There was no plan today, except to go for a walk down Ocean Drive this morning and make the most of the sunshine.

We had breakfast in the hotel as it was included in the booking – it was lovely sitting on the front veranda of the hotel that looks onto Ocean Drive.

It was fairly quiet when we ventured out. It was as if everyone else had partied hard on Saturday night and were having a lie-in. It was good to be able to take photographs of the Art Deco buildings without loads of people getting in the way. There are over 800 art deco buildings in Miami Beach and there are plenty to see on Ocean Drive. We ended up outside The Betsy Ross hotel which is where we will be staying on our final evening in Florida. We noticed that there was a restaurant menu outside so we decided to check it out. We ended up booking a table for the evening when we are staying and it looks pretty special. Something to look forward to.

https://www.thebetsyhotel.com/?utm_source=google-gbp&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=gbp

We then headed to the beach for a walk along the sea shore, dipping our toes in the water for a bit. The beach was quiet still with lots of sun loungers to choose from if we’d wanted to. There was a delicate whiff of marijuana in the air, something that we’d become accustomed to!

We were soaking up the sun rays and I was getting too hot on the beach, so we went back onto Ocean Drive for something to eat. We found a spot called News Cafe.

https://newscafesouthbeach.com

I ordered mahi mahi fish tacos which were delicious. It was getting busier now. There were plenty of people posing in their cars: expensive ones such Lamborghini, Maserati or McLaren are not uncommon here. Some are like mobile boom boxes, music blaring out which is always very heavy on the bass. It all just adds to the buzz of this area.

On the way back we also passed a set of stairs that is famous for a scene from the movie Scarface. It’s when the chainsaw incident takes place. The staircase is barriered off by Miami police, so nobody can access it.

We headed onto Collins Avenue which is one block back from Ocean Drive. Here there are still plenty of Art Deco properties. We walked down Española Way which cuts across Collins Avenue. This is a vibrant street that we’d visited before, and has a very Spanish vibe to it. The tree-lined pedestrianised area has tapas restaurants and wine bars along it. We stopped off for a glass of wine in a shaded spot to watch the world go by.

https://www.visitespanolaway.com

After our quick stop we then walked a bit further to Española Plaza which is at a crossroads with Drexel Avenue. I spotted a structure made up of different sized silver spheres and went to investigate. I wondered why it was there and saw a small plaque that said “Creed” (as in the fragrance, which I could smell, I thought), Kolodny and Esme. A quick Google and I found out that this was indeed a scented sculpture made for Miami Art Week in 2023. This was a collaboration between artist Shawn Kolodny, the House of Creed and the Esmé Miami Beach Hotel.

https://www.thefamemag.com/article/shawn-kolodny-and-house-of-creed-a-fusion-of-art-and-fragrance-at-miami-art-week-2023

Heading back towards Ocean Drive, we stopped off for a cocktail at the lobby bar in The Betsy Hotel after seeing another art sculpture, The Betsy Orb. This egg-shaped artwork is actually a bridge that joins the two Betsy buildings together: the original Betsy Hotel and the renovated Carlton Hotel on Collins Avenue.

https://www.thebetsyhotel.com/exhibitions/locations/the-betsy-orb-inside

We headed back to Hotel Avalon via the Mojito Bar at Hotel Breakwater (we stayed there in 2023) to get ready for our evening meal booked at Gianni’s, the former Versace Mansion. We’d booked this months in advance as it is very popular and it’s not easy to get a table without a reservation. We were booked for 7pm and is about a 10 minute walk from our hotel. Ocean Drive was vibrant and busy when we headed north towards Gianni’s.

https://vmmiamibeach.com/giannis-restaurant/

The restaurant is housed in Villa Casa Casuarina, Gianni’s Versace’s Miami Beach home. It was sold by his family and turned into a luxury hotel after he was shot dead outside the villa. As soon as we walked in we were transported to Italy. The building has an atrium, decorated with fountains, mosaics, frescoes and busts. When we were taken to our table, we walked down an ornate staircase to an outside covered area next to the pool. This is known as the “ Million Mosaic Pool”, decorated with, yes you guessed it, a million mosaic tiles. Thousands of the tiles are 24 carat gold.

This takes me to my first drink of the evening, a signature cocktail called the 24 Karat Golden Margarita. This consisted of premium Tequila, fresh lime, a splash of orange juice and topped with Cointreau and gold flakes, with a salted rim. Delicious.

The menu prices are what you would expect in South Beach so we had no surprises. I went for a steak that was cooked perfectly, served with asparagus and potatoes. The ambiance in the restaurant was lovely, and it was a nice experience overall. This ended our time in Miami, more adventures await on Monday!