Be Spontaneous in Miami

Miami’s historic Deco District contains more than 800 buildings from the 1930s and early ’40s. To gawk at the highest concentration of streamlined, strikingly geometric structures, take a walk along Ocean Drive north of 5th Street. Fascinating fact: The seemingly iconic candy colors aren’t original but were introduced in the 1980s as a preservationist’s attention-grabbing tactic—the buildings were originally painted white with subtle pastel trim.

Launched during Art Basel 2009, the city’s outdoor street-art park features more than 40 murals from a roster of world-renowned artists, including Shepard Fairey, Ryan McGuinness, Kenny Scharf and How and Nosm. Stop for a bite at Wynwood Kitchen & Bar and take home a piece of Wynwood—the GO! Shop features a curated collection of limited-edition prints.

Obama may have relaxed restrictions regarding travel to Cuba, but it’s still a lot easier to get a heady flavor of the Vedado and Miramar neighborhoods in Miami’s Little Havana. Thousands of Cubans fled to Calle Ocho (SW 8th Street) and the surrounding area after Fidel Castro came to power in 1959, and vestiges of that legacy survive in the Mediterranean-style houses, the hum of Latin music and scent of tobacco wafting from cigar stores.

Built for Chicago industrialist and Europhile James Deering and completed in 1916, the Italian Renaissance–style Vizcaya Museum & Gardens is an incongruous fixture on Biscayne Bay. Crammed with European antiques and decorative works from the 16th to 19th centuries, the opulent villa also retains such anachronistic early-20th-century fixtures as telephone switches and a central vacuum-cleaning system. Stroll in the idyllic gardens, with their fountains, pools, maze and casino.

The collection of the late owner/curator Naomi Wilzig spans everything from pieces by Rembrandt and Picasso to sex toys and artifacts across time periods and geographical regions. The penis collection is the highlight—a mind-boggling array of phalluses in all shapes, colors and sizes (including a six-foot-tall member and a wooden four-poster bed, with posts shaped like…you guessed it).

The Venetian Pool may just be the most beautiful swimming pool in the world. The former quarry was converted into a mock-Italian villa in the 1920s and while the ornate results—all waterfalls and loggias—may seem a little kitsch to those who've actually been to Venice, there's no denying the glamour of the place. Esther Williams and Johnny Weissmuller are among the famous bathing beauties who’ve made a splash here.

If you’re looking to shake your cocktail habit in favor of some local beer, spend a low-key evening over a few pints at South Beach hole-in-the-wall turned microbrewery Abbey Brewing Company, which offers European imports in addition to several local beers. To sample more home-grown ales, head to Wynwood Brewing Company in the ever-evolving Wynwood Arts District. Miami’s first craft brewery boasts a fine selection, including a flavor-packed blonde ale called La Rubia (Spanish for “the blonde”).

If you love finding under-the-radar restaurants and scoring off-menu delicacies, we’ll let you in on a secret: You can sample several discontinued specials and other elusive dishes simply by dropping their names. Secret menu items at Miami restaurants include the strange-sounding but delicious Dolphin Fingers at John Martin’s—ask for them by name.

Twice a month at restored 1940s hot spot The Raleigh, lay down a dollar per ticket to use toward craft brews for $5 and food for under $10 while playing Ping-Pong and giant Jenga at Buck’s Beer Garden—just one of many fun ideas for going out on the cheap. Get primed for the October return of weekly free movies—from black-and-white classics to recent Oscar winners—at Miami Beach SoundScape ExoStage, adjacent to the New World Center. 

Locals and visiting pleasure-seekers rub oiled shoulders among the palm trees and balmy sea breezes of Miami’s prime strips, from the sandy bacchanalia that is South Beach to ultra-exclusive Golden Beach. Whether you’re looking for the buzz or to escape from it, spread your towel on one of our favorite beaches in Miami and beyond, to the Keys and the Gold Coast.

Rated 8.8 on Booking.com

Opened in late 2008 to much fanfare, this whimsical outpost by beloved boutique brand Kimpton got in on the Miami hotel explosion before higher-stakes iterations like SLS and the James Royal Palm. Not that it necessarily had that jet-setting, high-style audience in mind. Instead of Philippe Starck interiors and celebrity chefs, EPIC offers a throwback resort feel, with two cabana-lined outdoor pools, plus a 12,000-square-foot spa and a rooftop seafood restaurant (in addition to a downstairs Japanese-American eatery). Its cocktail lounge, Lilt, is more chummy than clubby, and the polished rooms are decked out in tan tones and plenty of natural wood surfaces.  

Rated 7.8 on Booking.com

Airport hotels aren’t usually known for their feel-good vibes, but then again, this is Miami. Located across the street from America’s 12th-busiest airport, the property has an unexpectedly festive flavor with koi ponds in the pink-and-turquoise lobby, an 11-story, sunlight-flooded atrium and a pool terrace encircled by billowing palm trees. Even if you’re only checking in for dinner (there’s a casual steakhouse, Grill 305, off the lobby) and a quick nap before your 5am flight back home, you’ll at least depart with the impression of a good night’s rest. Don’t forget to soak up those last tropical rays—most of the suites here come with balconies.

Rated 8.8 on Booking.com

This soaring concrete tower, which overlooks Miami South Channel, was enhanced in 2012 by a digital LED display that allows customizable animations, images and slogans to dance across its 36-story facade—a fitting spectacle for one of Miami’s splashiest chain hotels outside of Collins Avenue. In the palatial lobby (which houses a 70-ton Henry Moore travertine marble sculpture so large the lobby had to be built around it) is Richard Sandoval’s fiery Latin fusion outpost, Toro Toro; there’s also Olé, which calls itself downtown’s “local power breakfast spot.” On top of the lively public spaces, there’s a spa, 24-hour gym and 641 pastel-and-silver-tinted rooms, all with marble bathrooms and Keurig coffeemakers.

Rated 9.1 on Booking.com

Are you checking into a boutique hotel, or arriving for a style consultation at the offices of Vogue? It’s hard to tell at this ultra-contemporary hotel along Biscayne Boulevard’s eastern stretch. A postcard-perfect infinity pool graces the roof, and there’s also a yoga studio, private screening room and even an NBA-approved basketball court for recreation. The rooms, with shiny glass surfaces and ceiling-height windows, resemble jewelry store display cases; Bang & Olufsen audio systems and personal espresso machines only add to the sense of exclusivity. A lobby lounge creates a nightclub vibe with white leather sofas and a four-seat cocktail bar, and there are four high-end eateries to choose from, including Chef Daniel Boulud’s sceney db Bistro Moderne.

Rated 8.0 on Booking.com

Sofitel’s sensible, businesslike vibe make it a favorite for city-hopping executives, and this tower, situated across from the airport (shuttle service is included), is no exception. Rooms with tasteful chaise lounges and 24-hour room service peer out over landscaped grounds and the adjacent Blue Lagoon. The property also boasts a tree-shaded outdoor pool and tennis court; dining-wise, there’s the all-white La Riviera restaurant (for French-infused Latin fare), Le Petit Marche bakery and an old-school lobby bar, simply named Le Bar.

Rated 7.8 on Booking.com

A 20th-floor ballroom overlooking Biscayne Bay makes this hotel an easy choice for wedding receptions, not to mention its close proximity to the University of Miami (four miles) and Key Biscayne (under nine miles). Rooms are on the spare side, but equipped with amenities like free Wi-Fi, flatscreen TVs and coffeemakers; many have separate living rooms and balconies offering lush park and water vistas. And even though you’ll probably head for the beach, the heated outdoor pool and tennis court are well-maintained and there’s a lobby café for breakfast and sandwiches. 

Rated 9.2 on Booking.com

On Brickell Key, a triangular man-made island parallel to downtown, this plush hotel comes with all the trimmings: balconies in every room, infinity-edge pool (ahem, with butler service), four restaurants and a private white-sand beach. The award-winning spa, which contains 11 regular treatment rooms as well as six specialty suites with floor-to-ceiling windows, offers outdoor yoga, belly dancing and gemstone therapy. The rooms and suites run the gamut from mildly posh to emperor-worthy opulent—one-bedroom suites are decked out with bamboo floors, woven rugs and gleaming, podium-style bathtubs. 

Rated 8.8 on Booking.com

Pulling into this retro hotel is like making a pit stop at one of those outrageous middle America roadside attractions—you just have to surrender to the midcentury kitsch and enjoy the show. The spot opened in 1953, quickly establishing itself as a haunt for the likes of Sinatra and Sammy Davis, Jr. A property-wide renovation in 2014 punched up the (albeit small) rooms with stenciled geometric wall designs, original artwork and custom-built wooden desks, though the classic courtyard layout remains unchanged. Pastry and coffee are complimentary each morning, while a poolside cocktail bar and Latin-Asian-fusion eatery are hip hangouts.

Rated 8.7 on Booking.com

If missing a gym workout and not being able to cook healthy meals for yourself are concerns when you travel, then this affordable, eco-friendly hotel is for you. Surrounded by Doral’s malls and chi-chi golf clubs, Element is a soothingly understated oasis with its airy breakfast room, 24-hour grocery kiosk and outdoor patio with self-serve barbecue grills. Alternatively, you can whip up dinner in your room—all are equipped with full kitchens—before a good night’s sleep in the hotel group’s signature Westin Heavenly Bed. In the morning, head to the fitness room to squeeze in some cardio before whatever else is on your itinerary.

Rated 8.2 on Booking.com

Given our space restrictions, we can’t do justice to each of this earth-glam hotel’s 25 individually designed rooms. You might want to reserve No. 314 (“Me Tarzan, You Vain”), featuring a queen-size bed set against a teal tiger-print wall covering; then there’s No. 304 (“A Fortune in Aluminum”), which goes crazy for metallics—metallic chairs, metallic headboard, metallic wall mural—you get the idea. But no matter which wildly imaginative interior you choose, rest assured that all of the mattresses are crafted from organic cotton and coconut and bamboo fiber. The hotel’s all-day seafood café serves ceviche, crispy calamari and paella.