Miami has changed.
In good.
The rows of coconut trees, the roaring sports cars and the sparkling yachts are still there, but there is a strong scent of novelty in this metropolis which is experiencing an
arty
turn unique in the world.
Welcome to a changing city, which you can visit all year round, and where you never get bored.
To discover
Trips to the United States: tours, hotels and tailor-made stays from our partners
The arrival
Miami Airport is located in the heart of the metropolitan area.
Once landed, and even if there is public transport, the most practical and fastest means of transport remains the taxi.
(Count about $25, $35 for South Beach).
Right now
TO HAVE
Superblue
Miami, a global tourist destination with a vibrant arts community, is the first of several international cities in which Superblue will open centers in the coming years.
Superblue / Photo press
Delayed by the pandemic, the Superblue project ended up being launched in 2021. This 2.0 art center is located opposite the Rubell Museum, in the Allapattah district.
It offers artistic immersions in the world of great painters or other artists focused on the visual.
This kind of Atelier des Lumières makes you travel in fascinating shapes, sounds and colors like a labyrinth of mirrors created by Es Devlin, or a decor of flowers and rivers imagined by teamLab.
A brand new immersive experience, to take a break and a beautiful inner journey during your stay in Miami.
Superblue, 1101 NW 23rd Street, Miami.
Phone.
: +1 786 697 3414. Open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Count 32 € the entrance.
THE GOOD TABLE
Botanico Gin & Cookhouse
Welcome gin lovers!
The Botanico concept revolves around this spirit drink concocted from juniper berries.
The bar menu features an army of cocktails, most of which are based on this alcohol which is making a comeback.
Otherwise, the restaurant has the largest wine list in Coconut Grove.
On the plate, you can opt for an octopus carpaccio or shrimp lollipops as a starter, an Ecuadorian ceviche or a tuna tartare with avocado as a main course.
Botanico is a table that has already proven itself since it opened just a few months ago.
The fashionable address of this beautiful historic district of Miami.
Appetizers from €10, and mains from €25.
Botanico Gin & Cookhouse, 3015 Grand Ave, Coconut Grove.
Phone.
: + 1 786 615 5526. Open every day, from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
THE HOTEL IN VIEW
Esme
The influence of the Mediterranean is mixed here with more Latin American touches.
Esme Hotel / Photo press
Right in the heart of Miami Beach, this brand new hotel is one of the new addresses in the area.
Inaugurated in November 2021, it occupies a building built in 1925 in Hispanic style, at the corner of Washington Avenue and the famous Española Way.
The influence of the Mediterranean blends here with more Latin American touches, in the common areas as well as in the 145 rooms and suites, all tastefully decorated in soft color tones.
The hotel includes a relaxed restaurant by the swimming pool, a table specializing in pintxos and tapas, but also a cocktail bar called El Salón.
All of this just steps from the beach, which can be reached by going around just two blocks.
Ideal location for this new landmark full of charm.
From €264 per night.
Esme Hotel, 1438 Washington Ave, Miami Beach.
Phone: +1 305 809 8050.
Day 1: Art from Wynwood to Brickell
Wynwood, street art district in Miami.
Adobe Stock
Morning
To start the day off right, head to the heart of
Wynwood
, at Zak the Baker, a bakery where raisin and cinnamon roll-up donuts are especially good for building up strength before hitting the streets.
Long called "El Barrio", the former stronghold of the Puerto Rican community has changed a lot.
After the introduction of the Second Saturday Art Walk and the arrival of
Art Basel
(2002), artists from around the world have come to seek inspiration from the dilapidated facades of the area, and have used them as canvases to showcase their work.
Thus since 2009, huge frescoes adorn disused buildings on dozens of blocks.
Atomik, Sipros-sipros, Vihls, Kobra and a host of other renowned graffiti artists regularly decorate the walls of the largest street art district in the world.
The experience is unique.
Lunch break
Leaving Wynwood by the north, we will stop at
Morgans
on 29th Street.
This restaurant with a polished “retro-floridian” decor offers a nice selection of salads, sandwiches or dishes such as a lemon bass or pork chops with almonds.
Not far from there, the
Wynwood Diner
serves rather high quality brunches in a less airy setting, but on very comfortable club benches.
This too is part of the American myth.
Afternoon
Le Corbusier by French artist Xavier Veilhan in Miami Design District.
Adobe Stock
During the hottest hours of the day, take refuge at the
Institute of Contemporary Art
, a few blocks north of Wynwood.
This museum opened in 1996 moved in 2017 to a building designed by Maria José Aranguren and José Gonzalez Gallegos.
The Hispano-Mexican duo created this building on the model of a “magic box”.
It houses a fine collection of contemporary art that mixes up-and-coming artists with big names like Louise Bourgeois or Damian Ortega, which is exhibited there until November.
Leaving the museum, you are in
Miami Design District
.
More than a luxurious shopping mall, it is above all a great playground where dozens of architects have had a field day.
Thus, the Louboutin store is signed by the New York agency 212box and it is the Japanese duo Aoki & Uchibe who created the Louis Vuitton store.
All of these ultra-contemporary buildings are spread around a magnificent courtyard planted with tall palm trees and centered on
Richard Buckminster Fuller
's Fly's Eye Dome .
Dinner and evening
At the end of the day, when the day fades and the city lights up, descend towards
Brickell
.
This district is the image of Épinal that we have of an American coastal city.
Near the Miami River which divides the beating heart of the city in two, the large Italian food-court
Luna Park
is spread over three floors.
The first is a market where you can choose salads, charcuterie or prepared meals.
The second brings together several restaurants specializing in meat, seafood or pizza.
Finally on the third and last floor, a large wine bar offers its guests more than 4,000 bottles.
You'll only have to walk two blocks to complete your evening at The
Sugar
.
This bar is located on the 40th floor of the East Hotel, right in the center of Brickell.
The lush vegetation of this rooftop immerses you in an almost tropical atmosphere.
Cocktail in hand, you finally admire the lights of the city: you are on one of the most beautiful lookouts in Miami.
Day 2: a breath of fresh air from South Beach to Key Biscayne
South Beach is unmissable.
sborisov / stock.adobe.com
Morning
After scouring urban Miami, head for the coast for this second day:
South Beach
is unmissable.
It is from here that we admire the sun rise.
Before the temperature rises, take the time to walk along the
boardwalk
which runs along the beach for several kilometres.
This coastal path winds between the tall white buildings facing the Atlantic and the wide and endless beach.
You will easily distinguish the multicolored first-aid huts planted on the sand.
In town there is no lack of color either, South Beach is known to be the largest Art Deco district in the world.
Behind
Ocean Drive
which acts as a sparkling showcase, dozens of white or colored buildings are scattered in this astonishing district where the atmosphere is always relaxed.
Lunch break
South Beach is Miami's most touristy area.
Be careful not to fall into the trap of most addresses aligned on Ocean Drive or Española Way.
Instead, push the door of the
Bodega Taqueria
which serves quality tacos, among the best in town.
Do not hesitate to open the bathroom door at the back of the restaurant, you will come across... a hidden bar!
Otherwise, outside of South Beach, Belle Isle is home to The Standard hotel, whose
Lido Bayside Grill restaurant
is set on a wooden deck with a beautiful view of Biscayne Bay.
Afternoon
Crandon Park Key Biscayne.
Adobe Stock
To take a step back, head to
Key Biscayne
.
This island is connected to the city by a bridge that crosses the bay.
Miami's ATP tennis tournament had been held here since 1987 before being moved to a soulless venue last year.
However, there is still a relaxed atmosphere in Key Biscayne that allows you to breathe.
We come here to take a breath of fresh air just a few minutes from South Beach.
The tip of the island is classified as a State Park and carpeted with a forest that is still preserved.
The beaches are far from overcrowded and on weekends, the area around the lighthouse nicknamed "el farito" is a rallying point for Cubans from Miami who gather here as a family with music.
Latin atmosphere guaranteed.
End of the day
Just before Key Biscayne,
Virginia Key
is another island, smaller, where we often just pass.
Before heading back to town, stop at the
Rusty Pelican
.
Well seated on the terrace of this restaurant by the water, you will have a front row seat to admire the sun setting behind the Miami skyline.
The signature cocktails, the fish dishes and the unique view are well worth a stopover to end your day facing the sunset.
Address Book
GOOD TABLES, GOURMET ADDRESSES
Zak The Baker, 295 NW 26th Street, Wynwood.
Tel: +1 786 294 0876.
Morgans, 28 NE 29th Street, Wynwood.
Tel: +1 305 573 9678.
Wynwood Diner, 2601 NW 2nd Ave, Wynwood.
Tel: +1 305 747 7888.
Luna Park, 601 South Miami Avenue, Brickell.
Sugar, 788 Brickell Plaza #40, Brickell.
Tel: + 1 786 805 4655.
Bodega Taqueria, 1220 16th street, South Beach.
Tel: +1 305 704 2145.
The Standard, 40 Island Ave, Belle Isle Island.
Tel: +1 305 673 1717.
Rusty Pelican, 3201 Rickenbacker Causeway, Virginia Key.
Tel: +1 305 361 3818.
OR SLEEP ?
Vagabond Hotel
The Vagabond hotel on Biscayne Boulevard.
Press picture
This hotel, a little out of the way to the north of the city, appealed to us for its purely American style.
It consists of a large U-shaped building that surrounds a beautiful lush garden and a large swimming pool.
The decor of the rooms is colourful, quite pop and above all vintage.
We enjoyed spending the night in this quiet, friendly and original address, a few kilometers from Wynwood and the Miami Design District.
From €140 per night.
Vagabond Hotel, 7301 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami.
Tel: +1 305 400 8420.
The Setai
It is one of the very beautiful addresses in Miami located on Collins Avenue, in the heart of South Beach.
Its central patio, like an oasis, is impressive.
Its three swimming pools each have a different temperature.
The 135 rooms and suites are located in the historic 1936 building and in a magnificent contemporary tower.
Among them, 48 Ocean Suites offer spectacular views of the beach below and the Atlantic stretching as far as the eye can see.
From €530.
The Setai, 2001 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach.
Tel: +1 305 520 6000.
” Read also –
The Setai, in Miami, the expert opinion of
Figaro