12. Miami

Walking, dancing AND swimming. All in a laid-back Latino atmosphere!

In this episode, you'll hear about the real Miami - with facts only a travel expert would know: from travelling, to eating, to shopping.

For a free factsheet on the varied offerings of Miami, email May at her website: https://www.travelcounsellors.co.uk/may.swan-easton

Transcript

Walking, dancing and swimming - all in a laid back Latino atmosphere. Welcome to episode 12 of Travels With May,

Hello, I'm May Swan_Easton. And in this episode, our destination is Miami. Now keep listening because I'll be telling you how you can download a free fact sheet on this destination, but let's get straight into the conversation I had with Seb. It was account director. You can island for greater Miami convention and visitors bureau and over the next 40 minutes or so, you'll hear about the real Miami with facts.

Only a real expert would know from traveling to eating. Seb welcome. Hi, I'm a thank you very much for having me today. It's a pleasure. My first question is why should Miami be on everyone's wishlist of visit? Uh, not that I am biased, but it's the, it's the best city in the world. Really? Opinion Miami is just greater.

It's great for everybody. There is so much to do. It's very easily accessible. First of all, from the UK. Plenty of connections getting there, uh, from, uh, London Heathrow from London, Gatwick, American BA Norwegian, uh, Virgin, they're all flying to Miami. Um, they do have several connections that, so it's very easy to get to.

Uh, and the city is just great. Uh, I always tell people all activity, don't know what to expect. I'm going to Miami. Just, just imagine. Going, uh, to, um, Latin America, um, Miami probably he's the least American city you will find, uh, in the U S it is really Latino through and through. It's a massive melting pot.

There's a lot of different cultures. Um, and there is a lot for everybody. Of course, there is a lot of beach activities, but what a lot of European people don't realize is that Miami is a large city. Looking at the surface of Miami's roughly the surface of London and why is the beach is very much that, and it is the most popular destination for visitors.

Uh, there is much more to Miami. They are a plethora of neighborhood downtown Miami, where there's lots of activity that can be had, and that's really applies to. Families with young children, um, groups of friends going to Miami to actually have a good time as a demographic, people who are interested in going on a cruise, there's really plenty of things to do.

Uh, and it's impossible to get bored. Uh, what was your illness? So it sounds like something for everyone. Yeah, absolutely. Uh, and really we, we do have families, a lot of families actually, who may not come to Miami, a direct theater, it might be going a little bit further up north to go see Mickey mouse and so forth.

Uh, but a lot of them happen to actually come down to Miami because there is a lot of things to do for the kids. Obviously we are known as a bit of a party capital, so it's no surprise that we do have a lot of. Going on handy or stack nights or just people who want to spend a little bit of time with a best friend and let their head down.

But likewise, we do have quite a lot of older people who actually have maybe more time. Um, and they, they, they come to Miami and spend weeks during the winter, uh, to, to escape the, the British weather, uh, and, and really enjoy the sunshine. So there's really something for everybody. It's, it's a very broad.

So how did Miami gates name. Well, um, Miami activity is a reasonably young city and, uh, it's actually, interestingly, probably one of the only city in the U S that was founded by a woman. Uh, her name was Juliet Tottle and she was a land owner in. Well, there was very little at the time and she used her connections.

She was a bit of a business woman, as well as the land owner. And she's used the connection to bring a Florida train line down to Miami. The train line didn't go as far south at the time. And that's really when Miami started, it started as a small village of about 600 people, uh, at the backend of the 19th century.

And gradually it has become the city. It is today, which is much, much larger. Uh, how. We'll still find some traces of this party in Miami, if you were to visit or stay in coconut Grove, which is probably my favorite neighborhood in Miami. That's why I usually tend to stay. If I'm, if I'm going back for work and coconut Grove hasn't really changed, uh, since the beginning of the 20th century, uh, it's still very small.

Um, it's banging in the middle of Miami or right on the water. It's a small village. Retain that, that village feel that, that, uh, friendly atmosphere, um, between all of the low calls for the most know, one another on a first name basis. Yeah. That's about it. Really. So you mentioned neighborhoods is Miami split into different neighborhoods.

Can you just expand on that? Yeah. Miami is probably a home. Doesn't neighborhood. The one that most people know about is Miami beach. Again, it is the most popular destination as far as European. Um, um, visitors are concerned, but you will find many more neighborhood, mostly on the mainland. Miami. I mentioned coconut Grove, which is the oldest neighborhood you will find in Miami.

You've got the neighborhood of coral Gables. You've got the Navy. Brick wall, which is the nearest neighborhood in Miami, all the town. If you push south, you will be getting to the Everglades as well. Which many people know off because of the mighty Everglades national park. So you've got different neighborhood in Miami.

And they're all very, very different. The one thing that you will find wherever you go in Miami is the Latino laid back atmosphere. Um, that, that, that really is wherever you are going in Miami, but then all of those neighborhood hadn't have some, some specificity. So if you have customers who, um, are not necessarily into the beach, they can spend a whole week in Miami without activity venturing on Miami beach.

There's plenty of things to do on mainland. Plenty of different neighborhood to be experienced. What sort of types of standards of accommodation who said to stay at? So we've got a very wide range of accommodation at the moment. We probably have over 60,000 all their room across Miami. Uh, that's a big number.

That's a lot of, of, of stock really. Uh, and needless to say. There's very little, you will not find it ranges from your small boutique hotel to your mega resort. If you are into brand, you will find all of the brands in Miami. But likewise, we have many private art deco or towels in south beach in particular.

Uh, and, and therefore the budget will really vary. I mean, you can probably stay somewhere. Decent for less than a hundred dollars a night. Um, but like, why is the rate can go in the hundreds of dollars if you wanted to stay in a top hotel right on the beach. Um, so there is a very wide, wide range of accommodation for somebody visiting for the first time, which area or, um, neighborhood would you recommend based on.

It really very much depend on, on, on the people. A lot of people are coming to Miami because they are going on a cruise. We are the cruise capital of the world. Uh, we've had about 6 million people coming through Miami just before the pandemic to go on a cruise. For those people who are only going to be spending a couple of nights.

Postgres in Miami. I usually tell them, skip the beach. Miami beach is great. Don't take me wrong. It's a fantastic, uh, neighborhood of Miami, but you will have spent, or you are about to spend a whole week in the Caribbean, uh, enjoying some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. So why not do something a little bit different when you in Miami, uh, and stick to domain land.

Again, it's very much depends on, on, on what you're after. If you want the glitz and glamor of Miami, I would say consider Brickell. Brickell is right on the water, but on mainland Miami, it is literally five minutes away from the port. So you want the short transfer from port Miami to yourtown that's the best neighborhood to, to base yourself and his brand.

I would set the oldest building in Brickell probably 10 years of age. And that is really old. Uh, it's very glitz. It's very glamour, uh, the best or, or the, the, the trendiest bars, restaurants and hotels are based in that neighborhood. And he's so, so, um, no. A bit of a celebrity hangout or anyone was anyone coming to Miami and wants to be seen?

Uh, these days we'll be going out in, in Brickell 15 years ago, he was ocean drive. Uh, the locals would tell you it it's it's very last century. Uh, so Brickwood is a great place if you want. Glitz and glamor, if you want to be super central, if you want something a bit more laid back my personal favorite.

And I've mentioned it already before is coconut Grove simply because it's very laid back. It's very local. Uh, I do also find that if you go to a restaurant, uh, in, in coconut Grove or shop, you get a fantastic customer service because the majority of the businesses in that neighborhood and. Surrounding it really cater for locals and in order to make money and to keep in business, they need to make sure that those locals come back week in, week out.

So you will really benefit from a fantastic customer service. Uh, so that's my personal favorite. There is another great neighborhood, which isn't as busy and glitzy as brick Uber still very glamorous and, and that's coral Gables. The locals are dub coral Gables. The Beverly. Miami. Um, and it's a beautiful neighborhood.

It is landlocked. However, you are only 10 minutes away by cab to, to, to the waterfront. It's very green and very Spanish in its architecture. Uh, so these are probably the neighbors. I would actually recommend to somebody. Doesn't necessarily want the beach. If you want the beach, then by all means stay, stay in Miami beach.

Uh, as a rule of thumb, the further north you're going to base yourself on the beach, the quieter it becomes. So the epicenter of Miami beach is south beach. It is buzzing. Imagine less than. Coven garden. It is primarily tourist that you will be finding that. So there is a buzz about it, but it's always very, very busy.

Isha had Dean towards meat beach. You will still find great entertainment, great hotels, but less crowd. And if really you want to escape. Other visitors and really stay with locals. Have a look at, uh, Sonia, I bought a hub, uh, uh, the Northern part of Miami beach. So again, the further north you base yourself, the quieter, it becomes art deco area because when you see brochures and postcards and pictures, um, quite often, Um, all the art deco buildings, whereabouts is that wouldn't can that be found in Miami?

So the art deco is in south beach activity. It's salvage is next to the, the art deco district because it is the world's largest exhibit of all the building. There are 600 of them all together, uh, and, and many of them have been repurposed and are today either hotel or restaurant or. It's a reasonably small area and you can actually take a tool when you are in south beach.

They are organized by, by local operators there. And it's something that you can do by foods. Uh, I would say probably takes you a good couple of hours to walk around the article district and going back to hotels. Do they normally include breakfast in the room rates or are they on a room only basis or all inclusive?

So Noah would enclose if you want. I'm not really aware of any, a resort or whatever in Miami who would be offering all inclusive. The majority of the room rate would be, uh, including breakfasts. Uh, you can book half board if you want to. Most people. Tend to do so because we've got such an amazing food scene in Miami that you're really wanting to go out in a different place every night and really sample the local delicacies.

So the majority of the room right. Would be inclusive of breakfast. Um, and what's the best way to get around Miami. Is it on foot or by taxi? Do you have a public transportation system? We've got very good public transportation system. Um, and, and. Some of it is actually free of charge, which is great. The one thing that I would say you shouldn't be doing when you're in Miami is a hire a call.

Uh, you will not go very far, very fast because the traffic in Miami can be quite bad. And, uh, one of the issues that we have in Miami and that is especially the case for the beach is the lack of car parking facilities and wise all of the hotel rooms. Be offering car parking facilities that will be charging a premium for it.

So you're going to end up with a very expensive toy that you probably won't be using because you will be stuck in traffic. So if you're staying on the beach, you can walk quite easily. Again, it depends how far, uh, your, your, your mortality is from, from. From south beach, but if you're staying mid beach where it's a bit quieter, it's a 45 minute walk along the boardwalk, which is, uh, which is a really a nice walk.

Alternatively, you've got buses going up and down Collins avenue, which is the main artery of south beach. Um, so you, you can get about with public transport quite easily. Uh, likewise, once you arrive in Miami international airport, you can get to your resort with a public transport. Uh, you do have a bus going from Mia international.

True south beach transfer time varies depending on the traffic, but you're looking at about 40 to 45 minutes. And the cost of a one-way ticket is $2 25. So it's two pounds, or even less than that. Uh, alternatively, um, you can, uh, take a cab. Uh, you do tend to have fixed fares from the airport to the beach and it's around $35, I believe.

And that should be taking about 20 minutes. Oh, if you're staying downtown Miami brick wall, coconut Grove or coral Gables, you have a shuttle train from the airport in Miami, which again takes about 20 minutes and you're looking at about two pound per ticket. So it's very easy to get about where the local transportation and it's cheap as well, or last but not least.

If, if you don't want to share, um, Transportation with other people. Uh, Uber is very widely available. It's actually cheaper than it is in the UK. And I would from memory. I think that the transfer from the app or to south beach, if you wanted to book Uber, you probably looking at. $20 wait, which is really a reasonable, especially if you're sharing with, with, with, with other people and you split the fat, it's a very affordable way to get around in this city.

Well, brilliant. Thanks. So that's loads of great information. So I read that the first burger king location opened in Miami in 1954, but what sort of other restaurants and food. Well, I find on a, for in Miami. Uh it's it's interesting you saying that because burger king McDonald's and typical American food really on the staple diet in Miami, you would find those burger joint don't take me wrong, but that really isn't what, what, what the local cuisine is all about.

Uh, as I mentioned earlier, Miami is Latino through and through there either. Cuban community, uh, community from, from all countries in Latin America. So the, the, the staple diet in Miami really is very similar to the one you will be finding in Latin America. Uh, and w we've got some fantastic restaurant. Uh, we've got, um, a very viral.

Food scene as well. Uh, on the streets, I'm thinking here, uh, in particular, um, about the neighborhood of Winward, uh, which is located on the mainland Miami, where you've got a lot of food trucks and you can sample all kinds of delicious food. If you wanted to go for a typical meal out in Miami, I guess it would be going for Cuban.

It is. The second largest Cuban city in the wild. So Cuban food is widely available and very affordable. If you are staying on the beach as a rule of thumb, everything is going to be more expensive because it is a tourist destination. So you'll be paying more for your pint of beer, your glass of wine, your dinner, and so forth.

Uh, but if you are going on mainland Miami and you wanted to go, uh, Cuban, uh, for, for Cuban meat, you need to Havana w w which, which is th th th the heart at the real heart of the city bank and the midway. It is, it is the Cuban community of Miami. You can probably get a good meal in the evening with a couple of drinks for something around 30 to $40.

Which is pretty affordable. Uh, and, uh, one thing I should point out as well is that, um, the Miami tourist office launched 20 years ago, uh, a food program called Miami spice. And it has been taking place every year for the last 20 years during the month of August and September hundreds of restaurant in Miami actually have bought into.

That that, that that's special offer program. And you can find across the CT over those two months, uh, lots of restaurants that would be offering you a three-course lunch for $28. And they can have a three course dinner for $42, which is really affordable. Uh, and, and, and, and the fruity is, is, is, is really delicious in Miami, et cetera.

Yeah, we've got. Wide array of choices and, and, or the restaurants open till quite late. Cause it sounds like it's a very vibrant. It is, it is you can, you can eat inside beats whenever you want. If you go on to Espanola way at two o'clock in the morning, you will find a way to actually get, get, get, get something to eat that might not necessarily be the case.

If you are venture in some more residential areas, uh, restaurant appropriate, like. Going to be serving food until around midnight. Um, but uh, in south beach you can find something to eat. You can find restaurant open 24 7. So can I find vegan kosher restaurants in Miami? Yeah. Yeah. You can observe that.

We've got a very international, um, clear client base. People are coming to Miami from all around the world. So. Absolutely you would be able to, to, to, to find special diets. Um, most restaurant would be having, I mean, vegetarian is a given, um, but most restaurants would be able to cater for the most common food intolerance, something in gluten free, dairy free and so forth.

Uh, that's not a problem. Okay. Is it alcohol expensive? I mean, what's the average cost for say a glass of wine. Yeah, I call it is quite expensive. It's not just Miami in the U S generally, if you are looking at a bottle of beer, pints of beer, not necessarily that common. So it's usually bottle at say, if you are looking at our domestic brand like Budweiser, for instance, a bottle of beer would be around $5.

Uh, uh, loss of wine. That's when it gets quite expensive, you won't get much change out of $12 for a glass of, of house wine. A bottle, the cheapest bottle would probably start at around $50, uh, cook towels. Um, they can range again, depending on where. You are going, but it would be around the $15 mark. So alcohol isn't cheap.

It isn't cheapy in Miami, but again, that is not just a Miami thing. Alcohol in, in the U S tends to be a little bit more expensive than it is all over here in the UK. And, and tipping is a given isn't it, um, in, in the whole of the states. But what about Miami? What sort of percentage should you think about.

Uh, very often the tip is actively now included on the, uh, on the bill. So there is a service charge. You CA you can change it if you want to, but it is about 15 to 20%. But as I said, the majority of the restaurant now actively adding the service charge on top of the bill. Um, But if you're not happy with the service, uh, and you can actually justify it, you can take it off.

And what sort of restaurants do you recommend for visitors to try? Um, in Miami speaking from personal experience? Oh, God, it's really depends what you are, what you're after. Um, one of the places where I systematically go, whenever I go back to Miami is a Cuban restaurant in little Havana. Called ball and chain.

Uh, it's a great restaurant. It's not fancy. It's not an international brand. It's a private restaurant operated by the same family for a very long time. Uh, and it's right in the middle of , which is eight streets, either the main archery ability to have another where you will be finding the majority of the bars.

Sent restaurant. And I absolutely loved that place because the food is delicious, but it's just, the atmosphere is not, uh, as soon as you step in, um, there are people dancing every way. It's, it's, it's a mix between a dong sink club and a restaurant. Uh, and you do have some salsa instructors as well, live band playing every day of the week.

Uh, and whenever I'm going that way with friends or.  travel agent whenever I'm escorting groups in Miami. Uh, usually within about half an hour after we sat down at the table, the majority of the group is on the dance floor, learning how to dance the south side. It's just a fantastic atmosphere, uh, any, and it's cheap as well.

Uh, Well, maybe a couple, a couple, but he's a lot of fun and that they are, they're just so warm and welcoming, um, in, in the restaurant that's, you know, I mean, did they come in invite you on dance floor? You just can't. They just can't refuse release. Uh, it's a love of fun. Um, another great place. If you're in south beach and you don't, you're hungry, but you don't really know what you want.

Go along Espanola. Uh, it's a bit S3 and, um, streets in south beach and it's literally one restaurant after the other. Uh, so you got Cuban, Italian, Portuguese, watermelon, Columbian, and smokes the Latin American food. But that's usually where I go if I'm hungry and I'm not quite sure what I want. So I'd just walk around and have a look at the menus and then pick a, pick a spot that, uh, they, they all, they're all very good, um, that they also very, very good food.

Um, But then likewise, uh, if you want to treat yourself to something special, uh, and I've been lucky enough to do it, had to the Eden rock hotel, uh, which is also a Nobu hotel, which is home to a Nobu restaurant, allegedly not the cheapest place to eat in Miami regular count. David Beckham's amongst others is seen that quite regularly whenever he's in Miami.

So, uh, it's a bit of a trait. It's not something you would be doing every day. But, but the, the foods, I mean, everybody has heard about nobody to fruit is absolutely spectacular and the surroundings are beautiful as well. No, I've actually stayed at the Eden rock, but before they had a Nobu restaurant there, unfortunately I had to go back.

You have to go out to go back. That's right. Yeah. So talking about temperatures and attractions, um, what can I see in an experience in Miami that I can't anywhere. It's great for shopping. Uh, locals in Miami are so obsessed with shopping so much so that each of the neighborhood in Miami have their very own shopping mall.

Uh, and some of them are massive. I'm thinking, uh, about Evan Chira, which is a neighborhood on the beach. Um, far up north, uh, and the Aventura shopping mall probably ease about twice the size of the Westfield shopping center in London, which I believe is the largest one in Europe. So you're double the size of that.

And that's, I've in JIRA. Likewise, if you want to. Uh, in, in boutiques rather than being in a mall, we've got an entire neighborhood in the downtown area called the design district. Again, not necessarily for people who are on the budget, but you're, if you are into your designers, uh, your, your, your, your big international brands, um, you've died and gone to heaven there.

So shopping is very big. Um, and, and outdoors, adventure is really big in Miami people. Don't use. Associate us with the doors. They think south beach, um, lots of people around and yes, that is one aspect of the city, but we are the only city in the U S that is home to not one, but two national park. There is the one that most people would have heard about.

And as the Everglades national park, which is only 40 minutes away from, from the downtown area, uh, and then you've got the key Biscayne national park as well and 90. The scent of which I believe is underwater. So it's great for people who want to go and experience some scuba diving or some kayaking. So there is a lot of, of, of outdoors, um, uh, adventures to be had in Miami.

And we've got a very rich art scene as well. Architecture is very big in Miami. I mean, it tees off the role known as the art deco, um, The straight the south beach itself. Um, but, but there, there is a lot of design museums. Uh, there is a lot of, of modern art as well available. Um, and there's a lot of attraction for the whole family, uh, as well.

One of the place that is a firm favorite for, for families and young children is the frost museum of science. Which has probably been open now for four to five years. Um, and that's a great day out, uh, for the whole family, but the kids love it because you can actually interact with some of the exhibit and learn all about your surroundings.

Uh, there is a, um, a tank there where you can actually see sharks. There is a planetarium as well, uh, and the museum. Beautiful gardens as well outside. Uh, she wanted to just have a break during the day so that there really is a lot of things to do, whether you're into shopping, just shitting water activities.

Great outdoors. I mentioned the food scene in Miami is fantastic as well. So I kind of think of. I cannot think of something that we cannot offer. You can even learn how to ski. Why would you, I don't know, but you can, if you want, you do actually have dry slopes in Miami, so you could even learn how to ski, if you want to.

And I know Miami is too far from the island to The Bahamas. So are there day trips that you do? Not really, unless you have a lot of money and you wanted to charter a helicopter. You can do that now. You don't really have day trips, but there are a few cruise lines, uh, operating out of port Miami that operates.

Three or four night cruises to The Bahamas. That's probably the best way to experience it. Um, I wouldn't really recommend to go there for the day. I mean, it is not far, but it's not next door either. Um, so no, uh, I, I wouldn't really recommend a trip to The Bahamas, uh, as a day trip. And as you can charter your own jet or helicopter with regards to the beaches that we spoke about those, is it true?

That sand is imported from the Caribbean, for the Miami beach. That is news to me, not that I am aware of. No, I mean, there may have been some top-ups here and that, but no, no, no. I, I, I, I've never heard that before. So not the sandies is very much Miami sand. And which base do you think. It's considered to be the best beach that that's a very down to personal taste.

Obviously, south beach is probably the most famous because of the proximity of the bars and so forth is full of bloody beautiful people as well. So if you're into that kind of stuff, south beach, we'll take your box. If you'd rather have more space around you had towards north beach. Uh, I personally like the beach is in coconut Grove.

They're much smaller than mine. They're much more isolated. You've got combination of little beaches and marinas and little creeks. Um, and I actually personally prefer staying there, especially during the week because that neighborhood is very popular with locals and the locals work during the week. So you can go to those small beaches.

And you will hardly see anyone else. So it very much depends on what kind of vibe you want from the beach. If you want kind of a party vibe, south beach cities, if you want peace and quiet, but still miles and miles of white Sandy beach, head to north beach. If you want something a bit more quaint, check out coconut Grove.

And what about Marine life or any wildlife that visitors might see when they visited? Yes, there is plenty. Um, you can, um, you can actually, uh, interact with, uh, Marine life, um, in the Biscayne national park that I mentioned earlier, but closer to, uh, the, the, the center of Miami is the Seaquarium, which is a home to flip it.

A dolphin actually. That's where the th the original series was actually filmed. Uh, Plenty of ways for adults and children alike to interact with the dolphin, there is a sea Trek encounter. So you can go there and just sit down and watch a show, or you can actually buy into some more interactive experiences.

It depends what you're after. If you want a more controlled environment, Seaquarium, if you want to do it alone and explore, then I would highly recommend a trip down to, to Biscayne bay. We talked about shopping. We touched on it earlier. Is there any designer outlet malls nearby that they're accessible from Miami?

Yes. There would be the Coco a walk, which is N which is actually not very far from, uh, Miami international airport. Um, The majority of the more aren't necessarily outlet, Evan Chira isn't, uh, the design district. Isn't either. I would imagine that the biggest one probably is Coco walk at the moment. If you're after outlets are such a, there is a big project as well.

Um, since you seem really interested in, in, in the shopping in Miami at something that that's probably going to, um, Be very excited about that. There is a plan taking, uh, th th there's a plan that has been agreed and the ground would be broken or over the next few months. But, um, Miami, uh, we'd be a home to the largest shopping mall in the U S called American dream.

And that would be. Outside the city center, closer to the entrance of the Everglades national park. And that I understand that has had the go ahead. So, uh, yeah, probably one of the must stop places for your next trip to Miami, or they might not be open for another three to four years bearing in mind that they haven't even broken ground yet, but he is going to be taking.

I can wait. And I'm so excited to hear that as well. I do love shopping when I go away to the states. So when was the, when's the best time to visit Miami weather-wise comfortable month up, probably going to be from November through to may ish, uh, because it can get really, really hot and humid during the summer.

I don't have a problem with it. Actively love it, but a lot of people are feeling a bit sluggish. Uh, so, um, and that they are going to be more mosquitoes around, uh, hurricane season usually is around July and August. Uh, I mean, those can usually be predicted weeks in advance, uh, thanks to modern technology, but, um, if you want to be comfortable, look at.

Mid-October to April may, as I say, I'll go shopping because everywhere has got to air conditioning. Absolutely. You got to air conditioning everywhere, but if you don't mind humid, humid weather, you know, it's a year round destination, really. And what's the average time for a visitor to stay in Miami. I know you mentioned that people do it as a stopover on the way back from Orlando seeing the mouse, but, um, w what's your stats say that the average.

It is very much a destination that is combined either with a cruise or combined with other cities. It could be Orlando or combined with, uh, the keys because we are the gateway to the Florida keys. The nearest apple to get to the keys is Miami international apple. So with that in mind, uh, the average state.

Probably around five to six nights, which is much better than it used to be in the past. So that has increased over the years. Uh, I think a lot of people actually were going to Miami on a cruise, uh, in the past, used to these disembark go to the apple back home. Um, and now they seem to be more curious to take the opportunity of being that already.

To, to, to extend that the holiday by a few days and spend a few days in Miami. So it has, it has extended over the years, but we are very much sold alongside with either a cruise or a fly and drive or a trip to Orlando or the keys. That's the reality, I guess, w because it takes a little while to actually get to Florida.

Yeah. People want to probably combine it because they'll have to. Weeks anyway, um, if they're from the UK on holiday there. So I personally, I visited Miami just for a long weekend and I didn't get any really bad effect with, um, you know, the time difference or anything. So, uh, because I, I hit the ground running.

I had everything planned. We knew where we were going to meet. We had dinner reservations, um, club reservations, et cetera, and shopping, um, as well, including. It was great because, um, we made the most of our time. So you could, you can actually do it just in a weekend as well. Okay. You can do, you can do a lot.

I mean, the jet lag, you don't feel it so bad, but I suppose it's only five hours behind. So it's just that the secret. To try and stay awake as late as possible the first night. Uh, and, and try to stay up until around 10:00 PM, which I know UK time is two o'clock in the morning, but once you've done that, I personally feel absolutely fine.

The following day, I don't really suffer from the jet lag so much and neither do the. Usually come with me. So again, the tip is, stay, stay up as late as you possibly can. The first evening, otherwise you will be up at three o'clock in the morning because of the time difference. And that's going to kind of mess with, with your buddy and your schedule.

But yeah, you can definitely do a lot of Miami within, within three to four days. It's sort of in the planning really, isn't it? Uh, that's a really good tip that you just gave us because my last question would be. What is your top tip for someone thinking of visiting Miami, talk to your travel agent, tell them about you so that they can actually identify what.

Is the best neighborhood for you in Miami, because it's not necessarily going to be at the beach. Uh, and, and actually a lot of people I'm talking to say, oh, I had no idea this neighborhood existed. Uh, and, and by, uh, talking, uh, they find out that actually they don't want the beach. They thought they wanted the beach because that's the image of Miami that's been.

Portrayed over the years on TV and so forth. Uh, but there is so much more, so I would say I have a really good conversation with your travel agent who will be able to look into different neighborhood, uh, and tailor something that is going to be more appealing to your needs. Uh, and also. Trying to explore.

Don't stay in one neighborhood. It's very tempting. If you are going on the beach to spend the whole of your holiday on the beach and you can do that, there's plenty to keep you entertained, but you missing out on so much, uh, the, those neighborhood on the mainland, Miami come a really long way. I know that we did suffer for a long time of Miami had.

But reputation for many years that wasn't a half by TV programs, such as Miami vice, for instance, which to be fab back in the eighties, one Farfetch from reality. But that was 40 years ago. Things have changed. Miami is very safe place. So people shouldn't really feel threatened to leave the beach because.

Because of violence said it's no more dangerous than any other big cities in the USA. Uh, and yeah, venture go out, the locals are, uh, very friendly and, uh, they're always very keen to activity, um, share their heritage, um, with visitors. Uh, so yeah, that's what I would recommend. Try to. Venture outside the beach and have a really good conversation with a travel agent because they will be able to, to, to really recommend the best possible place for you.

Thank you so much for joining us today, safe and sharing your knowledge and expertise on all things, Miami. I can't wait to go, uh, soon, hopefully

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