Miami is a sultry, subtropical screensaver of a city; paradise American-style. But where you might imagine steel pans, you hear hip-hop. And in place of beach huts are swooping art deco hotels, supersized boutiques, raucous restaurants and colourful outdoor art. This is not your grandmother’s Miami. It’s not even the Miami of a decade ago. A pandemic influx flooded the city with new, spendy residents — not only sunseekers and Latin Americans but Europeans and Asians in search of a more permissive, diverse and outdoorsy life. As one old hand said, “Nobody’s moving to New York any more; they’re all moving here.” That’s one reason you’ll spot renowned Big Apple spots such as Pastis and Carbone moving in and making waves. Meanwhile, creative output has rocketed along with temperatures. Speaking of which, May to October is stickier than ever, so book accordingly.
48 hours in Miami — at a glance
Day 1
• Morning: Miami Beach
• Eat at: Stiltsville Fish Bar
• Afternoon: Vizcaya Museum & Gardens
• Drink at: Monty’s Raw Bar in Coconut Grove
• Evening: Art deco walking tour
• Eat at: Los Fuegos by Francis Mallmann
Day 2
• Morning: Design District
• Eat at: Elastika
• Afternoon: Art in Allapattah
• Drink at: One K
• Evening: Little Havana
• Eat at: Cafe La Trova
What to do
• Every tribe has its beach, with a custom lifeguard tower painted in riotous colours. Unsure if you fit in with the daybreak swimmers (North Beach), fashionable society (Mid Beach) or the muscle men and ravers (South Beach)? Explore them all on a Citi Bike, hired from one of several fleets along Ocean Walk, and baptise yourself in the Atlantic when the heat gets too much — just look out for jellyfish (30 minutes £4.50; citibikemiami.com).
• Miami was barely a city a century ago, when titans such as James Deering began gobbling up property on Biscayne Bay. His baroque winter home, Vizcaya, now a museum down the coast in Coconut Grove, splays out in Venetian style — a symbol of American might amid mangrove forest. The ornate coral limestone interiors, grotto and orchid-filled gardens are breezy and cool even on the hottest afternoons (£20; vizcaya.org).
• The groovy, grooved sorbet-coloured buildings of South Beach have never looked sharper, thanks to upkeep by the Miami Design Preservation League. The organisation’s 1.5-hour, self-guided art deco walking tour is filled with anecdotes about the flamboyant, alligator-loving architect Morris Lapidus, and is prettiest when taken at golden hour (£12; mdpl.org). Rehydrate at the Broken Shaker, the barefoot-style tiki bar in the 1930s Freehand Miami hotel (drinks from £4; freehandhotels.com).
• The fashion-worshipping, shades-wearing developer Craig Robins helped to transform a worn-out warehouse enclave into a world-famous Design District with monolithic boutiques and public benches that look like sex toys. Spend a morning browsing Latin American abstract art at Juan Carlos Maldonado (free; jcmc.art) and art volumes at the bookstore and cultural hub Dale Zine, where turntables spin glam rock (dalezine.com).
• Use the city’s free trolley (tram) network to navigate through graffiti-mad Wynwood into Allapattah, a residential neighbourhood anchored by two flagship galleries (miami.gov). The Rubell family collection offers 3pm guided tours around head-turning greats such as Keith Haring and Mickalene Thomas (free with your £12 admission; rubellmuseum.org). Further west, El Espacio 23 borrows work from the Perez, its showier sister museum downtown, and frames it in a more intimate setting (free, book ahead; elespacio23.org).
• You’ll hardly hear an English word spoken on Calle Ocho (8th Street), Little Havana’s high street since the 1960s. Who needs it, with 70 per cent of Miami locals from Latin America? Residents push buggies past the Bay of Pigs Monument and flood bakeries selling guava pastries. Come evening, pensioners flex their dominoes skills over tournaments in Maximo Gomez Park — and they don’t mind an audience.
Where to eat and drink
Stiltsville Fish Bar
Oysters nestle in ice-filled bathtubs and tackle boxes here on the salt-of-the-earth west side of Miami Beach. Stone crabs arrive in tin buckets with champagne mustard sauce, and the poached-lobster burger oozes out of its brioche bun. Time lunch to coincide with happy hour, one of the city’s earliest at 3pm (mains from £14; stiltsvillefishbar.com).
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Monty’s Raw Bar
Waste away in this veritable margaritaville between Vizcaya and the old-world village of Coconut Grove. Marina-front tables under the thatched roof fill up for happy hour (4pm), when the famous frozen cocktails go for £5.50. Try the Miami Vice, a pina colada with extra rum, banana liqueur and fresh pineapple (drinks from £4; montysrawbar.com).
Los Fuegos by Francis Mallmann
Designed with input from Baz Luhrmann, the beachfront Faena Hotel must be experienced once. And this glittery dining room, upholstered in Moulin Rouge red and leopard print, is the special occasion restaurant. The focus is on Argentine asado grills and live music in the next-door lounge — staff used to separate it off with velvet curtains, but recently gave up (mains from £30; faena.com).
Elastika
Seafoam banquettes cluster beneath an amorphous Zaha Hadid sculpture in the atrium of the new Moore members’ club, the unofficial hub of Miami’s design industry. The chef Joe Anthony’s serious skills are evident even during a light lunch of bolognese-topped bruschetta and Florida tomato gazpacho (mains from £22; elastikamiami.com).
One K
There is no better vantage point for observing the post-work revellers, parading fashionistas, sailors on leave and designer dogs promenading through the Brickell neighbourhood than this alfresco marble bar at happy hour. Preferably sipping a Mary Brickell Mule, named for the businesswoman who developed this swathe of downtown 150 years ago (drinks from £5; onekmiami.com).
Cafe La Trova
At the heart of Little Havana, a Latin-Jewish chef grills flaky sea bass and roasts whole pork, and dishes are piled high with fried yuca and Cuban rice and beans. Start with tangy ceviche and a mojito from the bar, where staff shake maracas along with the live salsa band (mains from £20; cafelatrova.com).
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Where to stay
Life House Little Havana
A neighbourhood hideaway
Brilliantly restored with flamingo-toned stucco and a lush roof garden, this 1920s apartment block makes a perfect pied à terre far from the madding crowds. “Cosy” queen rooms have pretty palm-tree views; family rooms carve out four wide bunks with privacy screens. There’s no in-house breakfast, but Arahi’s Bakery around the corner serves Cuban pastries, fresh juice and sweet, strong coffee for just a few dollars, from 5am (room-only doubles from £71; lifehousehotels.com).
• Miami travel guide
• Best things to do in Miami
Mr C Coconut Grove
Quiet luxury in city’s south
Coconut Grove, Miami’s oldest neighbourhood, has the charm and camaraderie of a Mediterranean riviera town, just a short (free) trolley ride from Brickell’s high-rises. Likewise, this urbane boutique hotel eschews the flash of Miami proper, with a chilled-out pool lounge and elegant restaurant tucked away on the roof. You’ll be offered a bellini or banana smoothie on arrival but you’ll have to ask for a coffeemaker in your room (room-only doubles from £169; mrccoconutgrove.com).
Fontainebleau Miami Beach
The social hub
This rambling resort in Miami Modern (MiMo) style was the OG lifestyle hotel and Frank Sinatra’s preferred beachfront bolt hole. Today’s guests party harder and wear less, but despite the scene around the multiple pools on weekends, the vibe is still calmer than newer hotspots further south, where construction is constant. Make sure to book breakfast — it’s a restaurant desert outside. And take advantage of the “beach cruiser” bicycles parked by the kids’ pool; the first two hours are free (B&B doubles from £298; fontainebleaumiamibeach.com).
Getting there
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Norse Atlantic flies direct from Gatwick (from £336; flynorse.com). Virgin Atlantic flies direct from Heathrow (from £455; virginatlantic.com). The airport is about 20 minutes from the city centre; taxis cost about £30.
Getting around
Avoid driving in Miami as parking is notoriously scarce and drivers are notoriously dangerous. Locals make good use of Uber and Lyft, and the Citi Bike scheme. The city has a free trolley (tram) service, equipped with air-con and wi-fi, and most neighbourhoods have a route of their own (miami.gov).
Ellen Himelfarb was a guest of Greater Miami & Miami Beach (miamiandbeaches.com)
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