrata 😅). BUT, and it pains me to say this again, it just wasn’t that great! All three things, I was just like, ‘meh’. I wanted to love it, I really did.
And on top of that, the dragon fruit drink was also incredibly strong and I don’t remember it being that strong the previous times. I am conflicted about this though. The drinks are nearly $25 a piece, so like, they better be strong. You do get your alcohol content for what you pay, and one drink can make you tipsy. But, it was almost to that too strong point of just not tasting that good. There’s a fine line between being strong and being undrinkable, and this was teetering on the line. But on the other hand, no one wants to buy a $25 drink and feel like they’ve ordered a lemonade.
They also gave everyone a free glass of champagne at lunch for some reason, so that was nice. The thing is, is that they don’t really need to have amazing food because people are still going to go. Would I go back? Yes. Because it’s the Versace Mansion.
What to Wear at the Versace Mansion
If you’re coming to the property for lunch or dinner, you’re probably wondering what to wear. The dress code for the Versace mansion is typically co*cktail attire for dinner and business casual for brunch. No ripped jeans, flip flops or beachwear attire is allowed–this is the former residence of a fashion icon after all.
Dinner in Miami is always a chance to dress up. For men, a collared shirt, nice slacks and dress shoes are sufficient. Suit coats are not required. For women, party dresses, co*cktail dresses and heels are what you’ll usually see.
Famous Clientele
A flock of celebrities have stayed at the Versace Mansion at some point. Elton John, Princess Diana and other close friends of Versace stayed there often. Madonna supposedly stayed in the tower suite for a month (you can glimpse the tower in the picture above) and Drake supposedly wrote songs in the observatory. Kelly Clarkson famously jumped into the pool after she won an MTV award.
Other famous people like The Kardashians, Justin Bieber and Jennifer Aniston have all stayed there as well.
Whether it’s the Versace name, the celebrity clientele or the Crime Story intrigue, the mansion on Ocean continues to draw people in. My favorite part? Is that I’ve actually walked by it myself without seeing it. But it’s there, in the middle of one of the most famous streets in Miami, Florida, lined with restaurants, shops and tourists.
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