Let’s go where neon was born: Miami.

A foray into Art Basel Miami took me to spend my non-art and non-party times in the illustrious Mondrian South Beach which is set on the Biscayne Bay, away from the bustle and sketchy crowds of the South Beach Strip. And I could not have asked for a more resplendent setting, thanks to Dutch Designer Marcel Wanders.

It turned out that the designer’s whimsy in the hotel was an ode to Sleeping Beauty and her castle, which while disparate from my infatuations with Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland, still made for an adventure of sorts, starting with the epic spiral and floating staircase which I hoped that Maleficent would waltz down!

With floor to ceiling windows yawning into the bay with a Miami skyline in the distance as I poured a sunset, the flirtatious Latino bartenders poured me many a cocktails and frozen rose wine too many for inebriation during the art festivals, particularly by the pool and al fresco at Mondrian Caffe.

Having a private suite ensured that I had a private bedroom with windows that yawned into the city, cocktails aplenty by the day, a private living room with immaculate white sofas and an oversized head painted into the wall for whimsy, mirrors aplenty, as well as carpeting marking iconic city skylines.

Such was the dose of intoxication and addiction to this property, that I almost didn’t want to leave to experience the Art Basel that I was in town for.

Alluring, forever.