One doesn't really need an excuse to escape to the city with a subtropical climate where average daily temperature hits 76 F / 23 C. Taking its name from a Native American tribe Mayaimis, or "big water", and founded by a woman called Julia Tuttle, Miami has less than 1% chance of a white Christmas and 100% chance to steal your heart, even if you are coming to this Atlantic coast hotspot for 3 days only.
If you have high ambitions to have a great time and only a few days in the city, eliminate the headache of planning and decision making with Miami Guide 2016 below. 8-)
Stay At Delano South Beach
Soaking in South Beach sunshine and guaranteed to blind you with its elegant crispy white room design and quirky seductive decor of grand public spaces, this upscale art deco hotel sitting along the ocean was designed by Philippe Starck. The landscape pool area with Delano Beach Club creates a relaxing yet vibrant atmosphere that attracts jet setters from all over the world to its ambience and mouthwatering cocktails and food.
Try shrimp quesadilla that we sworn by during our stay, a delicious burger, (my favourite) quinoa salad (I added prawns for protein) or indulging truffle fries that will keep you going all day from dusk till dawn when the pool area transforms to a busy beach bar. There is no real reason to leave Delano South Beach, however if you feel adventurous, spend a few hours on the beach and swim in the ocean and then head out to a must-see daytime attraction: Everglades National Park.
See Alligators In The Wild Of Everglades National Park
Grab a warm hoodie and head to Coopertown, The original Airboat Tour, to go on a 9 miles trip through 'a sea' of saw grass out of 1.5-million-acre wetlands which around 200,000 alligators call home (there are over 1.5 million in the state of Florida).
You will enjoy the fascinating views of Everglades National Park, learn some curious facts about the area from Cooperstown's awesome tour guides (best PR agencies of the world should learn the art of true storytelling from these guys!) and spot one (or five!) gators quietly resting in the grass. Don't be fooled by their peaceful look and BY NO MEANS dip your hands in the water and/or make a splash: gators are super fast to react and in a blink of an eye your body parts put in the water can become their lunch or dinner!
If you are lucky you can also hold a small alligator (the one in the picture above is called Gucci and we saw another one called Louis Vuitton ;)) before or after the tour. And remember to leave tips for the tour guides! ;)
Feel The Heat At Miami Heat Game
After a few hours at the windy Everglades, head back to Delano and get ready to see Miami's pride in action: head to Miami Heat basketball game! Stop by Miami Heat souvenir store to get some swag, then grab beer and hotdogs and watch the team put on a show worth going to Miami for!
Putting on a great show is one of the things I personally really like about American culture: there is music, dancing, participation of people from local community, games, and many many many more tricks to keep you entertained during and in-between the game times! Check the schedule and tickets in advance.
Have Dinner At Zuma Downtown
Once you spent a lot of energy cheering up for Miami Heat, restore your calorific balance at a place where you go to see and be seen AND have amazing food that never fails to impress. A selection of sashimi, 'gyuhire sumibiyaki karami sauce zuke' (spicy beef tenderloin with sesame, red chili and sweet soy), and 'gindara no saikyo miso yaki' (black cod marinated in saikyo miso with homemade hajikame) are my favourite.
And if you have space (well, even if you don't) and if you are in a big group, definitely go for one of two desert mountains that will hit your pleasure centre at the right spot!
Take A Ride On Jet-Ski
In the morning, once you've recovered from the food coma, head to Mondrian South Beach and take a ride on jet-ski. You will see Miami Downtown, Port Of Miami, Fisher Island which many rich and famous call home and come back to South Beach full of exciting emotions!
I am personally not a sucker for extreme thrills like this (waves can be quite high and going fast on jet-ski is scary as hell for me!) and for the first part of the trip I thought we will flip and die however once I had a chance to ride the jet-ski myself in the area where we had to go slower, I warmed up to the experience and loved the second part of our jet-ski tour. :)
Have A Seafood Fix at Joe's Stone Crab
You cannot leave Miami without stopping by the famous Joe's Stone Crab. Opened in 1913 by Joe Weiss, the small lunch counter on Miami Beach serving top-notch fish sandwich and fries became a seafood mecca that has been attracting seafood foodies from all over the world for more than 100 years.
And A Few More Suggestions...
Crema Gourmet Espresso Bar - for a very good coffee and healthy breakfast (unhealthy options are available, too) :)
STK - for drinks and delicious bites before dancing a night away
LIV night club at Fontainebleau - if you are keen to take your dancing shoes for a night you won't remember (or won't forget!) :)
And A Final Bonus Point...
Celebrity spotting! Actors, models, singers and the likes are human beings just like you and me. They adore great weather, food, and entertainment too and Miami gives them all of it. So keep your eyes peeled for celebrities and get a selfie if you are brave enough.
(Please be respectful of celebrities' private time off though. If you were them and would't want to be interrupted in a certain situation, then contain your excitement and let the celebrity guest enjoy their time uninterrupted). 8-) Here's my celebrity spotting for you though! :)
- Andy Cohen of Bravo
There are many more things to see and do in Miami. The list above is just a small selection for you to have few days packed with exciting experiences that you will hopefully enjoy!
Oh, and don't forget to put sunscreen when in Miami. After all, sunscreen was invented in the 1940s by a Miami Beach physician, Benjamin Green (originally for WWII soldiers stationed in the South Pacific).
