Miami Vices - The Ultimate Beach Vacation
Miami is an Art Deco feast of pink and ochre; of turquoise balconies and folly towers; brimming with all that is beautiful in the world, from pristine white beaches and designer shops, to five-star beach hotels and hedonistic nightclubs.
Awash with sun, style and sex appeal, the avenues of Miami are so hip it hurts.
Whether you're sprawled seductively on its beaches, spending like a Hilton in its shops or dancing in its clubs, Miami offers a little slice of indulgent escapism for everyone and, despite the heat, it's still the coolest place to be seen on the planet.
Where to stay in Miami The Park Central Hotel: Taking full advantage of its history and perennially prime location, the fully-restored Park Central Hotel is nowadays one of the liveliest beach hotels in the city, and makes an appealing choice of stay for the traveler who appreciates the period style of another era.
In its heyday, The Park Central was a favorite Miami Beach residence for Hollywood royalty like Gable, Lombard and Hayworth, and many of the key design and decorative elements have been carefully preserved.
The Setai: An oceanfront beauty that's appropriately ranked as the most expensive hotel in the city.
Flanked by a 40-foot tower and Zen-like courtyard, the five-star glass-and-steel skyscraper features 75 rooms and 50 suites, a restaurant headed up by Australian chef Shaun Danyel Hergatt, on-site spa, three swimming pools and a Champagne, crustacean and caviar bar.
What to do in Miami South Beach: Spend your days lazing on oversized sunloungers, and watch gorgeous model-types play volleyball on the beach.
If you're feeling inadequate - and let's face it, who wouldn't? - then work up a sweat of your own with the handy gym equipment that's built right on the sand.
Here on South Beach, image is everything.
Bal Harbour Shops: For those who love nothing more than wearing a designer label at the back of their necks, there's no mall quite like Miami's waterfront Bal Harbour Shops.
Ranked the number one shopping mall in America, Bal Harbour Shops boast big-name stores such as Brioni, Chanel, D&G, Emilio Pucci, Hermès, Jimmy Choo and Marc Jacobs, as well as a range of trendy restaurants like the Bal Harbour Bistro and Carpaccio.
Nightlife in Miami Nikki Beach: One of the most glamorous beach hotels in the world with locations in St Tropez, Cabo San Lucas, Reno, Puerto Vallarta and Marbella, Nikki Beach Miami attracts Dior-clad sun beach bunnies by day and hard-partying cocktail-gulpers by night.
With crisp white parasols and wooden decking underfoot, it makes sense that Nikki Beach Miami is located in prime position at 1 Ocean Drive.
Mansion: With a queue to get in that's like a who's who of an issue of US Weekly, Mansion is where the after-party's at.
With the likes of Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears pictured falling out of its doors onto adjacent Washington Avenue in the early hours, this club is only for those who can stand the pace.
Awash with sun, style and sex appeal, the avenues of Miami are so hip it hurts.
Whether you're sprawled seductively on its beaches, spending like a Hilton in its shops or dancing in its clubs, Miami offers a little slice of indulgent escapism for everyone and, despite the heat, it's still the coolest place to be seen on the planet.
Where to stay in Miami The Park Central Hotel: Taking full advantage of its history and perennially prime location, the fully-restored Park Central Hotel is nowadays one of the liveliest beach hotels in the city, and makes an appealing choice of stay for the traveler who appreciates the period style of another era.
In its heyday, The Park Central was a favorite Miami Beach residence for Hollywood royalty like Gable, Lombard and Hayworth, and many of the key design and decorative elements have been carefully preserved.
The Setai: An oceanfront beauty that's appropriately ranked as the most expensive hotel in the city.
Flanked by a 40-foot tower and Zen-like courtyard, the five-star glass-and-steel skyscraper features 75 rooms and 50 suites, a restaurant headed up by Australian chef Shaun Danyel Hergatt, on-site spa, three swimming pools and a Champagne, crustacean and caviar bar.
What to do in Miami South Beach: Spend your days lazing on oversized sunloungers, and watch gorgeous model-types play volleyball on the beach.
If you're feeling inadequate - and let's face it, who wouldn't? - then work up a sweat of your own with the handy gym equipment that's built right on the sand.
Here on South Beach, image is everything.
Bal Harbour Shops: For those who love nothing more than wearing a designer label at the back of their necks, there's no mall quite like Miami's waterfront Bal Harbour Shops.
Ranked the number one shopping mall in America, Bal Harbour Shops boast big-name stores such as Brioni, Chanel, D&G, Emilio Pucci, Hermès, Jimmy Choo and Marc Jacobs, as well as a range of trendy restaurants like the Bal Harbour Bistro and Carpaccio.
Nightlife in Miami Nikki Beach: One of the most glamorous beach hotels in the world with locations in St Tropez, Cabo San Lucas, Reno, Puerto Vallarta and Marbella, Nikki Beach Miami attracts Dior-clad sun beach bunnies by day and hard-partying cocktail-gulpers by night.
With crisp white parasols and wooden decking underfoot, it makes sense that Nikki Beach Miami is located in prime position at 1 Ocean Drive.
Mansion: With a queue to get in that's like a who's who of an issue of US Weekly, Mansion is where the after-party's at.
With the likes of Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears pictured falling out of its doors onto adjacent Washington Avenue in the early hours, this club is only for those who can stand the pace.