Miami, FL
Miami, FL
price varies
Optimum Seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
Miami is home away from home for my family! Kosher restaurants and supermarkets are abundant. The city, like New York, has much culture and diversity, skyscrapers, beaches, amazing nightlife, top notch hotels, and great food. Except Miami has year round perfect weather and water that is at times as beautiful as the Caribbean and always much nicer than the beaches in the Northeast of the country.
There is so much to do in this city! I have been well over ten times, as a single girl, as a married girl, as a mother, as a daughter, and a daughter-in-law. Every trip was as perfect as the last. In the past, I have stayed at Lowes, Shore Club, Fountainbleau, Sea Coast Hotel, and the Catalina. But there is no losing with any hotel the shore in Miami Beach. Book your hotel through tripadvisor.com for the best deals. Both the Fountainbleau and Sea Coast Hotel have apartment units as well with cleaning services. So it feels like a hotel anyway!
Places you must visit when you are there: Ocean Drive and Versace's mansion in South Beach, the neighborhood of Wynwood with its beautiful murals, and Lincoln Road which is a beautiful pedestrian street. You should definitely hotel hop down the main strip. Each lobby and pool is worth seeing. Especially the recently constructed Faena. The lobby and courtyard is remarkable. I am a big fan of the Edition as well. Shore Club remains an old favorite...lots of nostalgia here. But really, every hotel is remarkable! and Fountainbleau and Lowes are perhaps the more kid friendly ones. And Lowes has prime location!!
The town of Coconut Grove is delicious in every way. Go there one evening with the kids, but if you are single, you can skip this. And before you dine there, go to Vizcaya mansion....truly one of the most remarkable pieces of architecture in the United States. The gardens make you feel like you're on an Italian villa.
Drive down "millionaire row" and see all the beautiful houses on the bay. You can take a cruise here too, but the landscaping in the front of the homes are as charming and driving is for free! Take a day trip to Bal Harbour Mall for outdoor, high end shopping. Dine in Aventura a town north of Miami. Visit Key West or the Miami Seaquarium (which I regret never doing). Or just have an Uber driver give you a tour of Miami (as we did). There is no shortage of beauty at every corner of this vibrant city! Definitely visit at least once in your life. And stay at least 5 nights to make the most of your trip if you are going with children.
I highly recommend getting a citi-bike for a couple of hours (find out where the closest one is to you), and bike riding down the boardwalk (which runs behind the hotel strip on the beach, and is a vision all of its own) and back up through the streets so you get the most intimate views of Miami. And do it early in the day, and put on loads of sunblock!
We also took a cruise from Downtown Miami which shows you all the backyards of celebrities homes on the water. And offers spectacular views of Miami's downtown skyline.
The sunsets in Miami are to die for. Either you get a beach view room, or a bay view. It is win win, because if you don't see the beach, you get the sunsets! Unless you get a room with both...which is the best cast scenario.
Uber in Miami is super cheap. No need to rent a car here, even if you're staying a long time. It'll just be a headache with parking!
I have visited in the Spring, Summer and Fall. Winter I understand is too cold here but a lot of celebrities flock here during Christmas so it might be a fun time to be here then. The ocean and weather are perfect in the Spring and Summer, but 4th of July is a great time with the fireworks. There is literally no losing in Miami!
Check the pictures in the gallery above (best viewed on a desktop for captions) and add your comments below. Follow me on Instagram and Facebook to see my next adventure! And share with your friends if you appreciate this page!