Magical Miami
We stayed in a low key hotel right on South Beach. It was one of a few hotels that provided breakfast which was just enough to sort you out until lunchtime. I say it was low key as it was not one of the top notch hotels on that strip which were amazing, but the bedroom was huge and as we had a corner room we had views of the beach which was right in front of us and a side view, where we could see the main street. The hotel had a roof top terrace with spectacular views and as is synonymous with Miami, all the buildings are art-deco in style.
As we travelled in July, the weather was hot every day and you could set your clock by the thunderstorm every day at 9.30am. This only took about 10 mins to clear up which left the rest of the day in glorious sunshine.
With our hotel room right on the beach front, we watched the endless amounts of joggers, roller-bladders, power walkers, mums and newborns running with their prams along the promenade. If you have a gym body then Miami is the place for you – or if you just want to watch, it’s interesting too!
Miami is definitely for the health conscious - we were amazed at how healthy the food was in comparison with Orlando. You can have your omelettes with only 1 yolk or even no yolks! The food is fresh and made to order and is the best food I have experienced on holiday.
We often ate and wandered down Lincoln Road, which is where you may spot the rich and famous, although we didn’t see any during our stay, this is great for watching the world go by while you sit and eat your dinner.
We did sign up for a few excursions, one of which was to Orlando to visit the Universal Studios. It is a long coach journey starting very early in the morning, but was great fun. As you only had 6 hours in the park, we purchased fasttrack tickets and hardly queued for any ride. I would recommend the fast pass if you do this trip otherwise you would only get on a couple of attractions. We went on The Mummy ride 3 times in a row, which shouldn’t really be allowed but somehow we got away with it!
We also signed up to the Duck Tour which was a bit of fun. You get a guided tour round the streets of Miami, going past Versace’s doorstep, the hotel where they filmed La Cages Aux Folles (Birdcage) and Gloria Estefan’s hotel, of course the vehicle then enters the water to take you round the homes of the rich and famous. Some of the properties are mind-blowing and the price tags are even more staggering.
The beach itself was lovely golden sand and was huge; the sea was shallow and just the right temperature to cool off, which you really do need as you can get exposed without an umbrella. Most people just take their own towel and lay on that, but I would recommend buying an umbrella as you do need the shade from time to time. You can rent sun beds and umbrellas at the beach but at around £12 per day for two, this would work out expensive.
In Miami everything goes and it really is the place to party, nothing seems to faze the locals or the tourists, so do your best!