Loving the vibe at South Beach
I had the pleasure of staying at the Metropole Apartments Hotel with a friend last fall in South Beach, when business brought me to Miami. How fortunate we were to have found the South Beach Group of properties–each with its own distinct personality. Several of the properties are older, refurbished hotels with small rooms. There’s something for every budget.
I loved the funky black and white lobby of the Chelsea Hotel, another property in the South Beach Group.
We’d originally booked into the budget-minded Hotel Shelley thanks to a fabulous deal on Expedia, but were thrilled to be upgraded to a room at the Metropole, where we were offered a spacious two-bedroom suite with full kitchen and a lovely pool and tropical courtyard. Yes!
Our suite at the Metropole Hotel included a dining area that overlooked the beautiful courtyard.
The cozy courtyard at the Metropole Hotel is a great place to enjoy a drink.
The Metropole has an ideal location, situated just around the corner from Ocean Drive and the beach. We loved both! The nostalgic art deco colours of Ocean Drive are like eye candy to those of us who appreciate the colour in life.
The Metropole Hotel and most of the other South Beach Group’s hotels are located on Collins Avenue, which is just around the corner from nostalgic Ocean Drive.
And South Beach is a fabulous strip of beach worth strolling–for people watching, and to get your fill of the fresh sea breeze. How I wish we’d had more time to just hang out.
My friend Christine enjoying an early morning stroll on South Beach.
But we were there for the Readers’ Favorite Book Awards (at which I won a Bronze Medal for volume I of Chocolatour) and to search out some fine Floridian chocolate (and yes, we found some!) Stay tuned for future posts on both, as well, as some of the highlights of our whirlwind trip to South Florida.
South Beach is so unique. I love the blend of art deco and craziness! Every inch of it is a story in itself. Congratulations on your award that is a major accomplishment. The images are wonderful and you look so happy on the beach.
Welcome to the blog, Pamela, and thx for your comment. Yes, I was pleasantly surprised by South Beach. I had thought it would be too trashy for my taste (and there certainly is some of that!) But for the most part, I really loved the vibe, the location of our hotel, and everything we experienced.
P.S. That’s my friend Christine on the beach. How we wish we’d had more time to just chill on the beach, but at least we had time for a walk!
I’ve never been to South Beach, but if I get there I’d like to stay at The Metropole Hotel.
Congratulations on your award! What a charming one-of-a-kind place to stay~
Thanks, Irene. And, yes. I’m pretty sure you’d find the Metrople quite comfortable.
I’d love to visit South Beach mostly for the architecture, but also for the ocean.
Nat, in addition to the architecture and the beach, another great thing about South beach and Miami, is the street art. Stay tuned for a post on that!
I loved South Beach when I visited Miami during Christmas a few years ago. It was a last minute trip and I just googled “warmest US city in December” and besides Hawaii, the top choices where Phoenix and Miami so naturally I picked Miami 🙂
Ok, I think I could live at the Metropole Apartments Hotel, that’s all I’m saying. Oh, and congratulations to you o your award for Chocolatour. You deserve fine accommodations.
Thx so much for your kind words, Kristin. And yes, the Metropole is an apartment hotel, so I imagine there are people who live there long term. The bedrooms were quite spacious and it really was a comfortable place to stay with a great location. Thx for stopping by the blog.
I’ve never been to South Beach, but if I get there I’d like to stay at The Metropole Hotel.
Congratulations on your medal!!! We visited South Beach two years ago for Valentine’s Day but were booked in a hotel in Miami. It looks like it would have been better had we stayed right there. Thanks for bringing back some memories. Looking forward to more.
Hi Carol and welcome to the blog! Yes, I quite liked South Beach as it wasn’t as busy as being right in the heart of the city. We found some great places to eat along Ocean Drive with terrific views.
I just love that feeling that you have stepped back in time with all the beautiful art deco buildings in that area. We were glad to spend some time there during our USA trip in 2006.
Congratulations on your award!
Thanks, Yasha! Great to have you check out the blog. I hope you’ll be back soon.
Congratulations on your well deserved award! I love South Beach. It is so different from where I live and I get a kick out of it. The Metropole looks like quite a find!
Thanks, Suzanne. Yes, South Beach is certainly different than where I live as well! Definitely a fun and happening place to visit. 🙂
Thx for the comments and good wishes, Michele. Indeed, the Metropole was a great homebase for us as we explored South Beach.
With its 2 bedrooms and kitchen, The Metropole looks like a great Miami hotel for our next family trip. I’ll definitely check it out as the location is tops too. Thanks! ( and congrats! )
The Metropole looks like a great hotel. It might be hard to leave it and explore the area. I’ve not been to South Beach, but think I would enjoy going there someday.
Hi Donna: Yes, I was thrilled to finally have some time to explore Miami. We’d stayed on the outskirts one year when taking a cruise, and I’ve stayed in nearby Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood Beach, but this was my 1st time spending time right in Miami and I was thrilled to have been able to stay at the Metropole as it was affordable and ideally located.
Kudos to you on your award! I’ve loved the South Beach vibe ever since “The Bird Cage” – the brilliant south Florida light, the pastels, the deco, bring it on! And how nice to get a fabulous upgrade while you were there! Cherry on the sundae!
Hi Betsy and thanks for your your comment and kudos.
Yes, I’m really grateful to the South Beach Group for the fabulous room we ended up with. That’s part of the benefit of booking with a company that has numerous properties all within the same area. I would indeed love to go back!
My sister and I were in Miami Beach a couple weeks ago and did an Art Deco Walking Tour. The history of the area is fascinating and now we keep meaning to watch a few episodes of Miami Vice! I agree that I expected it to be “wild and trashy” (and our stupid timing happened to be that we were there on Spring Break) but it was al well behaved, no public drunkenness and fascinating people watching!I love the looks of where you stayed and what a great location too! And congratulations on your book award!
Hi Kay and thx so much for your comment and kudos.
Oh, wow! I can’t imagine South Beach on Spring Break! I’m sure the whole city goes pretty wild!
Isn’t the art deco stuff neat? We really enjoyed strolling along Ocean Blvd and seeing all the different colours of the bldgs.
Congratulations to your award, Doreeen!
South Beach looks like a nice place to be. Am sure you had a great time.
Hi Catarina and thanks for your comment. I was pleasantly surprised by South Beach. Based on the media, I’d thought it was just wild and trashy. There is a bit of that, but it’s a really nice part of Miami where there are small boutique hotels, lots of nice patios and restos to enjoy, a great stretch of beach, and the art deco nostalgia all in one place. I’d definitely go back!
I had an opportunity to spend some time on South Beach while filming a TV show there. We stayed at the Chesterfield on Collins, and although the hotel was nothing to write home about I really enjoyed my time on the strip. The area is loaded with shops and restaurants and we were a 5 minute walk from the beach. A few highlights that made my trip included surfing for the first time (most fun ever!), visiting a cigar shop in Little Havana and eating at the Puerto Sagua restaurant (have the “Midnight” sandwich!) Miami is by far one of my favourite places in the World and I’d definitely visit South Beach again!
P.S. I miss my Cuban coffee in the morning…
Thx so much for your comment, Cary. Yes, Miami is really an amazingly vibrant city, and we, too, loved what we saw of Little Havana.
Such a coincidence that you stayed at one of the South Beach Group’s properties! We didn’t have a chance to checkout the rooms at the Chesterfield, but I recall that they had a funky streetside patio where you could grab a drink or coffee and people watch. Stay tuned for more posts on South Beach!
Congrats on the well deserved award. That beach area looks lovely. So glad you found at least a little time to explore it.
Hi Cheryl, and thanks. I always try to build at least a little relaxation time into every biz trip. But usually … it’s not enough!
First of all congratulations on your bronze award for your book. It is very well deserved. Looks and sound like you had a great time in South Beach. Great time of the year to go there. I’m sure the weather was spectacular.
Hi Susan and thx for your comment and congrats. We were definitely wishing for more SUN. We’d hit a cloudy streak with light rains. We FINALLY got a day of pure sun toward the end of our visit and it was spectacular to be on the beach for that, if even for a brief time!
Thx so much, Christine. A trip like this is always so much better when enjoyed with a good friend.
It was indeed a whirlwind trip, Doreen, but so much fun, and a much needed get-away for me. I was thrilled to accompany you on this Chocolatour, and see you in action.
Congratulations on all of the success your book has had. You’ve earned it all, and deserve every moment in the spotlight and sunlight!