I had no clue what to expect from Miami, however I really enjoyed my time there. I found Miami so beautiful, chic and overall it had a really cool vibe.
Miami is actually nicknamed the “Capital of Latin America” and it’s said (in 2020) that 70.2% of its population are Hispanic!
I guess you could say it’s a two in one experience as you’re immersed in both the Latin-American and English-American culture, there’s a really unique feel to the place. Miami is also home to a lot of Caribbean communities too, however they are not as on show.
Although Miami is fast moving and there are a lot of people there, I did find it quite a chilled place to be. Unlike some other cities, you don’t have to do a lot of running around to enjoy the atmosphere or see the highlights.
I must admit, it took time for me to discover all the hidden gems in Miami, when I did I fell in love with the place.
We didn’t stay for long as we actually used Miami as a stop off to one of the most incredible trips of my life to the Bahamas.
I didn’t feel like we missed anything during the amount of time we stayed there, and can recommend it for a long weekend or a few days as part of a larger trip, but of course that depends on what you want to do or see when you’re there. Here are some of the things that I recommend you do;
Man-made things to do
Go for a stroll and get a bite to eat in the stunning Española way.
This was one of my favourite areas in Miami as the street had many beautiful lights and it was full of lovely restaurants, the aromas hit you as you stroll along. I highly recommend having a look at the restaurants before you go and booking a table as there are a wide variety to choose from and, coming from experience, it’ll be such a hard choice! It also tends to get super busy as it’s such a popular area.
Visit the Wynwood
The Wynwood is a super funky place to go and I loved every second I was there. It’s a graffiti area, where all the buildings are covered in graffiti by a variety of artists. I don’t mean the typical messy graffiti, I mean actual art graffiti – super cool pieces of art but blown up to large proportions. Some of it had a serious theme and was immaculate in detail, whereas other pieces were fun and funky. It has a huge range of art to look at and it’s a perfect place to get some awesome instagram pictures.
I would recommend having at least half a day there as it’s an expansive area, and although you might think you won’t want to spend too long there, you can soon get sucked in with all the amazing works on display.
Shopping, shopping and more shopping.
We went to lots of little shops and big shopping centres and we loved it. I recommend you go to Sawgrass Mills Mall as it’s modern and has lots of good shops and choices of clothes and brands.
Become a night owl
Nightlife in Miami is incredible. The restaurants have great music and great decor with beautiful lighting. There’s a real buzz of excitement and and fun energy, the whole place seems to come to life even more. Just having a stroll around the streets to take it all in is also an experience in itself. (As in most cities, I don’t recommend back streets, but anywhere that has a lot of light and people around).
Natural things to do
Visit Miami Beach
Miami Beach is gorgeous, with white sands and cute little wooden lifeguard huts on stilts, all painted in different colours and designs, however I didn’t actually swim there. Between the months of March and October you’ll often find thick sea weed up until where the waves start to crash. This personally put me off going in, and I know that it might put a lot of other people off too, so please be aware of it. It’s still worth having a stroll along as you get to see all of the funky motels and the cool little lifeguards huts I mentioned, and work on your tan!
Take an airboat tour
There are a few different airboat tours available which are quite fun. You’ll get to see the local alligators and more wildlife that there is in Miami itself. I recommend this trip for animal lovers, nature enthusiasts and photographers.
Boat tours
Now I’m not sure whether to count this as man made or natural, but going on a boat tour (especially the speed boat tours) to see the Miami skyline are super fun and will give you an awesome photo opportunity. You get to take in the stunning ocean and the jaw dropping Miami skyline. If you appreciate the sea and good views, this is something that you should consider doing.
South Pointe Park
South Pointe Park is an absolutely stunning park located right on the beach front with incredible views and amazing photo opportunities too!
Must-do
There are a few good things to do in Miami, however it is very much a place to chill out and relax. The main things that I would recommend are: Speedboat tour to see Miami skyline, definitely Wynwood, South Pointe Park and going to some the more funky restaurants. Shop until you drop and visit the beach, in fact I would actually say that almost everything I have mentioned should be a must-do!
Dining experience
There are so many funky and tasty places to eat in Miami. I loved pretty much every dining experience that we had there.
- The Big Pink was an American diner and by far my absolute favourite place for it’s overall look as it was a super cool building on the outside, the staff were really friendly, the food was great and the portion sizes were unreal. Not once could I finish something that I ordered from there, but hey, that means it’s a great value for money right?! The only slightly disappointing thing about this place is that considering it’s a pink theme, the inside doesn’t follow it through as much as the outside. I can imagine that they might have done this to avoid overpowering people with the pink, but it’s a shame all the same.
- Dies Y Seis had to be my favourite restaurant that we ate in. They have several, the one we went to was located in the Shore Club Hotel with a view over the beautiful hotel pool. The food and cocktails were out of this world! The staff couldn’t do enough for you and they made our experience even better. It’s a Mexican food place that had good options for vegetarians, the presentation of the food was perfect and it tasted like heaven! I would 100% recommend squeezing this place in, if you were to ask me what to do if you only had a day in Miami this would be the first place I would tell you to eat at.
- Havana 1975 Cuisine is an authentic Cuban restaurant. The decoration is quite funky and the service is pretty quick. I wouldn’t put this on the top of your list of places to go as there are a lot more places that serve better food but the menu was really different. There are quite a few Latin-American restaurants there, I would recommend that you check them out.
- Full Bloom Vegan is situated on the water front and as you may have guessed, it does vegan food. The food comes beautifully presented, is super fresh and I guess you could say the dishes have an Italian twist on them. This place is pretty awesome and where it is situated makes it even cooler.
Where to stay
Below budget
- Bikini Lodge Miami Beach (hostel)- great location, amazing service, lovely rooms, clean, very good value for money, tasty food, comfortable, jacuzzi, pool table. Price per night* PER PERSON- 50.63 USD/ £37/ 43.80 EUR
- Motel Bianco- good rooms, basic breakfast, great location, friendly staff, calmer area at night, quite modern, has parking. Price per night* PER PERSON- 112.22 USD/ £82/ 97.06 EUR
- Hotel Roma Golden Glades- good security, great service, very quiet, free parking, clean rooms, air-conditioning, comfortable, pool, hot tub, free wifi, cool design. Price per night* PER PERSON- 124.53 USD/ £91/ 107.72 EUR
Within budget
- Albion hotel- friendly and helpful staff, good cleanliness, lovely bar, great pool and pool area, modern, fun decoration, amazing location, wheelchair accessible, free wifi, yummy restaurant, fitness centre, business centre, air- conditioning- Price per night* PER PERSON- 151.90 USD/£111/ 131.39 EUR
- Hotel Breakwater South Beach- Great location, clean and modern, lovely rooms, yummy food in restaurant, wheelchair accessible, parking, air-conditioning, great bar, beach access, nightclub, good fitness centre, 24h front desk service along with laundry service, perfect outdoor pool and hot tub, friendly and helpful staff, perfect amenities- Price per night* PER PERSON- 244.96 USD/ £179/ 211.89 EUR
- Alavon Hotel Miami- Great room size, helpful staff, perfect location, clean, awesome decoration/style, lovely views, yummy restaurant, fun bar, all-inclusive available, free wifi, business centre, good activities for kids, free wifi, air-conditioning- Price per night* PER PERSON- 255.91 USD/ £187/ 221.36 EUR
No expense spared
- Marseilles Beachfront Hotel- incredible hotel, awesome outside area, amazing staff, perfect beach access, great location, clean and comfortable rooms, air-conditioning, good food, cool fitness area, lovely bar, free wifi, helpful concierge, wheelchair accessible, laundry service- Price per night* PER PERSON- 336.65 USD/ £246/ 291.19 EUR
- Royal Palm South Beach Miami- exceptional service, clean and comfortable rooms, perfect location, amazing outdoor pool and pool area, beach access, great drinks at bar, yummy food at restaurant, fun acuities for kids, good fitness centre, wheelchair accessible, business and meeting rooms, pets allowed!, parking, helpful concierge- Price per night* PER PERSON- 575.39 USD/£420.45/498 EUR
- Mondrian South Beach- free wifi, air-conditioning, great bar and restaurant, lovely staff/ concierge, boutique shopping, great fitness centre, amazing pool area with incredible views, massage areas, pets allowed!, business centre, wheelchair accessible, laundry service, good music, amazing decoration, perfect location, excellent rooms- Price per night* PER PERSON- 496.77 USD/ £363/ 429.69 EUR
*Prices all vary on when you are going and what type of room you select. I have chosen these prices from mid May 2022.
Transport
I personally don’t think that you need to hire a car, however it does depend on where you’re staying. As we stayed in a very central area, we would either walk or take a quick taxi everywhere.
If you are planning on hiring a car, you should bear in mind that there is quite a lot of traffic in Miami which could slow you down and get frustrating with parking.
The elevated Metro-rail and Metro-mover train systems are pretty cool and can get you to places quite fast but the only issue with these that the stations are not always close to where you would like to go as their lines are a little limited. However, they go pretty fast which makes up for the time spent walking.
Busses there are clean however it is extremely common for them to run late, so this would be my least recommended mode of transport for you.
I believe transport choice in Miami heavily depends on what you want to do there. If you are planning on going further away and out of the city centre, hiring a car will be your easiest and possibly cheapest option.
If you’re planning on sticking around the centre possibly taking the odd trip to places further out like I did, then just sticking to walking and taxis or Ubers would be the best option.
Free modes of transport: The Miami Trolley (however it only operates in certain parts of the city) and a free shuttle service (they do expect tips there though!)
What to pack
Summer time suitcase:
- Sunglasses,
- Hat,
- High protection suncream,
- Airy clothes,
- Flip flops,
- Trainers for the days you are shopping!,
- A light jacket for when it drops cooler at night,
- Outfits to match the places that you are planning to visit for your insta photos,
- Going out clothes for any posh restaurants that you may want to dine at,
- Swimwear for any hotel pools or just tanning! Maybe you won’t mind the sea weed either,
- Don’t forget an adapter if you are from outside of America,
- Lip balm may come in handy if your lips tend to dry out with heat,
- Any form of bags that are hard for pickpockets to get into.
Winter time suitcase:
- Clothes that are warm and can be layered
- Check out the weather for your stay as it isn’t always cold in winter there (if it isn’t, follow the list I gave above!)
- Some sort of sun protection as the UV can still get to you,
- Comfortable shoes,
- Any form of bags that are hard for pickpockets to get into,
- Don’t forget an adapter if you are from outside of America,
- Scarf- this may come in handy as a light blanket or just to protect your throat/chest from the cold,
- Sunglasses.
Need to know before you go
If you go in the peak of summer like I did (any time in June, July and August) then expect the weather to be really hot and the UV levels to be really high. Be sure to protect your skin; I got one of the best tans I’ve ever had but I could’ve easily become a lobster if I wasn’t careful enough.
There is quite a lot of crime there. There seemed to always be police or ambulance sirens going off so I would recommend that you take great care when you are out with your belongings – don’t put anything of value in your back pockets, if you are a woman take a bag with a zip on it and keep it close to your body.
The best time to go to Miami is actually March/ May as the temperatures aren’t too hot but also aren’t too chilly either.
As I mentioned in the what to pack section, Miami isn’t actually guaranteed to be a cold place in winter. It tends to have a warmish climate in that season, however it truly depends on what you class as cold (I come from a warm island!).
It’s illegal to drink in public spaces in Miami (unless they serve drinks) so taking alcohol to places like the beach is not a good idea.
If you are planning to go there for partying and clubbing, most places don’t start their parties till at least 12AM so expect your night to be a very late one!
Please be careful when crossing roads in Miami. The cars there always seem to be in a rush and will not stop if you are attempting to Jaywalk (this means crossing the road where there are no crossings and is illegal punished by a fine). The cars can shoot over crossings sometimes too. The safest thing to do is wait for the traffic to stop before you step out into the road.
You’ll need at least 3 days to take in the real Miami like I did, but you could definitely fit everything in and have some chill out time within 6 days.
If you are using Miami as part of a trip around America, you might want to check out my New York blog too!
