Need a respite from the daily dirge of bad news? Take a recess from the recession in Miami Beach.
The bad economic news of Wall Street is miraculously transformed into good news (for you) in South Beach (that portion of Miami Beach that lies south of 21st Street). Cheap air fares make this sybaritic oasis accessible to everyone, the hotels are offering deals, and half price dinners and $5 breakfasts are the norm at the open-air restaurants along Ocean Drive.
Maybe Miami Beach knows how to deal with the recession because it’s a child of the Great Depression. A catastrophic hurricane crashed its roaring real estate boom in the 1920s, but a wave of hotel development in the '30s (and large troop deployments in World War II) brought Miami out of the economic doldrums before the rest of the nation—and left us with the architectural gems of South Beach’s Art Deco Historical District that have since been lovingly restored.
Unlike some tourist havens where all businesses seem to fix prices at a confiscatory rate, South Beach (SoBe) has low price cafes, shops and restaurants catering to locals on Washington Avenue, just two streets in from the beach. A nonchalant juxtaposition of high-low culture gives SoBe a goofy charm. High fashion and world-class architecture coexist with tattoo parlors and shops selling $5 bathing suits and beach wraps. Something for everyone.
For free entertainment, a self-guided walking tour of the deco hotels lining Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue rivals the wonders of any museum, as South Beach is in fact a museum of 20th century architecture. Hotel staff is accustomed to slack-jawed visitors who come to gape at the deco splendor of the lobbies and snap pictures.
The most photographed piece of real estate in South Beach is the mansion on Ocean Drive where fashion titan Gianni Versace lived—and was shot. After Versace bought the mansion (a copy of Christopher Columbus’ home in Santo Domingo), he dropped $35 million on renovations that would make the Roman emperor Tiberius jealous. Room after room of mosaics, frescoes, marble inlay, tromp l’oeil paintings, cabinetry and woodwork rival the finest Renaissance palazzos—and all were executed by Italian craftsmen whose skills I thought had disappeared generations ago.
The Versace mansion, also known Casa Casuarina, is now open to the public, with guided tours worth the fee, and Loftins 1114, a fine restaurant specializing in seafood cooked on blocks of 250 million-year-old salt from the Himalayas.
Stay at The Strand Hotel, ideally located across the street from the beach right on Ocean Drive. You can relax by the rooftop pool with stunning views of the beach, or just go to the beach itself, where you have free use of beach chairs. The Strand’s rooms are stylish and comfortable, the staff is friendly and attentive and its location puts you steps away from everything you need for a stress-free and car-free vacation.
To experience South Beach’s Art Deco splendor up close, stay at the Hotel Astor on Washington Avenue. This boutique hotel has the charm of a Myrna Loy-Dick Powell film, and its meticulously renovated lobby preserves the original 1936 Vitrolite wall panels (a type of glass whose formula has been lost to the ages). Between the décor, the palms, the flowering shrubs and the two top rated restaurants, with a courtyard off the lobby, Maison D’Azur and Layla, you’ll feel you’re on the French Riviera. (And yes, you also get free chairs on the beach two very short blocks from the front door).
Speaking of restaurants, you don’t want to miss Escopazzo at 1311 Washington Ave. for the best Italian cuisine you will find anywhere—and I mean anywhere. Owner and chef Giancarla Bodoni uses organic, locally sourced ingredients and is a leader in the slow food movement. Her love for food and cooking has made this casual and charming dining room a landmark in South Florida. And the prices are reasonable. In fact, as amazing as the food is, the prices would be reasonable if they were three times higher. Did I say don’t miss this place?
For an inventive take on American food, go to Table 8. Oprah calls their grilled cheese the best sandwich in the world and she won’t get an argument from me. Plump with pulled pork along with melted cheese, it’s a meal in itself, though it shows up as a starter on the menu. The cuisine could be called inspired comfort food with entrees that include short rib with cheese grits, steaks and a variety of fresh fish.
If all the action of South Beach makes you yearn for a vacation for your vacation, Key Biscayne would be the place to go. This island enclave feels far more remote than its distance, a 10-minute drive from downtown Miami, would suggest. The Ritz Carlton runs a full service resort with yoga on the beach, tennis and all water activities. You can enjoy fine Italian cuisine under the stars on Cioppino’s deck overlooking the palm-studded grounds on the oceanfront. After dinner, retire to Rumbar for dancing to music provided by the white tuxedo-clad Latin band, and you will be certain you are somewhere south of the border.
Miami’s South Beach offers a pleasant diversion from the bad news, at a price you can afford even in a recession.
C.W. Ellis is a freelance writer based in New York City
