Where to stay in Miami?

South Beach : stay in most symbolic zone of Miami

Miami Beach is the city's most symbolic island zone. It's best known for South Beach: a must-see.

This district is an attraction in itself: it's a must-see during your stay. So it's only natural to want to stay there. In fact, it's the area we recommend the most, given its reputation for liveliness both day and night. It's a great place to live, with a strong police presence to ensure the safety of locals and tourists alike. As a result, staying here is very safe.

In terms of must-see places, staying in South Beach means you're close to places like :

• its beach!The water is warm and turquoise all year round, making it easy to swim. If you're an early riser, you can watch the sunrise and stroll along the boardwalk, which is dotted with original, colorful life-saving stations.
• Ocean Drive, a street emblematic of the city for its liveliness and its art deco hotels in the Miami Beach Art Deco District.
• Lincoln Street, the pedestrian street where you'll find all the major American ready-to-wear brands. It's the equivalent of Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles, and a delight for all shopping fans.

When it comes to going out in South Beach, you're spoilt for choice. Restaurants and bars abound. There are also plenty of nightclubs. If you're looking for more exclusive venues, it's common to meet on hotel rooftops.

Despite South Beach's isolated location on an island, Dowtown's points of interest are within easy reach. It can be reached in just 10 minutes by car. The trendy Wynwood district and its murals, a must-see during your stay, are less than 15 minutes away.

Staying in South Beach has many advantages, and it's easy to find accommodation if you plan ahead. There's a wide range of accommodation on offer, but it's important to remember that this is the most attractive area to stay in Miami as a tourist.

Stay in Miami Downtown and Brickell

Only separated by the Miami River, these two neighborhoods represent the center of the city. Both are a convenient and pleasant option for accommodation.

During the day, these neighborhoods are very lively. Downton is basically the city's business center. It's home to offices and tall buildings. Brickell is the city's main financial center. This is where the tallest skyscrapers are located, and it's also an upscale residential area with lots of families.

The surrounding area is bustling with department stores and open-air shopping malls. During the day, there's plenty to see and do, but evenings are rather quiet. As a result, there's no need to worry about safety: you can stroll around at any hour.

So it's not in these two areas that you'll find a typical Floridian atmosphere. However, there are several advantages to staying here.

On the one hand, you'll find most of the city's points of interest here:

• the Bayside Market, with its various boat tours of the bay and star villas
• the FTX Center (formerly American Airlines Arena), where you can come for a concert or a Miami Heat NBA game
• museums such as the Pérez Art Museum, the Science Museum and the Adrienne Arsht Center
• the Freedom Tower, a monument and museum built in memory of Cuban immigrants
• Parrot Jungle Island, one of the city's oldest attractions. Originally a parrot park, it is now home to a variety of animal species.

On the other hand, staying in Downton or Brickell gives you a convenient central location. For example

• a 10-minute drive takes you to South Beach or Wynwood walls, famous for its murals
• you can visit the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, a must-see.
• Brickell is the gateway to Virginia Key and Key Biscayne, where locals appreciate the peace and quiet of the wilderness.
• Above all, it's the starting point for US41, Florida's main east-west highway to Naples. It's the starting point for Florida road trips, and even more important: it's the road that leads to Everglades Park, a must for your stay.

When it comes to accommodations, you'll find some top-notch hotels here. They often belong to large chains. There's a wide range to suit all types of traveller.

Mid Beach:the compromise

Located above 15th Street in Miami Beach, Mid Beach is in the heart of MIMO (Miami Modern). It offers a cooler atmosphere than the north and quieter at night than its southern neighbor, making it a very good compromise for staying on the island.

Here you'll find luxury apartment buildings and many hotel complexes, most with private swimming pools. Not to be missed is the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, the island's bastion of glamour.

Nearby, locals and tourists alike enjoy strolling along the beach and dining in sophisticated restaurants. Right next door, the Faena Disctrict is a three-block street complex. Art and culture have taken up residence here, including an arts center designed by Rem Koolhaas, the famous architect and urban planner responsible for many buildings around the world.

Mid-Beach is a continuation of the Julia Tuttle Causeway, one of the bridges linking Miami Beach to the mainland, making it accessible to all the city's points of interest. Downtown can be reached in around 20 minutes by car. Count on 10 minutes more with traffic jams, but it's still easy to get around during the day. Overall, the journey takes slightly longer than from South Beach, but the difference isn't great.

Even if you can find cheap hotels to stay at in Mid Beach, you'll mainly find family-run luxury establishments.

Little Havana, the cuban heart of the city

Little Havana is the liveliest district in the city, with a Latin American atmosphere, as it is in fact the Cuban heart of the city. This is where many Cubans sought refuge in the late 1950s. Today, it remains a land of immigration for Spanish speakers from all over the world. As a result, Spanish is widely spoken. Staying here is a great way to immerse yourself in Cuban culture. Most bars and restaurants have a salsa or rumba connotation.

Located around 6 kilometers northwest of the city center, it's a must-see. It's a hotbed of Cuban culture and a pleasant place to stroll during the day, especially on Calle Ocho (SW 8th street), where you'll find the “Walk of Fame”. Inspired by Hollywood's Walk of Fame, its stars pay tribute to Cuban and Latin cultural personalities.

It doesn't take several days to visit Little Havana. It is nevertheless a very attractive district in which to stay. Another advantage is its easy access to the famous US 41, the artery that leads to the Everglades, since SW 8th street (Calle Ocho) runs parallel to it. Virtually all of Miami's points of interest can be reached within a ten-minute drive.

Little Havana is also a 20-minute drive from Ocean Drive in South Beach, or just a short swim in its warm waters.

For accommodation in Little Havana, it's advisable to book in advance, asthere isn't much on offer. Instead, you'll find small hotels and guesthouses.

Coconut Grove and Coral Gables: two quiet, trendy residential neighborhoods

Coconut Grove and Coral Gables are two of the city's suburbs, a little further southwest of Miami.

They are essentially two residential neighborhoods where life is good. However, they have different characteristics that can influence one's choice of accommodation in Miami.

Coconut Grove overlooks Biscayne Bay to the south of Miami. An upscale, laid-back neighborhood, it was the gathering place for hippies in the 60s, which today makes Coconut Grove a magnet for artists. There are many chic boutiques and cafés with terraces, as well as many art galleries. Staying in this neighborhood also means you can enjoy its parks, notably the historic Barnacle State Park. You can also visit the marina and take part in water sports (jet skiing, stand-up paddling, kayaking, etc.).

Spanish is also widely spoken in Coral Gables. It's a popular residential enclave for its Mediterranean-style architecture. Here, you can walk and stroll along streets with Hispanic names.

There are a few points of interest to see, such as the Hotel Biltmore and the Venetian Pool, where locals like to swim. You can also visit the Lowe Art Museum, Florida's 1st fine arts museum, and the Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden.

Downtwon and South can be reached in less than 15 and 20 minutes respectively. The routes are fairly direct. What's more, whether you want to visit the Everglades to the north (at Shark Valley) or to the south (at Alligator Farm), it takes no more than 45 minutes to get there.

Lodging in this area is popular with families, and suits those who want to stay in pleasant, leafy surroundings. There's a wide range of accommodation, from hotels for medium to high budgets.

Staying in another part of Miami: a good idea?

It's also possible to stay in other neighborhoods. However, they don't have all the advantages you'd expect when looking for a place to stay in Miami. For the sake of completeness, we're sharing some information on 3 of these well-known Miami neighborhoods: Wynwood, North Beach and Little Haiti.

Wynwood is an artistic, trendy and fashionable place, best known for its murals, which are an open-air museum. It's a must-see. Over the past few years, this district has been undergoing radical change, with warehouses being transformed into craft breweries and original art galleries. It's because of this recent renewal that the range of tourist accommodation is still too small today. So it's not easy to get a good night's sleep.

North Beach offers accommodation close to the ocean, with all the advantages of Miami Beach but with the tranquility you'd expect to find away from South Beach. Family-friendly, there are a good number of studios and apartments for rent. However, coming to North Beach means moving away from the tourist attractions in and around the city.

Little Haiti is where you'll find a Creole atmosphere. Like Little Havana, this is where Haitian migrants arrived in the mid-1960s. Today, there's a thriving art scene and colorful streets. Unfortunately, the district is still poor and crime-ridden. During the day, this district can be a stopover during your stay, but it's clearly not a place to stay in Miami. It's not a safe place to stroll in the evening.

As you can see, even if you can find a few places to stay, we don't recommend staying in these areas.