Miami, South Beach, and Surrounding Areas

Quick Tips:

Staying in Miami Beach can save you some money while keeping you fairly close to the beach.

If you have time, take a trip to the Keys. They are very different and it is a nice drive.

I recommend renting a car. Having said that, parking is difficult there!

Best Way To Get Around:

Originally, we wanted to stay on or near South Beach, but you will pay an arm and a leg for it! I am talking $250 to $300 for something equivalent.

The hotel truly had quite a few facilities, although it was too chilly to use the pool or the beach. Rooms were large and comfortable. Keep in mind that if you have a rental car, which really is a must in Florida, this hotel charges $18 a day for valet, but you really can't avoid that in this area. Hotel was convenient to some local restaurants and a Walgreens store across the street, which was very handy!

Now, to get to South Beach, it is only about a 10-minute drive or less south of the hotel. Restaurant food was good, but we mostly ate out. Staying here, you will need a car, and remember that it is nice and great for price and convenience, but isn't your high-tone art-deco Ocean Drive hotel.

We paid $90 per night via web, but it's normally about $170 per night.

In our efforts to find a parking spot, which isn’t easy to do in Miami, we not only found great parking area at this intersection, but we found this great pizza place, too. You basically will find it at the corner of 9th Street and Washington, only a few blocks from the heart of South Beach!

My wife and I tried their great variety of pizzas, such as potato, spinach, and other classics. For $4, they would load up two paper plates full of pizza slices and give us a Coke. We were good to go.

They don’t really have seats. They have a few tables and a few bar-like tables, but who cares!

We are picky pizza-eaters, so trust me on this. Once you eat that pizza, walk over to South Beach to walk off the carbs!

There are the typical sea animals such as whales, dolphins, etc.

Go there early to make the most out of your day. It is about a 20-minute drive from Miami.

Whether day or night, it is just fun walking up and down the sidewalk, seeing the restaurants, cafes, performers, and live music, all with the backdrop of the sea across from you.

You will also see an occasionoal cruise ship in the background and rollerbladers--you name it, whether it is people gawking or enjoying a good long walk. We did that and enjoyed it, too.

It is impossible to park near South Beach, so keep quarters with you for the parking meter, and you might have to feed it every few hours!

You will usually see a bunch of tourists take photos in front of Versace's house, and you will see some nice places to walk around the nice hotels, such as the Loew's at the end of the strip.

They have a park with a lighthouse, and on your way there is a good restaurant on the water that even has boats docked there. They have some good seafood and Cuban appetizers--I can't remember the name, but it was good!

If I was to go back, it might be nice to have a picnic basket, sit by the beach, and watch Miami from the island!

That was good planning, though, because it is southwest of Miami and we were going to see some friends near there after seeing the gators. It was going to put us closer to where we need to be, which was going to be in the Keys.

Well, it was interesting to see the alligators, snakes, and other reptiles in their natural habitat in the heart of swamp country. It was educational and made us less fearing of these animals.

We also took a ride on an airboat, which was fun as we cruised the swamps.

There are several of these farms to choose from, and you won’t be disappointed. It is fun for kids but for adults.

It only cost $25, but now I know why they make up for it if you gamble. While we know that we thought there were other things to do, there was food that was okay--nothing great--and then, after that, once the ship cruised far enough away from Miami, let the gambling begin! So I guess that if that is your interest, enjoy!

We hated it and also got motion sickness and nausea.

The area seems to be a high-end part of Miami, and you can especially tell when you go for a drive, as we did, off Sunset; the lush tropics, big trees, and beautiful homes are to-die-for!

We took a drive and really didn't know where we were going but really didn't care--the winding street was nice as the sun was setting, and its orange glow penetrated the branches of the trees nestled between the high-priced Miami homes... ah, nice memories!

There are a lot of good restaurants in the main section of Coconut Grove. We ate a Cuban/Latin American place on the corner--I can't remember the name, but I had my usual appetizer there, tostones (fried plantains with garlic/vinegar sauce) and a Cuban sandwich. My wife had grilled fish--very good.