Miami’s Ocean Drive is one of the most photographed stretches in the city.

But nestled between the neon lights, side walk cafes and Art Deco hotels, lies the somewhat out-of-place Villa Casa Casuarina – better known as the Versace Mansion, explains CNN.

The mansion, which was once home to late fashion designer Gianni Versace, now serves as a high-end hotel.

Versace was shot on its steps in 1997 for reasons still unknown, after popping out for a newspaper.

Guests can either sleep in what was once his bedroom, or in the bedroom of his sister, Donatella. There’s even the suite where Madonna used to stay when she visited Versace in the ’90s.

But if you’re in the area and a $1 000 (R13 000)-plus-a-night hotel room is not in your budget, you can always pop into the villa for a bite at the restaurant or drink at the intimate Onyx Bar, the space that used to be Versace’s kitchen.

2o years since his death, the property has changed ownership many times, but has always retained the designer’s over-the-top opulence – take a look:

Today, Casa Casuarina has 10 hotel suites, plus a restaurant and bar, a lounge that can be used for meetings, a rooftop and an elaborate Mediterranean-style Mosaic Garden, with tiles picturing icons of Greek mythology, chief among them Medusa — who has a place of honor on the Versace brand’s logo.

The most elaborate Medusa can be found in the Villa’s 54-foot-long pool, inspired by Versace’s “Marine Vanuras” collection and said to be made from more than one million mosaic tiles, thousands of them 24-karat gold.

The Medusa mosaic was crafted in Versace’s home town, Reggio Calabria, Italy, and then taken apart and shipped to Miami Beach in pieces, where it was painstakingly reassembled.

Adjacent to the garden, in the “new wing” that Versace built when he acquired the mansion, is The Moroccan Lounge, which used to be his gym, and still houses his eight-person hamam Turkish steam room and shower.

Yup, I am all for the over-the-top splendour. What a life. What a man. What a legacy.

[source:cnn]