Welcome to Miami

For the ultimate fun in the sun head to Florida, where the party never stops and the sun always shines.

WORDS JENNY RUDD / PHOTOS SUPPLIED

Oh, hi there, passport. It’s been a while! As soon as the borders opened, I ran through my wish list for a dreamy April holiday. I wanted to learn from the biggest minds in the world of blockchain, and I wanted warmth. Miami has positioned itself as the global centre for Bitcoin, and has a growing reputation for its burgeoning food and culture scene. The white sandy beaches and tropical climate were very alluring, too, now that we’ve hit winter.

For the past two years, we’d been using the booking.com app as it has a very flexible cancellation policy (looking at you, COVID-19), so that’s where we headed to check out hotels in Miami South Beach. There are masses of photos and reviews, which gives you loads of confidence to book somewhere perfect.

Betsy, darling, you are gorgeous! The hotel is total old-school glam in the best possible location. We could have spent the entire week within a five-minute walk of the hotel. The rooftop pool was like a scene out of a movie, looking towards the ever-sparkling ocean, with white umbrellas and crisply-dressed wait staff serving glasses clinking with ice and rum punch, sweet with Florida oranges. Our suite overlooked the second swimming pool, set in a walled courtyard and flecked with blush-pink sun loungers, which matched the warm glow of the sun at sunrise and sunset. Art Deco white tiling and curved lines met with modern tech in our bathroom – there was a TV screen built into the mirror above the sinks. We had lots of space, with a separate living room decorated in wallpaper climbing with tropical ferns. Nothing was too much trouble for the friendly staff, and we were greeted each day in the lobby by the owner’s friendly dogs. People watching is a full-time job in South Beach, and we were perfectly positioned on Ocean Drive, a pedestrianised road which runs along the oceanfront and is home to some seriously fun night life.

BETSY HOTEL, SOUTH BEACH, MIAMI

Our stay at The Betsy Hotel was courtesy of BOOKING.COM.

THE VILLA CASA CASUARINA

Just a few doors down from the Betsy is Gianni Versace’s famous home, where he was murdered on the steps in 1997. Now a hotel, the building has been through various iterations since it was first built in 1930 by wealth made in oil. We couldn’t resist checking it out. You can stay in one of the 10 suites if your budget extends that far. We were happy to walk around and imagine the parties that Madonna and Princess Diana came to in the nineties. It’s a tourist trap, but well worth it.

VMMIAMIBEACH.COM

ROSETTA BAKERY

We discovered this gem by accident. Driving down Collins Ave after we’d landed very early in the morning at the start of our holiday, we stopped at Rosetta to grab a coffee. I’m not sure how much butter and eggs these guys get through every day, but we ate our fair share over the next week. The croissants were my kryptonite. And they accept Bitcoin over the Lightning Network, which made it our first ever Bitcoin payment in the real world!

ROSETTABAKERY.COM

LINCOLN ROAD

Plenty of choices here for shopping and al fresco dining. Day and night you can wander down the length of the road and eat somewhere different. Fairy lights in the trees, gurgling fountains, music, and a lot of laughter fill the air. We kept it pretty simple with steak and salads and stayed until late, then browsed the shops. My favourite line of the week came from a deliciously loud and camp shop owner who was trying to sell me a sequinned mini-dress: “It’s Friday night and the body knows it.”

LINCOLNROAD.COM

7 MILE BRIDGE, FLORIDA KEYS

It’s only a couple of hours from Miami down to the chain of coral islands. Driving across the bridges between keys is magical, floating over an undulating blue blanket of sparkles. Pigeon Kay, off the world-famous Seven Mile Bridge, is a little dot of land between Marathon and Duck Key. Bike along the old bridge to get there, or take a 10-minute ferry from Faro Blanco Marina in Marathon. There’s a one-hour guided tour to learn about the rich history of the island and its role in housing the railway workers who helped build the Seven Mile Bridge, an engineering feat which linked Florida to the Keys.

PIGEONKEY.NET

KEY WEST, FLORIDA KEYS

Drive as far as you can go across the bridges and you end up in Key West. Duval Street in the centre of town was alive with drag shows, weed shops, karaoke, and live music. All the bars were open to the road with no windows, and conch fritter vendors sent out buttery seafood aromas into the tropical air. This is a place to be happy. Holiday-makers stay permanently lubed up, walking the streets with plastic beakers of margaritas and piña coladas. We stayed at the Mermaid and Alligator Guest House, which we booked on the fly with the booking.com app. We were drawn in by the photos of the pool shaded by palm trees. A great score!

BOOKING.COM

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