Miami

Miami is a city known for its beaches, food, nightlife and Art Deco architecture. Although it’s most famous for its nightlife, there’s something for the entire family in this city.

I liked the Bel Aire South Beach, formerly a Best Western. This is a rehabbed Art Deco hotel. The Eleventh Street Diner is across the street from this hotel. It’s pretty good for breakfast, although I felt it was overpriced. It’s open 24 hours a day and the Bel Aire doesn’t have a restaurant, so it’s at least convenient. This hotel is also very close to the beach and the bars/restaurants on Ocean Drive.

If you’re up for a splurge, I strongly and enthusiastically recommend the Mandarin Oriental. The hotel is located on Brickell Key. Wow. This place is first class all the way. It’s pricey, but you get what you pay for down to every last detail. The rooms are lovely. We ordered a crib for our son, who was 6 months old at the time, and it came with his own little duvet. He, of course, threw up all over it. We were so embarrassed but then figured, they must be used to it, I mean, rich babies throw up as much as middle class babies, right? There are rooms available with both ocean views and bay views. Ours had a spectacular view of the bay and the Miami skyline. The balconies are spacious, perfect for enjoying morning coffee or a mojito at night. The bathroom is to die for. Huge, marble, spacious tub, shower with fancy adjustable shower head. Outdoors, there is a play area for children and a private beach overlooking Biscayne Bay. For an extra fee, you can rent a private tent with a day bed. There’s a spa on site which we didn’t get a chance to visit, but their menu of services looked fantastic.

There are several excellent restaurants in the hotel. The room service is also fabulous, provided by the restaurant’s Café Sambal. My husband had a steak that was perfectly done the way he likes it, medium rare and juicy. I had a pasta dish that was on special that night, that came with preserved lemons, which I had never tasted before. Very unusual and yummy. We split an order of Pad Thai, which was great. Barefoot at Oasis is a poolside bar with food service. We had some delicious, fresh sushi. Azul is a beautiful restaurant, a Mediterranean-Asian fusion combo. Try the lamb and the swordfish. There’s also an interesting appetizer with tuna, avocado and caviar, don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.

Garcia’s is a wonderful seafood restaurant. It’s a bit of a drive from the main tourist areas and tricky to find (at least with my GPS), but worth it. It’s very modestly decorated, as it’s all about the food. The seafood is very fresh. The staff is very friendly and the place has a homey atmosphere.

Versailles is a French-named Cuban restaurant in the Little Havana neighborhood . I had the best ropa vieja there. For the adventurous, they have several unusual entrees featuring organ meats not generally seen on your typical dinner menu.

GrillFish is good, located on Collins, another major road in South Beach. The News Café has good sandwiches and a wide assortment of international newspapers and magazines. The News Café is most famous for being where Gianni Versace had lunch on the last day of his life. Bongo Cuban Café is owned by Gloria Estefan and serves a tasty Cubano sandwich.

On our last day of our most recent trip, we went to Bubba Gump. Usually I’m one to eat local when I’m on vacation and I try to stay away from chain restaurants that I could go to any day in Chicago. We have a Bubba Gump’s in Chicago which I’ve never been to. I did not regret that we went to the Bubba Gump in Miami. It’s in the downtown area and if you’re in the mood to pig out on massive amounts of seafood, this is the place.

For nightlife, nothing compares to South Beach. Ocean Drive is the main strip of restaurants and nightclubs. There are often scantily clad women and men outside dancing and enticing tourists to come into their particular restaurant or club. The restaurants on Ocean generally have a menu on display outside and often a plate of whatever the special is that evening. Get a mango daiquiri at the Mango Café on Ocean Boulevard and people watch, it’s a perfect place for taking in all the personality types that come to Miami. Mango Café also makes a mean mojito. The Delano and the Edison are famous spots, great places to go for a drink. The Colony is an Art Deco hotel that is worth visiting. The Clevelander is a hotel and restaurant, nice place for a few drinks, although the crowd is pretty young. If you’re a 20-something, this is the place for you. They have outdoor amateur fashion/beachwear shows which are entertaining, to say the least.

When my older son was 6 months old, we went for a walk in South Beach down Ocean, since my husband had never been there before. There were no other children around, and my son had no idea how lucky he was having all these gorgeous women fussing over him.

For the kids, go to Parrot Jungle Island. This bird sanctuary is on its own island just offshore. My little guy loved it. They have parrots, cockatoos, flamingos, macaws, and also alligators and crocodiles. Take a boat ride, it’s the best way to see the Miami skyline, as well as some incredible mansions.

I found some decent shops on Collins. There are some chain stores like Urban Outfitters, Sephora and Banana Republic, but also some unique local shops, mostly selling funky beach-themed stuff and touristy items.

All in all, Miami is a place I have visited many times and will return with my family again and again. The beaches, the food and just the vibe of the whole city are worth the trip.

http://www.bel-aire-south-beach.com/hotels/hotelbilder/
http://www.mandarinoriental.com/miami/
http://mangostropicalcafe.com/
http://garciasseafoodgrill.com/
http://www.bongoscubancafe.com/
http://www.bongoscubancafe.com/
http://colonymiami.com/