It’s not exactly news to people that know me how much of a sun worshipper I am. I’ll chase the sun and heat to the ends of the earth. A inkling of 24’C and it’s a strong yes from me.
So imagine it’s a Monday, -3’C in New York City, I’m wearing multiple thermals and the first snow storm of the season is on the horizon... see ya, I’m off to Miami! Fast forward to Wednesday, a two hour flight, and I’m reading a book in a cozzy on my hotel’s private beach in 30’C. In November. Insane.
Before I go further, I genuinely can’t recommend the app “Hotel Tonight” enough. Incredible hotels incredibly discounted (I’ve stayed in a 5* luxury hotel in Dubai for cheap as chips before - an emperor room with two bathrooms. Just sayin’...) The trick is to leave it as late as possible to get a room as cheap as possible!
So I stayed at The Plymouth Hotel on South Beach, a restored Art Deco dream built in the 1940’s. Very intimate, perfect location (less than a 5 minute stroll to the shore line) and the friendliest of staff. It was hard to peel yourself away from the pool, but the luxury continued down on the private beach, where I would be found for the foreseeable future with an iced drink with a tiny paper umbrella in it.
Miami cuisine is heavily influenced by Cuba, as immigrants introduced the Cuban sandwich, Cuban espresso and croquettes in the 1960’s. Also my new pescatarian persona was thrilled with the quality of seafood (shrimp tacos = ding dong). The famous Ocean Drive has an abundance of restaurants to choose from (and willllld bars if you’re wanting to party hard).
Ocean Drive is also home to the Versace Mansion. Renowned for belonging to Gianni Versace, where he was famously shot dead in 1992, the 1930’s villa now operates as a luxury boutique hotel of ten suites and a restaurant. A popular tourist attraction outside, but that’s as far as you’ll get unless you’re made of mega bucks and staying there or have a table reservation. Still, worth the gawp at a beautiful Miami building and a slice of dark history.
I’ll keep it realistic: Miami is awesome if you’re with your pals looking to party all weekend and rot in the sun with a margarita hangover. If you’re a lone traveller, and especially a woman, be prepared to be hassled a bit and going to bed reasonably early (the latter definitely being my jam at this age anyway!). The weather, the food, the architecture and pastel colours are so dreamy, but I’d say now I’ve done it I don’t need to go again.
Unless Alex from mystupidtravelblog.com persuades me for a mojito fuelled girls weekend. Cue Will Smith’s “Welcome to Miami”...
