Every tourist should come to their destination well researched and prepared. My most recent excursion was a winter getaway to Miami, Florida and although it was my first time there I picked up quite a few helpful tips to help any newcomer into the city.
The most important detail of any trip is the hotel, bed and breakfast,
etc. This is your home base for the duration of your trip and aside from
the city itself, the location you will be spending the most of your
time. Miami, specifically the South Beach area has many hotel options,
but to stay right on the beach strip prices are pretty homogenous. I
stayed at "Park Central Hotel", which was just a few steps away from the
beach. It had a 50's feel to it which could almost make it a cute
retro, but mainly it was an excuse for outdated rooms and bad decor.
That being said it was a great option since I wasn't staying put for
long periods of time with the city and beach preoccupying my time. I had
a good experience with the concierge and service in general as well and
the rooftop sun area was another highlight. In general I preferred this
option much more than the mega hotels a few miles away that required
taxis to access the beach.
Restaurants
in South Beach fill up Ocean Drive up and down with Italian, seafood,
and general cafes. However around 80% of the restaurants are owned by
the same company, which makes menus and price ranges extremely similar. I
did make it a goal during my stay to not eat out at a restaurant that I
could access at home in Minnesota, which ended up being a pretty easy
task. The restaurants I visited included Park Place Cafe (I highly
recommend the Civeche), Monty's (A few blocks away from South Beach near
Miami Harbor), News Cafe (Recommended for Breakfast). Be prepared to
spend a decent amount each meal there is no obvious way around the
prices of a tourist town, also know that the service charge (tip) is
often included into your bill so be sure to look at your receipt to see
if it requires a separate tip, and the last eating out tip for you is to
watch out for drink prices and off menu items.
If
you are someone who loves to check out the shopping in each city they
visit (Like me), Miami has a few choices. The street just a block away
from Ocean Drive, is Collins Street. This is the only shopping area
until you go into Downtown Miami. Collins Street includes coffee shops,
tourist info and souvenir stores, and then stores such as Free People,
Zara, and Banana Republic. If you make your way across the bridge into
Downtown Miami you will find a few malls, but not anything to really
spark too much excitement.
As far as attractions and entertainment in Miami goes there is a verity of choices. My favorite and the most obvious is the beautiful ocean of Miami beach, although it really brings in the crowds the water is crystal clear and perfect to escape the warm climate. I also participated in a boat and bus tour of Miami, this took me through Little Havana (Cuban neighborhood that includes Cuban coffee shops and souvenirs) and a few other landmark towns. It really did not spark an interest and Miami itself does not have many attractive towns or landmarks worth leaving or going on a tour. The boat leg of the tour was much better, taking place at sunset, narrated the landmarks of Star Island with amazing views. Be sure to leave the city before sunset however or long after because Miami traffic is not a fun experience, or consider the water taxi option.
Culture in Miami is definitely night and day to my home city. Any beach
side/tropical city definitely has it's own, unique characteristics. This
includes casual attire (for the most part even through the night), a
large tourist and foreign population, some areas of strong Cuban
influence, and a sort of city hustle disposition.
This was a truly amazing trip all together, just what I needed for a winter escape and definitely some great memories that came along with it. I hope I could help you in some way.
All my love,
Georgia xx
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