Today I want to share my guide to spending 24 hours in Miami with you. This city in southern Florida is a great place to spend a day soaking up the sun and sand.
24 Hours in Miami
For as much of the world as I’ve seen in my life, I’m embarrassed to admit there are some major American cities I’ve never traveled to.
From Nashville to New Orleans, Austin to Anchorage, my experience with US cities is wholly inferior to that of my experience with European ones.
One such city I’d never visited was Miami. It’s a shame, too, because my boyfriend used to live in South Beach and knows the area well.
It was lucky, then, that when we were invited to a friend’s wedding in Bogota we were able to book flights that allowed us to spend 24 hours in Miami en route to Colombia.
Hotel in Miami
We arrived in Miami last Saturday afternoon. Our taxi took us to the W South Beach, where we were upgraded to a gorgeous suite.
We were tempted to stay in the room the whole time, but we didn’t linger. We wanted to make the most of our 24 hours in Miami.
South Beach
After picking up our rental car, my boyfriend suggested we take a drive around South Beach so I could see the sights.
As we pulled into a Dunkin’ Donuts parking lot two minutes later, I realized I’d been tricked. While he stood in line for his iced coffee, I scoured the parking lot for DD addict support group fliers. No luck.
Properly caffeinated, he finally assumed the promised role of tour guide. As we drove along the beach, he made sure to point out all the gorgeous Art Deco buildings and famous Miami hotels like the Shore Club and the Delano.
Leaving the car back by the hotel, we decided to finish our tour on foot. We walked down the pedestrianized Lincoln Road, picking up some gelato to keep the sweltering heat at bay.
Then we continued our 24 hours in Miami by going out to the beach for a nice long walk by the water.
As night fell we headed to dinner at a Japanese restaurant. We ordered roll after roll of sushi and a plethora of sashimi, all washed down with cucumber martinis and sake. It was so good I think I even filled my dessert stomach.
After eating we took a walk along the beach boardwalk and had cocktails at the beachside bar at the W South Beach.
Even late at night the heat and humidity were strong, and as our jet lag was kicking in, we eventually went inside and called it a night.
The next morning we were up early to play tennis. Yes, tennis. I haven’t so much as picked up a racket since I was 14, but I couldn’t resist the siren call of the rooftop court at our hotel. Besides, it was Florida. Tennis is the national sport.
We hit the ball back and forth until the mercury reached 90 degrees (32 Celsius) and we were afraid we would melt into the court.
Coral Gables
Appetites sufficiently worked up, we headed to Nikki Beach Miami for brunch, then out to Coral Gables for some shopping.
After the obligatory retail therapy, we continued our 24 hours in Miami by driving around the area a bit more before heading to the airport to catch our flight to Cartagena.
24 Hours in Miami, Florida
I was sad we’d only had a day in Florida, but excited to have finally seen Miami. One more big American city under my belt, and a whole new country coming up next!
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