Miami here we come, that was what my friends and I said when boarding the plane that would get us to one of most visited US cities.
It was long time ago when I set foot for the first time on Miami Beach. How did it happen, how did I get here? Simple, my company at the time had a work do in Dallas (go figure) and I decided to stop in Miami before heading to Dallas.
Before leaving for this amazing place we looked for a Hotel and found the Shore Club on Collins Avenue. As all pictures online, it looked out of this world. We had booked the full package of course “Ocean View” rooms with a balcony. Who wouldn’t want to sit and watch the ocean at any time of the day and/or night.
It was August when we arrived and it was hot….as you would expect. Our cab ride from the airport was smooth and the driver giggled away when I asked him if he knew the hotel or the area where we were staying. At this point I did not know that the Hotel we had chosen is pretty much in the best location – South Beach. I can just imagine the cab drivers thought – first timers!
When we arrived the Hotel was incredible and staff were very friendly. The first thing we did was head out to the beach as we had direct access to it from the Hotel, obviously we had to pass the very posh Hotel swimming pool on the way. It was lovely and hot, we did underestimate the power of the sun. After all Miami is very close to the equator.
It didn’t take long before we got into a daily routine. It started with breakfast at News Café on Ocean Drive. We then walked to Starbucks and stopped every time we passed the Versace mansion and were amazed daily on the location and size – can you imagine owning this space? Before hitting Starbucks we went into all those little shops on Ocean Drive and bought T-Shirts and basically all the stuff tourists buy.
Taking our Starbucks coffee to go we walked slowly back to the Hotel. The rest of the day we pretty much spent all day on the beach playing volleyball and chilling out. South Beach is just amazing and so clean. One of the best beaches I have seen. Late afternoon was designed to hit the gym for half an hour and then get ready for a nice evening meal. Exploring Lincoln Street goes without saying.
One thing we never did was going out partying, Miami is known to be a party town at night, however that was not what we were after. In fact, I was quite amazed about how quiet it is during the day and if one ignores the pretentious people you would think you are laying in the most secluded space on an island.
The first time I went to Miami I only stayed 3 days. Since then I have returned almost every year pretty much doing the same thing over and over again. I always stay in Shore Club and stick to the same routine.
Here are my reasons why Miami is the ultimate location:
- South Beach is one of the best Beaches around
- The Cuban Flair will leave you wanting to go to Cuba
- Art Deco District needs to be seen by night
- The Sun and Ocean will leave you recharged like never before
- Miami Vice was shot here (reason alone to visit!)
- It Certainly is a destination where you can travel light –no jeans required
- You will see things you have never seen before – I guarantee you this
- The only place where you sit outside and your restaurant has cooling misters
- January looks just like August just not as hot
- Any coloured House is accepted- be aware of lime green,aqua,orange and pink
Miami is the best and probably one of the weirdest places but it works and it is just cool. After all Will Smith made a song about Miami and he cant be wrong!
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