Cote Bleau
A Piece of St. Tropez on Miami Beach

It happens all the time.

A new restaurant rolls into town promising that elusive "St. Tropez vibe": bursting magnums of champagne, scantily clad women, jetsetters from all corners of the globe…

So you'll forgive us if we were a bit skeptical about the new La Cote at the Fontainebleau, which opened its doors last week with claims of being all those things and more.

But then we stopped by over the weekend. And we saw a live DJ playing to a crowd of scantily clad women… who were drinking large amounts of champagne… next to European jetsetters. And it was 11 in the morning.

So now we're here to tell you: believe the hype. And say hello to your new daytime beach den.

La Cote is a white umbrella and teak extravaganza located in the megahotel's backyard, but it feels more like your portal to the French Riviera, with a sexy Miami twist.

The ground-floor lounge is invigorating enough, with two marble bars and an open-air breeziness. But you'll want to spend most of your time on the second floor: claim a table with 360-degree views of the beach and the hotel's frisky pool scene, order up platters of Mediterranean mezze and settle in for a day of sipping cocktails and getting to know your neighbors.

You might start by finding out where they're from…